Month: December 2023

Source: United States Navy

Vice Admiral Scott Gray relieved Rear Admiral John V. Menoni, who had served as acting commander of Navy Installations Command since July 2023. Menoni will take over leadership of OPNAV N80 Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution.

Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti served as the guest speaker for the ceremony. During her remarks, Franchetti commended Menoni for his accomplishments in his short time as acting commander of Navy Installations Command and lauded CNIC’s importance to the Navy.

“CNIC is the critical link to everything we do, both at home and overseas,” said Franchetti. “Every ship you reload and every aircraft you refuel is another payload delivered on behalf of the Navy. And at the same time, when our deployed forces head over the horizon, CNIC provides the support needed to take care of our Sailors and their families.”

Menoni discussed his time at CNIC and his optimism for the command’s future direction, under the leadership of Gray.  

“Although I only served at CNIC for a short time, not a day went by that I didn’t witness the team’s dedication to the warfighters and their families,” said Menoni. “There is plenty of work to do in determining what it means to be the shore Type Commander (TYCOM). I know that CNIC will get after it with an effective, dedicated and inspirational leader with the right vision for the shore at the helm. That leader is Vice Adm. Gray.”

During his remarks, Gray announced that his primary goal as Commander, Navy Installations Command will be revitalizing the shore.

“As we prepare for conflict with a major peer competitor, the shore is not in the condition we need it to be,” said Gray. “Over the last several decades, we ‘took risk in the shore’ and we are now experiencing accelerating degradation at a time when a solid foundation is critical to our ability to generate and sustain combat power and attract and retain the talent we need to prevail.”

Gray outlined his initial priorities such as developing shore TYCOM governance; developing a long-term strategy to accelerate shore recovery; eliminating excess infrastructure; divesting legacy functions that are no longer essential; improving maintenance; and fostering a culture of innovative thinking among personnel.

“We now have an opportunity to bend the curve and shape the shore to better meet the needs of  he Navy at a critical juncture in our history,” said Gray.

Gray is a native of Virginia Beach, a 1988 graduate of the University of South Florida and was commissioned in June 1989 through the Aviation Officer Candidate Program. He earned his designation as an E-2C naval flight officer and has logged more than 500 carrier-arrested landings and 2,800 flight hours in tactical aircraft. His previous shore assignments include commanding officer, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; executive assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment; Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central; and Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic.

Commander, Navy Installations Command is responsible for worldwide U.S. Navy shore installation management, designing and developing integrated solutions for sustainment and development of Navy shore infrastructure as well as quality of life programs. CNIC oversees 10 Navy regions, 70 bases, and more than 43,000 employees who sustain the fleet, enable the fighter and support the family. For more information about Commander, Navy Installations Command, visit www.cnic.navy.mil.

Source: United States Navy

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro swore in Anne Bonfante Gebhards as the Department of the Navy’s Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy for Policy (DUSN (P)), Dec.18.

Previously, Gebhards served as the Department of the Navy’s Senior Advisor for International Affairs since 2016. As DUSN (P), Gebhards serves as the principal civilian advisor on defense and foreign policy, defense and naval strategy, naval force posture, and security cooperation policy.

“I have yet to find the words to adequately express how honored I am for you to have placed your trust in me as your Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy,” said Gebhards during the ceremony in front of her family, friends, and colleagues. “I have been – and continue to be – so very fortunate to work with and for the most exceptional officers, civilians, and political appointees. Your friendship, collaboration, and mentorship mean the world to me.”

A 1996 graduate of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania, Gebhards also completed the Senior Executive Fellows (SEF) program at the Harvard Kennedy School, attended the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), received a Master of Arts in Legal Studies from the University of Bristol in England, and earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from the University of the West of England.

Previously, Gebhards served as Country Director in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and as a Foreign Affairs Specialist at the U.S. Department of State. She also served as Defense Advisor to the former Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control.

As the daughter of Italian immigrants and the first in her family to go to college, Gebhards said the ceremony was particularly special for her.

“While I have been privileged through birth to be an American, it’s my first-generation roots that have defined my love of country and pride in service,” said Gebhards. “My parents, Giuseppe and Eleanor, have long been a living example to me and my sister, Lisa, that the United States gives much to those who work hard and believe in its extraordinary promise. And that the opportunity this country offers to all should never be taken for granted.”

Gebhards added that she is blessed to share in this moment with her parents and celebrates the chance to give back to the Nation through service in this position of trust in the Department of the Navy.

