Source: United States Navy
The exercise demonstrated the modularity and lethality of Littoral Combat Ships and the ability to successfully integrate a containerized weapons system to engage a surface target. The exercise will inform continued testing, evaluation and integration of containerized weapons systems on afloat platforms.
Source: United States Navy
During the exercises, USVDIV-1 will collaborate with the RAN on testing unmanned systems in concert with industry partners to advance a shared understanding of these capabilities to meet strategic requirements.
“I look forward to furthering the strong relationship our navies have worked hard to create,” said U.S. Navy Commander Jeremiah Daley, commanding officer of USVDIV-1. “Our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific relies upon developing these advanced capabilities that will create the asymmetric warfighting advantages to deter aggression in contested environments.”
Along with the USVs, the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Oakland also arrived in Sydney. All five U.S. Navy vessels are currently employed in the ongoing U.S. Pacific Fleet exercise Integrated Battle Problem (IBP) 23.2 to develop concepts of operations for future unmanned programs of record and further integrated USVs into routine operations alongside manned surface combatants.
“In order to develop a program as different and disruptive as small, medium, and large USVs, integrating with allies and partners early and consistently in its development is key to our success,” said Daley. “Through exercises like IBP 23.2 and Autonomous Warrior, we continue to learn from experience in an operational theater and deepen our interoperable strength.”
USVDIV-1’s mission is to test, evaluate and operate in support of integrating USVs into fleet operations and provide recommendations to Navy leadership on the development of unmanned systems.
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.
Source: United States Navy
“NHCL practiced earthquake safety and other aspects of emergency planning to support national emergency management initiatives,” said Karl Kassner, NHCL’s emergency manager. “Participating in the Great Shakeout earthquake exercise provides us with a yearly opportunity for healthcare organizations of all sizes to prepare staff and patients for being safe during earthquakes.”
The clinic’s scenario included an initial earthquake with minor building damage followed by a significant aftershock with a fire and an order to evacuate the building, however there was a new twist in this year’s scenario. Staff members had to react to a simulated, active patient in the main operating room.
“We learned the ambulatory procedure unit (APU) and main operating room (MOR) work very well together to accomplish our goal of evacuating a patient during a surgery,” said Lt. Cmdr. Christina Westbrook, a perioperative nurse stationed at NHCL. “We executed a patient transfer from the operating room safely. We also included a touch of personality to the exercise, our patient, Mr. Bones was a great and willing participant.”
A few mannequins – affectionally known as “Rescue Randy” – were strategically placed around the clinic. These mannequins provided participants lifelike victim handling, transportation, and extrication training.
The exercise concluded with evaluators and the incident management team gathering to share lessons learned from the training event.
“The APU and MOR team did an amazing job of working together,” said Hospital Corpsman First Class Shane Upton, a safety and emergency team observer. “The team also identified supplies that could be useful if this scenario was a real-world event.”
The Great ShakeOut, which began in California, is designed as an opportunity to practice how to be safer during earthquakes. According to the organizer’s website, more than 57 million people around the world participated in this year’s event.
Naval Health Clinic Lemoore, co-located with Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Lemoore ensures the readiness of its active-duty service members and improves the lives of military families through the delivery of high-quality healthcare to over 18,000 eligible beneficiaries at Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, California and NAS Fallon, Nevada. The command also provides dental care and medical administrative support to Navy, Marine Corps, and international students at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), Defense Language Institute and the Center for Information Dominance in Monterey, California. The command’s mission is to advance the readiness and health of our warfighters and beneficiaries and invest in our people and partnerships.
Source: United States Navy
The observance honors the fallen service members who served in Lebanon from 1958 to 1984 and in Grenada; especially those killed in the Beirut Bombing on Oct. 23, 1983.
Secretary Del Toro was joined by Jacksonville Mayor Sammy Phillips, Representatives Greg Pence and Greg Murphy, and Marine Corps leadership, including Commandant of the Marine Corps General Eric M. Smith.
“Today, we remember the ultimate sacrifices that those Sailors, Marines, Soldiers, and their families made on October 23rd, 1983, by telling their stories, and in-turn, keeping their memories alive, ensuring that they are never forgotten,” said Del Toro. “To the Gold Star families of the Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers who gave their all on October 23rd, 1983, thank you. Thank you for your sacrifices in defense of not only our nation, but in defense of the freedom of millions of Lebanese during their nation’s civil war forty years ago.”
On Oct. 23, 1983, two truck bombs struck buildings in Beirut, Lebanon, housing American and French service members. The service members were part of a peacekeeping military operation during the Lebanese Civil War. The first of two suicide bombers detonated a truck bomb at a building used for housing members of 1st Battalion 8th Marines (Battalion Landing Team – BLT 1/8) of the 2nd Marine Division, immediately killing 220 Marines, 18 Sailors and three Soldiers. Minutes later, a second suicide bomber struck the Drakkar building where the French contingent was stationed, killing 55 paratroopers from the 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment and three paratroopers of the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment. These bombings marked the deadliest single-day death toll for the Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.
The observance was hosted by the City of Jacksonville Beirut Memorial Advisory Board in cooperation with the City of Jacksonville, Marine Corps Installations East and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune.
Source: United States Navy
“A successful cyber-attack in one part of our network can jeopardize systems and data because attackers move across the network to other targets once they are inside it — at network speed,” said Scott St. Pierre, Director of the Navy’s Enterprise Networks and Cybersecurity Division. “Cybersecurity must be practiced all day every day, at home and in the office.”
In August 2022, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro released a strategic intent memo providing guidance for transforming the Department of the Navy’s approach to cybersecurity. In this memo, Secretary Del Toro directed the department to pivot from a compliance-based mindset to a more dynamic model rooted in the philosophy of readiness. And consequently, “Cyber Ready” came to be.
Cyber Ready is a continuous state of cybersecurity awareness, where the Authority to Operate (ATO) on the Navy’s network is earned and managed every day. A Cyber Ready posture ensures secure delivery of information into the right hands at the right time and allows programs with network applications to continuously evaluate their security for threats and vulnerabilities.
“Teach Cybersecurity, Practice Cybersecurity and Prioritize cybersecurity should be everyone’s mantra.” said Director St. Pierre. “These 4 themes are the foundation stones for effective cybersecurity, And we must ensure going forward that our Sailors, civilians, contractors, industry partners, and family members have a comprehensive understanding of cyber threats and actions that increase Navy’s cybersecurity readiness.”
The cyber environment is constantly changing, therefore being Cyber Ready equates to continuous monitoring of networks and systems, thus making the system owner responsible for staying up-to-date and at the ready for someone or something to test the system for vulnerabilities.
While National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is coming to a close, remember that cybersecurity, while focused on in October, truly has no season and must be prioritized 24/7/365. Thank you for your dedication as we continue to be CYBER WARRIORS!
For the most up to date policy and news about Navy cybersecurity visit doncio.navy.mil and search “cybersecurity.”
