Month: October 2024

Source: United States Navy

Part of an annual series of exercises hosted by the ROK Navy, MNMIWEX 24 increased proficiency in mine countermeasures (MCM) operations within a multi-national naval force.

This year’s iteration had 19 nations and approximately 100 personnel participating, making MNMIWEX 24 the largest of the series to be held.

“I was grateful for the opportunity to work with our hosts, the ROK Navy, and our partner nations and allies,” said Capt. Antonio Hyde, commodore of Mine Counter Measures Squadron (MCMRON) Seven, which belongs to Task Force 76, U.S. 7th Fleet’s expeditionary warfare force. “This multi-national training refines how we operate in a complex maritime environment to maintain open sea-lanes and freedom of navigation for all countries in the region.”

MCM forces from the U.S., Australia, Canada and New Zealand embarked the tank landing ship ROKS Cheon Wang Bong (LST 686), which teamed with the Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Patriot (MCM 7) to conduct mine hunting operations during the eight-day at-sea phase.

A multinational watch floor directed MNMIWEX operations ashore. This facilitated a command structure that promoted interchangeability and helped build the capacity of multinational MCM forces to operate effectively as a team.

“Through this exercise, we improve our abilities to carry out multinational mine operations to protect major ports and sea lines of communication from the complex threats of enemy in case of emergency,” said Capt. Lee Taek-sun, commander of ROK Navy Mine Squadron 52. “We will continue to develop the combat capabilities necessary for mine warfare and further improve mine operation abilities and procedures with multinational forces.”

MNIMIWEX 24 featured participants from the United States, Republic of Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of the Philippines, Italy, Greece, Türkiye, Thailand, Belgium, Malaysia, Oman, Colombia, United Arab Emirates, Chile and the Netherlands.

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

Source: United States Navy

In the aftermath of the 1944 explosion at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in California, white officers were granted leave while African-American Sailors were compelled to return to work. When 258 Sailors refused to handle ammunition, they were subsequently convicted in a summary and general courts-martial.

A comprehensive examination of both trials revealed significant legal errors in the proceedings that compromised the fairness of the trials, which include the defendants being improperly tried together despite conflicting interests and being denied a meaningful right to counsel. Additionally, the courts-martial took place before the Navy’s Court of Inquiry finalized its report on the explosion.

Following the Navy’s review, Secretary Del Toro officially exonerated the remaining 256 defendants from the 1944 courts-martial. General Counsel Coffey led the legal review efforts and was honored with the “Port Chicago Exoneration Champion Award” from Contra Costa Justice for All for his instrumental contribution to the Sailors’ exoneration.

General Counsel Coffey’s dedication and expertise were crucial in uncovering that the conduct of the Port Chicago courts-martial were fundamentally unfair and did not result in just outcomes for the defendants or the Navy. This decision demonstrates the Department of the Navy’s commitment to correcting historical injustices and ensuring all service members are treated fairly and equitably.

If any family members of the defendants of the 1944 Port Chicago general and summary courts-martial would like to reach out to the Department of the Navy for future notifications on the topic or more information, please reach out to PortChicago@us.navy.mil, or 703-697-5342.

Source: United States Navy

Senior personnel from various commands offered over 148 years of cumulative military experience and personal insight into topics including mental health, mentorship and leadership development.
Cmdr. Mariah Rule, Chief Staff Officer at CFAS, was the lead coordinator and mistress of ceremonies for the event.

“I firmly believe that even natural leaders have to do a lot of inner work to become a great leader,” said Rule. “A solid foundation of understanding how you want to lead will guide how you think, feel and how you make decisions. These decisions produce action that drives results.”

The first day of the symposium began with a panel of senior female leaders offering their insight to address the development of leadership styles and skills, moderated by Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Aircraft Handling Shawneequa Joyner.
Members of the panel discussed how assertive and persuasive leadership styles are perceived in the workplace, and how to mitigate misconceptions of female leadership by keeping an open flow of communication between leadership and junior Sailors.

“I show up as the person I truly am,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Latisha Sewell. “Be the type of leader that you want to be even if people try to place labels on you.”

The event continued with topics such as sexual harassment in the workplace, maintaining a healthy work-life balance as a mother, women’s health, and harnessing your warrior wellness by utilizing mental and physical toughness techniques.
The day concluded with three mental health exercises that were recommended to alleviate stress. The exercises included listening to meditation music while blind folded, aromatherapy, and unprompted drawing.

The second day of the symposium focused on mentorship and how to be an effective “wingwoman”, which is defined as a woman who uplifts and guides other women personally and professionally.
Cmdr. Angelina Violante, Executive Officer at USS Green Bay (LPD 20), was a guest speaker who offered her own approach to actively being a wingwoman for Sailors.

“I really strive to maintain that supportive, open and empathetic attitude,” said Violante. “Wingwomen are there to guide, lead and set an example.”
To lead by example is how many other women are able to embody what it means to be an exceptional female leader.

Being a trailblazer as a female leader was nothing new for Rear Adm. Ryoko Azuma, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Director of Training, National Defense Academy of Japan, who spoke about “being first”. Throughout her career, Azuma paved the way for women as she became the first woman in 20 years to command a Japanese naval squadron.

