Source: United States Navy
SOLOMON ISLANDS – The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL), with support from a team of Pacific Partnership 2022 (PP22) veterinarians and vet technicians, is leading an outreach effort to support poultry and pig farmers with basic veterinary care for their livestock. The mission focuses on the health and welfare of pigs, chickens, goats, ducks, dogs and cats – all of which impact the overall health of the community.
Source: United States Navy
Capt. Tim LaBenz assumed command from Capt. Tom Ogden of DESRON 7, the Navy’s only forward-deployed DESRON in Southeast Asia.
Following a primarily virtual change of command ceremony in 2021 due to measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this ceremony aboard Charleston included the entire DESRON 7 staff as well as friends and family of the incoming and outgoing commodores in addition to being broadcast to attendees across the world.
“The change of command ceremony is a time-honored tradition that honors our heritage, formally notes the transition of command from one officer to another, and celebrates our accomplishments. There’s no better place to do it then on the deck of one of our deployed Navy warships,” said Ogden.
Ogden arrived at DESRON 7 in November 2019, first serving as the command’s deputy commodore before assuming the role of commodore in February 2021. As commodore, Ogden supported the first-ever simultaneous rotational deployment of three Independence-variant littoral combat ships USS Jackson (LCS 6), USS Tulsa (LCS 16) and Charleston to the Indo-Pacific.
Ogden also commanded the DESRON 7 staff embark of the USS America (LHA 6) in the summer and fall of 2021, in which the staff held and executed a variety of responsibilities during the Talisman Sabre 2021 exercise. While leading sea combat during this exercise, DESRON 7 held tactical control of over 17 units including ships and aircraft from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom. The exercise resulted in the DESRON 7’s Sea Combat Commander (SCC) certification.
“All credit for these past 19 months goes to the adaptability, commitment and tenacity of the Golden Arrows of DESRON 7,” said Ogden. “Our staff’s ability to simultaneously serve as SCC, plan and execute theater security cooperation exercises, and support LCS out of Singapore and Guam while operating from Bangladesh to Japan and south to Australia is a testament to these men and women of whom I have had the privilege to work with.”
As DESRON 7 looks forward, the command plans to continue to flex its capabilities by participating in complex exercises and operations throughout U.S. 7th Fleet in 2022 and beyond.
“It has been my privilege to serve as deputy commodore, and I am honored for the opportunity to serve as commodore and build upon Captain Ogden’s foundation and successes,” said LaBenz.
LaBenz arrived in January 2021, following time at Navy Personnel Command, Surface Officer Distribution Division (PERS-41) as the branch head (PERS-412), responsible for detailing all surface warfare officer junior officers for assignments as division officers, department heads and early command officers.
He previously served as the commanding officer and executive officer of USS Sampson (DDG 102), which including deployments to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility as part of the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group. Under his command, Sampson provided earthquake relief efforts during the ship’s historic visit to New Zealand, marking the first U.S. Navy ship to visit the country in over thirty years.
“Operating in the Indo-Pacific provides unique challenges and opportunities,” said LaBenz. “I am so grateful to be leading a staff of Officers and Sailors who understand the region’s importance and complexities. I look forward to everything we accomplish together.”
Charleston, part of DESRON 7, is on a rotational deployment, operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
As the U.S. Navy’s destroyer squadron forward-deployed in Southeast Asia, DESRON 7 serves as the primary tactical and operational commander of littoral combat ships rotationally deployed to Singapore, Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 7’s Sea Combat Commander, and builds partnerships through training exercises and military-to-military engagements.
Under Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with 35 maritime nations in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Source: United States Department of Justice News
A Vinita man who tampered with evidence following a murder and provided the killer a place to stay afterward was sentenced Thursday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Dale Eugene Warren, 66, to 120 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
“Dale Warren destroyed and discarded evidence following the horrific murder of Christopher Boren in 2019,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Individuals who help others hide their crimes or fail to report them should be prepared to face charges.”
“Thanks to a determined investigation by the FBI and our law enforcement partners, this deplorable cover-up of a cold-blooded murder will not go unpunished,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “This sentence should serve as a warning that any attempt to tamper with the justice system will not be tolerated.”
Warren pleaded guilty on Dec. 1, 2021, to accessory after the fact to first degree murder in Indian Country. He admitted that he was with codefendant Johnny Lee Arnold when Arnold struck the victim, Christopher Boren, with a small baseball bat and repeatedly stabbed him with a knife, leading to Boren’s death.
Warren further admitted that he disposed of the murder weapon in a river and provided a hose and water for Arnold to wash away blood and other evidence from Arnold’s clothes and vehicle. Finally, he said that he provided Arnold with a place to stay following the murder.
