Month: September 2022

Source: United States Navy

As an expeditionary force, Marines often fight in isolated, austere environments requiring re-supply and logistical support over long distances.

To refine new technologies that will strengthen naval sustainment and expeditionary logistics, the Experimentation and Analysis (E&A) office at the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global recently sponsored the two-week Technology Operational Experimentation Exercise (TOEE) 2022 at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

The event’s purpose was to take technology developed by ONR-supported scientists and engineers, put it into the hands of Marines and Sailors for experimentation in realistic operational scenarios, and solicit feedback from the warfighters on what worked well and what could be improved.

“As we prepare for future operations, it is vital that we equip our Sailors and Marines with the technology and resources they need for success,” said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Lorin Selby. “Exercises like TOEE 22 are critical in determining what our warfighters need and if the technology we are developing can deliver in an operational environment.”

Part of the command’s international arm, ONR Global E&A provides decision-quality information to Naval Research Enterprise (NRE) leadership to support recommendations for technology investment, further development, transition or divestiture. This involves building and maintaining relationships between naval operational forces and the NRE to facilitate, fund and conduct experimentation efforts such as TOEE 22.

Other partners involved with TOEE 22 included II Marine Expeditionary Force, including subordinate elements of 2nd Marine Division and 2nd Marine Logistics Group; the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command; the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory; the Demonstration and Assessment Team from Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division, in Maryland; and multiple warfare centers.

“The purpose of this exercise is to give technologies to the warfighter, see how they use them and get their feedback, and think about what are the right investments we need to make in future technologies,” said ONR Global E&A Director Troy Hendricks. “We work hand in hand with the Marines to really learn in a relevant, realistic environment how well these technologies perform, which gives us a path forward to improving them.”

Critical to TOEE 22’s focus was conducting technology experimentation in line with the emerging naval concept known as Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO), which involves deploying small but highly mobile units to isolated locations. EABO has the potential of quickly getting forces into a strategically vital area, and potentially in an adversary’s weapons engagement zone, in response to an evolving threat when no other U.S. military assets are available.

During TOEE 22, warfighters — such as infantry, logisticians and medical personnel — tested more than 15 technologies in rugged, realistic operating conditions, including diverse landing zones situated in inland and littoral (coastal) locations. Tasks encompassed supply operations, littoral transportation, equipment maintenance, engineering and health services.

Notable technologies included unmanned vehicles (quadcopters, boats, wheeled vehicles) able to perform resupply autonomously or via remote control; a fluid-analysis system for testing oil, fuel and hydraulic fluid to gauge equipment health; and a system for providing automated medical care to combat casualties awaiting evacuation.

“I’m glad the Navy and Marine Corps are looking to make our lives easier and jobs safer by progressing and coming up with new technologies to stay ahead of the game,” said Lance Cpl. Hunter Topper, a participant in the exercise.

ONR Global E&A Deputy Director Dillard Patton said, “I can’t overstate the value of getting technology out of the lab and into the field, into the hands of warfighters. Our technologists get to learn in the mud, in the sand, in the water, and see where their technology-development gaps are and make rapid improvements.

“For the Marines, they get an early look at what technology is coming down the pipe, the chance to try it out and build trust with it, and offer their unique perspective as the end users,” he continued.

Justin Helton, the ONR Global science advisor assigned to II Marine Expeditionary Force, echoed this sentiment: “An exercise like TOEE is magic. You have scientists and engineers getting feedback on their systems; you have Marines getting exposed to technology and figuring out what it is, what it could be and what they want; and, together, they drive the demand signal for warfighter needs.”

Warren Duffie Jr. is a contractor for ONR Corporate Strategic Communications.

Source: United States Navy

Boom. Boom. Boom. The sound of the torpedoes striking the hull of the ship would echo in their minds. As the ship went down, and the Sailors jumped into the water of the Guadalcanal, the eighth USS Wasp (CV 7) was lost to the ocean.

 For years to come, those blasts would be the last thing the swim-away Sailors would have to remember their ship, until the tenth USS Wasp (LHD 1) was commissioned in 1987, and the bell with their two-time predecessor’s name on it was brought to the quarterdeck, the resounding sound bringing the retired CV 7 Sailors 46 years back in time.

A call from a Navy historian excited the commissioning crew of LHD 1, who wanted to memorialize pieces from CV 18, the ninth Wasp. They were told there was a bell that was believed to have belonged to CV 18, but when it was brought onboard, the date told them otherwise.

CV 18 wasn’t commissioned until 1943, and they had recieved a bell that was dated in 1940, said retired Captain Keith Larson, the first executive officer of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1). The question was raised, and the answer was given: this was the last surviving piece of USS Wasp (CV 7).

