Category: United States Navy

Source: United States Navy

The U.S. Navy fleet could soon start reaping the benefits of 5G technology. For the past several years, in collaboration with Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering (OUSD R&E) FutureG office, Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Atlantic has developed and tested 5G capabilities in naval ship environments and is primed and ready to deploy those capabilities on board U.S. Navy ships. This same technology used by just about every civilian with a cell phone is now ready and waiting to start making an impact on improving shipboard quality of life and quality of work, that combined is known as Quality of Service (QoS) for Sailors.  

This new shipboard 5G technology got its start about five years ago in NIWC Atlantic’s Assured Real-Time Communications (ARC) Laboratory in Norfolk, which focuses on joint interoperability and cybersecurity.

While Wi-Fi technology has recently been piloted and used in limited but successful capacities in the Navy, such as with “Sailor Edge Afloat and Ashore” on board USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), NIWC Atlantic engineers are working to implement 5G technology both afloat and ashore to make Wi-Fi and other technologies more effective, efficient and secure. Ultimately, NIWC Atlantic’s efforts of 5G implementation will help ensure better overall QoS in part due to its more advanced security and performance. 

“What our NIWC Atlantic (5G) engineers did with industry partners has laid a solid engineering foundation for 5G technology to potentially take off across the Navy,” said Peter Reddy, NIWC Atlantic Executive Director. “The use cases we worked on here were shipboard and pier side, and there are a lot of other use cases that 5G will satisfy in the Department of the Navy.”

The work that NIWC Atlantic does with 5G technology relates back to advancing QoS. “We try to use that [QoS] mindset in our development of engineering processes so that we’re looking at solutions that meet [common communication capabilities such as] gaming or FaceTime, where Sailors are able to witness the birth of their children. It also allowed us to address security challenges with command and control-type communications,” said Kevin Thompson, a senior engineer at NIWC Atlantic and test director for the Assured Real-Time Communications (ARC) Laboratory.

In the early stages however, NIWC Atlantic wasn’t able to test this technology in a true shipboard environment without disrupting active Navy operations and activities. Fortunately, in 2021, USS Wisconsin (BB 64), an Iowa-class battleship that is now a functioning museum ship ported in Norfolk, Virginia, reached out to NIWC Atlantic’s Norfolk 5G team asking if they had a replacement part for one of their messaging systems. Over time, the museum ship crew and NIWC Atlantic 5G teams formed a meaningful relationship that continued to develop, and eventually provided the 5G team an opportunity to request, and subsequently start the testing of 5G aboard USS Wisconsin.

Testing on board USS Wisconsin by the NIWC Atlantic Norfolk 5G team has been vital to the success of 5G technology. NIWC Atlantic engineers deployed a private 5G core and tested 5G coverage and performance in the ship’s interior spaces. They ultimately found that 5G propagation within those confined interior spaces proves to be excellent and consistent with results from prior testing.

However, working with 5G data hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Since ships face unique radio frequency (RF) spectrum and security challenges, and because 5G technology is a common technological area used for many different purposes, the 5G team found it difficult to predict whether commercial 5G solutions would work as expected in Navy operational environments.

Also, 5G technology has different levels of maturity. “What that means is when we start looking at how we implement solutions leveraging 5G for quality of work and quality of life, we’re taking two different systems and trying to figure out how we make them agree on a common infrastructure that can support both things,” said Thompson.

Nevertheless, NIWC Atlantic has been hard at work overcoming the various challenges associated with 5G data. According to Thompson, NIWC Atlantic continues to come up with collaborative solutions so 5G successfully works across all devices and systems. Currently, they are trying to improve and maintain the relationships they have with different program offices so NIWC Atlantic can implement 5G technology into their existing systems.  

Arnel Castillo, senior engineer working as Program Manager (PM) for NIWC Atlantic’s 5G prototyping efforts, explained that these relationships are vital. “You have to be able to respect the processes that are in place today, that way when you insert this technology, there is some grain of familiarity and some confidence that you’re not totally changing the paradigm,” said Castillo.

Thus far, the NIWC Atlantic 5G team has achieved numerous advancements with 5G technology including developing a reference architecture for ship-wide, littoral, blue-water, pier-side, and ashore operational domains.

The team also designed and implemented the Department of Defense’s (DoD) maritime 5G multi-vendor (shipboard and pier-side networks) testbed, which enables the experimentation of 5G networks and user equipment (UE) in a wide range of 5G frequencies.

Additionally, they implemented the DoD’s first Voice over New Radio (VoNR) and Video over New Radio (ViNR) private 5G network, which is especially favored by Sailors since it provides them with a better QoS.

According to both Castillo and Thompson, 5G technology holds a promising future for all Sailors. Not only will this technology, common to cell phones, soon transform communications and connectivity on all naval ships both afloat and ashore, the Get Real Get Better initiative helps arm leaders and problem-solvers with a near-limitless warfighting advantage.

“The great work this team has done has really positioned the Navy very well to be ready to move out quickly to rapidly expand 5G capabilities across the fleet,” said Reddy.

Source: United States Navy

Good afternoon, everyone!

And what a wonderful afternoon it is for so many family members and friends who are pierside with us today. It is my honor and privilege to welcome home the more than 7,000 Sailors and Marines assigned to the IKE Carrier Strike Group! 

As many of you know, following Hamas’s brutal attack against the people of Israel on October 7th, the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group with embarked Destroyer Squadron TWENTY-TWO and Carrier Air Wing THREE led Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea to deter further escalation and protect innocent commercial shipping against Iranian-aligned Houthi attacks.

For nearly seven months, the IKE Carrier Strike Group delivered exceptional naval power, answering the call of the President and the Commanders of U.S. Central Command and the U.S. Fifth Fleet to defend innocent civilian merchant mariners in waters critical to the flow of international commerce.

Our Navy-Marine Corps Team is at the forefront of defending and preserving global stability, and we remain committed to ensuring the freedom of navigation in international waters.

We must also remember that our Sailors and Marines are volunteers—volunteers who chose to dedicate their careers and their lives to defending the values and ideals we as an American people hold dear.

They understand that service is not an obligation—it is indeed a calling.

And as we’ve witnessed throughout the IKE Carrier Strike Group’s deployment, it is an opportunity to be a part of something much greater than ourselves, standing tall against the terrorist acts of the Iranian-aligned Houthis in defense of the defenseless. 

Service to our country is fundamental to our democracy. Every Sailor and Marine who sailed as part the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group chose to serve. 

By defending our ally Israel as well as innocent civilian merchant mariners against Iranian and Houthi attacks, they made an incredible impact that will forever be a part of our naval services’ legacy. Their achievements and actions are indeed worthy of the Navy Unit Commendation and Combat Action Ribbon that I awarded to them earlier this year.

To echo President Biden during his phone call yesterday with Captain Chris “Chowdah” Hill and National Security Advisor Sullivan’s comments during his visit to the USS Eisenhower less than 24 hours ago, I am tremendously proud of our Sailors and Marines for everything they accomplished during their deployment.

On behalf of the Department of the Navy and a grateful nation, to the service members and families of the IKE Carrier Strike Group—thank you, and welcome home! 

Source: United States Navy

HONOLULU — Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) James Honea traveled to Hawaii, July 10-12, 2024, to meet with Sailors and visit Allies and partners participating in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2024.

Franchetti and Honea visited several U.S. and partner nation ships, where they spoke with Sailors and service members across the Joint Force, observed the ongoing exercise, and emphasized the strategic importance of interoperability with Allies and partners.

“RIMPAC is the world’s premier joint and combined exercise in the maritime domain. It’s a great opportunity to operate, to train, and to build interoperability with an amazing cross section of Allies and partners, from the Indo-Pacific to the Americas and to Europe,” said Franchetti. “It’s really important that we work together on areas of mutual concern to maintain freedom of the seas and uphold the rules based international order that has supported peace, stability and prosperity for so many years.”

CNO and MCPON started the visit by holding an all hands call at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, with Sailors assigned to USS Shiloh (CG 67), USS Antietam (CG 54), USS Wayne E Meyer (DDG 108), USS Decatur (DDG 73), and USS Hopper (DDG 70) in attendance. CNO and MCPON thanked the Sailors for their service and all that they do to contribute to America’s Warfighting Navy.

“Thank you. Thank each and every one of you for what you do, for being the warfighters that you are, for building the warfighting teams that you do and all the readiness it takes to do that,” said Honea. “Thank you very, very much for what you’re doing, being on this pointy end, ready to surge at any moment.”

Following the all hands call, CNO and MCPON visited the crew and shipyard maintenance team of the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) and triad of the USS Minnesota (SSN 783) to congratulate them on their successful maintenance periods.

“Central to my America’s Warfighting Navy is the need to put more players on the field, and that applies to our submarines,” said Franchetti. “I know that we can’t deter and win against our would-be adversaries without getting all our submarines on the field. Whether it’s new construction ships or those in maintenance, we need to get these platforms in and out of the shipyard on time and on cost. And, we have to get all the people – with the right skills, tools and training – to man our submarines. That’s all more players on the field, and you did that. I am so proud of you for all that you accomplished.”

Franchetti and Honea also visited the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Illinois (SSN 786) to meet with the crew and congratulate them on their success in the maintenance period and with the “Every Sailor a Recruiter” program. Since the CNO’s call to action earlier this year, the crew of Illinois has found, coached, and mentored 11 future Sailors to get contracts and join the Navy, the highest number for any command, with the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) in second place with 10.