“I don’t think about being a woman,” said Azuma. “I will concentrate my energy on fulfilling my duties as a commander.”
Azuma gave thorough insight into her backstory and provided Sailors the opportunity to ask questions pertaining to her experience as a woman of firsts.
“I want to devote myself to becoming a person who will inspire others,” said Azuma.

Mentorship was also highlighted as a focal point, emphasizing how impactful mentorship amongst men and women is.
A panel, composed of male senior leadership, gave greater insight of their experiences with female mentorship.
“I’ve been around female leaders, as a former Yeoman, my whole career,” said Command Master Chief Lance H. Burfict, assigned to Amphibious Squadron 11(CPR 11). I have been mentored by some of the top female leaders and have gotten to this point because they have poured in to me.”

The symposium then segued into speed mentorship where senior leadership had the opportunity to spend about two to five minutes to connect and share advice with sailors seeking mentorship.
Afterwards, Rule concluded the symposium with an appreciative acknowledgement of all who attended and participated in the women’s leadership symposium.
“I’m so impressed with the diverse turnout that we had every single day,” said Rule. “It speaks volumes to the leadership here, and how committed we are to leadership development and mentorship to our Sailors.”

Source: United States Navy

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont; U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT); U.S. Representative Joe Courtney (2nd-CT); Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and the Environment Meredith Berger; and, Commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, Rear Admiral Carl Lahti, participated in the event near the base’s Power Plant on the SUBASE waterfront.

“For the Navy, and all military services, October is Energy Action Month, and SUBASE could not be prouder of our ‘energy actions’ today,” said Captain Kenneth M. Curtin Jr., 53rd Commanding Officer of Naval Submarine Base New London, who served as Master of Ceremonies. “Our micro-grid at SUBASE is the first of its kind in the entire Navy to support such a complex electrical infrastructure. And in the parlance of the fall sports season, it’s a ‘game-changer.’”
Curtin noted that while the base’s award winning Galley fuels the Sailors at the base, energy fuels everything else, from the high-tech trainers and their associated computer systems at the Naval Submarine School on the base, to the Submarines moored at the base’s waterfront, dependent on shore power when in port.
The SUBASE Micro-grid enhances the base’s power diversification and transforms its electrical infrastructure into a more intelligent, flexible, and robust system. SUBASE benefits not only from automated data gathering and precise peak demand control, but also from the ability to seamlessly disconnect from the public utility grid during an interruption or loss in power, and efficiently dispatch on-site power generation to mission critical loads.
The State of Connecticut; the Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative (CMEEC); FuelCell Energy Incorporated, headquartered in Danbury, Connecticut; NORESCO, headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts; Groton Utilities; and, a number of area and local contractors and subcontractors have been crucial contributors ensuring SUBASE reached this milestone.
“We are playing a small role in making this base a little more resilient,” said Lamont. “This is what it’s all about. Whether it is a weather event or a bad actor, the lights will stay on at our Navy base.”
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Berger thanked the State and partners, who through community and commercial partnerships, brought SUBASE’s energy resiliency to fruition.
“What we are charged with under Secretary [of the Navy] Del Toro’s leadership is to strengthen our maritime dominance, strengthen our people, and to strengthen our partnerships; and what we do here today does all three,” said Berger.
The completion of the comprehensive Micro-grid project reflects more than $235M invested in assuring the energy reliability, security, and resiliency of SUBASE.
Lahti, as the then 50th Commanding Officer of SUBASE, was “the architect moving the initiative from the kernel of an idea, to the growth of the foundational concept, and the development of long range plans and milestones,” said Curtin.
Pulling them from a folder, Lahti showed the audience the nearly decade old, proof of concept and long range plans. He noted that he had carried those initial documents about the “dream” of a micro-grid at SUBASE to each of his successive commands, and he was proud that the dream had finally become reality.
“We invest in the base to create the most combat ready Submarines that we can and to train the Submarine Force,” said Lahti, outlining that utilities are part of the foundation that supports combat forces.
Energy expenses are the single largest cost for Navy installations. Utilities costs are some 38 percent of the Navy’s shore budget. Cost savings created ashore free up dollars that can be used in the Fleet to support operations and improve the tactical performance of forces.
Energy Reduction and Resiliency Projects under Lahti and his successors at the base, not only resulted in annual operating cost savings of nearly $1.2 million a year, but also laid the foundation for the ultimate micro-grid completion and success.
CMEEC’s and FuelCell Energy’s Fuel Cell Park, on leased land at the base, provides energy to the public grid in normal operations, but provides SUBASE with the first right to its 7.4MW of on-site power generation during an interruption or loss in power at the base. The State and NORESCO’s efforts established 10.75MW of power generation in the base’s Power Plant thru a Combined Heat & Power system supported by two new generators and high efficiency boilers. All these elements, connected thru NORESCO’s installation of cyber secure controls, fast load shedding, and ‘islanding’ capabilities within the base Power Plant, assure SUBASE’s micro-grid energy resiliency.
“The First and Finest Submarine Base will not rest on its laurels. We are excited by a grant from the DOD Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation in the amount of $939K in Installation Resilience funding. These funds should allow for our partners to design updated power, water and gas feeds for SUBASE. So, SUBASE’s energy future looks very bright indeed!” concluded Curtin.