Category: Defence

Source: United States Navy

Several U.S. entities participated, including the Department of Defense, Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC), Pacific Fleet (PACFLT), NSA Weapons, Space and Cyber Security, U.S. Space Forces – Indo-Pacific, Joint Counter-small Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-sUAS) Office, and the Joint Ballistic Missile Defense Training & Education Center (JBTEC). The academy focused on enhancing ROK-U.S. IAMD expertise through hands-on defense design planning and modeling using the International Simulations (I-SIM) program.

KTTA 24 was primarily a bilateral hybrid (in-person/virtual) IAMD event. It provided a classified platform for open collaboration, exchange of views, and regional dialogue on IAMD operations between the United States and the ROK. The event aimed to foster theater security cooperation while identifying combined IAMD capabilities and challenges within a multilateral environment, aligned with the U.S. INDOPACOM vision.

A highlight of this year’s KTTA was the integration of trilateral participation from the ROK, Japan, and the U.S. On Aug. 18, 2023, President Biden welcomed ROK President Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to a historic trilateral summit at Camp David. During the summit, the three leaders affirmed ongoing progress in regularizing defensive exercises that strengthen trilateral responses to Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) threats (Fact Sheet: Trilateral Summit, Aug. 18, 2023).

In the spirit of this summit, the ROK Air and Missile Defense Command approved the U.S. Planner’s invitation for Japan to observe portions of the event and share national IAMD presentations among the ROK, U.S., and Japan. This was the first KTTA enabling the trilateral nations to share their operational IAMD national briefs, strengthening trilateral cooperation in support of a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.

“The training was beneficial due to the inclusion of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force,” said ROK Air Defense Capt. Choi Jongwon. “It enabled our nations to share ballistic missile knowledge.” Additionally, KTTA focused on IAMD observations and lessons learned from theater-wide exercises, making real progress toward ROK joint IAMD academics with both the ROK Navy and Air Force.

​This academy reflects the United States’ commitment to strengthening the national defenses of the U.S. and its allies while demonstrating the significance of international partnerships in addressing complex security threats. By fostering collaboration and sharing expertise, the U.S. and the ROK work toward enhancing their collective defense capabilities and promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Source: United States Navy

 

Chief of Naval Operations Spokesperson Navy Cmdr. Desiree Frame provided the following readout:

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti met with the Royal Singapore Navy’s Chief of Navy, Rear Adm. Sean Wat in Perth, Australia while in town for the Indian Ocean Defense and Security (IODS) Conference, July 24.

The two leaders discussed Singapore’s participation in the ongoing Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise – which Singapore has been participating in since 2008 – and their ability to further expand high-end training and interoperability in this year’s exercise.

During their meeting the leaders also underscored the importance of ongoing efforts to expand bilateral force posture cooperation in Singapore to support deeper interoperability and demonstrate shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The U.S. and Royal Singapore navies frequently operate and train together, most recently commencing the multilateral exercise Cooperation Afloat Reading and Training (CARAT) Thailand last week.

The two leaders last met in April at the U.S. Pacific Fleet change of command in Pearl Harbor, HI.

Source: United States Navy

The Chiefs of Navy for Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States have strengthened their naval ties today, during a visit to HMAS Stirling in Western Australia.

Australia’s Chief of Navy, Vice Adm. Mark Hammond AO, RAN, hosted his international counterparts, the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Lisa Franchetti, and the U.K. First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Adm. Ben Key KCB CBE ADC, ahead of the Indian Ocean Defence and Security 2024 Conference in Perth this week.

The visit is the first time Franchetti and Key have visited HMAS Stirling, which will play a role in Australia’s future fleet of conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines. 

The three chiefs received a tour of the base’s facilities, followed by a meet-and-greet with Australian submariners on-board a Collins-class submarine.

They also signed a Statement of Intent for Lethality, which documents the three navies collective commitment to the enhanced lethality of their surface combatant and submarine fleets.

The visit finished with a showcase of the Royal Australian Navy’s most contemporary and cutting-edge autonomous systems capabilities.

