Month: April 2024

Source: United States Navy

The Royal Navy’s HMS Lancaster, a Duke-class Type 23 frigate, seized over 800 kg of hashish, 390 kg of methamphetamines and 110 kg of heroine from a stateless dhow in the Arabian Sea. This was the crew’s first day of deployment after completing a crew swap a few weeks before.

“I am exceptionally proud of the entire team in Lancaster executing this interdiction on the first day of our deployment,” said Royal Navy Cmdr. Chris Sharp, HMS Lancaster’s commanding officer. “Complex interdictions in such a challenging environment require true teamwork across the entire ship’s company. This success is shared with our partners in CTF 150 who provided essential support to the operation.”

Then, using Canadian space-based intelligence, the Sentinel-class fast-response cutter USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC 1147) seized 257 kg of methamphetamines, 92 kg of heroine, 17 kg of amphetamines, 296 kg of hashish, and 15 kg of marijuana from another dhow in the Arabian Sea. After weighing and documenting the hauls, the crew disposed of the narcotics.

Clarence Sutphin Jr is forward deployed to Bahrain as part of a contingent of U.S. Coast Guard ships under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships alongside U.S. and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East.

“These two interdictions have made a significant dent in criminal and terrorist organizations’ ability to use drugs to fund their activities,” said Royal Canadian Navy Capt. Colin Matthews, Commander Combined Task Force 150. “The collaboration of our assets and personnel allowed us to become a precise and highly effective team that not only undermined the efforts of these organizations, but also nearly 2,000 kg of drugs from hitting the streets.”

Crimson Barracuda counters terrorist and criminal organizations’ use of the high seas to smuggle narcotics, weapons, and other illicit substances in the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman.

CTF 150 is one of five task forces under Combined Maritime Forces, the world’s largest international naval partnership. CTF 150’s mission is to deter and disrupt the ability of non-state actors to move weapons, drugs and other illicit substances in the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman.

Combined Maritime Forces is a 42-nation naval partnership upholding the international rules-based order by promoting security and stability across 3.2 million square miles of water encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

Source: United States Navy

Roosevelt is one of four U.S. Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, and assigned to Commander, Task Force 65. These FDNF-E ships have the flexibility to operate throughout the waters of Europe and Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arctic Circle, demonstrating their mastery of the maritime domain.

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. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.

For more than 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with our Allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

Source: United States Navy

• Voluntary establishment of the Extended Drinking Water Monitoring (EDWM) program. The Navy will continue extensive drinking water sampling of the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam drinking water system for another year. The EDWM plan picked up after the completion of the long-term monitoring program which ended last month. 

• Removal of fuel piping spools and valves from the base of Red Hill Tanks 7 and 8. The spools are short segments of piping and valves that isolate the main tanks from the pipelines leading from the facility on Red Hill to the underground pump house on JBPHH. Removing the spools and valves is a preparatory step in advance of ventilation and tank cleaning.  

• Preparation for tank cleaning: NCTF-RH contractor personnel cleaned and prepared a fuel reclamation tank at the facility on Red Hill that will be used to collect the rinse water from main tank cleaning. They used the opportunity to practice the same skills required to clean the main fuel storage tanks.  

• Creation of a Water Quality Action Team. Made up of water, environmental, and medical professionals and other experts, the team focuses on the quality of drinking water. The team responds to water quality issues at the homes of concerned residents and will assess potential water quality concerns such as household water chemistry, chlorine levels, water temperature, and potential plumbing concerns including water heater and appliance operation and maintenance.  

• Extension of the operations and breadth of the Red Hill Clinic. At the request of the Navy, the Red Hill Clinic will continue operations for an additional year. The clinic provides medical assessments for all TRICARE-eligible beneficiaries and individuals granted Secretarial Designee status who are experiencing symptoms they believe may be related to the November 2021 Red Hill fuel release.  

• Residence Resources Guide. NCTF-RH created a Resident Resource Guide that provides fact sheets on water quality questions. The guide includes information about the Navy Water Quality Action Team process, how to navigate the JBPHH-Safe Waters website at www.jbphh-safewaters.org, how to read drinking water test results from analytical laboratories, understanding Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons, and drinking water quality compliance monitoring. NCTF-RH will update the Resource Guide as new information becomes available. The Resident Resource Guide can be found in the NCTF-RH App’s Resource Center or on the NCTF-RH webpage (www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil/document-library/).  