Source: United States Navy

During the RAS, the ships received fuel and stores in order to continue their tasks. The two Italian ships are part of different task groups within the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 construct. Bergamini is currently the flag ship of the NATO operation Noble Shield, while Fasan is the flag ship of CTG 425.03.

RAS is a complex maneuver that requires accurate planning, precise execution and highly professional seamanship, and every successful RAS is an achievement by all the ships involved. NATO Allies and partners share this unique capability to be able to replenish food, fuel, and other necessary supplies during any operation, in any environment, no matter which navy is receiving these vital supplies.

The RAS maneuver demonstrated the interoperability and shared capabilities that allied navies have reached, continuing to exercise and train together, improving and sharing their doctrine, and building new knowledge, little by little, based on lessons identified and lessons learned in everyday maritime operations.

For over 80 years, 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. 6th Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.

Source: United States Navy

Capt. Jason Grizzle, commander of Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 12, under which Colorado operates, praised the crew’s successful deployment and welcomed them home “just in time for the holidays.”

“It’s always great to have a homecoming and see families reunited,” Grizzle said. “But to have one just in time for Christmas – seeing the joy and happiness on the pier today – it really emphasizes the sacrifice and commitment a submariner and their family makes to protect our nation’s interests.”

“Our submarines are unparalleled in the undersea domain, but submarines cannot execute their mission without the men and women who put in the work,” Grizzle added. “And they cannot operate without the love, support, and sacrifices their families make here at home – it’s truly a rewarding experience.”

Beam commended his crew for their performace on the submarine’s third deployment saying he is “happy to be home just in time for Christmas and I couldn’t be prouder of my crew and our amazing families.”

During its deployment to the U.S. European Command area of responsibility, Colorado steamed nearly 36,000 nautical miles and made port calls to Grøtsund, Norway, and Rota, Spain. Thirty personnel earned their submarine warfare devices – commonly referred to as “dolphins” – during the deployment and one Colorado sailor had new baby.

Taylor Hartman, wife of Lt.j.g. Forrest Hartman, said she was “happy they could be home before the holidays to be with their families before partaking in the ceremonial “first hug” with her son Riker, 5, and daughter Charlie, 2.

“It means everything because I’m going to let my kids be the first one to hug him because they’ve been looking forward to it, said Taylor Hartman during the homecoming event. “My son has been doing a countdown everyday looking at the calendar – and being this close to Christmas, it’s better than any present.

SSN 788 was commissioned March 17, 2018 and is the fourth U.S. warship named after the state of Colorado. It has a length of 377 feet with a beam of 34 feet and a crew of more than 134 personnel.

The Virginia-class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines are designed for a broad spectrum of open-ocean and littoral missions. Fast-attack submarines are multi-mission platforms enabling five of the six Navy maritime strategy core capabilities – sea control, power projection, forward presence, maritime security and deterrence. They are designed to excel in anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare and mine warfare. Fast-attack submarines project power ashore with special operations forces and Tomahawk cruise missiles in the prevention or response to regional crises.

Source: United States Navy

Operation Cyber Dragon supports the Department of Defense Information Network in the identification and remediation of forward-facing network vulnerabilities. It uses Navy Reserve Sailors in an active, continuous mission to reduce the Navy’s cyber vulnerabilities.

Operation Cyber Dragon leverages the unique skills and demonstrated abilities of the cyber warfighter to conduct hunt missions on internal networks and identify vulnerabilities and network security threats. Once observed, cyber professionals provide remediation actions to harden the network and secure the information. Some of the potential vulnerabilities remediated during the operation include network/asset misconfiguration, certificate issues, and patch management.

This ongoing operation was conducted this year at military installations in Texas, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Maryland.

In its second year and after nine completed phases, Operation Cyber Dragon has trained hundreds of Reserve Sailors, resulting in refined tactics, techniques, procedures, and analytics.

The Reserve Sailors align themselves to advertised active-training periods to support Operation Cyber Dragon phases. During this time, operations staff conduct instruction and training sessions while Sailors establish the required accounts to conduct the operation.

Technology is changing and evolving on a daily basis, with new vulnerabilities identified that require active measures to address. This makes operations such as Operation Cyber Dragon a vital part in training and maintaining the readiness of our cyber warriors. These warriors focus on building the capacity to win against a persistent adversary and the capability to meet the complicated challenge, striving to neutralize any threat at any time.

U.S. Fleet Cyber Command is responsible for Navy information network operations, offensive and defensive cyberspace operations, space operations, and signals intelligence. Comprised of more than 14,000 Sailors, Reserve Sailors, and civilians stationed across the world, U.S. 10th Fleet is the operational arm of FCC and executes its mission through a task force structure similar to other warfare commanders.