Month: July 2024

Source: United States Navy

The award is presented annually by the Chief of Naval Operations to one ship in the Atlantic Fleet and one in the Pacific Fleet based on overall readiness and includes a small monetary stipend, which will be given to the ship’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation fund to benefit crewmembers. New York’s crew was cited for their indomitable spirit, superior performance and consistently high standards of readiness.

“The Sailors, senior enlisted leaders, and officers of USS New York represent the best fighting force ever gathered,” said Capt. Ben Oakes, New York’s commanding officer. “I am extremely proud of this team and all that they accomplished in the past year. There is no doubt that we are ready and will continue to perform at our highest while forward deployed. I could not be more honored to bring this award back home to New York where it all started with one young girl’s patriotic act out of love for her country.”

This marks the second time New York was selected to receive this prestigious award. In May 2014, New York was selected as the fiscal year 2013 winner amongst the amphibious ships of the Atlantic Fleet.

The Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund was established in 1917 by the New York Tribune Association. It was initiated by a letter written by 13-year-old Marjorie Sterrett, February 1916. Marjorie, who lived in Brooklyn, contributed her weekly allowance of a dime to “Help build a battleship for Uncle Sam.” Prior to World War II, income from this fund was used to pay prizes annually to turret and gun crews making the highest scores in short-range battle practice, as well as submarine crews making the highest scores in torpedo firing. It is now used to recognize those ships which display battle efficiency and emphasize readiness and fitness of the ship. Accordingly, the reward has been used to recognize the most battle-efficient or battle-ready warship on each coast.

The ship, whose motto is “Strength, Forged through Sacrifice… Never Forget,” was commissioned in 2007 as the fifth ship in the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock. She is one of three ships named to commemorate the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, when over 3,000 people lost their lives in terrorist attacks in New York City.
New York departed Norfolk, Virginia on a scheduled deployment to the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) area of operations on May 22 as part of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (WSP ARG)-24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Special Operations Capable (SOC).

The WSP ARG consists of the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), USS New York, Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), and embarked 24th MEU (SOC).

The 24th MEU (SOC) is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) providing strategic speed and agility, ensuring U.S. Marines are prepared to respond and protect U.S. national security interests around the globe. The MEU can respond rapidly from longer ranges with greater capabilities across the spectrum of military conflict.

You can follow USS New York’s adventures on Facebook and Instagram (@uss_newyork).

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

Source: United States Navy

The site, less than 5 miles off the coast of Nha Trang City in Khanh Hoa province of Vietnam, is currently in the process of being excavated by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). There, nearly 100 ft below the surface, divers and other specialized personnel search for the remains of four service members who have not yet been accounted for. Lost in October of 1971, the Army helicopter was carrying five crew members and five passengers when it plummeted into the sea. Of the ten, the remains of four were recovered by search teams in November of 1971. DPAA was able to recover and identify two more during other missions to the site.  

It was a hot, hazy day in Nha Trang as Capt. DeLeo and other senior members of both the Blue Ridge, USCGC Waesche, U.S. 7th Fleet staff, U.S. Consul General Burns, and Vietnamese government officials from the Vietnam Office of Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) piled into a shaded speedboat. Soon, they were zipping across the calm bay waters with the city behind them, surrounded by the gentle embrace of verdant hills. Fishing boats and pleasure crafts dotted the bay. Set off from the others, a large red and blue barge, loaded with equipment and crowned with a yellow crane arching over nearly a third of its length, came into view. It is from this barge that DPAA has done their work for the last two and a half months.

U.S. Army Capt. Weston Iannone is a recovery team leader for the U.S. personnel working on the site. 

“We’ve been out here since May 2,” said Iannone. “Almost every day, short of weather and we took one day off on Independence Day. We’re all here from 7am until about 4pm – us, the Vietnamese, all the contractors and security you see. This is not to float our own boat. Really, it’s a combined, multinational effort across all services just to bring them all home.”

These kinds of missions bring a vital sense of closure to families, whose loved ones left home and never returned.

“I was greatly impressed by the hard work and focus demonstrated by the DPAA site team,” said DeLeo. “Their effort to recover our missing-in-action service members truly demonstrates our country’s support of the men and women who wear the uniform.  It was a moving experience.”

Mission personnel have already recovered aircraft wreckage, possible osseous materials, and identification media. The area is patrolled daily by the Vietnam Border Guard, providing the security needed to ensure the site and the recovery team remain undisturbed.

U.S. 7th Fleet is the largest forward-deployed fleet in the world, and with the help of a network of alliances and partners from 35 other maritime-nations, the U.S. Navy has operated in the Indo-Pacific region for more than 70 years, providing credible, ready forces to help preserve peace and prevent conflict.

Source: United States Navy

Close to 35 government and community leaders, including those from the JDF, national and local law enforcement, and correctional officers, attended the symposium where they participated in multiple group exercises and lively discussions focused on the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV).
 
“GBV is a human rights issue, and it happens to everyone,” said Dr. Lynn Lawry, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics at Uniformed Services University, who served as the principal speaker for the event. “This is not just a woman’s issue, it is a man’s issue, a girl’s issue, a boy’s issue, and there’s no age limit. We want to be able to prevent it.”
 
Continuing Promise 2024 marks the mission’s third visit to Jamaica since 2015, making it one of the mission’s most popular destinations, which emphasizes the 62-year-long partnership the U.S. and Jamaica share.
 
“It’s been really exhilarating to understand what the differences are between our two countries, and to know what their strides are toward prevention of GBV,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kami Tabor, the U.S. Navy Continuing Promise 2024 representative for WPS.
 
WPS is a United Nations (UN) initiative that started with UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 signed in 2000. The UN resolution is a public acknowledgment that women are more adversely impacted by conflict and crisis, and including women in security planning will lead to a more peaceful world. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) signed the WPS Implementation Plan in 2020. It outlines defense objectives and goals that the DoD will strive to achieve to move the bar toward full WPS implementation. As such, the WPS program is a cornerstone to USNAVSOUTH & U.S. 4th Fleet’s goal of promoting regional security and prosperity across the Caribbean, Central and South America.
 
“This gender-based violence symposium is an important aspect of or military development,” said Maj. Andre Dennis, JDF force gender advisor. “Particularly because it still remains one of the challenges that we face in society and in our communities, even among our peers.”
 
The WPS Symposium was held as part of Continuing Promise 2024, a mission that aims to foster goodwill, strengthen existing partnerships with partner nations, and encourage the establishment of new partnerships among countries, non-government organizations, and international organizations.
 
“I’m hoping that we can do more sessions like this with, of course, the participation of our partnership with the U.S armed forces,” said Dennis.
 
USNAVSOUTH/FOURTHFLT is the trusted maritime partner for Caribbean, Central, and South American maritime forces leading to improved unity, security, and stability. Learn more about USNAVSOUTH/4th Fleet at https://www.fourthfleet.navy.mil, https://www.facebook.com/NAVSOUS4THFLT and @NAVSOUS4THFLT
 

Source: United States Navy

NEWPORT, R.I. – The guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) visited Naval Station Newport, July 11-15, engaging with various training and education commands to share lessons learned from the crew’s September 2023 to May 2024 independent deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation.