Month: February 2023

Source: United States Navy

The port visit enhances the NATO Alliance and allows the Sailors of George H.W. Bush CSG a chance to experience Greek culture.

“Our mission on deployment has been to work closely with our partners and NATO Allies in order to deter, and if necessary, defend the Alliance,” said Rear Adm. Dennis Velez, commander, CSG-10, George H.W. Bush CSG. “Port visits like this one provide an opportunity for us to engage with our Allies and develop meaningful relationships that make a substantive difference across our force.”

Earlier this week, Greek military authorities confirmed the death of the Captain Tsitlakidis and Lieutenant Touroutsikas of a Hellenic Air Force F-4 Phantom fighter aircraft during a training flight. As they arrive in Greece, the Sailors of George H.W. Bush and CSG 10 honor the memory of these Hellenic aviators.

“We were saddened to hear of the loss of Captain Tsitlakidis and Lieutenant Touroutsikas this week,” said Velez. “We extend our condolences to the families and airmen who are grieving the loss of their family members, friends, and brothers-in-arms this week. We honor their memories and service to their country.”

During their time in port, leaders from George H.W. Bush will meet with Greek leadership during a key leader engagement to reinforce relationships and strengthen the NATO Alliance. Additionally, Sailors from the ship will take much deserved time off to experience the cities of Piraeus and Athens.

“Team Avenger looks forward to our port visit in Athens, Greece,” said Capt. Dave Pollard, commanding officer of George H.W. Bush. “Our Sailors will enjoy time off and the rich history of Greece, while volunteering and acting as ambassadors for the United States.”

The ship’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) team arranged a variety of tours for Sailors to experience Piraeus, to include a walking tour of Athens, a visit to the Acropolis, as well as multiple tours to the various Greek islands surrounding the area.

Additionally, Sailors will have the opportunity to participate in a Thousand Points of Light Community Relations event, working with the local school “The Home Project.”

Sailors participating in the event will have the opportunity to teach English to the school children, before joining them in team sports with in the afternoon. Community relations engagements such as these strengthen the ties with the local population while providing Sailors exposure to different cultures.

Strengthening partnerships during the port visit to Piraeus builds enduring relationships and emphasizes our shared commitment to promoting safety and stability within the region, while seeking opportunities to enhance our interoperability as NATO Allies.

CSG-10, George H.W. Bush CSG, is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests.

George H.W. Bush is the flagship of CSG-10, George H.W. Bush CSG. George H.W. Bush CSG is comprised of George H.W. Bush, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26, the Information Warfare Commander, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55).

The ships of DESRON-26 within CSG-10 are the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Nitze (DDG 94), USS Farragut (DDG 99), USS Truxtun (DDG 103), and USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119).

The squadrons of CVW-7 embarked aboard George H.W. Bush are the “Jolly Rogers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103, the “Pukin Dogs” of VFA-143, the “Bluetails” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121, the “Nightdippers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5, the “Sidewinders” of VFA-86, the “Nighthawks” of VFA-136, the “Patriots” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140, and the “Grandmasters” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 46.

For over 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.

Source: United States Navy

“Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain is a vital exercise designed to flex and assess our command and control as well as force protection capabilities when responding to multi-dimensional security threats,” said Adm. Daryl Caudle, Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command. “Training alongside our naval region and installation commanders and partner agencies allows our fleet and shore security forces to strengthen our joint response and provides an opportunity to evaluate and improve procedures and decision-making processes, where necessary.” 

Citadel Shield, which occurs the first week, is the field training exercise (FTX) portion led by CNIC. Solid Curtain occurs the following week and is the command post exercise (CPX) led by USFFC. This two-part approach is designed to enhance the readiness of U.S. Navy security forces and ensure seamless interoperability among the commands, other services and agency partners in order to protect life, equipment and facilities.                                                                                          

“We train like we fight, so our force protection exercises simulate realistic threat scenarios such as active shooters, unauthorized base access and improvised explosive devices,” said Vice Adm. Yancy B. Lindsey, Commander, Navy Installations Command. “This practice ensures our emergency responders and supporting personnel are prepared to effectively neutralize dynamic real world threats.”

CSSC23 is a regularly scheduled exercise and is not being held in response to any specific threat.

Measures have been taken to minimize disruptions within local communities and to normal base operations, but there may be times when the exercise causes increased traffic around bases or delays in base access. Area residents may also see or hear security activities associated with the exercise. Advanced coordination has taken place with local law enforcement and first responders.

For information about potential local impacts due to the exercise, please visit your local Navy installation’s website and social media channels.

For more information U.S. Fleet Forces or Navy installations, visit the USFF website at https://www.usff.navy.mil or CNIC website at https://www.cnic.navy.mil. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter at www.facebook.com/usfleetforces, www.twitter.com/usfleetforces, www.facebook.com/navyinstallations and https://twitter.com/cnichq.

Source: United States Navy

The ASWCC meets once a year to assist the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) in its efforts to develop a more integrated, synchronized, and long-term approach to developing its Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capabilities. A major objective of the ASWCC is to confirm recent progress made on strengthening alliance ASW capability.

ASWCC was established in August 2014 when 7th Fleet and CRF signed the ASW Improvement Program Charter and has since met annually to provide oversight to Alliance stakeholders charged with improving ASW readiness in the Korean Theater of Operations.

“I am honored to visit the ROK Fleet Command in the milestone year of the 70th anniversary of the ROK-U.S. Alliance, and discuss ways for maritime security cooperation between our two countries,” said Thomas, “The topics discussed today contribute greatly to strengthening the alliance between the ROK-U.S. navies, and ensures that this alliance will continue for generations.”

In addition to attending the ASWCC, Thomas took the opportunity to meet with ROK Sailors and leadership aboard the ROKN Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship ROKS Marado (LPH-6112), as well as U.S. Sailors stationed in Korea as part of Commander, Naval Forces Korea.

CNFK proudly celebrates its 70-year Alliance with our ROKN partners, continuing to foster an enduring relationship of mutual respect and working together to temper combined maritime warfighting capability, interoperability, and readiness that has spanned generations.

Source: United States Navy

Originally known as the Naval Dental School, NPDS was founded by the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) in 1923 as a “department” of the Naval Medical School in Washington, D.C. In those first years, NPDS provided instruction for newly commissioned dental officers as well as hospital corpsmen who represented our first dental technicians. The school also operated an active prosthetic laboratory, a five-chair general dentistry clinic, a two-chair prosthodontic clinic, and a prosthodontic laboratory, all rare among dental schools at the time.

From the very beginning, NPDS earned a stellar reputation for its training capabilities and quality of instruction. In 1924, Navy Surgeon General Rear Adm. Edward Stitt, the former head of the Naval Medical School, stated that “no school or laboratory in the country is better equipped for our work and we have endeavored to obtain from the leading dental colleges and clinics the best that they have had to offer to make up the courses to be given.”

Students in those first years received instruction in “medical department duties,” bacteriology, dental prosthesis, clinical dentistry, preventive dentistry, dental radiology, minor oral surgery, general pathology, hematology, and metallurgy. Its plankowner instructors included Lt. Cmdrs. Harry Harvey and Joseph Mahoney, early leaders in the nascent Dental Corps; and Lt. Cmdr. William Darnall, Sr., who served as the first head of the school. Today, the Darnall name lives on as the namesake of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center’s Biomedical Library.

Both past and present, research and innovation has been a hallmark of the school. Navy dentists assigned to the school can be credited for developing the acrylic prosthetic eye to address the shortage of glass eyes in World War II; designing athletic mouth guards and casualty training devices like the Navy’s first bleeding trauma mannikin (“Mr. Disaster”); developing a free running air-driven turbine handpiece that required less pressure to cut a tooth structure; and standing up an orofacial pain center to evaluate and treat patients with “atypical pain presentations” like temporomandibular disorder, neuropathic pain, neuralgias, and headache disorders.

NPDS relocated from Washington, D.C. to Bethesda, Md., in 1942, along with the Naval Hospital and Naval Medical School. Collectively these three institutions became part of the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) along with the newly established Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI).

Over the course of its history, NPDS has organizationally fallen under the Naval Hospital/Naval Medical School (1923-1936); Naval Medical Center Washington, D.C. (1936-1942); National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, Md. (1942-1975); National Naval Dental Center/National Naval Regional Dental Center (1975-1983; 1989-2004); Naval Dental Clinic, Bethesda (1983-1989); National Naval Medical Center (2004-2009); Navy Medicine Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education Command (Navy Medicine MPT&E) (2009-2012); and the Navy Medicine Professional Development Center (NMPDC)/Navy Medicine Leader & Professional Development Center (2012-Present).

Since February 1923, when NPDS launched its first general postgraduate course, advanced education has remained one of its greatest strengths. Through the years the curriculum has continued to evolve and expand to meet the dental and operational needs of the Navy. In 1949, NPDS initiated the first specialized courses or residencies. Today NPDS oversees over 30 world class continuing education programs in dentistry and seven fully accredited postgraduate dental residency programs.

After 100 years of service, NPDS remains a beacon for outstanding scientific and evidence-based instruction and innovative cost-effective highly productive training programs. Capt. Steven Stokes, NPDS dean, summarizes the school’s legacy best: “Our unwavering core mission has been and remains steady in developing tomorrow’s leaders by training operationally oriented and critical wartime dental specialists to meet Fleet requirements and unique military KSA capabilities in support of the Warfighter,” said Stokes.

Superbly augmented with training in combat and peacetime dentistry, NPDS’ ongoing Graduate Dental Education (GDE) establishment and sustainment missions continue to serve as the primary force generating producer for the Fleet and represents the cornerstone for the postgraduate dental pipeline, projecting medical power through innovative education and cutting-edge research for sustained Naval superiority.

Sources:

Annual Report of the Surgeon General, U.S. Navy to the Secretary of the Navy for Fiscal Year 1923. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1923.

Annual Report of the Surgeon General, U.S. Navy to the Secretary of the Navy for Fiscal Year 1924. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1924.

The Dental Corps of the United States Navy: A Chronology, 1912-1987. 75th Dental Corps Anniversary Committee, Inc, 1987.

Stokes, S. Naval Medical Postgraduate Dental School Remarks, Accessed January 2023.

Stitt, E.R. Letter about Naval Dental School. The Military Dental Journal, Vol. VI (1), March 1923.

Velez, E. Naval Medical Leader and Professional Development Command. Medicine and the Military, 17 May 2022. Accessed from: https://www.medicineandthemilitary.com/relevant-articles/naval-medical-leader-and-professional-development-command