Month: December 2023

Source: United States Navy

The workshop—facilitated by staff at the USNA’s STEM Center for Education and Outreach and sponsored by the DoD—provided tactics, resources, and tools for Navy STEM representatives to engage children outside of the traditional classroom setting. The day included hands-on learning activities and demonstrations by USNA STEM Center staff to connect educators to curriculum as well as develop a sense of community among attendees. Attracting top engineering and technical talent is key to sustaining and driving SSP’s critical sea-based strategic deterrence mission. Throughout Fiscal Year 24, SSP anticipates an increase of more than 18 percent in its STEM professional community. In order to meet this growth and workforce sustainment goal, SSP’s Human Resources Division plans to bolster recruitment efforts within STEM fields.

“Investment in STEM is an investment in our children, in our workforce, and in our future,” Caren Spahr said as she reflected on the workshop. Spahr is the co-lead for STEM outreach at SSP’s field site Strategic Weapons Facility, Atlantic (SWFLANT) in Kings Bay, Georgia. Steering STEM initiatives is a collateral duty for Spahr, the continuous process improvement coordinator for SWFLANT. Augmenting the site’s STEM program, she explains, may add to her daily work but serves as a relief to teachers in the surrounding counties who don’t have the bandwidth or resources to include STEM activities in their classrooms. Spahr has a unique opportunity to represent the Navy, SWFLANT, and its mission to future generations of STEM professionals in the local community. SWFLANT supports 35 schools across three counties. Spahr is the STEM Coordinator for the 15 schools in Camden County and a mentor for Camden Middle School’s FABLAB. Spahr ensures SWFLANT mentors are assigned to robotics teams and maintains an open dialogue with county schools to ensure educators have opportunities to request and receive STEM materials. School mentors oversee and assist approximately 20 students in their STEM learning activities monthly. “When a command can send people with materials and an activity that helps to support and enhance teaching objectives, it helps the teachers teach and it helps the students learn,” Spahr continued, “[but] it also educates the teachers and students on careers in the military and government.” Not only are the students doing hands-on activities that provide a real-world application to what they are learning, those providing the training also make vital connections with the community. “STEM engagement sparks curiosity,” Spahr said. “It [STEM] also helps develop our current workforce by enhancing leadership, facilitation, and public speaking skills—and also curates a sense of community.”

Nearly 200 miles south of Kings Bay is Leslie Amodeo, STEM lead at SSP’s field site Naval Ordnance Test Unit (NOTU) in Cape Canaveral, Florida, who traveled to Annapolis for the workshop.

“The experience really was invaluable,” Amodeo said. “I was able to see, firsthand, best practices for STEM learning demonstrations we were already planning at NOTU, and learn how to better communicate learning objectives while keeping the kids engaged in the activity.” Amodeo, the Associate Chief Engineer at NOTU, takes pride in the work she is doing to educate future generations in STEM fields. As co-lead for NOTU’s STEM outreach, Amodeo is responsible for coordinating activities that reach four schools in Brevard County, Florida. She noted how vital it is that NOTU’s outreach program is designed to reach all communities within Brevard, especially schools in underserved communities.

“NOTU’s program actively engages with Title 1 teachers and schools,” she explained. “Bringing STEM activities to kids in these communities is pivotal because it provides them education they can use in future classes and take-home material that drives interest and keeps them engaged.” STEM initiatives have a vital impact on the future of our Nation’s ability to pace with competitors—like China—who are heavily resourcing and prioritizing STEM education. Naval STEM programs are deliberate investments in the current and future DoN workforce, which enhance the Navy and Marine Corps’ ability to meet present and future war-fighting challenges. “In 2017 there were 2.4 million positions in the US workforce that went unfilled because there were not enough people with STEM degrees to fill them,” USNA STEM Center Director Joseph McGettigan told workshop attendees. “It is expected that in 2027 that number will increase by ten percent.” The USNA STEM Center is primarily geared toward addressing the urgent national need for future generations to pursue careers in STEM. USNA faculty and midshipmen provide STEM outreach to local and national communities to help engage and influence students and to bolster curriculums nationwide. A retired U.S. Navy Captain, McGettigan highlighted the criticality of changing the narrative about STEM—one that today’s youth often sees as too hard or only for the smartest of students—in order to keep the United States a global leader in technology. “One of the ways to [change the narrative] is for today’s youth to have role models from the STEM community to show them that STEM is fun and not as difficult as they may have thought,” he said. Based at SSP headquarters in Washington, D.C., STEM Federal Action Officer Dr. Greg Bouton spearheads the command’s STEM education efforts, nationally, and in the Northern Virginia locale. In D.C. at SSP HQ, STEM outreach volunteers support one school and one not-for-profit STEM outreach organization for k-12 students. Combined with five of its field activities across the U.S., overall SSP supports nearly 60 schools with volunteers, resources and tools for STEM outreach. Dr. Bouton says this type of grassroots effort is how the organization develops and cultivates interest in STEM for future generations, but it’s also a matter of national security.

