Month: May 2024

Source: United States Navy

CMF is the largest naval partnership in the world, made up of a headquarters staff based in Bahrain and five combined task forces focused on maritime security, maritime security training and regional anti-piracy efforts.

“It is a pleasure to welcome both Lebanon and Albania to the Combined Maritime Forces,” said U.S. Navy Vice Adm. George Wikoff, the CMF commander. “The expansion of CMF brings with it skills and expertise from more nations than ever, and I look forward to being ‘ready together’ as we continue to set the global standard.”

The combined task forces include:
– CTF 150, focused on maritime security in the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
– CTF 151, which leads regional anti-piracy efforts.
– CTF 152, dedicated to maritime security in the Arabian Gulf.
– CTF 153, responsible for maritime security in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden.
– CTF 154, established in May 2023 to enhance maritime security training throughout the region.

The combined task forces’ collective areas of responsibility cover 3.2 million square miles of water, encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

Source: United States Navy

ARG-MEU COMPTUEXs bring Navy, Marine Corps, Joint Force, and State Department trainers together to exercise the capabilities of a combined Navy-Marine Corps team. The exercise represents the Department of the Navy’s commitment to deliver highly-capable, integrated naval forces to deter adversaries, reassure allies, secure the free flow of trade and commerce, and enable U.S. diplomatic engagement.

“You must continue to train and be at your highest level of performance and competitive advantage every day,” said Vice Adm. Doug Perry, commander, U.S. Second Fleet and Joint Force Command Norfolk, who visited the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), May 7.

“While you are deployed, you are going to work extensively with our allies and partners, and your mission focus and leadership is critical. You are the men and women who directly support our national priorities and reinforce the rules based order that is critical to U.S. and Allied security.”

The fleet commander’s visit was one in a series of high-level visits during the at sea training period which included the Senate Appropriations Committee – Defense Sub-Committee and the Offices of the Secretary of Defense for Policy, Personnel and Readiness, and Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation.

During ARG-MEU COMPTUEXs, Carrier Strike Group 4 (CSG-4) and II Marine Expeditionary Force’s Expeditionary Operations Training Group (EOTG) work together to train, mentor, and assess Navy and Marine Corps forces to prepare them for global operations.

“Our Navy and Marine Corps teams must be prepared for every contingency when they deploy,” said Rear Adm. Max McCoy, commander, CSG-4. “Our obligation is to drive scenarios that challenge the training audience and prepare the ARG-MEU to perform at the highest level across a wide range of missions from humanitarian assistance to amphibious assault. Our naval forces must be able to deliver unquestionable capability at the point of impact.”

The exercise made full use of Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) training to prepare for complex operations. The Navy and Joint Force developed an integrated LVC training environment that enables the services to execute high-end training earlier, using synthetic tools while operating live tactical systems. LVC also allows the force to rapidly explore and develop new multi-domain tactics with near real-time, continuous feedback.

“There is nothing as important today as our obligation to train, mentor, and assess the Marines and Sailors of the WSP ARG-24th MEU,” said Col. Neil Berry, director, Expeditionary Operations Training Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force. “We often say the world gets a vote, though our mission with this team was to ensure that they – along with the Joint Force team – have the deciding vote when the nation calls.”

The WSP ARG-24th MEU COMPTUEX exercise provided the environment for the team to execute the latest tactics, techniques, and procedures, informed by recent operations, and provides Navy type commanders and systems commands the data they need to improve future force generation. Feedback captured using the Root Cause Analysis Tool (RCAT), a Navy developed software tool, enables exercise assessors to deliver immediate recommendations to the training audience and actionable ‘external fixes’ to inform fleet-resourcing decisions to improve performance Fleet-wide.

The WSP ARG-24th MEU spent eight days at sea completing training as a team, before beginning the COMPTUEX scenario. It was an opportunity for the team to integrate their processes and sharpen their collective skill sets before increasing complexity.

“COMPTUEX was an invaluable opportunity to train as an integrated naval force,” said Capt. Nakia Cooper, commodore of Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 4, WSP ARG. “We demonstrated the strength of our unique partnership with the 24 MEU, and our Sailors and Marines embodied the ‘One Team, One Fight’ mantra during the certification event.”

During COMPTUEX, the WSP ARG-24th MEU team completed a variety of integrated events such as live-fire exercises, strait transits, maritime security exercises, amphibious landings, maritime interdiction, non-combatant evacuation operations, foreign humanitarian assistance, and counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) engagements.