Warren stated that he did not contact authorities about the murder. Warren claimed that Arnold told him that he (Arnold) was a member of the Aryan Brotherhood and that he had people in 48 states who could get to Warren if he spoke about the crime.
The victim’s body was found in rural in Craig County.
On May 10, 2022, Arnold, 34, of Langley, pleaded guilty to second degree murder. The plea agreement stipulated that Arnold should serve between 25 and 35 years for the crime. A federal judge will decide whether to accept the plea agreement and will determine an appropriate sentence at a hearing to be held at a later time.
The FBI, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Mayes County Sheriff’s Office and Craig County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John E. Brasher and Ben Tonkin are prosecuting the case.
Source: United States Navy
An astrophysicist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is part of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) Early Release Science Team for Direct Observations of Exoplanets that released the observations of a super-Jupiter exoplanet, HIP 65426 b, using JWST Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) Sept. 1.
Jordan Stone, Ph.D., an astrophysicist in NRL’s Remote Sensing Division said this early release of the exoplanet imagery was detected using seven of JWST’s observational filters, representing the first images of an exoplanet to be obtained by JWST, and the first ever direct detection of an exoplanet at wavelengths beyond 5 microns.
“One of the things we’re most excited about is that we now have the ability to measure the brightness of planets at wavelengths longer than 5 microns,” Jordan Stone, Ph.D., an astrophysicist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. said. “So we now have this, highly precise, machine that’s giving us the ability to, to measure light from planet surfaces across a really broad wavelength range. And so this is really going to transform our understanding of giant planets.”
An exoplanet is any planet beyond our solar system. HIP 65426 b, is a relatively young exoplanet, about 14 million years old, and is located in the constellation Centaurus, about 349 light years from Earth.
The JWST NIRCam observes from 0.6 to 5 microns and offers imaging, coronagraphy, and grism slitless spectroscopy; MIRI is a camera and a spectrograph that observes mid to long infrared radiation from 5 microns to 28 microns. It also has coronagraphs, especially for observing exoplanets.
HIP 65426 b circles an A type star, which is about twice the size of the sun. The planet orbits its star at about 60 – 100 AU (7.4 – 9.3 billion miles) distance. That is roughly the double the distance Pluto is from the sun. The exoplanet is seven times the mass and about one and a half times the size of Jupiter.
JWST, launched on Christmas Day 2021, is an international collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency, and the first large strategic mission of the NASA Astrophysics Division to launch since the 1990’s. The infrared observatory is orbiting the Sun about 1 million miles from Earth. Since coming on line, it has produced stunning images and a series of preliminary discoveries.
About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL is located in Washington, D.C. with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel.
For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at (202) 480-3746 or nrlpao@nrl.navy.mil.
Source: United States Navy
The target drones were launched from the Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3) and engaged with missiles launched from Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) and Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigate HMAS Perth (FFH 157), marking the first time the BQM-177A has been used in the Western Pacific region and highlighting the drones achieving full operational capability.
“Not only am I glad the [Commander, Task Force (CTF)] 71 team was the first to have a successful Missile Launch against a brand-new type of target drone, but I am extremely grateful that we got to do it side by side with our allies and partners in the region,” said Capt. Walter Mainor, commander, Task Force 71. “I’m proud of all of the participants who worked hard to make this happen, but I’m especially proud of the crews of USS Barry, USNS Alan Shepard, and our coalition partner HMAS Perth”.
The BQM-177A is an advanced high-subsonic, recoverable aerial target system that imitates advanced subsonic anti-ship cruise missile threats to test the effectiveness of shipboard air defense systems and is used for fleet training. It is unmatched in its performance capabilities when it comes to delivering realistic anti-ship missile threat emulation, according to program managers at Naval Air Systems Command.
“Our primary focus in the targets community is effective, affordable training and test for the U.S. Navy,” said Don Blottenberger, the Navy’s Aerial Targets program manager. “The efforts of the team, including partnership with MSC and the target operations organizations, represents the best of our community. The BQM-177, now fully capable, will provide quality service to our warfighters for decades to come.”
PV 22-1 is the fifth iteration of the quadrilateral exercise series between Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, and U.S. Naval forces. This exercise is focused on improving the capabilities of the countries participating to respond together as a naval force against crises and contingencies in the region. The purpose is for the participating navies to continue to refine their skills operating as an integrated force ready to respond to a changing and complex maritime environment in the Indo-Pacific region.
CTF 71/DESRON 15 is the Navy’s largest forward-deployed DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force.
U.S. 7th Fleet conducts forward-deployed naval operations in support of U.S. national interests in the Indo-Pacific area of operations. As the U.S. Navy’s largest numbered fleet, 7th Fleet interacts with 35 other maritime nations to build partnerships that foster maritime security, promote stability, and prevent conflict.