“The Navy now has full responsibility of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, and we are moving out to accomplish our primary mission of closing it and remediating the environment,” said Rear Adm. Steve Barnett, commander, NCTF-RH. “We have developed a detailed schedule in close coordination with the Environmental Protection Agency and Hawaii Department of Health that lays out a safe and deliberate approach to this complex set of tasks. I’m confident in our team and our plan and look forward to providing regular updates on our progress to the community through our many public engagement activities.” 

In the next month NCTF-RH will execute more tasks aimed at closure, including: 

• Removal of AFFF Concentrate. NCTF-RH began AFFF concentrate removal on April 8. Approximately 90% has been successfully drained, removing a major threat to the aquifer.   

• Tank cleaning preparations. Once tanks are safe for personnel entry, suspended scaffolding will be installed to initiate the tank cleaning process. These structures will allow for workers to clean the internal surfaces of the tanks.  

“We will continue to take a deliberate and engaged approach as we move from one phase of the closure process to the next,” Barnett said. 

NCTF-RH is committed to working with all government agencies and community stakeholders to safely and deliberately close the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility underground storage tanks and associated piping system, conduct long-term environmental remediation, and ensure continued access to safe drinking water in compliance with all Federal, State, and local laws, policies and regulations.  

 For more information about NCTF-RH, visit navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil or download the mobile app by searching for “NCTF-Red Hill” in the Apple App store or Google Play store. For imagery, video and other digital media please visit our DVIDS site here: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/NCTF-RH  

Source: United States Navy

Good morning, everyone! It is wonderful to be here with you at Fincantieri’s Marinette Marine Shipyard in Wisconsin.

Today is a special day for our Fleet, and indeed our Nation, as we take the next step in the construction of the future USS Constellation (FFG 62) with this keel laying ceremony.

Governor Evers, thank you for your leadership of this great state.  I deeply value our enduring partnership with you and Secretary Pechacek as the citizens of Wisconsin build the warships our Navy needs to execute its missions around the globe.

I would also like to welcome the leaders from the great state of Michigan who are here with us this morning—the Adjutant General of Michigan, Major General Rogers; the CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Mr. Messer; and the Director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, Ms. Corbin.

Michigan and Wisconsin share more than a border—they share a workforce.  As we think regionally about how to grow a shipbuilding talent pipeline, I look forward to working with the leaders of both states to find innovative ways in developing the shipbuilding workforce and resilient supply chains that will provide critical support to our Fleet in the decades to come.

Admiral Franchetti, thank you for joining us this morning, for your leadership of our Navy, and for sharing your insights into the pivotal role USS Constellation will play in America’s Warfighting Navy throughout her time in service.

I would also like to extend a warm welcome to my predecessor, the 77th Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite, who is with us this morning.  Thank you, Mr. Secretary, for your thoughtful approach to naming this class of warships and for choosing to honor the former USS Constellations that have served our nation with honor and distinction over the past 248 years.

And I would like to recognize Secretary Braithwaite’s wife, Melissa, who is the ship’s sponsor for USS Constellation.  A ship’s sponsor is an important role in our naval heritage, and I have no doubt you will do an incredible job serving as the bond between this ship, her crew, and the nation they serve.

Finally, to our industry partners, led by Fincantieri, and to our Sailors here at the shipyard, thank you.  Thank you for the work you are about to embark on to bring this ship to life, adding another capable, lethal platform to our Fleet.

USS Constellation and the Constellation-class frigates are a critical next step in the modernization of our surface ship inventory, increasing the number of “players on the field” available globally for our Fleet and Combatant Commanders.

As recent events in the Red Sea and Indo-Pacific have shown, our ships, submarines, aircraft, Sailors, and Marines are in high-demand by our national decision makers.

Every day, nearly a third of our Fleet is deployed, with another fifth underway conducting training and operations to prepare for deployment.

Our Sailors and Marines operate around the globe in austere environments, oftentimes alongside our international allies and partners, deterring adversaries, and standing ready to prevail in combat if called upon to do so.

At the heart of it, our people are our greatest strength.  And when I say “our people,” that doesn’t just mean our Sailors and Marines in uniform. 

It includes our Department of the Navy civilians who work tirelessly alongside their uniformed counterparts, often in the same deployed or forward-stationed environments.

It includes the talented scientists, engineers, and researchers at our Nation’s universities and colleges developing the transformational technologies of tomorrow which have dual-use cases to provide our Fleet and our Force with warfighting advantages.

