Month: October 2024

Source: United States Navy

“This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training exercise series, which is a testament to the strength and longevity of the U.S.-Malaysia partnership,” said Capt. John Baggett, deputy commodore, Destroyer Squadron 7 and U.S. head of delegation for the opening ceremony. “Over the past three decades, we’ve built a strong foundation of trust and cooperation that has benefited both of our nations. Exercises like this underscore the excellent partnership between our militaries and emphasizes our respect for one another.”

CARAT Malaysia 2024 builds on 67 years of close collaboration between the U.S. and Malaysia. It highlights our continued dedication to peace, stability and security in the region. Additionally, CARAT Malaysia serves as a symbol of the U.S. commitment to key Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) partners to reinforce ASEAN Centrality, supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific.

During the exercise, participants will engage in specialized training across a wide range of disciplines including medicine, legal operations, aviation, and force protection. Naval vessels and maritime surveillance aircraft, and specialized teams (including diving and explosive ordnance disposal units) will conduct high-intensity drills focusing on anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, anti-air warfare, and maritime domain awareness.

This year, Marine Rotational Force – Southeast Asia (MRF-SEA) personnel will engage in training events and expert exchanges with Royal Malaysian army and naval forces, focusing on amphibious operations planning, medical treatment in maritime environments, legal discussions, and security and cyber operations best practices.

These events aim to enhance the collective interoperability and proficiency between U.S. and Malaysian forces while cultivating strong relationships as partners.

“CARAT serves as a vital platform for our armed forces to engage in cooperative operations. It emphasizes our shared dedication to promoting stability and addressing shared challenges in our maritime domain,” said Royal Malaysian Navy First Admiral Hj Muhammad Rohdi bin Ariffin, assistant chief of staff, Joint Force Headquarters and Malaysian head of delegation for the opening ceremony. “We are privileged to host our friends from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. This exercise showcases the strength of our partnership and the spirit of collaboration… Together we can overcome challenges and ensure a stable future for all.”

Participating U.S. assets include the Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) and a P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, staff and personnel from Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, Commander, Task Force (CTF) 72, 73, 75, and 76, Command, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, and MRF-SEA personnel from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Royal Malaysian Navy participating assets include the Kedah-class offshore patrol vessel KD Terengganu (F 174), the Keris-class littoral mission ship KD Rencong (KD 114), a Eurocopter AS 550 Fennec helicopter, an F/A-18D Hornet multi-role fighter, and two Agusta Westland AW139 helicopters.

As the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed DESRON in Southeast Asia, DESRON 7 serves as the primary tactical and operational commander of littoral combat ships rotationally deployed to Singapore. DESRON 7 also functions as the CTF-76 Sea Combat Commander and builds partnerships through training exercises and military-to-military engagements as the executing agent of Commander, Task Group CARAT.

U.S. 7th Fleet is the Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts
and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Source: United States Navy

Kansas City Navy Week brings Sailors from across the fleet to the area to emphasize the importance of the Navy to Kansas City, the states of Missouri and Kansas, and the nation.

More than 50 Sailors will participate in education and community outreach events throughout the city.

Participating Navy organizations include Navy Band Great Lakes, USS Constitution, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, Navy Talent Acquisition Group Mid-America, Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron Two, Navy History and Heritage Command, The Strike Group, Fleet Outreach Ambassador Team (FLOAT), Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Office of Small Business Programs, Office of Civilian Human Resources, Naval Reserve Center Kansas City, and Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Kansas City (LCS 22).

The Navy’s senior executive is Rear Adm. Larry Watkins, Vice Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Vice Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa. He commissioned through the University of Missouri-Columbia Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program in December 1990, graduating with an economics degree. He is also a 2012 graduate of Webster University with a Master of Business Administration and completed Joint Professional Military Education curriculum at Army Command & General Staff College. During Kansas City Navy Week, he is participating in community engagements, and meeting with local organizations, higher education, local business, civic, and government leaders.

