Month: July 2023

Source: United States Navy

“The IKE Carrier Strike Group exhibited professionalism, teamwork, and determination as they tackled numerous challenges across a wide range of missions to include interoperability with our allies,” said Rear Admiral Max “Pepper” McCoy, commander, CSG-4. “It is CSG-4’s mission to ensure our naval forces are ready to sail, fight, and win, and the IKE Carrier Strike Group is ready.”

The 24-day COMPTUEX led by CSG Four (CSG-4) assessed IKE CSG’s ability to respond as an integrated, cohesive team through a series of increasingly challenging scenarios. Equally as important, the CSG-4 team provided training and mentorship to increase warfighting capability and capacity.

“This team has proven itself resilient, prepared to execute, and capable of carrying out its missions across all warfare areas in short order,” said Rear Adm. Marc Miguez, commander, CSG-2. “Each unit and its crew in the strike group has been laying the groundwork for months in preparation for this, and it’s clear – this team is combat-ready.”

The Italian Navy Carlo Bergamini-class frigate ITS Virginio Fasan (F 591) completed COMPTUEX with the IKE CSG to exercise NATO alliance integration as U.S. Navy forces have been making a deliberate shift from interoperability to interchangeability. Fasan and her crew previously operated as part of Carrier Strike Group 10, George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group during their deployment the Naval Forces Europe-Naval Forces Africa area of responsibility.

“COMPTUEX gave us the opportunity to sharpen our skills through complex exercises with our allies in the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group,” said Italian Navy Cmdr. Fabio Casamassima, commanding officer of Fasan. “We were able to exercise leadership of key warfare areas within the IKE strike group, which gave our Sailors opportunities to train, improve and work directly with their American counterparts. By focusing on mission, teamwork, and goal to achieve, we built on an already strong foundation between our navies and countries. This experience represented a valuable opportunity to improve and strengthen the partnership between Italy and the United States.”

During COMPTUEX, IKE CSG – including Fasan – rehearsed a transfer of authority (TOA) of command and control between U.S. 2nd Fleet and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO), NATO’s rapidly deployable joint headquarters in Portugal. The strike group used NATO reporting procedures, messaging formats and chat capabilities, reinforcing command and control and aligning communications channels to ensure a seamless process in the event of a crisis. An ongoing series of exercises that include NATO integration support the development of interchangeability of Allied forces, and improve vital, Allied maritime command-and-control linkages.

“They threw everything at us including the kitchen sink, and our Warrior Sailors threw it right back at them,” said Capt. Christopher Hill, IKE’s commanding officer. “I am super proud of this team and for the hard work everyone has put in to make IKE the best damn ship in the Navy.”

The IKE CSG is an integrated combat weapons system that delivers superior combat capability to deter, and if necessary, defeat America’s adversaries in support of national security. Dwight D. Eisenhower is the flagship of CSG-2. CSG-2 is comprised of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW 3), Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 22, the Information Warfare Commander, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58).

For more information about Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, head to Facebook (www.facebook.com/csgtwo) and (www.facebook.com/thecvn69). Instagram (www.instagram.com/carrierstrikegrouptwo) and (www.instagram.com/thecvn69).

Source: United States Navy

Taking a brief hiatus from flying carrier operations, Mora’s mission was to employ her experience as a Naval Aviator serving as the Navy’s voice inside an Air Force-led joint command.

The NALE is primarily a function of the Navy Reserve, with Reserve personnel filling roughly 98 percent of NALE billets, given the operational tempo of this unique work. NALE Sailors train in MOB-to-billet positions and generally deploy on 90 to 270-day orders, responding both to planned operations and emergent crises, including training exercises, freedom of navigation operations, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. NALE units are attached to U.S. Fleet Forces Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa, and most numbered fleets.

“During my time at the NALE, I helped communicate to our sister services the capabilities and limitations of our Navy aviation assets,” said Mora, who has since transferred to the Navy Reserve. “Senior Air Force officers are experts in the airspace domain but have little practical experience with how a carrier strike group operates. When the Air Force had primary control of the battlespace and the Navy was providing backup coverage, the Joint Force Air Component Commander (JFACC) needed to know how long the Navy could run continuous operations from a carrier in the Gulf to support contingency plans. While a fairly junior officer, I was able to share the capacity and operational tempo that an aircraft carrier could realistically support.”