And here in Wisconsin, it includes our skilled tradesmen and women who have chosen to make shipbuilding their profession.

Providing for and maintaining a ready, capable, and lethal Navy and Marine Corps is not just a Department of the Navy effort—it is indeed a whole-of-country effort.

When I called for a re-imagining of our national approach to maritime statecraft, centered around rebuilding our commercial and naval power, I highlighted the need for men and women across our country to become more involved in our shipbuilding industry.

Today’s ceremony is reflective of that. This yard is teeming with activity—Americans from all walks of life coming together to build warships in a demonstration of our industrial might and showcasing the talents of the skilled workforce that our nation must expand during this critical period in our world’s history.

It takes a nation to build a Navy, and the collaboration between industry and our Department that is on display at this shipyard symbolizes the teamwork required to do so.

I am committed to restoring the shipbuilding might our nation once had—both commercial and naval—and to ensuring that we get our major shipbuilding programs back on track—on-time and on-budget.

I look forward to working with all of our stakeholders across industry, government, and academia to increase our nation’s capacity and capability to build, maintain, and modernize the Fleet our nation requires to confront the challenges of today and, if called upon, prevail in combat.

Again, it is an honor to be with you this morning as we mark this special milestone in the construction of the future USS Constellation.

May God continue to grace our Nation with fair winds and following seas.

Source: United States Navy

Good afternoon, everyone!

It is wonderful to be here with you today to talk about the achievements of the Naval University System and Education for Seapower Advisory Board.  

I want to begin by recognizing the significant successes we are making towards achieving the objectives laid out in the Naval Education Strategy.

Your insights and recommendations have paved a clear path forward.

Thank you to the Office of Manpower and Reserve Affairs and the Naval Education Board for their leadership and diligent efforts in bringing our Naval Education Strategy to life.

Thank you to Assistant Secretary Parker, for your direction and enthusiasm for education for our service members.

Thank you, Secretary O’Keefe, for your leadership of the Education for Seapower Advisory Board.

Thank you, Dr. Vierling, for your hard work and dedication to the Naval University System.

Education plays a crucial role in building a culture of warfighting excellence—it is a tool which supports communication, character, judgment, diplomacy, and partnerships.

This is why the work you do in education matters.

You are making tremendous progress.

The Naval Community College is moving into the second phase of its accreditation process and embarking on its Initial Operating Capability phase.

The statistics from Pilot 2 and subsequent “State of the College” report underscore our achievements in fostering educational innovation, student engagement, and enhancing the readiness and capabilities of our servicemembers.

The Naval War College increased the number of previously unfilled Navy billets which will help foster a culture which values education.

The NWC is also preparing for its re-accreditation, focusing on joint warfighting and recruiting a faculty diverse in background and experience.

As the Naval Postgraduate School prepares for its next accreditation, it has trained its focus on relevant topics—artificial intelligence, ocean sciences, and space.

And I look forward to witnessing the vision for the Naval Innovation Center coming to life at NPS.

The NIC will provide an educational opportunity and venue unavailable anywhere else in the world, where industry and academic partners will work side-by-side with our NPS students to research and discover advanced warfighting solutions.

Education is the foundation upon which my own professional success was built.

As a Cuban immigrant, my American dream was realized through education.

And I firmly believe that no one should be denied the opportunity to better themselves through education—our Sailors, Marines, and civilians are no exception.

As we have seen in the world today, we need not only the best technology, but also a force which is comprised of the best critical and analytical thinkers to fight the wars of today and tomorrow.

I am committed to continuous progress, and I aim to assist in any way that I can.

Before I leave today, I ask a few things of you.

I urge you to continue to identify issues and work towards data-driven goals to solve them, in line with our long-term Naval Education Strategy.

Because in order to improve, we must first identify the issues which keep us from moving forward in our vision for naval education.

I also ask for your advice on improving our Naval University System.

What are ways I can help? What can I do?

The investments we make in education today will pay dividends for our future Sailors and Marines, and in turn, our nation security.

I am indebted to the tremendous work undertaken by our faculty and staff throughout the Naval University System, and I am grateful to all of you who play an important role in building a culture of warfighting excellence with the Department of the Navy.

Naval education is a key factor which ensures the readiness of our Navy and Marine Corps Team.

God Bless our Sailors, our Marines, our civilians, and all of those who support them.

Thank you.