Navy Weeks are a series of outreach events coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach designed to give Americans an opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity. Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s flagship outreach effort into areas of the country without a significant Navy presence, providing the public a firsthand look at why the Navy matters to cities like Kansas City.

“Sailors are the reason America’s Navy is the most powerful in the world,” said NAVCO’s director, Cmdr. Julie Holland. “We are thrilled to bring your Navy Warfighters to Kansas City.  At Navy Weeks, Americans will connect with Sailors who have strong character, competence, and dedication to the mission, and who continue a nearly 250-year tradition of decisive power from seabed to cyberspace.”

Throughout the week, Sailors are participating in various community events across the area, including ceremonial celebrations at Harry S. Truman Museum, WWI Museum, and Negro League Baseball Museum; volunteering with the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy, Habitat for Humanity Kansas City, Bishop Sullivan’s Center, Happy Bottoms, and Thelma’s Kitchen; and engaging with students across multiple high schools. Residents will also enjoy free live music by Navy Band Great Lakes at venues throughout the week.

Kansas City Navy Week is the last of 15 Navy Weeks in 2024, which brings a variety of assets, equipment, and personnel to a single city for a weeklong series of engagements designed to bring America’s Navy closer to the people it protects. Each year, the program reaches more than 130 million people — about half the U.S. population.

Media organizations wishing to cover Kansas City Navy Week events should contact Ensign Lamar Badger at (901) 229-5709 or erick.l.badger.mil@us.navy.mil.

Source: United States Navy

National Clean Energy Action Month provides a valuable opportunity for the DON to spotlight the importance of energy as a strategic asset and catalyst for mission success. Amongst this year’s successes are advancements in enhanced energy security and shore and operational energy issues, Enhanced Use Leases (EULs) and Marine Energy Development (MED), the Energy & Water Analysis Tool (EWAT), the development of the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) Serial titled “Shore Energy Goals,” and youth education and outreach.

Underlying all of these efforts is a DON strategy focused on three Cs – Climate, Communities, and Critical Infrastructure that emphasize execution of core strategies via the 3 Pillars of Energy Security – Reliability, Resiliency, and Efficiency.

“Energy security is mission success,” said Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment Meredith Berger. “As we celebrate Energy Action Month, we reflect on the ambitious energy goals we’ve set and the great progress we’ve made throughout the year that ensure we continue to build a climate-ready force. Our Sailors and Marines rely on and respond to energy issues in their daily operations, and the DON’s persistent focus on energy security coupled with our strategic partnerships with the community enable mission success for our Naval force.”

Increased energy security was at the forefront in October with the release of an industry request for information (RFI) to explore concepts for the development of nuclear power facilities to support increased energy security at seven Navy and Marine Corps installations in the United States. The responses are expected to enable the Department to further consider alternative carbon-free shore energy opportunities and build upon the DON’s commitment to enhance energy security as a responsible community partner.

New focus has also been given to the intersection of shore and operational energy issues, to bridge the gap between installations and the warfighters they serve. Amongst the installation efforts being explored are pier-power assessments at naval bases to ensure ships and submarines receive resilient and quality power. Other efforts focused on the warfighter include a renewed opportunity for a Masters of Operational Energy degree at the Naval Postgraduate School that will equip graduates with the essential skills required to enhance their effectives in the modern battlespace whether on a ship, submarine, aircraft, or on land.

Energy partnerships with States and industry benefit both the Navy and the communities we live in. Enhanced Use Leases (EULs) are one way that the DON works with our neighbors to ensure energy resilience. The Navy recently entered into two EULs that, upon completion, will provide more than 250-megawatts of renewable energy to the local utility, Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO), and full-base resilience for the DON in the event of a grid outage. As part of the EULs, the Kūpono Solar site provides clean, renewable energy and battery storage to approximately 10,000 homes on O‘ahu while offsetting 50,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually. The Pu`uloa Energy site, currently in development, will provide additional renewable energy generation and battery storage, improving island-wide power reliability and contributing to the State of Hawai’i’s goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2045.