The Royal Australian Navy’s Chief, Hammond said that today’s visit was a reminder of the power of the partnership between the three Navies.

“Our navies operate on shared behaviors, shared values, and a shared commitment to the success and security of the Indo-Pacific region,” said Hammond. “Today my counterparts and I reaffirmed our philosophy of putting our partnership into action and continue to build on the historic friendship between our Navies.” 

“Working together is how we get the best outcomes for our navies and nations, through personnel exchange programs and operational interchangeability at sea. Only this month we had our first Royal Australian Navy officers graduating from the Royal Navy’s Nuclear Reactor Course. This year our technicians have been training and learning unique skills with the U.S. Navy in Guam and embedded on-board the U.S. Submarine Tender, USS Emory S. Land (AS 39).”

The U.S. Navy’s Chief of Naval Operations, Franchetti said, “AUKUS is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring together the exceptional capabilities of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. We will continue to build on our relationship, strengths, and interoperability, while at the same time uplifting the industrial bases of our three countries. We will bring to bear the innovative spirit of our three nations while significantly bolstering our posture in the Indo-Pacific, contributing to security and stability, and maintaining the rules-based international order in this critical region and around the globe.”

The U.K. Royal Navy’s First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Key said, “Building on longstanding, deep-rooted relationships, and reflecting the unique level of trust and cooperation between our countries, we celebrate the success of AUKUS thus far and look forward to continue the collective delivery on our commitment. AUKUS is a strategically important capability collaboration, allowing us to pool expertise to accelerate the development of cutting-edge defense capabilities in a way that we could not do alone. Alongside the USN, the RN is committed to ensuring the RAN can build on its proven experience of operating conventional powered submarines to be nuclear capable as well. We have recently welcomed RAN personnel onto our nuclear courses and to serve in our Astute class submarines and we look forward to sharing the next generation of SSNs in a collaborative build program which will shape our partnership for many decades to come.”

Source: United States Navy

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro has made TRAM one of his top priorities. In a speech at Columbia University in New York City in December 2022, the secretary set out the goal that, “during my tenure, we will set the Navy on track to deliver the game-changing capability to rearm our warships at sea. Being able to quickly rearm our warships’ vertical launch tubes at sea will significantly increase forward, persistent combat power with the current force. No longer will our combatants need to withdraw from combat for extended periods to return for vulnerable in-port reloading of weapon systems…. My intention is to perfect this capability and field it for sustained, persistent forward-strike capacity during wartime.”

The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and NSWC PHD team delivered on the secretary’s call for speed at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition in National Harbor, Maryland, in April, where Del Toro said, “The at-sea demonstration will take place later this year — an unheard-of pace for a capability with such revolutionary strategic potential. If we had waited to Program Objective Memorandum, or POM, for it, we wouldn’t see it demonstrated for at least another two or three years. Instead, we’re on track to begin fielding it in two or three years.”

The test’s execution underscored the versatility and rapid adaptability of the Navy’s sailors and engineers. Tim Barnard, director of the NAVSEA Technology Office (05T), praised the speed at which the sailors of the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group and USS Chosin (CG 65) became acquainted with TRAM in order to execute the demonstration.

“This team has been remarkable,” Barnard said. “Without previous familiarity with TRAM, the sailors got spun up for this week’s shore demonstration with just a week of training. They understand TRAM is a game-changer that will allow our ships to reload missiles just like they refuel — using connected underway replenishment, steaming at speed and in open ocean.”

This week’s land-based test incorporated, for the first time, real-time analytics and direct monitoring through instrumentation, which facilitated real-time assessment and modifications that would otherwise take weeks or months. This unique approach will inform the upcoming at-sea demonstration and follow-on engineering updates.

Ryan Hayleck, technical director for NAVSEA 05T and technical lead for the demonstration, emphasized during the test that “as we introduce new improvements based on the sailors’ inputs this week and in the upcoming at-sea test, TRAM will only get better and faster from here. I am very excited to take TRAM to sea.”

NSWC PHD Commanding Officer Capt. Tony Holmes stressed the importance of the Navy’s support behind the test.

“NSWC PHD appreciates this opportunity to further such a critical and essential capability for the warfighter and the U.S. Navy, thanks to the efforts and focused interest of the secretary of the Navy,” Holmes said. “We look forward to continuing to work on the next steps.”

Technical Director Jeff Koe added that the resourceful spirit of NSWC PHD’s Underway Replenishment Team has demonstrated that innovation is alive and well in the Navy.

“Our enterprising teammates years ago saw the need to rearm surface ships at sea and took the initiative to design a way to materialize that vision,” Koe said. “Now, our Navy will benefit from that ingenuity as NSWC PHD and its partners bring TRAM to fruition.”

Rich Hadley, director of NSWC PHD’s underway replenishment division which designed TRAM, explained that “by solving key relative motion challenges, TRAM is a capability enabling reloading operations while underway in significant sea states. TRAM will greatly expand the fleet’s logistical flexibility, resilience, as well as volume and tempo of long-range fires.”

Thanking the NAVSEA-NSWC PHD leadership team and the sailors from the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group and USS Chosin who carried out the demonstration, Steven Brock, senior adviser to the secretary of the Navy, noted the historic import of the occasion.

“This demonstration that you superbly delivered on the secretary’s aggressive timeline sends a powerful message,” Brock said. “This revolution in surface warfare will make our existing fleet even more formidable, both in sustained forward presence and lethality — and will create a powerful new near-term deterrent that will disrupt the strategic calculus of our adversaries.”

Hunter Stires, maritime strategist with the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, added, “TRAM will enable us to do the modern-day equivalent of firing two broadsides to the enemy’s one. The U.S. Navy’s very best are making this capability real.”

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About Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division
NSWC PHD is a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command and provides the U.S. Navy fleet with in-service engineering, test and evaluation, and product support for combat systems. The command is located at Naval Base Ventura County in California.

Source: United States Navy

Brazilian Navy Rear Admiral Antonio Braz de Souza relinquished command of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 to Turkish Navy Rear Admiral Rüştü Sezer as the commander of CMF, Vice Adm. George Wikoff, looked on. Braz de Souza assumed command in January.

Under Braz de Souza’s leadership, CTF 151 carried out five successful Sea Joint Activities (SJA) and one Focused Operation (Mare Liberum IV) with 13 participating countries, aimed at enhancing interoperability among assets from various nations and deterring illicit activities on the high seas. Additionally, he conducted key leader engagements with multiple countries and maritime organizations to discuss the importance of collaboration, information sharing and the exchange of knowledge. Braz de Souza also strengthened partnerships with other naval forces, such as the European Union Naval Forces ATALANTA and ASPIDES, to support maritime security efforts.

The CTF, established in January 2009, is one of five operational task forces under CMF and focuses on deterring piracy and suppressing other illicit activities in the Western Indian Ocean. CTF 151 includes representatives from Brazil, Bahrain, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Republic of Korea, Spain, Thailand and Türkiye.

“When I took over command of CTF 151, I was aware of the importance and responsibilities that this position entailed. Especially in this command, after a long dormant period, we were faced with the resurgence of piracy, a challenge that demanded a swift and coordinated response from all of us,” said Braz de Souza. “Thanks to the effort and dedication of every member of this task force, we managed to confront this threat with competence and determination. I am grateful to Vice Admiral Wikoff, whose high competence is an example to all of us, always seeking to guide and foster an excellent work environment.”

Sezer comes to the CTF after serving as Commodore of 5th Destroyer Division Command. This change of command marks the seventh time Türkiye has commanded CTF 151.

“It is indeed an honor and great privilege for me to take command of this unique task force on behalf of my country, Türkiye, and to be a part of the Combined Maritime Forces family,” said Sezer. “Global maritime commerce continues to be protected and freedom of navigation continues to be secured.”

CTF 151 is one of five task forces under CMF, the world’s largest international naval partnership. CTF 151’s mission is to deter, disrupt, and suppress piracy and armed robbery in the maritime environment.

Combined Maritime Forces is a 44-nation naval partnership upholding the international rules-based order by promoting security and stability across 3.2 million square miles of water encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.