Month: September 2023

Source: United States Navy

Those individuals are Rear Adm. (ret) Peter Stamatopoulos, Rear Adm. (ret) John Korka, and Rear Adm. (ret) Timothy Kott. Stamatopoulous was Commander, Naval Supply Systems Command during the spills; Korka was Commander, Navy Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Pacific before the spills; and Kott was Commander, Navy Region Hawaii during the November 2021 spill.

Secretary Del Toro issued the SLOCs based on the recommendations of Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Adm. Daryl Caudle, the Consolidated Disposition Authority (CDA) for accountability actions relating to the May and November 2021 fuel spills at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility. As the CDA, Adm. Caudle considered all Navy service members whose performance may have been reasonably called into question with one or both of the fuel spills.

“What happened was not acceptable and the Department of the Navy will continue to take every action to identify and remedy this issue. Taking accountability is a step in restoring the trust in our relationship with the community,” said Secretary Del Toro. “We are determined and committed along with all of our partners in this effort to making the necessary changes. We can and will take care of our people, while also preserving and protecting our national security interests in the Pacific and at home. I have determined that there were no leaders in relevant positions at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility worthy of an end of tour award over the period in question.”

The CDA issued Letters of Instruction (LOIs) to Rear Adm. Dean VanderLey and Rear Adm. (ret) Robert Chadwick. VanderLey was Commander, NAVFAC Pacific during the November 2021 spill and Chadwick was Commander, Navy Region Hawaii during the May 2021 spill.

The CDA issued Non-Punitive Letters of Censure to seven Navy captains, three of whom are pending a Board of Inquiry to decide if they may continue their naval service. The CDA also issued LOIs to one Navy commander and one Navy lieutenant commander.

These accountability actions reflect a determination that despite prior organizational challenges and continued oversight failures associated with Red Hill maintenance, modernization, operations, and response, a naval officer is never absolved of the personal requirement to discharge faithfully the duties of the office to the best of their abilities.

The Navy remains committed to environmental stewardship and continues to work closely with federal and state agencies, including the Hawaii Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency under an Administrative Order on Consent, to protect human health, the environment and Oahu’s drinking water.

The SLOCs can be found here : https://dvidshub.net/r/9lmx69

Source: United States Navy

Vice Chief of Naval Operations Spokesperson Cmdr. Desiree Frame provided the following readout:

Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti met with Romania’s Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Daniel Petrescu in the Pentagon today to discuss security in the Black Sea and the growing collaboration and cooperation between Romanian and U.S. naval forces.

The two leaders exchanged views on the development of unmanned surface vessels and other advanced technology to support maritime domain awareness. They also discussed Romania’s leadership in mine countermeasure operations in the Black Sea, and their shared commitment to promoting safety and stability in the region.

In addition to regularly operating with the U.S. Navy at sea, Romania hosts U.S. Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System Romania in Deveselu. The command, under the operational control of U.S. Naval Forces Europe, is part of the European Phased Adapted Approach, which protects European NATO allies and U.S. deployed forces in the region.

Franchetti and Petrescu last met in November 2022 in the Pentagon.

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Source: United States Navy

“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) interacted in an unsafe and unprofessional manner with a U.S. AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter, assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), as the aircraft was conducting routine operations in the international airspace of the Arabian Gulf, Sept. 27. The interaction took place at approximately 7:30 p.m. local time. The aircraft is attached to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 162 (Reinforced), deployed aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), on a scheduled deployment to the Middle East Region.

“IRGCN vessels shone a laser multiple times at the aircraft while in flight. Fortunately, no injuries were reported and the aircraft was not damaged.

“These are not the actions of a professional maritime force. This unsafe, unprofessional, and irresponsible behavior by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy risks U.S. and partner nation lives and needs to cease immediately.

“U.S. naval forces remain vigilant and will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows while promoting regional maritime security.”

Source: United States Navy

For almost the past five years, deployed Sailors with MSRON at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, have held a series of weekly classroom trainings in partnership with Djiboutian sailors to enhance maritime knowledge.

Now, MSRON 11 has taken the course to the water where Djiboutian sailors will plot points and then fire up Djiboutian Navy patrol boats in open water to navigate in day and night scenarios.

“Our goal is to help them establish their naval mission sets,” said U.S. Navy Senior Chief Mineman Ramses Martinez, MSRON 11 operations lead. “We’re taking it back to the basics of navigation and establishing the required programs in order to be able to navigate anywhere in the world.”

The updated training will include three phases, starting with core fundamentals such as line handling and man overboard scenarios, to navigation and engineering troubleshooting, and eventually advanced navigation with hands on navigation off the coast of Djibouti.

“These sailors will be able to conduct line handling and navigation better than me,” said Djiboutian Navy Maitre Abdillahi Djilal.

As partners, the U.S. and Djiboutian Sailors work together in the Port of Djibouti, a vital trading point along the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.

“Having control of our waterways is very important,” said Martinez. “In order to do that safely, you have to be able to use the tools that allows you to maintain a presence.”

MSRON 11 plans to continue teaching this advanced navigation training with more Djiboutian sailors and equip them to expertly train and teach the next generation of Djiboutian sailors.

“We are training future instructors that will serve as our replacement and create a force multiplying effect,” said Martinez. “With our assistance, the Djiboutians will be able to establish their own command training team.”

Programs like this facilitate the development of our African partners’ defense and security to increase regional stability.

“They will be able to face challenges independently and established their own identity as a naval force,” said Martinez.

MSRON 11 is a maritime force protection unit deployed to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, an operational installation that enables U.S., allied, and partner nation forces to be where and when they are needed to ensure security in Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia.

Source: United States Navy

The U.S. Navy’s Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG 62) and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86), assigned to Commander, Task Force 70, joined a Korean Navy force led by Maritime Task Flotilla (MTF) 7 surface ships, as well as bilateral air and sub-surface assets, during the exercise.

“Over the last 70 years, our alliance with the Republic of Korea has proven to be one of the strongest and most durable in modern history,” said Rear Adm. Pat Hannifin, Commander, Task Force 70. “Exercises like this allow our navies to not only maintain confidence in our ability to fight together as a unified force, but to get better, find efficiencies and continue innovating. Our bilateral navy team is more proficient and more powerful now than it’s ever been, and this exercise was a perfect chance to showcase that.”

Participating Korean ships include Sejong the Great-class guided-missile destroyer ROKS Yulgok Yi I (DDG 992), Chungmugong Yi Sunshin-class helicopter destroyer ROKS Dae Joyeung (DDH 997) and the first-in-class fast-combat support ship ROKS Cheonji (AOE 57).

The bilateral exercise included personnel exchanges, coordinated maneuvering, anti-submarine warfare drills and combined refueling operations, among other dynamic interactions.

USS Robert Smalls and USS Shoup are deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. 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 region.