The team also exercised a transfer of authority from national authority to NATO authority under Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) in Lisbon, Portugal. Transfers of authority are an increasingly common feature in COMPTUEXs, as well as in the operational fleet as the U.S. and NATO Allies continue to train and operate with one another to deter and defend adversary aggression. The STRIKFORNATO team provided command-and-control of the WSP ARG-24th, while concurrently leading vigilance activity Neptune Strike 24-1.

“During COMPTUEX, the Marines and Sailors built an integrated ‘Team of Teams’ that showcased naval warfighting capability to assure our partners and allies and deter our potential adversaries” said Col. Todd Mahar, Commanding Officer, 24th MEU. “We are excited to get underway with our Shipmates and deploy forward as a ready force for our Nation.”

Upon completion of COMPTUEX, the 24th MEU was designated as Special Operations Capable (SOC), signifying they demonstrated proficiency as a specially trained Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) capable of integrating with, enabling, and supporting SOF operations as part of their enhanced pre-deployment training program. The MEU (SOC) is a uniquely organized, trained, and equipped expeditionary force that provides geographic combatant commanders options for theater campaigning and crisis response.

The exercise also served as a venue to expand upon existing capability in the Navy and Joint Force.

For example, the WSP ARG-24th MEU became the first ARG-MEU team to train with the En-Route Care System (ERCS) and the Expeditionary Resuscitative Surgical System (ERSS). The ERCS and the ERSS are expeditionary medicine capabilities that provide a ready, rapidly deployable and combat effective medical forces to improve survivability across the full spectrum of care, regardless of environment.

Similarly, U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team (MSRT) East, USCGC Stone (WMSL 758), and USCGC Angela McShan (WPC 1135) participated in numerous events alongside the Navy and Marine Corps team to train and increase proficiency.

ARG-MEUs are organized, trained, equipped, evaluated, and certified to conduct maritime expeditionary warfare and amphibious operations across the full range military operations. As a highly mobile, versatile, and integrated naval formation, the ARG-MEU offers geographic combatant commanders an organic combined arms force that remains forward deployed and capable of persistent competition.

The WSP ARG consists of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21), Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), and the embarked 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

The 24th MEU is a rapidly deployable MAGTF that consists of Battalion Landing Team 1/8, the Ground Combat Element; Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 (Reinforced), the Aviation Combat Element; and Combat Logistics Battalion 24, the Logistics Combat Element.

Carrier Strike Group 4’s mission is to train, mentor, and assess carrier strike groups, amphibious ready groups, and independent deployers for global combat against peer competitors. You can find them on LinkedIn, Twitter (@CSG_4), and DVIDS.

II Marine Expeditionary Force’s Expeditionary Operations Training Group (EOTG) mission is to train and evaluate deploying Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU) and other designated forces in select special individual and collective tasks, as well as their ability to conduct assigned mission essential tasks in order to prepare forces to support the geographic combatant commanders.

To learn more about WSP ARG and 24th MEU Team of Teams visit their DVIDS feature page at https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/wasparg24thmeu

You can find Amphibious Squadron 4, Wasp Amphibious Ready Group on Facebook and DVIDS.
You can find the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit on Facebook, Twitter (@the24MEU), Instagram (@24MEU), and DVIDS.

You can find USS Wasp on Facebook, Instagram (@usswasp_lhd1) and DVIDS.

You can find USS New York on Facebook and Instagram (@uss_newyork)

You can find USS Oak Hill on Facebook.

Source: United States Navy

In all, 111 participants from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Liberia, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Togo, and the United States attended lectures, practiced maritime security tactics, and drilled cooperatively together. 

Representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard’s Tactical Law Enforcement Team (TACLET), Royal Netherlands Marine Corps (Corps Mariniers) Reconnaissance Sniper Team, NATO Maritime Interdiction Operations Training Centre, and INTERPOL led a robust series of training events in Sekondi. French interpreters from the Royal Netherlands Army provided translation of the lessons to over 50 personnel from five French-speaking West African nations. 

“I think it’s wonderful to see so many nations training together,” said Royal Netherlands Marine Corps 1st Lt. Sergio D’Elia, team leader for the Dutch instructors at Sekondi. “Nations that don’t get to meet often were training together as one team… [and it] happened very naturally.” 

During the first two days of the event, participants rotated between four stations covering hallway-clearing procedures, room-clearing procedures, and tactical casualty care treating wounds and major injuries. These events were mainly taught through joint instruction by the U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Netherlands Marine Corps. Two Greek Navy personnel from NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Centre (NMIOTC)’s mobile training team also joined the multinational contingent. 

