Category: Defence

Source: United States Navy

VENICE, Italy – Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti met Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff Vice Adm. Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras for a formal bilateral engagement during the 14th Trans-Regional Seapower Symposium in Venice, Italy, today.

The two leaders discussed strengthening their naval partnership through increased interoperability and future maritime cooperation deployments, and the importance of Greece’s contributions to the NATO alliance.

Franchetti thanked Kataras for Greece’s leadership in the Red Sea through operation Aspides, which they noted effectively cooperates with Operation Prosperity Guardian, as they work together to defend the rules-based international order and protect the free-flow of commerce. She also thanked him for their integration with the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group while in the Eastern Mediterranean earlier this year.

Franchetti and Kataras discussed the CNO’s recently-released strategic guidance: the Navigation Plan for America’s Warfighting Navy, and their mutual focus on the priorities of Warfighting, Warfighters and the Foundation. They also discussed initiatives to support recruiting and retention, as well as future Professional Military Exchange opportunities.

As NATO allies, the United States and Greece enjoy a long-standing friendship and partnership rooted in shared democratic values and strong cultural ties.

Source: United States Navy

VISAKHAPATNAM, INDIA – Australia, Japan, and U.S. forces joined the host Indian Navy for an opening ceremony to celebrate the launch of field-training exercise Malabar 2024 in Vishakhapatnam, India, on Oct. 9.

The ceremony and associated shore-phase activities will be followed by scheduled at-sea exercises involving in the Bay of Bengal, India.

“I’m fired up to be here today with my counterparts as our navies train together in the Indian Ocean to strengthen our combat readiness, maritime integration, and interoperability,” said Adm. Steve Koehler, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. “Malabar is a great example of a combined team operating together in order to deter conflict and reinforce our shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

This year marks the 28th iteration of the Malabar exercise, which began in 1992 as a bilateral exercise between the United States and India. The exercise has since evolved in scope and complexity and now includes Japan and Australia. This marks the fifth time that all four nations have participated in Malabar to advance the collective planning, integration and employment of advanced warfare tactics across participating nations.

“Malabar 2024 reaffirms Indian Navy’s commitment to maritime security and cooperation among like-minded nations in the Indo-Pacific,” said Vice Adm. Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command (ENC). “Our joint efforts aim to enhance operational synergy and foster stronger bonds of friendship. Together, we look towards safeguarding our shared values and achieve peace and stability in the region.”

At-sea exercises are scheduled to include combined training in the surface, sub-surface, air and information domains.

Eight ships and nearly a dozen aircraft are scheduled to take part in the exercise.

“It has been 17 years since the JMSDF participated in Malabar for the first time in 2007,” said JMSDF Vice Adm. Katsushi Omachi, commander in chief, Self Defense Fleet. “I believe Malabar will contribute to the peace and stability, as well as the rules-based maritime order, which lead to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Japan-U.S.-India-Australia collaboration is now getting closer than before and I am expecting the multilateral bonds among the navies will deepen.”

Representing the U.S. in the exercise are a P-8 Poseidon aircraft assigned to Commander, Task Force 72 and the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105), which operates under Commander, Task Force 70 and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force.

The Murasame-class destroyer JS Ariake (DD 109) is representing the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Australia is represented by the Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigate HMAS Stuart (FFH 153) and a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. The host contingent from India includes the first-in-class guided-missile destroyer INS Delhi (D 61), as well as at least four other surface combatants and aircraft.

Australian, Indian, Japanese, and U.S. maritime forces routinely operate together across the Indo-Pacific in support of regional security and stability.

“Exercise Malabar is a significant Indo-Pacific maritime activity that deepens interoperability and collaboration among key regional partners,” Australia’s Joint Force Maritime Component Commander, Commodore Jonathan Ley, said. “Australia has participated in previous iterations of Exercise Malabar, was honoured to host the exercise in 2023 and is pleased to participate again in 2024 as part of the Australian Defence Force’s ongoing program of regional presence and engagement.”

The lead of this year’s exercise is India. The Malabar planning and exercise lead rotates each year among participating nations, along with the exercise location to demonstrate the combined ability to exercise across the entire Western Pacific and Indian Ocean.

U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. 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

Introduction/Thank You

Good morning, everyone!

It is an honor to be here with you in beautiful San Diego for the christening of our Fleet’s fifth John Lewis-Class replenishment oiler, USNS Lucy Stone (T-AO 209).

First and foremost, I would like to thank our ship’s sponsors, Alicia and Debbie, for being here today and for their critical roles as ship introduction specialists, uniting ships with their sponsors.

