Category: Defence

Source: United States Navy

Approximately 29 nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, over 150 aircraft and more than 25,000 personnel will train and operate in and around the Hawaiian Islands during the exercise, which runs until Aug. 1. 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.

“The Rim of the Pacific exercise has grown over the years to be the world’s largest and premier joint combined maritime training opportunity,” said Vice Adm. John Wade, commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet and RIMPAC 2024 Combined Task Force (CTF) commander. “The exercise’s purpose is to build relationships, to enhance interoperability and proficiency and, ultimately, contribute to the peace and stability in the vitally-important Indo-Pacific region.”

The theme of RIMPAC 2024 is “Partners: Integrated and Prepared.”

For the first time in RIMPAC history, a member of the Chilean Navy, Commodore Alberto Guerrero, will serve as deputy commander of the CTF. Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Kazushi Yokota will serve as the vice commander. Other key leaders of the multinational force will include Commodore Kristjan Monaghan of the Royal Canadian Navy, who will command the maritime component, and Air Commodore Louise DesJardins of the Royal Australian Air Force, who will command the air component.

This year’s RIMPAC will host its largest humanitarian aid and disaster relief exercise with eight countries, five ships, five landing craft, five aircraft, multiple land forces, and over 2,500 total participants including the statewide Hawaii Healthcare Emergency Management exercise.

During RIMPAC, participating forces integrate and exercise a wide range of capabilities, from disaster relief to maritime security operations, and from sea control to complex warfighting. The relevant, realistic preparation and training syllabus includes amphibious operations, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine, and air defense exercises, as well as military medicine, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, counter-piracy, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal, and diving and salvage operations.

With inclusivity at its core, RIMPAC fosters multinational cooperation and trust, leverages interoperability, and achieves respective national objectives to strengthen integrated, prepared, coalition partners.

For more RIMPAC 2024 information and updates, visit https://www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac/. Any additional questions or queries should be sent to rimpac.media@gmail.com.

Source: United States Navy

Israeli Deputy Chief of the General Staff Maj. Gen. Amir Baram visited Carney with Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command. The leaders thanked the crew for their exceptional performance during their recent deployment to the Middle East.

Baram addressed the crew and presented the warship with a plaque showcasing the U.S. and Israeli flags with the U.S. Navy emblem in the center. In his remarks, he commended Carney crew for its successful deployment, which included operations in defense of Israel.

“Each and every one of you plays a role in our joint fight against the forces of evil,” said Baram. Our iron-clad cooperation is based on a shared set of values, deep friendship and trust. We’re not just allies, we’re friends.”

“You have made history,” added Baram, when addressing the crew. “USS Carney was the first ship in the area to intercept land-attack cruise missiles and UAVs launched by the Houthis towards Israel.”

Carney deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Gulf for 235 days, providing deterrence and defense to U.S. allies and partners.

Following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel, Carney operated alongside the Gerald R. Ford and Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Groups in the Red Sea, defending commercial shipping lanes, innocent merchant mariners, and American, allied, and partner vessels and interests against drone and missile attacks launched by the Iranian-aligned Houthis in Yemen.

In all, Carney conducted 51 engagements against Houthi weapons, including land attack cruise missiles, anti-ship ballistic missiles, and one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, as well as two defensive strikes that destroyed 20 targets.

Additionally, on April 13, 2024, Carney alongside USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51), successfully engaged Iranian ballistic missiles fired at Israel.

Carney is an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, capable of conducting prompt and sustained combat operations at sea and equipped to operate in a high-density multi-threat environment.

Source: United States Navy

USS Constitution will be closed in the morning and reopen to the public for tours following the underway from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The underway will celebrate the United States’ 248th birthday and will include a 21-gun salute viewable from Fort Independence on Castle Island at approximately 11:30 a.m.

USS Constitution will fire an additional 17-gun salute as she passes the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Boston, the former site of Edmund Hartt’s Shipyard, where USS Constitution was built and launched on Oct. 21, 1797.

USS Constitution’s cruise will be viewable from the Boston Harborwalk, Castle Island, and Charlestown Navy Yard.

USS Constitution is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for public visitation.

USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat and America’s Ship of State.

She played a crucial role in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, actively defending sea lanes from 1797 to 1855.

The active-duty Sailors stationed aboard USS Constitution provide free tours and offer public visitation as they support the ship’s mission of promoting the Navy’s history and maritime heritage and raising awareness of the importance of a sustained naval presence.

USS Constitution was undefeated in 33 at sea engagements with opponents. The ship earned the nickname of Old Ironsides during the War of 1812 when British cannonballs were seen bouncing off the ship’s wooden hull.

Source: United States Navy

Upon arrival in the Mediterranean Sea, Wasp will reunite with the Harpers Ferry-class amphibious landing dock ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), one of two other ships in the WSP ARG. Oak Hill conducted a Strait of Gibraltar transit, June 18, after participating in D-Day 80 commemoration celebrations in Cherbourg, France.

“There is an inherent flexibility to the type of missions an ARG-MEU can support,” said Capt. Nakia Cooper, commodore of Amphibious Squadron 4, embarked aboard Wasp. “Our ability to operate effectively as distributed force gives the ARG-MEU that flexibility. Each of our ships is capable of conducting amphibious operations, crisis response, and limited contingency operations on their own, but there is no substitute for the type of combat power we bring to the fight when we constitute as an Amphibious Ready Group.”

While in the NAVEUR-NAVAF area of operations, Wasp will work alongside allied and partner maritime forces, focusing on theater security cooperation efforts to further regional stability and demonstrate the strong maritime partnership between the U.S. and allies and partners.

This marks the first time that Wasp has operated in the Mediterranean region since its homeport shift from Sasebo, Japan to Norfolk, Virginia in 2019, after which the crew completed an extensive maintenance availability followed by a robust pre-deployment training program culminating in Composite Training Unit Exercise, which certified the ship, and all embarked commands, to deploy.

“Wasp is truly the number one ship in the fleet,” said Capt. Chris “Chewie” Purcell, Wasp’s commanding officer. “We’ve all worked tirelessly to reach this point. I am grateful for the energy our Sailors and Marines bring to the fight each day and confident they will meet every challenge head on over the coming months.”

Wasp has been underway conducting operations in the Atlantic Ocean since early April and recently departed the Baltic Sea after participating in Baltic Operations 2024 (BALTOPS 24).

The Wasp Amphibious Readiness Group consists of the 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 embarked 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).

The 24th MEU (SOC) is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) providing strategic speed and agility, ensuring our 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 Wasp’s adventures on Facebook and Instagram (@usswasp_lhd1).

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 execution of the exercise was announced at the Camp David Summit in August 2023 and at the Japan, ROK, and U.S. defense ministerial meeting, which took place in June during the Shangri-La Dialogue.

Freedom Edge expresses the will of Japan, ROK, and U.S. to promote trilateral interoperability and protect freedom for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, including the Korean Peninsula.

Multiple ships and aircraft from Japan, ROK, and the U.S., participated in the exercise to include: Japan’s JS ISE, JS ATAGO, and P-1; Republic of Korea’s ROKS Seoae-Ryu-Seong-ryong, ROKS Kang-Gam-Chan, P-3, Lynx, and KF-16; and the United States’ USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Halsey, USS Daniel Inouye, P-8, F/A-18, E-2D, and MH-60.

The exercise will focus on cooperative Ballistic Missile Defense, Air Defense, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Search and Rescue, Maritime Interdiction, and Defensive Cyber training.

Starting with this iteration, Japan, ROK, and U.S. will continue to expand the Freedom Edge exercise.