From her seat in the nerve center of joint air operations, Mora had a real and meaningful impact on flight operations. “By coordinating with our fighters in the air and back on the carrier, we built greater efficiency into our flight plans,” she said. “This allowed us to consolidate some refueling tanker sorties by making more economical use of the assets already in the air, saving at least $80,000 without degrading mission capacity.”

Mora attributed her brief time with the NALE to making her a better officer and aviator. “When you’re working flight operations on a carrier, you’re looking at the world through a soda straw,” she said. “Being at the Joint Air Operations Center (AOC) gave me a much broader view of the air warfare picture. This helped me with my job when I returned to the carrier, and I hope I left my Air Force partners with a more comprehensive view of how Navy carrier aviation operates.”

The NALE’s roots trace back to the Vietnam War when 7^th Fleet stood up a forward deployed Fleet Coordinating Group to better integrate air strikes with the U.S. Air Force. The effort to better coordinate joint operations continued through the years and further evolved during Operation Desert Storm.  Joint operations made it apparent the Navy needed greater representation in the AOCs. After 9/11 and the start of the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, this need became critical. To synchronize air and sea operations between the Navy and the Air Force, a liaison element was established to provide a direct link between the maritime and air component commanders. This liaison office would eventually evolve into what is today known as the NALE. With the pivot from the Global War on Terror to a renewed focus on strategic competition, the need for seamless joint force integration is greater than ever.

During joint operations, the NALE represents Navy equities and serves as a point of contact for carrier and expeditionary strike groups, coordinated missile defense, maritime intelligence, special operations, and other Navy stand-off elements in an area of operations where the Air Force is the Area Airspace Control Authority. Over the past decade, the Navy has continued to develop and professionalize this component into an essential piece of the joint operations construct.

“We’re not Sailors filling Air Force billets – we’re the Navy Fleet Commander’s direct representative to the Air Force,” said Capt. Robert Reynolds, a Navy Reserve aviator currently serving as the Navy Reserve NALE Enterprise Chief of Staff. “The Navy and the Air Force have different platforms and missions which result in different battle rhythms and ways of doing business.  If the Navy needs to coordinate inorganic air-to-air refueling, ballistic missile defense, or other joint requirements, that’s something the JFACC will need to factor into its operational picture. The NALE helps to harmonize flight plans and ensure that we’re all working together as a fully integrated team.”

“NALE is an essential function for every operational fleet. U.S. 3^rd Fleet, particularly, has grown into a center of excellence for this concept because of its role getting carrier strike groups ready to deploy and conduct joint air operations at sea and its participation in major Pacific Fleet exercises,” said Reynolds. In response to the Chief of Navy Reserve’s Navy Reserve Fighting Instructions, the NALE expanded capabilities and capacity across each Fleet to provide integrated warfighting effects across the globe.

While NALE units are led by senior officers – leaders who have the presence and authority necessary to represent the Navy to senior Air Force commanders – there are many junior officer billets for those coming into the Operational Level of War community for the first time. While NALE units draw heavily on aviators, they also employ unrestricted line officers from all communities, including surface and submarine warfare officers and those with space, non-kinetic effects, TLAM, and ballistic missile defense skills. Additionally, intelligence officers and enlisted specialists keep the NALE Commander apprised of factors affecting operations. The NALE also employs a select cadre of air traffic controllers and other enlisted aviation ratings to organize flight plans.

“When I transitioned to the Reserve, I wasn’t ready to hang up my flight suit just yet,” said Cdr. Sarah Sparks, Commanding Officer of U.S. 3^rd Fleet NALE. “Supporting a NALE unit has allowed me to continue working in an aviation career path. It’s easy for any line officer to feel lost starting over in the Navy Reserve, and this is an opportunity to continue doing real, mission-essential work at the Operational Level of War. I love the fast pace and constant hum of activity. We live and breathe ‘Ready On Day One.’

“You can choose to make NALE your career path or use it as a steppingstone to other things,” said Sparks. “It’s a full-immersion course in combined joint operations and institutional culture. NALE Sailors develop a highly specialized knowledge of joint operations that’s valued across the fleet. Working hand-in-hand to improve operational readiness, you gain an appreciation for the work Airmen do – and hopefully leave your Air Force colleagues with a greater appreciation for the Navy.”

Selected Reserve Sailors interested in learning more about supporting a NALE unit can contact Capt. Ed Spradley – USFF; Capt. Jared Hannum – C3F; Capt. Jan Ketchum – C5F; Capt. Tony Arendt – CNE-CNA-C6F; Capt. Yero Hilts – C7F; or Capt. Robert Reynolds – NALE Enterprise COS.

Source: United States Navy

When a child was struggling to swim in the current, the sailor, Aviation Electronics Technician Airman Michael Y. Yang, was extremely observant, identified the danger, and jumped into action. He saw the boy swimming about 20 yards off shore and realized the boy may be in danger.

“It was very high tides. [The] strong current pulled the kid into deeper water,” Yang said. “[The] kid began struggling and I noticed from the stand and radioed “Charlie Down” and sprinted and swam out to him.”

Yang said the child was yelling for help in between swallowing water.

“When I got to him, I jammed the [lifeguard rescue] can into his chest and shouted at him to hold the can but he wasn’t responding or grabbing it, so I grabbed his body with my left arm and kept him tight on the can with my right arm while executing a combat sidestroke kicking toward shore,” Yang said.

Yang said the child most likely blacked out from exhaustion while struggling in the surf and regained consciousness by the time they got to shore.

“I figured the boy must have passed out from exhaustion, so I knew I needed to get him out of the water as quickly as possible,” Yang said. “Luckily, he regained consciousness when we were close to the shore.”

Yang successfully pulled him to a safe distance from the water and helped supervise his condition until EMTs arrived. The boy was able to walk to his family.  EMTs transported the boy to a nearby hospital where his condition was stable.

Yang, 21, who grew up in Savannah, Georgia, has been a lifeguard since high school and continued his service to the public even after he joined the U.S. Navy in August 2019. Yang began his lifeguard career because he had some free time and wanted to utilize this skillset to save a life if necessary.

“I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for allowing me to save that boy so he could be alive today,” Yang said. “I also want to shout out to my leadership at CNATTU Oceana—AT1 Hunt, AT1 Jones, and Chief Santo. Their leadership helped me a lot and they were a great support for me while I was there.”

Yang has responded to other past incidents. During his first summer as a lifeguard, he saved two children swimming and responded to a spinal injury. In his second season, he responded to a boating accident
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 “I enjoy staying physically fit and being a lifeguard requires that,” Yang said.

Yang has honorably served in the Navy for the past four years and wants to become a civilian pilot. He has since transferred to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32 and in the future he plans to go to Baylor University in Texas.
 
 

Source: United States Navy

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NORFOLK, Va. — Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, and Lt. Gen. Brian Cavanaugh, commander, Marine Forces Command announced the upcoming Large Scale Exercise (LSE) 2023 during a media event held at U.S. Fleet Forces Command, July 24.

LSE 2023 brings together the combined firepower of the Navy and Marine Corps team across six maritime component commands, seven numbered fleets, and 22 time zones. The exercise is scheduled to run from Aug 9-18.

“The ability to command and control our operations across 22 time zones is how we will fight and win in a global environment against our competitors,” said Caudle. “To do so, we have to globally synchronize precision and timing in order to conduct high-end modern warfare.”

LSE 2023 merges real-world operations with virtually constructed scenarios to create a realistic training environment that allows our Sailors and Marines to train the way we fight, regardless of geographic boundaries.

LSE was designed to reinforce the Chief of Naval Operations’ effort to set the stage for advancing naval doctrine and tactics by globally integrating fleet operations with emerging technologies to refine and validate Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) capabilities.

“Conducting these operations in a live, virtual, and constructive manner is key,” said Cavanaugh. “From the tactical end where we have the Sailors and Marines doing operations on the ground or at sea, all the way up to the command and control aspect, our ability to synchronize and conduct those operations are critical.”

LSE 2023 is the second iteration of this exercise and builds on lessons learned from LSE 2021 and warfighting concepts refined through Fleet Battle Problems.

To learn more about LSE 2023, watch this video.

Participating units will include:

– Six naval and Marine Corps component commands:

U.S. Fleet Forces Command

U.S. Pacific Fleet

U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa Command

Marine Forces Command

U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa

U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific

– Seven U.S. numbered Fleets:

Second

Third

Fourth

Fifth

Sixth

Seventh

Tenth