Month: April 2023

Source: United States Navy

Cmdr. Gabriel Burgi assumed command from Cmdr. Eric Winn, which marked the end of a 19-month command tour for Winn, a native of San Antonio.

“It has been my absolute privilege to lead and serve the Sailors and Marines of Harpers Ferry,” said Winn, who thanked the crew during his parting remarks. “As a team, we have created a culture of success and have accumulated big wins throughout my time here. I am excited to watch Cmdr. Burgi lead this crew to even more success at sea.”

Under Winn’s command, Harpers Ferry completed a series of successful underway drills and exercises including Trident, Resolute Hunter, Distant Fury Stallion, Valiant Shield 22 and Steel Knight 23. The ship executed six amphibious operations, integrating with the 5th Battalion, 11th Marines, and 1st Marine Division and became the first amphibious dock landing ship in the fleet to certify for amphibious combat vehicle operations. Harpers Ferry earned the FY22 Retention Excellence Award and the FY23 Retention Excellence Award “Best in Class.” The ship was awarded the Engineering/Survivability Red “E,” the Maritime Warfare Black “E” and the Logistics Management Blue “E,” as well as various warfare certifications.

Winn took command of Harpers Ferry in September 2021 and will next serve as the Surface Warfare Officer community manager in Millington, Tennessee.

Burgi, a native of Tehachapi, California, first enlisted in the Navy in 1997 and served as a submarine Torpedoman’s Mate. In 2002 he was selected for the Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training commissioning program. Burgi is a 2005 graduate of the University of Idaho and commissioned through the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps program. In 2013, he earned a Master of Natural Resources degree from Oregon State University and in 2020 graduated with a Master of Arts in Military Operational Art and Science from the Air Command and Staff College.

Burgi served in four operational commands before reporting to Harpers Ferry as the executive officer in June 2021. This is his first assignment as commanding officer.

“It is my most humble pleasure to return to the Harpers Ferry as commanding officer,” said Burgi. “Cmdr. Winn is an amazing leader who has left a definitively inspirational legacy for me and the crew of the Navy’s most accomplished amphibious ship to carry forward.”

Harpers Ferry is a cargo variant of the amphibious dock landing ship class bearing its name. It was launched Jan. 16, 1993, and commissioned Jan. 7, 1995. The ship is currently homeported at Naval Base San Diego.

Source: United States Navy

The U.S. Navy is preparing to bring a Navy Week to Milwaukee, Wisconsin during the week of July 17-23, as the eighth Navy Week of the calendar year.

Milwaukee Navy Week will bring between 50 and 75 Sailors from across the nation to volunteer throughout the community and discuss why the Navy matters to Milwaukee. This will be the fourth Navy Week hosted by Milwaukee and the surrounding communities. The program last visited Milwaukee in 2018.

Milwaukee Navy Week will feature in-person demonstrations, performances, and engagements throughout the week that will include:
• Senior Navy Leaders – Flag officer and senior civilian Navy leaders with ties to Milwaukee and the surrounding area.
• Namesake Sailors – Sailors serving on USS Milwaukee (LCS 5), a Freedom-class littoral combat ship.
• Navy Band Great Lakes – Performances and masterclasses with Navy Musicians.
• Naval History and Heritage Command – Educational presentations and lesson plans about the deep ties between Wisconsin and the Navy.
• USS Constitution – Demonstrations about the oldest commissioned ship in the Navy.
• Navy Expeditionary Combat Command – Educational STEM presentations and fitness demonstrations by technicians, medics, and divers.
• U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command – Educational presentation on the importance of atmospheric and oceanographic science and the overall value of STEM education to the Navy.

Navy Weeks are the service’s signature outreach program, designed to allow the citizens of Milwaukee to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity. The Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO) coordinates Navy Weeks.

“We are excited to bring the Navy Week program to Milwaukee,” said NAVCO’s director, Cmdr. Anthony Falvo. “Seapower and America’s Navy are more important now than ever before. The U.S. Navy remains our nation’s most powerful instrument of military influence and Navy Weeks allow us to showcase how the Navy serves America at sea, in the air, and ashore.”

Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s flagship outreach effort to regions without a significant Navy presence, with over 250 Navy Weeks held in more than 80 different U.S. markets.

“We coordinate about 75 outreach events during a Navy Week through corporate, civic, government, education, media, veterans, and community service engagements,” said NAVCO Navy Week program manager Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Chambers. “We are looking forward to another great year of engagements and bringing the Navy to every corner of the United States.”

For more information on Milwaukee Navy Week, contact Melissa Heintz at (703) 203-4352 or melissa.l.heintz.civ@us.navy.mil.

Source: United States Navy

The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Decatur (DDG 73) and USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) are currently on a routine deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

“We’re operating, communicating and coordinating movements and actions in the Philippine Sea as a demonstration of our capability to compete and respond across all domains from space to the undersea,” said Rear Adm. Christopher Sweeney, commander, Carrier Strike Group 11. “We’re here not only to reassure our allies and partners of our unwavering commitment to the rules-based international order, but to work alongside them with a shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. Our carrier strike group is postured to respond to coercive behavior from those who seek to destabilize the region.”

Prior to Philippine Sea operations, NIMCSG conducted a trilateral maritime exercise with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Republic of Korea Navy. Combined operations included anti-submarine exercises, search and rescue exercises, and staff embarkations. The U.S. Navy regularly holds combined exercises such as these to strengthen ties among allied countries and to build shared interoperability.

NIMCSG consists of USS Nimitz, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill, and the Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyers USS Decatur, USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) and USS Wayne E. Meyer of Destroyer Squadron Nine.

Nimitz’s embarked air wing consists of the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, “Mighty Shrikes” of VFA-94, “Kestrels” of VFA-137, “Blue Diamonds” of VFA-146, “Sun Kings” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 116, “Cougars” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 139, “Battlecats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73, “Screamin’ Indians” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6, and “Providers” of Fleet Logistic Support Squadron (VRC) 30.

U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific.