Source: United States Navy
On July 26, 2023, Commander, Navy Reserve Region Readiness and Mobilization Command Everett (REDCOM Everett), Capt. Jason Small, relieved Lt. Cmdr. Ronald Kolpak as commanding officer of Navy Reserve Center (NRC) Springfield due to a loss of confidence in Kolpak’s ability to command.
Source: United States Department of Justice News
WASHINGTON – A Washington state man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges related to his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
Benjamin John Silva, 36, of Yacolt, Washington, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with a felony offense of civil disorder. In addition to the felony, Silva is charged with several misdemeanor offenses, including entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; and impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings.
Silva was arrested today in Portland, Oregon, and made his initial appearance in the District of Oregon.
According to court documents, law enforcement officials identified Silva as present among the crowd of rioters resisting police lines on Jan. 6, 2021, at the tunnel entrance of the Capitol building’s Lower West Terrace. Court documents say that in open-source video footage, an individual, later identified as Silva, can be seen participating in the collective push against the police line formed in the tunnel. Additional video footage reviewed by law enforcement shows Silva at the front of the police line with a hand placed against an officer’s riot shield.
Court documents state that open-source video from the tunnel entrance show Silva as he makes his exit from the tunnel with his eyes closed and tearing, a common reaction to being pepper sprayed. An unknown individual then attempts to pour water on Silva’s eyes and face. Another individual then asks Silva, “What’s your name? Where you from?” Silva replies, “Ben Silva.” The other then asks, “What state?” to which Silva replies, “Washington State.” Silva then appears to exit the tunnel.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington and the District of Oregon.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Seattle and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Portland Field Office, U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 30 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,069 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Department of Justice News
WASHINGTON – Medgar Webster Sr., 52, of Washington, D.C., was ordered to pay full restitution to the District of Columbia for defrauding the city and the Metropolitan Police Department of $33,845.59. Superior Court Judge Errol Arthur sentenced Webster to six months in jail, suspended, 6 months of supervised probation, and 54 months of unsupervised probation.
Webster pleaded guilty on May 15, 2023, in Superior Court, to one count of first-degree felony fraud for committing time and attendance fraud on the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to court documents, Webster, a former MPD officer and Vice Chairman of the D.C. Police Union, engaged in unauthorized outside employment at three Whole Foods Market locations in Washington, D.C. between January 2021 and April 2022, while concurrently employed by MPD. Although employment outside of MPD may be permitted in certain circumstances, Webster never submitted the necessary administrative forms or received the proper authorizations, which are required by MPD, in part, to maintain records of an MPD member’s hours worked throughout the year.
Acting unchecked during this period, Webster stole more than $33,845 from MPD after billing MPD for regular, overtime and holiday hours that he never worked. In total, Webster worked more than 1,400 hours of outside employment at Whole Foods, of which 514 hours were worked simultaneously with time he fraudulently reported working for MPD. This double-billed time included submissions by Webster for 246.5 hours in overtime pay, at an adjustable hourly rate of $79.67 per hour.
This fraud prosecution is the result of a partnership between the Office of the Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Graves, D.C. Attorney General Schwalb, and MPD Acting Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division. They also expressed appreciation for the work of those who investigated and prosecuted the matter, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin D. Bleiberg, and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bayly Leighton, on detail from the Office of the Attorney General to prosecute local fraud and public corruption cases.
Source: United States Navy
“You are about to embark on a journey, and this Navy-sponsored program is showing you what the realm of possibility is for you if you decide to embark upon a STEM career,” said Wijnaldum. “Have you ever considered that you are the one that can be the next problem-solver, or the next innovator in a STEM career?”
Wijnaldum, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a qualified nuclear-trained surface warfare officer, spoke to the students attending the academy about her early exposure to STEM in middle and high school, her perseverance through the Naval Academy, and her current STEM job in the Navy.
“Being in a STEM profession, I have learned that I can solve problems on a different level,” said Wijnaldum. “In the Navy, I have the privilege to operate, and supervise the operation of, a nuclear powered aircraft carrier. Every aspect of our day-to-day activities [in the Navy] can be traced back to a foundation of math and science.”
While Wijnaldum works in one area of STEM, she encouraged the students attending, a mix of boys and girls in grades 6 through 10, to explore all of the opportunities a STEM career can offer.
“The STEM field is vast,” said Wijnaldum. “There are so many branches and there are no limits. You can be as creative as you want. It’s like a spider web, and if you’re creative enough, maybe you can invent a new realm.”
Wijnaldum also acknowledged the difficulty surrounding the STEM field, and offered advice to the students that wanted to eventually pursue a STEM career.
“STEM was not easy for me,” said Wijnaldum. “There were times in junior high school or high school, when I went to the Naval Academy, or when I went through the nuclear power training pipeline in the Navy, and it was hard. I had to dig my heels in, stay focused, put in a little extra time at work, or ask a teacher or a classmate for help. Then I just kept pressing. Don’t quit when it’s challenging, buckle down, press through, and you’ll surprise yourself.”
NIWC Atlantic has been hosting a summer STEM academy for over 10 years.
“We have a very strong STEM outreach program, and this is just part of it,” said Jerry Sekerak, a public affairs specialist for NIWC Atlantic and one of the volunteers for the STEM camp. “We have two STEM camps that run every summer. This one is four days and is for boys and girls in grades six through ten. Tomorrow, we have a one day, girls only day, for the same grade range.”
The camps consist of different speakers and hands-on activities that introduce students to as many areas of STEM as possible including designing and building miniature bridges with dry noodles, building and launching water bottle rockets, building a little computer, coding a basic robot, and learning organic science principles with substances like oobleck.
“Introducing these kids to the STEM field opens up a realm of possibilities they may not have been introduced to before, and shows them the many different directions they can go and things they can do with STEM,” said Sekerak. “If we can plant that seed now, hopefully they will develop an interest in these fields now or later on, and it will open opportunities for them in the future.”
While every student may not be interested in pursuing a career in the STEM field, Sekerak believes this camp can still be useful to them.
“STEM is everywhere, even in non-STEM career fields,” said Sekerak. “So even if they go on to pursue other career fields, they will at least have a background to draw from and understand when they encounter it.”
According to NIWC Atlantic’s website, the goal of the STEM outreach program is to collaborate with academia, government organizations, local businesses, and professional organizations to increase STEM interest and literacy in their communities, and to provide a pipeline for future STEM talent.
“This is near and dear to my heart because when I was a rising eighth grader, I attended a Navy-sponsored STEM camp,” said Wijnaldum. “Before that, I was very academically inclined, but I was secluded. I didn’t interact well with other people, but the camp exposed me to hands-on labs that showed me there was more to math and science than class, and I saw young people that made being smart seem cool. It was critical for me because that experience of participating in that camp helped me maintain my focus when I went to high school.”
Naval Air Force Atlantic is responsible for seven nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, 54 aircraft squadrons, 1,200 aircraft and 52,000 officers, enlisted and civilian personnel with priorities focused on warfighting, people, and readiness by providing combat ready, sustainable naval air forces with the right personnel, properly trained and equipped, with a focus on readiness, operational excellence, interoperability, safety, and efficient resourcing.
Source: United States Navy
The port visit to Rijeka provides an opportunity to strengthen the United States and Croatia’s relationship, and offers a chance to further demonstrate the United States’ commitment to its European regional allies and partners, while also allowing Normandy to begin her scheduled mid-deployment maintenance availability.
“It is an honor to choose Croatia as Normandy’s mid-deployment maintenance availability port,” said Capt. Errol A. Robinson, commanding officer, USS Normandy. “Porting in Rijeka enables us to make the necessary repairs during deployment periods and to continue to demonstrate the interoperability we have with our Croatian partners. Moreover, the officers and crew are extremely excited to explore Rijeka and its wonderful culture.”
While in Rijeka, Normandy’s Sailors will have the opportunity to tour the city and surrounding areas and to experience the rich history and culture of Croatia. They will also be able to participate in a community relations project while in-country, organized by the ship’s Religious Ministry Team, comprised of Lt. Brandy Brown and Religious Program Specialist 2nd Class Carrie Caton.
The last U.S. Navy vessel to visit Croatia was the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), flagship of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. Ford hosted a reception for distinguished visitors while anchored off the coast of Split, Croatia, June 27, 2023.
CSG-12, Gerald R. Ford 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.
Normandy is a part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (GRFCSG). The GRFCSG is comprised of Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 2, the Information Warfare Commander, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60).
The ships of DESRON-2 within the GRFCSG are the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Ramage (DDG 61), USS McFaul (DDG 74), and USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116).
The squadrons of CVW-8 embarked aboard Gerald R. Ford are the “Tridents” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9, the “Spartans” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 70, the “Bear Aces” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW 124), the “Ragin’ Bulls” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 37, the “Blacklions” of (VFA-213), the “Golden Warriors” of (VFA-87), the “Tomcatters” of (VFA-31), the “Gray Wolves” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142, and the “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40.
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.