“STEM outreach is key to future proofing the United States’ ability to maintain a strategic advantage over our foreign advisories,” he explained.

“Moreover, it is vital for our volunteers from headquarters and the field activities to go out into their local communities to show the importance of what we do through STEM activities,” he continued, “that will encourage interest in fields of study that help grow and sustain missions like ours at SSP.” Bouton lauded USNA STEM outreach training and staff for the ability to connect STEM mentors and professionals across the Navy. He also shared how this type of resource can affect the future for an organization like SSP.

“Our volunteers learn how to engage with the public in a meaningful way—moreover—STEM outreach is absolutely essential for succession planning and sustainability on a grand scale.”

Strategic Systems Programs is the Navy command that provides cradle-to-grave lifecycle support for the sea-based leg of the nation’s nuclear triad. This includes training, systems, equipment, facilities and personnel responsible for ensuring the safety, security, and effectiveness of the nation’s Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) Trident II (D5LE) Strategic Weapon System. SLBMs make up the majority – approximately 70 percent – of the U.S.’s deployed strategic nuclear deterrent Triad. The SLBM is the most survivable leg of the triad, provides persistent presence, and allows flexible concept of operations.

Caren Spahr and Leslie Amodeo contributed to this article.

Source: United States Navy

By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations. The aircraft’s transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows.

Source: United States Navy

USS Miguel Keith is an afloat forward staging base-variant of the mobile landing platform designed to provide dedicated support for air and mine countermeasures, and special warfare missions. It’s currently in the Indo-Pacific region in support of U.S. 7th Fleet and is in Thailand undergoing routine voyage repair and maintenance.

However, beyond its naval duties, the crew demonstrated a profound dedication to community outreach, understanding the importance of meaningful engagement with local kids.

While the ship was under maintenance, civilian mariners travelled to the Learning Center in Pattaya for a day of fun and games with the children, which was facilitated by Navy League Siam in Pattaya.

The event not only showcased the spirit of solidarity between differing cultures but also highlighted the significance of fostering connections beyond geographical boundaries.

“I volunteered to come out to the center because it gives me a chance to see what other parts of Thailand are like,” said civilian mariner Bob Dumas, supply utilityman, USS Miguel Keith.

According to Dumas, engaging with children from different backgrounds offers a unique window into the local culture. It allows him to learn about traditions, customs, and daily life experiences that might be different from his own. It fosters cultural understanding and appreciation.

The Learning Center is a non-governmental organization and is one of the projects of the Human Help Foundation in Pattaya. The center hosts about 80 children a day from Thailand and neighboring nations, whose parents are day laborers in Thailand. The center offers education to children who typically don’t have access to public schools.

According to the Human Help Network Foundation director, Radchada Chomjinda, the biggest contribution visitors can make is the simple interaction with the children through conversation in English. The importance of learning English for children in Thailand extends beyond linguistic proficiency; it significantly influences their future opportunities.

“We have these children for a short amount of time,” said Chomjinda. “If they are in the Thai school system, they can learn English, but some of these kids are only in Thailand between three to six months. It’s not enough time to learn English. That is why the interaction with foreigners is so important. It helps build their vocabulary and confidence.”

The three-hour visit consisted of a variety of playground-type games that often led to many laughs, cheers and yells of encouragement that were fostered by the MSC members, the facility volunteers and the kids. There was even karaoke.

“Music has the power to uplift spirits and create positive vibes,” said civilian mariner Neil Deocampo, assistant storekeeper, USS Miguel Keith. Sharing laughter and enjoying light-hearted moments strengthens friendships by creating positive interactions with each other.

Deocampo carried his portable microphone and delivered an adlibbed karaoke session that filled the room with laughter and enjoyment, and contributed to a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.

The mariners engaged the kids in many games that brought a lasting smile to their faces. The day ended when the kids served a delicious meal to the ship’s crew.

“The impact of the community relations events extends far beyond the duration of the interaction itself,” said Navy Lt. Jamil A. Khan, chaplain, MSC Far East in Singapore. “They lay the foundation for enduring friendships among people from different walks of life. The event at the Learning Center stands as a testament to the values upheld by the USS Miguel Keith crew—a commitment to service and fostering goodwill.”

MSC Far East ensures approximately 50 ships in the Indo-Pacific Region are manned, trained, and equipped to deliver essential supplies, fuel, cargo, and equipment to warfighters, both at sea and on shore. 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

Journalists gained crucial insights into how the Navy engages globally alongside its allies and partners to defend freedom, preserve economic prosperity, and keep the seas open and free.

“We can’t do this alone,” said Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, during a sit down with the group. “There are things going on in the Black Sea, in the Baltic Sea, in the high North, in the Atlantic, and around Africa, and of course in the Persian Gulf, and that’s just the areas that I help supply forces to. We need great powers and have great partners in those bodies of water. They work day in and day out with us to add mass lethality capacity to send a message that we are a strong NATO alliance.”

At a separate event, Vice Adm. Daniel Dwyer, commander of Joint Force Command Norfolk and U.S. 2nd Fleet discussed maritime operations in the Arctic region and the importance of a strong NATO alliance. Dwyer was flanked by leaders from the Royal Canadian Navy, Spanish Navy, Norwegian Navy, and French Navy who serve at U.S. 2nd Fleet and Joint Force Command Norfolk respectively.
“Every time that we work and sail alongside our NATO Allies makes our alliance so much better,” said Dwyer. “Each person sitting up here with me brings a diverse opinion in thought about employing naval forces and helps elevate the conversation and our thinking within this headquarters,” he said. We focus on how we can better defend the trans-Atlantic link from the threats that emanate from the Arctic and from a 360-degree collective defense approach.”
The experience for the members of the foreign press corps provided a rare opportunity to engage directly with U.S. Navy leaders and see first-hand the capabilities of several ships and other platforms.

“We’ve been shown so much, from being able to go on board the George Washington and visiting a submarine simulator, for example, but also having the opportunity to speak with top officials who could go on the record with analysis about hot topics for my coverage, such as the enlargement of NATO in the Arctic area,” said Ingeborg Huse Amundsen, the U.S. correspondent for Verdens Gang, the largest newspaper in Norway.

The group visited NATO Allied Command Transformation, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Joint Force Command Norfolk, U.S. 2nd Fleet, Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Centre of Excellence, Submarine Learning Facility Norfolk, Naval Station Norfolk, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mahan (DDG 72), and Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 2.

The journalists represented print and broadcast outlets in Austria, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates.

The Foreign Press Centers support the Department of State’s mission by deepening global understanding of U.S. policy, society, culture, and values through engagement with foreign media. The United States Department of State has Foreign Press Centers in Washington, D.C., and in New York, New York. They promote the depth, accuracy, and balance of foreign reporting from the U.S. by providing direct access to authoritative American information sources.

Source: United States Navy

Combined Maritime Forces welcomed Sri Lanka, Nov. 20th, as the 39th member of the world’s largest maritime security partnership.

“We are excited to have Sri Lanka as part of CMF,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, CMF commander. “We welcome them into a growing international naval coalition in the Middle East, which protects some of the world’s most important waterways.”

In accepting the invitation to join CMF, the country’s naval commander, Vice Adm. Priyantha Perera, said Sri Lanka “is eager to collaborate with the CMF and other partner nations in joint exercises, patrols and operations…to uphold the principles of the CMF and contribute to its success.”

CMF is comprised of a headquarters staff and five combined task forces focusing on defeating terrorism, preventing piracy, encouraging regional cooperation, and promoting a safe maritime environment. The naval partnership upholds the international rules-based order by supporting security and stability across 3.2 million square miles of water encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.