“Working alongside our Dutch and Greek allies to train our African partners in maritime focused tactical procedures and medical care empowers nations to handle crisis effectively,” said U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Paul Avella, senior U.S. Coast Guard official overseeing Obangame Express 2024 training at Ghana Western Naval Headquarters. “It’s a strategic investment in peace and security.”  

The following two days of training focused on learning about initial maritime crime scene investigation and evidence collection, as well as applying this to a shipboard setting. Trainees took to Snake-class patrol ship GNS Ehwor (P 37) and Cutter-class patrol ship GNS Anzone (P 30) to practice the skills they had learned about close quarters combat and maritime interdiction. They also snapped on pairs of surgical gloves to apply crime scene evidence collection training in a hands-on activity set up by INTERPOL Regional Maritime Security Directorate criminal intelligence officer Ludovic Payet. 

“They are the first person at sea that will take action during an investigation,” said Payet. “If they do not use personal protective gear, they could contaminate the crime scene… so we have to teach them the basics so we can have a strong police case.” 

On the final day of instruction, students once again embarked aboard Ghana Navy ships and small boats to apply all that they had learned, including boarding techniques and small boat helmsmanship. Together, the militaries meshed and worked alongside one another to complete each of the tasks, often communicating with hand signals to break the language barrier. 

“It is important for all of these countries to come together because we are all Africans and we are all humans,” said Machinery Technician Seaman Apprentice Erica Davis of the Liberia National Coast Guard. “It is good to share ideas from country to country so we can get better together.” 

After the completion of the final training day’s events, U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Netherlands Marine Corps trainers awarded certificates in English and French signifying the successful completion of the week’s activities. At the closing ceremony, trainers and trainees reflected on the great strides they made together, and the lasting relationships they built in Ghana. No one nation can manage transnational threats alone, so exercises like Obangame Express provide a foundation for collaboration throughout the year. 

“In the case of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, it is very important that each nation has very good skills in order to cope with the threats of the area,” said Royal Netherlands Navy Capt. Idzerd van Eysinga, The Netherlands Defense Attaché for West Africa. “They need to train maritime interdiction procedures to work together internationally and ensure interoperability. Because of fast evolving threats in the region, they need to continue to train together.” 
 
During exercise Obangame Express 2024, the 13th iteration of the exercise, partner and ally forces collaborate to enhance collective maritime law enforcement capabilities, bolster national and regional security in West Africa, and foster greater interoperability among U.S., African, and multinational partners. The U.S. routinely exercises with our partners in Africa to build enduring relationships and combined capacity to ensure the safety and security of the regional maritime environment. 
 
For more information on Obangame Express, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/obangameexpress2024 or https://twitter.com/usnavyEurope/. Please direct any questions or requests to cne_cna_c6fpao@us.navy.mil. 

Source: United States Navy

Information and intelligence sharing throughout the five zones of the Yaoundé Code is crucial to the Code’s success in ensuring regional maritime security and stability. Through exercises like Obangame Express, partner nations leverage maritime infrastructure, assigned forces, and technological advancements and innovations to provide a maritime picture that can be easily understood across national and regional boundaries. Key to this understanding is the use of a program called SeaVision.

“SeaVision is the U.S. Navy’s unclassified, web-based maritime situational awareness tool that enables African partners to view and share maritime information to improve operations, increase security, and build partnerships within the maritime community,” said Alvin Yu, a Maritime Intelligence System professional at Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific. “It allows for MOC [Maritime Operations Center] to MOC chat and file sharing and enables national and regional communication.”

Initially developed with African partners by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center in partnership with U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVAF), SeaVision has been in use in this area for years. It remains an integral component of the NAVAF-facilitated Express series of exercises, as well as daily operations in Africa’s maritime domain.

SeaVision is not only used in Africa, though. Since its inception, SeaVision’s use throughout the world’s oceans and waterways has continued to grow at a blistering pace. It is now used by over 100 countries, including all of this year’s Obangame Express participants. The program remains the primary maritime domain awareness (MDA) tool for collaboration and communication due to its accessibility, ease of use, and collective capability.

“SeaVision enhances MDA by visualizing vessel movement on a common operating picture in near real time,” said Yu. “Monitoring of commercial vessels via the automated identification system (AIS) and vessel detection from satellite imagery increases effective understanding of the maritime domain.”

