Month: August 2024

Source: United States Navy

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti hosted Rear Adm. Oliver Berdal, Chief of the Royal Norwegian Navy for an official counterpart visit, Aug. 5 – 6 in Washington D.C.

Berdal’s trip was part of a week-long trip to the United States, that included stops in Norfolk, Va. to visit U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC), U.S. 2nd Fleet, and Commander, Submarine Forces Atlantic (COMSUBLANT) to meet with Navy leadership.

While in Washington D.C., the two leaders had multiple engagements to include a full-honors welcoming ceremony, an office call and a roundtable discussion with the Deputy Chiefs of Naval Operations (DCNOs). Throughout these meetings, Berdal and Franchetti emphasized the enduring nature of the U.S.-Norway alliance, as well as their shared commitment to safeguarding the High North and the Arctic.

“We must collaborate closely to address the challenges in this critical region by enhancing maritime domain awareness and the integration of our forces from seabed to space,” said Franchetti. “This close cooperation is fundamental to advancing our shared national security interests.”

At the DCNO roundtable Berdal and Franchetti engaged in a detailed discussion with the Norwegian Navy delegation on advancing maritime security cooperation. The dialogue focused on enhancing warfighting integration, uncovering new opportunities for collaboration, and underscoring Norway’s critical role in regional security as Arctic routes become more accessible.

“This visit has confirmed our strong friendship and long-lasting cooperation, a relationship that continues to grow even stronger.” said Berdal. “As the United States is Norway’s most important ally, it is essential for the Norwegian Navy to do everything we can to strengthen and deepen our bonds.”

While at Naval Station Norfolk, Berdal met with Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, USFFC, and Vice Adm. Robert Gaucher, commander, COMSUBLANT. During the visit, the leaders discussed the value of consistent multinational exercises in and around Norway, and how these exercises are crucial for honing the strategic deployment of North American forces across the Atlantic to continental Europe, showcasing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s capability to defend every inch of its territory and affirming the commitment of NATO Allies to mutual protection against any threat.

This was Franchetti’s first counterpart visit with the Royal Norwegian Navy.

Source: United States Navy

The single-person-portable LittoralLens computer-vision system enables automated measurements of littoral surface water velocities and wave statistics affording an economical system, capable of computing real-time, littoral water wave characteristics and water surface velocities to support naval tactical decision for operational maneuvers from the sea (OMFTS) and increase battlespace awareness within the littoral environment for manned and unmanned assets, such as amphibious combat vehicles.
 
“The system’s small-form-factor enables onboard analysis on mobile platforms, such as a lightweight tactical vehicle like the Polaris MRZR,” said B. J. Landry, Ph.D., NRL principal investigator from the Stennis Space Center’s Ocean Sciences Division and LittoralLens co-inventor. “LittoralLens estimates Surf Observations, or SUROB, parameters to provide Modified Surf Index, or MSI, values, a mission-critical parameter that characterizes the surf zone and serves as a go/no threshold for U.S. Marine Corps OMFTS.”
 
The point- and shoot system leverages advances in computer-vision using an NRL-patented feature tracking velocimetry algorithm, with tightly coupled hardware to overcome the limitations where post-processing in complex coastal environments requires user input that prohibits automation.
 
“The LittoralLens system automatically estimates surf zone statistics via custom developed stereo reconstruction and geo-registration algorithms integrated with feature tracking routines,” said Carlo Zuniga-Zamalloa, Ph.D., lead algorithm developer and LittoralLens co-inventor from NRL.

Extensive laboratory testing of the system was conducted at the University of Iowa Wave Basin Facility and the Littoral Warfare Environment at U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground, as well as field testing near Camp Pendleton, Calif. The NRL LittoralLens team is comprised of five researchers: Mr. Edward Braithwaite, III; Mr. Grant Lockridge; Mr. Sam Bateman; Carlo Zuniga-Zamalloa, Ph.D.; and Blake J. Landry, Ph.D.
 
“At the end of the day it’s really important to have these vehicles safely transit from the sea-to-shore and shore-to-sea in an efficient manner to increase operational efficiency and warfighter impact for key missions,” Landry said. “Our lab is always happy to support the Marine Corps and drive the project forward, we are doing everything in our power to advance the Navy and Marine Corps’ mission readiness.”
 