According to naval tradition, a ship sponsor’s spirit and presence guides the ship and its crew as long as the ship remains in service.

And I can think of no one more fitting to take on this vital role and for this ship than Alicia Aadnesen and Debbie Simmons.

Together, Alicia and Debbie have over six decades of service to the Navy, providing expertise and guidance to our ship sponsors, pre-commissioning crews, and ceremony participants in every aspect of Navy surface ship milestone ceremonies.

They ensure that our Navy and Marine Corps heroes, Medal of Honor recipients, living namesakes, communities, and cities are properly honored in our Fleet.

And everyone who meets them universally and unequivocally says that they are the two of the kindest people you will ever meet in your life.

Alicia and Debbie, thank you for your dedication and careers of service to our Sailors, Marines, and civilian mariners.

Secretary Winter, thank you for your presence today and support of our Navy and Marine Corps.

President Carver, it is good to see you again. Thank you for your work here in San Diego, helping grow the Fleet our Navy and Marine Corps needs.

Ms. Stiller, thank you for your leadership as President of the Society of Sponsors and all that you do to ensure our Fleet is warfighting ready.

To our Navy team and industry representatives: thank you for your unwavering support—today was made possible only by your tireless efforts.

And to all of our flag officers, general officers, distinguished guests and visitors—welcome and thank you for joining us today.

USNS Lucy Stone

Our John Lewis-Class replenishment oilers honor the legacy of our Nation’s champions—those who fought for the rights and fair treatment of all Americans.

Each of the ships of this class are named for America’s civil rights leaders—men and women who dedicated their lives in service of equality and opportunity for all Americans and embody the soul of our great Nation.

Lucy Stone, an abolitionist and suffragist, advocated and organized for the promotion of rights for women and the elimination of slavery.

Alongside other suffragists, she helped establish the National Woman Suffrage Association, a key organization in the fight for women’s right to vote.

She lived just as she told others to live, striving every day to “make the world better.”

The enduring legacy of Lucy Stone as a trailblazer in the women’s rights movement remains an indelible source of inspiration today.

And the John Lewis-Class replenishment oiler represents not only the legacies of these civil rights heroes, but also a tremendous asset to our Fleet and Force, an integral piece to our often complicated yet critical logistics puzzle.

This is significant, because as you have seen and heard in the news, we face tremendous uncertainty in every part of the globe.

And the Nation, and indeed the world, relies on the strength of our United States Navy and Marine Corps.

Our Navy’s global presence is a powerful deterrent, safeguarding our national security interests, our prosperity, and our international allies and partners from any who would do us harm.

Military Sealift Command

And in order to maintain sustained operations at sea, our Navy warships rely on Military Sealift Command’s combat logistics fleet.

Let me now take a moment to recognize our Government Merchant Mariners who crew our MSC ships.

Despite the challenges posed by a shortfall in its numbers, the MSC continues to fulfill a vital role in supporting our Nation’s logistical readiness.

I thank our Merchant Mariners for answering our national call to maritime service and for their ongoing efforts to recruit and maintain our critical capabilities.

It is their vital work and logistical prowess which enables our Navy to project decisive power to scenes of action around the world in peace, crisis, and war.

When our Sailors and Marines take our warships into combat, our MSC Merchant Mariners are right there with them, bringing the “beans, bullets, and black oil” they need to stay out to sea until the end of conflict.

Two of our Navy’s most important attributes are our flexibility and our persistence.

Our Navy’s ability to bring decisive forces to bear anywhere in the world on short notice, and our ability to keep the sea and stay on station until the job is done make all the difference in American strategy—possible only because of the Military Sealift Command.

One of my near-term priorities is making the fleet we have more formidable with logistical innovations such as Rearm-at-Sea and Modular Refueling, which will expand our ability to sustain our ships on station and deter our adversaries.

Rear Admiral Henry E. Eccles, the Naval War College’s “Clausewitz of Logistics,” once said: “The essence of flexibility is in the mind of the commander; the substance of flexibility is in logistics.”

Today, the substance of our Navy’s flexibility is in the ships of the Military Sealift Command—like USNS Lucy Stone—and the intrepid Merchant Mariners who will take her to sea.

And as Secretary of the Navy, I am dedicated to our mission of building and substantiating the most capable and powerful maritime warfighting force in the world.

Multi-Ship Procurement

One year ago, I announced a call for a new Maritime Statecraft to prevail in an era of intense strategic competition.

Maritime Statecraft encompasses not only naval diplomacy and maritime competition, but a national, whole-of-government effort to build comprehensive U.S. and allied maritime power, both commercial and naval.

History has shown that no great naval power has long endured without also being a maritime power—a commercial shipbuilding power.

Our Maritime Statecraft strategy invests in rebuilding the foundations of national seapower to ensure our continued maritime dominance over the near, medium, and long-term horizons.

We are diligently working to create a new paradigm of genuine market competition, one that leverages the power of dual-use commercial and naval shipbuilding which has proven so successful for our competitors and allies alike.

One of the most effective tools we have in our current arsenal shipbuilding authorities are block buys.

And so, I am proud to publicly announce the Department of the Navy is pursuing the award of the T-AO Program Block Buy Contract to procure eight T-AO ships like USNS Lucy Stone.

This multi-billion-dollar contract reflects innovation to build and sustain our maritime dominance and allows for critical investment and maintenance of our shipbuilding industrial base.

In turn, this will help ensure stability and jobs for the next decade.

And the Block Buy will provide significant cost savings to the American taxpayer, demonstrating responsible stewardship of public funds.

I am proud to make this announcement today alongside our Merchant Mariners and industry partners.

Your contributions to our shipbuilding industry and logistical readiness are vital to our Maritime Statecraft.

And your support is essential for the success of our Navy and Marine Corps.

Closing

Our Nation’s Maritime services are indeed the most powerful and capable this world has ever seen.

And I know that we have the best ships, submarines, aircraft, equipment, and weapons.

But having strong maritime services is about more than just acquiring advanced systems and platforms.

Our people are the foundation of our maritime force—our Sailors, Marines, civilian mariners, and shipbuilders ensure that American remains the greatest nation in the world.

Thank you, Alicia and Debbie, for your lifelong commitment to our Navy and civilian mariners, to our service men and women, and to the United States of America.

You, like the trailblazing woman for whom this ship was named, and our Navy Sailors and civilian mariners on this ship, represent the absolute best this country has to offer.

May God bless you and our service men and women stationed all around the globe. Thank you.

Source: United States Navy

Introduction/Thank You

Good morning, everyone!

It is an honor to be with you here today.

Mayor Scott, thank you for joining us and for your years of public service to the City of Baltimore.

Thank you, Senator Cardin, for your partnership and support of our service men and women and their families in our Navy and Marine Corps.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks, ma’am, it is an honor to have you here today. Thank you for your leadership of the Department of Defense and fierce advocacy of our service members and DOD civilians.

Admiral Holland, thank you for your presence and for your career of service to the Navy Submarine Force.

To all of our service members, distinguished guests and visitors—welcome and thank you for joining us.

City of Baltimore

It is wonderful to be here in Baltimore, Maryland—a city rich in both American and naval history.

And not only because when I was a Midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, my friends and I would come up to Baltimore to escape Annapolis every once in a while!

The city of Baltimore maintains a strong connection with our maritime services and is a critical enabler of our National Maritime Statecraft.

Baltimore boasts a storied shipbuilding history, famously the originator of the “Baltimore Clipper,” an eighteenth-century merchant sailing vessel known for its speed.

In the early days of our Nation, the city earned a reputation as the center of commerce, and the Port of Baltimore remains one of the busiest in the Nation today.

And in the wake of tragedy, we come together here in Baltimore.

Following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March, the Navy worked with Key Bridge Response Unified Command which included the Army Corps of Engineers, Coast Guard, Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Transportation Authority, Maryland State Police, and Synergy Marine.

NAVSEA’s Navy Supervisor of Salvage and Diving led critical efforts to support the clearance of the Port of Baltimore’s Fort McHenry Federal Channel.

We mourn those we lost on March 26, 2024. Please join me in a moment of silence to honor the memory of the six souls taken too soon from us that day.

The ship we are on today—USS Constellation—was named after and includes materials from one of our Navy’s six founding frigates, which was built here in Baltimore.

And it was not far from here that during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814, Francis Scott Key penned the immortal words to “The Star-Spangled Banner,” our national anthem.

Baltimore has deep roots with our Nation’s Navy and boasts one Continental Navy ship and five previous Navy vessels named for the city including:

a brigantine,

a converted merchant ship which served in the Quasi-War against France,

a sidewheel steamer which served in the Civil War,

a cruiser which fought in the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War and then later in the First World War,

a Baltimore-class cruiser which earned nine battle stars during the Second World War, and

most recently, a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine, SSN 704, which participated in undersea operations against the Soviet Union and decommissioned on July 10, 1998.

Ship Naming

Baltimore shaped America’s formative years—a strategic location since its very origins and an integral part of the Nation’s thriving shipping and shipbuilding industries.

Baltimore’s external influence is far reaching—affecting American culture, food, sports, and commerce.

And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my honor and privilege to announce the name of the next Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarine, SSN EIGHT-TWELVE, USS Baltimore.

Make ready!

Sponsor Introduction

I am also honored to announce that the ship sponsor of the future USS Baltimore is Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.

The ship’s sponsor fills a critical role throughout the life of a warship, serving as the bond between the ship, her crew, and the nation they serve.

And I can think of no one more fitting to take on this vital role—no one with more resilience and grit and whose spirit embodies that of Baltimore—than Deputy Secretary Hicks.

Since its very founding, the city of Baltimore has introduced new ideas, transforming the Nation and indeed the world.

And in the Department of Defense, Deputy Secretary Hicks has championed innovation, modernization, and other strategic initiatives aimed at increasing our military’s adaptability, efficiency, and capabilities in the face of emerging global challenges.

Thank you, ma’am, for your lifelong commitment to our Navy, to our service men and women, and to the United States of America.

You, like the service members who will serve on this proud ship and the city it will be named after, represent the absolute best this country has to offer.

Closing/Mayor Scott Introduction

In closing, our Navy and Marine Corps Team is indeed the most powerful, capable, and lethal Force this world has ever seen.

And I know that we have the best ships, submarines, aircraft, equipment, and weapons.

But a strong Navy and Marine Corps is about more than just acquiring advanced systems and platforms.

Our people are the foundation of this Department—they ensure that America remains the greatest nation in the world and that we remain the land of the free.

We have the strongest Navy and Marine Corps in the world because of the people onboard ships like the future USS Baltimore.

May God bless you and our service men and women stationed all around the globe.

And now, I would like to introduce a community leader, public servant, and lifelong resident of Baltimore City who at the age of twenty-seven was one of the youngest people ever elected to the Baltimore City Council, and at the age of thirty-six was the youngest mayor in Baltimore’s history.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome the 52nd Mayor of Baltimore, Mayor Brandon Scott.

Source: United States Navy

Remarks

Good evening, everyone. It’s wonderful to be here with you today to celebrate Polish Armed Forces Day.

Mr. Krzywosądzki and Major General Nolbert, thank you for inviting me and for your role in strengthening the partnership and friendship between our nations.

Poland and the United States share an enduring bond—a bond forged in a crucible of shared sacrifice and the common pursuit of freedom and liberty.

And this day, marking the Polish victory over Soviet forces in the Battle of Warsaw—known as the “Miracle of the Vistula” —commemorates that victory, and all those who fought for Polish independence throughout history.

Indeed, Poland’s long fight for freedom and the partnership between our nations stretches back all the way to the American Revolution and beyond.

“The Father of American Cavalry,” Casimir Pulaski, one of only eight honorary American citizens, fought for our freedom and independence.

Benjamin Franklin and the Marquis de Lafayette persuaded him to travel to the colonies, and he saw in the American people a struggle parallel to the fight for Polish independence after the partition by neighboring Russia, Prussia, and Austria.

By the time he arrived in the United States, he was renowned throughout Europe for his bravery and for his passion for his people—the Polish people.

He wrote to George Washington that “I came here, where freedom is being defended, to serve it, and to live or die for it.”

His feats of arms in his first engagement of the Revolutionary War—at the Battle of Brandywine—secured the Continental Army’s retreat and he was credited with saving the life of George Washington.

But most notably, he led a cavalry charge that turned the tide of the Battle of Savannah, where he was mortally wounded.

His actions and steadfast devotion to the most noble of ideals earned him his other sobriquet: the “Soldier of Liberty.”

But our partnership extends beyond the American Revolution.

Polish servicemembers have served alongside their American counterparts in around the globe, from World War I and World War II to today as NATO allies.

I am incredibly grateful to Poland for your support to our Sailors stationed at Aegis Ashore in Redzikowo.

And as Secretary Blinken highlighted during his stop in Warsaw last week, more than 80 percent of all aid for Ukraine flows through Poland.

Poland provides $4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine including tanks, aircraft, air defense, and helicopters.

And Poland continues to host around a million Ukrainian refugees. 

Poland’s unwavering support for Ukraine in their fight against Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion demonstrates commitment to the enduring spirit of freedom and democratic values.

Your contributions have been invaluable, and your bravery has been an inspiration to all.

Let us honor the memory of Casimir Pulaski—and indeed all those who have served in the Polish armed forces.

Let us recommit ourselves to the ideals they fought and sacrificed for—and the ideals that unite our nations.

I am immensely proud to stand here today beside Poland and recognize our strong partnership and shared values.

May God bless the United States, Poland, our armed forces, and their families.

Thank you.