In pursuit of innovative renewable energy technologies, the DON’s Marine Energy Development (MED) program explores ways to ensure marine energy – a consistent, clean, and renewable power source – remains a reliable and sustainable energy source for naval facilities and remote applications. As part of the program, the DON’s Wave Energy Test Site (WETS), situated at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on O’ahu, Hawai’i, is the United States’ first and only grid-connected wave energy test site playing a vital role in advancing cutting edge wave energy technology by providing a dynamic real-world environment and supporting wave energy converter

(WEC) developers. Another Department of Energy project, Ocean Energy, is also scheduled to be grid-connected at WETS within the year.

In April 2024, the DON launched the Energy & Water Analysis Tool (EWAT) online dashboard that provides timely, accurate installation energy operational data, for agile and responsive energy resilience investments and operational decisions. The next phase of EWAT will include an increased cadence of data reporting, the inclusion of project pipeline impacts on future usage, and the addition of enhancements to track progress against energy and water conservation, carbon-pollution free electricity, and renewable energy goals. Together, they will improve resilience and readiness by ensuring that the Navy and Marine Corps are maximizing the resources they rely on for quality of life, training, logistics, and combat support: energy and water.

Aligned with the Department of Navy’s Climate Action 2030 strategy and the objectives of Executive Order 14057, the Navy continues its commitment to drive energy innovation and prioritize environmental responsibility. As part of this, the DON released the fifth CSO Serial titled “Shore Energy Goals”, which builds on the DON’s commitment to enhance energy security and targets that commitment with sustainability practices and concrete actions that fortify the reliable, resilient, renewable energy Navy installations and communities need.

A renewed focus on youth education was brought to the forefront when Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment Meredith Berger spoke with Sea Cadets and Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets at a climate and energy technology demonstration in September where she discussed the importance of climate and energy. Berger also joined DON researchers and engineers at the U.S. Armed Forces Recruiting Station in Times Square during Climate Week NYC where they showcased technologies, such as hydrogen-powered fuel cells, small unit power systems, water-conserving firefighting nozzles, atmospheric water generation, and green concrete, to educate students on the DON’s commitment to climate action and inspire them to explore careers in climate and energy focused roles.

“Having these young Sea Cadets and NJROTC cadets – the future of our nation – learn about our climate and energy technologies was a fantastic way to kick off Climate Week in NYC,” said Berger. “They clearly understand how climate change is impacting our world and how climate readiness is mission readiness for the Navy.”

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment serves the Department of the Navy and the nation by enhancing combat capabilities for the warfighter through a focus on communities, critical infrastructure, and climate action. Specifically, the portfolio focuses on renewable, reliable, resilient energy sources, sustainability and construction, maintenance and sustainment of infrastructure, protecting the safety and occupational health of military and civilian personnel; environmental protection in support of mission readiness, planning and restoration ashore and afloat; and conservation of natural and cultural resources.

Source: United States Navy

Thank you to NIAF for this incredible recognition. It is truly an honor to be with you this evening to receive the Leonardo Da Vinci Award for Military Service.

As you just saw in the video, my grandparents came to America in search of the American dream – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and new opportunities for their families.

They arrived with the firm belief and the strongest of convictions, that if you worked hard, learned all you could, and did things the right way that you and your family would find success in this new world.

My grandfather, Rebello Franchetti, a seasoned stonecutter, lived those values, as did my grandmother, Chiarina Rhea, the matriarch of our family. Together, they laid a strong foundation for my father, Lawrence Franchetti to be the first person in our family to go to college, become an engineer and find his success as a plant manager.

Through the example they set they passed on those same values – values you’ve heard a lot about tonight, to me. And I passed them on to my own college freshman, Isabel Maria Franchetti, who studied Italian and learned about our Italian heritage firsthand, when we lived in Italy as part of our Navy journey.

There is no doubt that those values and the love and support of my family laid the foundation for my success as a naval officer and as the 33rd Chief of Naval Operations.

But, there is also no doubt that this award and my every success I’ve had is owed to our amazing team of Navy Sailors and civilians. People who come from across the rich fabric of America. People with who I’ve had the opportunity to serve with over all these 39 years.

So, as we sit here tonight enjoying this friendship and this wonderful dinner, many of our Sailors are deployed. They’re standing the watch very far from home and far from their family. In fact, on any given day, roughly 110 ships and 70,000 Sailors and Marines are deployed operating around the world and around the clock to preserve our Nation’s security and prosperity, to deter any would-be adversary, and stand ready to fight and win decisively, if called. I could not be more proud of our Navy team.

And, they are doing it alongside Allies and partners, including the very capable Italian Navy, and just in case you didn’t see it in the news, our Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group just wrapped up a series of operations with the Italian Carrier Strike Group, ITS Cavour in the Indo-Pacific, and I can say with confidence that the partnership between the U.S. Navy and the Italian Navy grows stronger every single day. So, thank you again to NIAF. Thank you to all of you.  I could not be more proud of my Italian-American heritage or more grateful for the values that helped pave my way. Thank you very much.

Have a great night!

Source: United States Navy

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, a native of Rochester, N.Y., received the Leonardo Da Vinci Award in Military Service from the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF), at the NIAF 49th anniversary gala, Oct. 26.

This award recognizes significant achievements and societal contributions by Italian Americans.

Franchetti was one of six Italian Americans honored this year.

Her full remarks are below:

“Thank you to NIAF for this incredible recognition. It is truly an honor to be with you this evening to receive the Leonardo Da Vinci Award for Military Service.

As you just saw in the video, my grandparents came to America in search of the American dream – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and new opportunities for their families.

They arrived with the firm belief and the strongest of convictions, that if you worked hard, learned all you could, and did things the right way that you and your family would find success in this new world.

My grandfather, Rebello Franchetti, a seasoned stonecutter, lived those values, as did my grandmother, Chiarina Rhea, the matriarch of our family. Together, they laid a strong foundation for my father, Lawrence Franchetti to be the first person in our family to go to college, become an engineer and find his success as a plant manager.

Through the example they set they passed on those same values – values you’ve heard a lot about tonight, to me. And I passed them on to my own college freshman, Isabel Maria Franchetti, who studied Italian and learned about our Italian heritage firsthand, when we lived in Italy as part of our Navy journey.

There is no doubt that those values and the love and support of my family laid the foundation for my success as a naval officer and as the 33rd Chief of Naval Operations.

But, there is also no doubt that this award and my every success I’ve had is owed to our amazing team of Navy Sailors and civilians. People who come from across the rich fabric of America. People with who I’ve had the opportunity to serve with over all these 39 years.

So, as we sit here tonight enjoying this friendship and this wonderful dinner, many of our Sailors are deployed. They’re standing the watch very far from home and far from their family. In fact, on any given day, roughly 110 ships and 70,000 Sailors and Marines are deployed operating around the world and around the clock to preserve our Nation’s security and prosperity, to deter any would-be adversary, and stand ready to fight and win decisively, if called. I could not be more proud of our Navy team.

And, they are doing it alongside Allies and partners, including the very capable Italian Navy, and just in case you didn’t see it in the news, our Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group just wrapped up a series of operations with the Italian Carrier Strike Group, ITS Cavour in the Indo-Pacific, and I can say with confidence that the partnership between the U.S. Navy and the Italian Navy grows stronger every single day. So, thank you again to NIAF. Thank you to all of you.  I could not be more proud of my Italian-American heritage or more grateful for the values that helped pave my way. Thank you very much.

Have a great night!”

Photos from the ceremony can be found here: LINK.