Initial development of the LittoralLens system was under two NRL applied research projects with the technology reaching a high enough Technology Readiness Level to be included as a key tool in one of this year’s ONR-Global TechSolutions projects entitled, Marine Corps Surf Observation Tool for Littoral Expeditionary Operations.
 
As part of the larger ONR-Global TechSolutions funded Marine Corps Surf Observation Tool for Littoral Expeditionary Operations project, additional technologies are being developed in conjunction with other researchers at NRL and the U.S. Army Engineering Research and Development Center (ERDC) Field Research Facility.
 
“This opportunity to collaborate with the U.S. Naval Research Lab and ONR-Global TechSolutions, is one of many examples where the Fleet Marine Forces are informing and assisting our partners in the DOD research community”, said U.S. Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lester, Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) Platoon Commander, Battlespace Surveillance Company with 1st Intelligence Battalion.
 
ONR-Global TechSolutions is a rapid-response technology development program that produces prototype solutions to problems identified by Sailors and Marines.
 
“TechSolutions links warfighters to the government science and technology community to help develop needed technologies as quickly as possible,” said ONR-Global TechSolutions Program Director Mr. Jason Payne. “Our goal is to have a solution prototype in the hands of the requesting Sailor or Marine within 12 months. This project provides a tactical decision support tool providing a synoptic awareness of their operational environment to make informed risk decisions for littoral expeditionary access, which will be displayed on Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) handhelds for viewing on a Surf Observation Dashboard.”
 
The ONR-Global TechSolutions project, Marine Corps Surf Observation Tool for Littoral Expeditionary Operations, ingests data from the LittoralLens, a small unmanned aerial system, and other sensor feeds displaying them in a format that is easily interpreted by users based on existing training and tactics techniques and procedures.

“This August, NRL, ONR-Global TechSolutions, and U.S. Army ERDC are scheduled to conduct a final concept demonstration at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, in Oceanside, Calif., at the Technical Concept Experiment (TCE 24.2) and to put the technology in the hands of Marines that originated the request for a solution of ONR-Global TechSolutions Program in the first place,” Lester said.
 
The ONR-Global TechSolutions Program is driven by suggestions and engagement from sailors and marines of all ranks and science advisors on ways to improve mission effectiveness. To request a technology solution through the ONR-Global TechSolutions Program, contact or visit: ONR.techsolutions@navy.mil or www.onr.navy.mil/techsolutions.
 
The Modern Day Marine Expo is a primary and proven venue for product developers to demonstrate their capabilities to service members, acquisitions specialists, and service leaders eager to identify best of breed solutions which preserve Marine Corps dominance in every domain of the littoral operating environment, and a competitive overmatch for all contributors currently engaged in delivering critical defense applications.
 
 
About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
 
NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL is located in Washington, D.C. with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers, and support personnel.
 
For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at (202) 480-3746 or nrlpao@us.navy.mil.

Source: United States Navy

Titled “Innovation: The Future of Joint Warfare,” FWS 2024 welcomed 462 in-resident students, including officers from all branches of the U.S. armed forces, U.S. government agencies and more than 70 partner and Allied nations. The symposium also brought together a broad group of subject matter experts on emerging and disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, cyber warfare and space operations.

“My charge to you this day and in future events – participate. Fully invest in the program,” Rear Adm. Pete Garvin, president of NWC, told students in his opening remarks. “This race we’re about to run is not for you individually, but for the future of the international rules-based order we’ve enjoyed since World War II.”

Students participated in panel discussions supported by 20 speakers, covering topics such as conflict and competition in cyberspace, competition in the space domain, deterrence in the 21st century, artificial intelligence and data analytics, and deterrence in the 21st century. Topics were chosen after being identified by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) as special areas of emphasis for professional military education.

“We support the National Defense Strategy and CJCS Officer Professional Military Education Program by challenging NWC students to think innovatively about new capabilities and domains that are changing the character of war,” said Garvin.

Speakers and panelists represented the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV), Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), Northeastern University (NU), The Brookings Institution, Tufts University, Massachusetts institute of Technology (MIT), and additional U.S. government, military, academic and industry organizations.

Discussions during the symposium will continue throughout the academic year via NWC’s new Perspectives on Modern War (PMW) course. PMW combines theoretical analysis of war with the development of practical solutions to mitigate current and future global security challenges.

FWS 2024 began with keynote remarks by Max Brooks, author of “World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War,” who has participated in various think tanks and speaking engagements at military institutions, sharing his knowledge on crisis management and emphasizing adaptability, resilience and innovative thinking in preparing for future conflicts.

Brooks encouraged participants to foster a culture of innovation and flexibility when anticipating and preparing for a broad spectrum of potential threats.

“Have the courage to champion great ideas, listen to those who have good, creative ideas, trust your instincts, and support your peers in creative pursuits,” Brooks stated. “It is powerful to make people understand what is possible.”
Brooks also offered that building partnerships is an overwhelming asymmetric force.

“An American-led world is a partnership. We are here as partners, for we are all working together for common goals,” he added. “If we double down on our alliances and collaborate with one another, these alliances can hold the line.”

Panelists also encouraged participants to expand their understanding of new and emerging environments where competition and conflict are taking place, including the cyber and space domains.

“Cyberspace is a warfighting domain,” said Rear Adm. Heidi Berg, assistant deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans, and strategy at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV). “You must understand cyberspace and space if you want to detect threats and employ weapons for command and control over the horizon.”

FWS 2024 ended with remarks by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, during which he discussed his three years in office and NWC’s critical role in developing the Nation’s maritime strategy throughout its history.

“The Naval War College is a national treasure. There is no institution better suited to build the intellectual foundation of maritime statecraft. It is in your DNA. Luce, Mahan, Sims—icons of this institution—changed the world with revolutionary works on sea power, ” said Secretary Del Toro. “They recognized then, as now, that for the United States, maritime strategy is grand strategy. Extraordinary thought leadership here in Newport made the nation a global power at the dawn of the 20th Century.”

Initiated in 2017 by Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) mandate, FWS gives NWC the opportunity to further its training and education on new emerging forms of war. The symposium supports Navy and Department of Defense priorities by challenging leaders to think innovatively about capabilities and threats in space; the global information grid and emerging technologies such as nanotechnologies, biological agents, robotics and artificial intelligence.

Established in 1884, NWC is the oldest institution of its kind in the world. The college delivers excellence in education, research, and outreach, informing today’s decision makers, educating tomorrow’s leaders, and engaging partners and Allies on all matters of naval power in order to preserve the peace, respond in crisis, and win decisively in war.

Source: United States Navy

Exercise PANAMAX 2024 is a U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) sponsored exercise that provides important training opportunities for nations to work together and build upon the capability to plan and conduct complex multinational operations.

“Since the first PANAMAX in 2003, it has become one of the larger, biennial multi-national exercises in the world. While there are about 300 of us here, there are more than one thousand uniformed personnel participating in PANAMAX at several locations,” explains Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet (USNAVSOUTH/4th Fleet).

“PANAMAX provides us multinational forces the opportunity to enhance capability, improve interoperability, and strengthen maritime partnerships,” says Sardiello. “We all know that the Panama Canal is one of the most strategically and economically critical pieces of infrastructure in the world. More than 500 million tons of goods move through the Panama Canal in any given year. That’s three percent of the world’s maritime trade. In other parts of the world, we have seen how instability can lead to the disruption of commercial shipping. Disruptions in the approaches to the Panama Canal can cause problems thousands of miles from the Panama Canal for all people. If there is a problem near the Panama Canal, it’s not just a military problem, or a security problem, but it’s also a world economic problem.”

PANAMAX began in 2003 with three countries, Chile, Panama and the United States, and originally focused solely on the maritime security of the Panama Canal. Since that time, the exercise has grown to become the region’s largest coalition Command Post Exercise, ensuring the defense of the Panama Canal, which is one of the most strategically and economically crucial pieces of infrastructure in the world.

Approximately 300 Sailors, Marines, and public security forces will serve on the CFMCC staff under the leadership of Brazilian Navy Rear Adm. Rear Adm. Jorge Jose De Moraes Rulff.