To spur further developments in SeaVision use and overall MDA efforts by partner and allied nations, Yu and other members of the Obangame Express SeaVision planning team have focused their efforts this year on transitioning partners from operators to analysts, empowering them to use analytical functions within the system itself. This enables end users to see beyond mere dots on the map to analyze information and generate intelligence, according to Yu. Further, the addition of satellite electro-imagery in this year’s iteration of the exercise helps detect “dark” vessels, or those not transmitting on AIS.

The SeaVision output is only as good as the sensor input, though. During Obangame Express 2024, partner and ally surface units across Western Africa will feed information and intelligence into the program, boosting collective awareness and understanding of the critical waterways of Western Africa. This information, once received in partner MOCs, can then be communicated throughout the region via the Yaoundé Code, providing a foundation for shared analysis, prosecution, and, if needed, response.

Multiple partners, from Africa and abroad, providing tracks and targets from their organic surface platforms to a common maritime picture is an unmatched capability Obangame Express brings to the region. As partners and allies continue to bring new and innovative technologies into the fold, the utility and capability of the SeaVision program will only continue to expand.

“Obangame Express exercises African partners on effectively using SeaVision to address illicit maritime activities in their exclusive economic zones. For this exercise, success for SeaVision is enhancing that MOC communication and information sharing in a variety of unique and challenging scenarios,” Yu concluded.

During exercise Obangame Express 2024, the 13th iteration of the exercise, partner and ally forces collaborate to enhance collective maritime law enforcement capabilities, bolster national and regional security in West Africa, and foster greater interoperability among U.S., African, and multinational partners. The U.S. routinely exercises with our partners in Africa to build enduring relationships and combined capacity to ensure the safety and security of the regional maritime environment.

For more information on Obangame Express, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/obangameexpress2024 or https://twitter.com/usnavyEurope/. Please direct any questions or requests to cne_cna_c6fpao@us.navy.mil.

Source: United States Navy

“COMPTUEX is a challenging multi-warfare training opportunity for our team,” said Cole’s Commanding Officer Cmdr. Tim Clark. “Our crew is well trained, and ready for tasking. I am confident that we will meet and exceed all challenges put in front of us.”

COMPTUEXs brings Navy and Joint force trainers and capability together to exercise integrated warfighting at a high level. The exercise represents the Department of the Navy’s commitment to deliver highly-capable, integrated naval forces to deter adversaries, reassure allies, secure the free flow of trade and commerce, and enable U.S. diplomatic engagement.

“The U.S. Navy sails into harm’s way,” Rear Adm. Max McCoy, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 4. “We take our training mission very seriously, and we put USS Cole through the most complex training environment to date. Our goal is to build fighting units that think rapidly, operate at the highest readiness level, and integrate with the joint force, partners, and allies to achieve mission when tasked. It is an imperative that our Sailors are ready to fight.”

COMPTUEXs are the joint force’s premiere, multi-domain integrated warfighting exercise, and are a key element of CSG 4’s mission to train, mentor, and assess carrier strike groups, amphibious ready groups, and independent deployers for global combat against peer competitors.

“All throughout our preparation for deployment, we’ve been plugged into what our friends and shipmates in U.S. Fifth Fleet and Sixth Fleet have been doing, and we’re grateful for the lessons they’ve shared with us,” said Clark. “We also know that the adversary is always evolving, and so we too must learn and adapt at a more rapid pace than they do. While we know challenges lie over the horizon, we are confident that the high end training during COMPTUEX prepared us for what we may see in combat.”

The exercise made full use of Live, Virtual, and Constructive (LVC) training to prepare for complex operations. The Navy and Joint Force developed an integrated LVC training environment that enables the services to execute high-end training earlier, using synthetic tools while operating live tactical systems. LVC also allows the force to rapidly explore and develop new multi-domain tactics with near real-time, continuous feedback.

COMPTUEX fostered teamwork among the crew, highlighted ship interoperability with other units, and demonstrate mastery of integrating with warfare commanders. The Cole team completed a variety of events such as live-fire exercises; straits transits; maritime security exercises; multiple opportunities to exercise air, surface, and anti-submarine warfare skills; electronic attack scenarios; flight operations; underway replenishments; visit, board, search and seizure training; damage control training; and counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) engagements.

“I was very proud of our crew, and their families and friends can take pride in their Sailors on this ship,” said Command Master Chief Karyn Sigurdsson. “Throughout every challenge they faced during the exercise, they lived up to the spirit and legacy of our ship and our Navy.”

Once certified for deployment, Cole will be worldwide assignable in support of numbered fleet command and combatant commander requirements.

For more information about USS Cole (DDG 67), head to their official webpage at https://www.surflant.usff.navy.mil/ddg67 or Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/DDG67).