After 32 years away from Wasp (LHD 1), Larson returned with other plankowners to take a walk down memory lane. From seaman to chief petty officer, retired Sailors walked the decks of Wasp once again. With the guidance of the current crew, they toured the ship that commissioned so long ago.

After a long period in a dry-dock selected restricted availability, Wasp and the crew are nearly sea-worthy again. The opportunity to meet some of the plankowners was an inspiration to Sailors and a motivator to keep working toward mission readiness.

“It was a reminder of how much the Navy impacts your life from the good experiences to the bad,” Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Sara Sanders said. “I was grateful and fortunate enough to tour a married couple. Seeing his face light up as he told his wife all the memories and flashbacks of his time in the Navy was incredible. Although we served during two different time periods, we shared the same bond of being a Wasp Sailor. It taught me more than anything that although times spent in the Navy can be challenging, the sense of pride looking back on everything sets you apart from most everyone around you.”

No matter when they joined, every Sailor becomes part of something bigger than themselves. The efforts they make during their Navy career continue to affect those that follow in their footsteps forever. Rate and rank become less of a focus when Sailors are able to understand the impact their choices make on the world around them. While being assigned to any specific ship is a mere luck of the draw, the difference a Sailor makes at their command is up to their own ambition.

“You can always be better. You always can do more—faster—quicker,” said retired Rear Admiral Leonard Picotte, commanding officer of Wasp at commissioning. “That’s what you do in our ship, in our Navy—you ought to be doing that in your life. Strive to be better. Continue to strive for excellence.”

During his time in the Navy, Picotte served on 10 ships and commanded four. From an enlisted radarman to a rear admiral, he invested himself in the Navy, understanding the diligence and dedication it took to be part of the best fleet in the world.

As times change, so has the Navy and so has Wasp. The crew has cycled through thousands of Sailors, and the ship has been grinded to bare metal just to be built back up better than before. Despite all of the changes, the plankowners could still find their nostalgia and love for the Navy in the hull and deck of the ship.

“Wasp is part of us,” reminisced Picotte. “A ship—these are parts, pieces and things—what makes a ship is the crew, and that’s what I remember.”

The breath of a Sailor breathes life into a ship. The connection between two individuals who have shed sweat, blood and tears for a ship is a bond that could never be broken. The Navy is a proud organization: a fighting organization. As years press on, the one thing that will never change is the heart of the institution, for the heartbeat is made up of the Sailors.

From the first ever Wasp, commissioned in 1775, to the carrier lost in Guadalcanal, in 1942, to the amphib standing tall and proud in Norfolk Naval Station today, the Sailors of Wasps are connected by a name that will forever represent what it means to fight—what it means to ring a bell and answer the call of duty.

“First you set the watch,” Larson said. “The next thing you do is man the ship, and we manned the ship. The third thing is we brought it to life, and the captain says, “Bring the ship to life, and mark the marines,” and we rang the bell eight times. That started the ship’s life, and it connects us directly to that bell.”

Source: United States Navy

This underway embark coincided with Støre’s visit to the United States to meet with officials in Washington D.C. and talk to key U.S. military leaders.

The visit to Ford provided Rear Adm. Gregory C. Huffman, commander of Carrier Strike Group 12, and Capt. Paul Lanzilotta, Ford’s commanding officer, the opportunity to showcase the ship’s operational capabilities.

“Hosting Norway’s Prime Minister and Minister of Defense today provided an opportunity to share with our allies how this latest generation of aircraft carriers enables our Sailors to work alongside one another to improve interchangeability and enhance regional stability,” said Lanzilotta. “Ford’s cutting-edge capabilities and new operational concepts offer a deployable asset that is unmatched by our adversaries and will shape Navy warfighting for decades to come.”

This was the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense’s first visit to a Ford-class aircraft carrier.  While aboard, they toured some of Ford’s unique systems and advanced technologies and observed flight deck operations during the launch and recovery of aircraft on the flight deck.

“The U.S. is our most important ally. The U.S. pledge to support Norway and Europe in times of crisis and war is essential to our security. Norway and the U.S. have a long tradition of close defense cooperation. We are now seeking to develop this even further,” said Støre.             

Støre and Del Toro also had the opportunity to hold a series of strategic meetings aboard.

“It was a pleasure to welcome Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, on his first official trip to the United States,” said Del Toro. “His and Minister of Defense Bjørn Arild Gram’s visit aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford allows these leaders to learn more about our operations at sea and how Allies such as Norway train and operate alongside us. I am incredibly proud of the outstanding work all the Sailors and Marines aboard Ford have put in to get the ship where she is today.”

Ford is underway in the Atlantic Ocean conducting carrier qualifications and workups for a scheduled deployment this fall.

For more information about the USS Gerald R. Ford, visit https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/cvn78/ and follow along on Facebook @USSGeraldRFord on Instagram @cvn78_grford on Twitter @Warship_78 and DVIDS https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/cvn78