“We have 16 countries represented here in Mayport for PANAMAX and we strive to continue to problem solve and strengthen our friendships and partnerships,” said Brazilian Navy Rear Adm. Jorge Jose De Moraes Rulff, PANAMAX CFMCC Commander. “We will be exercising a variety of responses to fulfil requests from the government of Panama to protect and guarantee safe passage of traffic through the Panama Canal, ensure its neutrality, and respect national sovereignty. All while working together to achieve this mission.”

This exercise is designed to conduct stability operations under in support of a fictitious United Nations Security Council Resolution, providing interoperability training for the participating multinational staffs, and building participating nation capability to plan and conduct complex multinational operations.

The exercise provides unique simulated training opportunities that incorporate scripted, event-driven scenarios to provide the maximum opportunity to improve interoperability. These simulated training scenarios address key aspects of multination and combined operations such as technology standardization and common operating procedures.

“PANAMAX provides an important opportunity to build on those lasting relationships we have developed with our partners,” said Sardiello. “These partnerships and friendships are invaluable as we all progress through our military careers. Each of us will form bonds of brotherhood and sisterhood during PANAMAX.”

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, the exercise host, supports U.S. Southern Command’s joint and combined military operations by employing maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations in order to maintain access, enhance interoperability, and build enduring partnerships in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.

Source: United States Navy

Throughout the four-weeks long exercise, MSC fleet replenishment oiler USNS Pecos (T-AO 197), and MSC dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) delivered nearly four million gallons diesel ship fuel (DFM) through and over one million gallons JP5 aviation fuel, and 1256 pallets of food, dry stores, mechanical parts, supplies and mail, to U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, and foreign navies’ through a series of 101 replenishment at sea evolutions.

While moving cargo is a day’s work on an MSC CLF ship, the RIMPAC operations tempo is unlike a regular day, where a ship may service one or two ships. During RIMPAC, the operations tempo could see the CLF ships service up to ten ships a day, with underway replenishments (UNREPS) being conducted on both sides of the ship with U.S. Navy and foreign navy ships.

“Supporting RIMPAC gives us the opportunity to provide UNREP services to the numerous allied countries who are participating,” said Capt. Keith Walzak, Pecos’ civil service master. “This allows both us and them to do real time actual alongside operations, which without an event like RIMPAC would leave questions as to the abilities of the naval ships to be able to get those same services in a real wartime environment. As a duty oiler, the ship’s mission is to provide services for the local fleet, be it in San Diego, or Pearl Harbor. In RIMPAC, everyday has the ship providing some sort of service, or role-playing different types of ships for the training of the engaged forces.”

As a multi-national exercise, RIMPAC’s unique aspect is the interaction between participating countries and the U.S. Navy. This is true for MSC ships as well, who provided logistics services to foreign navy ships during the exercise. Working with crews whose first language is not English, can prove challenging. For this reason, fostering relationships, before getting underway for the exercise, helped increase the communications with all the ships, making the UNREP evolutions smoother.

“One of the biggest challenges is communications,” explained Nathan Wheeler, Washington Chamber’s civil service Operations Chief. “One of the best ways to overcome these challenges is to host meet and greet visits onboard the vessel while in port, which Washington Chambers has done with countries such as the Republic of Korea.”

With the closing of the Navy’s fuel terminal at Red Hill, MSC CLF ships received fuel through a series of consolidated cargo operations (CONSOLs) with two MSC chartered tankers; Overseas Mykonos and Allied Pacific. The two tankers delivered over two million gallons of JP5 and DFM through 17 CONSOLs with the MSC ships and to the New Zealand Navy’s Polar-class sustainment vessel HMNZS Aotearoa (A11).

The key to meeting the demands of RIMPAC is MSC’s ability to work in concert, directly with Commander Third Fleet and Commander Task Force 173. The MSC Representative Pearl Harbor coordinated the delivery of food and stores, as well as the pierside time at the correct pier for the loadouts of cargo to the specific ships scheduled for later RAS.

“Being part of RIMAPC allows us to participate with other nations that have common goals, and ideologices,” said Walzak “There have been multiple events scheduled, ashore to allow all the RIMPAC participants to gather together, and share cultures. The best one was 4th of July fireworks.”

Twenty-nine nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, more than 150 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 27 to Aug. 1. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2024 is the 29th exercise in the biennial series that began in 1971.