“The crew of the USS Illinois is extremely motivated and focused on excellence in all mission areas which also includes investing in their warfighter development with their high completion rate of the Enlisted Leader Development course,” said Honea. “Illinois exemplifies the culture of excellence, and I’m not surprised they fully embraced ‘Every Sailor is a Recruiter’ and excelled at it as well. The crew exudes the ship’s motto ‘None More Brave.’ They know who makes a great teammate and recruits and mentors them to ensure our Navy has the most lethal combat warfighters. I am extremely proud of them and happy that CNO and I were able to present them with a small token of appreciation for their hard work.”

After visiting the submarines CNO and MCPON visited the K. Mark Takai Pacific Warfighting Center on Ford Island, the command-and-control center for RIMPAC, observing more than 250 watchstanders from the Joint and Combined Forces participating in the exercise. CNO and MCPON also met with senior naval leaders from several Allied and partner nations, to include Australia, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and the Republic of Singapore.

“The United States is an Indo-Pacific nation. We know that our partnerships in this region make a difference–that friendship is strength. We don’t take that for granted,” said Franchetti. “It’s great to be out here working together with all of you. This is an incredible opportunity to continue to build interoperability across the entire maritime domain from humanitarian assistance, logistics, anti-submarine warfare all the way up to the highest end of combat training.”

Finally, CNO and MCPON flew out to a number of ships participating in RIMPAC. They visited the Republic of Korea ship ROKS Cheon Ja Bong (LST-687), the Japanese ship JS Kunisaki (LST-4003), and the Royal New Zealand ship HMNZS Aotearoa (A-11), where they thanked service members, met with leadership, and observed the exercise first-hand.

“It was great to be able visit these ships, see their RIMPAC experiences, talk to them about what they are hoping to get out of the exercise, and thank them for being here and taking on some key leadership roles in the exercise,” said Franchetti.

In its 29th iteration, dating back to 1971, the biennial event is the world’s largest international joint exercise in the maritime environment, providing a unique training opportunity to foster and sustain cooperative relationships critical to ensuring security on the world’s oceans. Capabilities exercised during RIMPAC range from disaster relief and maritime security operations to sea control and complex warfighting.

This was Franchetti’s first time attending RIMPAC as CNO.

Source: United States Navy

HONOLULU — Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) James Honea traveled to Hawaii, July 10-12, 2024, to meet with Sailors and visit Allies and partners participating in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2024.

Franchetti and Honea visited several U.S. and partner nation ships, where they spoke with Sailors and service members across the Joint Force, observed the ongoing exercise, and emphasized the strategic importance of interoperability with Allies and partners.

“RIMPAC is the world’s premier joint and combined exercise in the maritime domain. It’s a great opportunity to operate, to train, and to build interoperability with an amazing cross section of Allies and partners, from the Indo-Pacific to the Americas and to Europe,” said Franchetti. “It’s really important that we work together on areas of mutual concern to maintain freedom of the seas and uphold the rules based international order that has supported peace, stability and prosperity for so many years.”

CNO and MCPON started the visit by holding an all hands call at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, with Sailors assigned to USS Shiloh (CG 67), USS Antietam (CG 54), USS Wayne E Meyer (DDG 108), USS Decatur (DDG 73), and USS Hopper (DDG 70) in attendance. CNO and MCPON thanked the Sailors for their service and all that they do to contribute to America’s Warfighting Navy.

“Thank you. Thank each and every one of you for what you do, for being the warfighters that you are, for building the warfighting teams that you do and all the readiness it takes to do that,” said Honea. “Thank you very, very much for what you’re doing, being on this pointy end, ready to surge at any moment.”

Following the all hands call, CNO and MCPON visited the crew and shipyard maintenance team of the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) and triad of the USS Minnesota (SSN 783) to congratulate them on their successful maintenance periods.

“Central to my America’s Warfighting Navy is the need to put more players on the field, and that applies to our submarines,” said Franchetti. “I know that we can’t deter and win against our would-be adversaries without getting all our submarines on the field. Whether it’s new construction ships or those in maintenance, we need to get these platforms in and out of the shipyard on time and on cost. And, we have to get all the people – with the right skills, tools and training – to man our submarines. That’s all more players on the field, and you did that. I am so proud of you for all that you accomplished.”

Franchetti and Honea also visited the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Illinois (SSN 786) to meet with the crew and congratulate them on their success in the maintenance period and with the “Every Sailor a Recruiter” program. Since the CNO’s call to action earlier this year, the crew of Illinois has found, coached, and mentored 11 future Sailors to get contracts and join the Navy, the highest number for any command, with the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) in second place with 10.

“The crew of the USS Illinois is extremely motivated and focused on excellence in all mission areas which also includes investing in their warfighter development with their high completion rate of the Enlisted Leader Development course,” said Honea. “Illinois exemplifies the culture of excellence, and I’m not surprised they fully embraced ‘Every Sailor is a Recruiter’ and excelled at it as well. The crew exudes the ship’s motto ‘None More Brave.’ They know who makes a great teammate and recruits and mentors them to ensure our Navy has the most lethal combat warfighters. I am extremely proud of them and happy that CNO and I were able to present them with a small token of appreciation for their hard work.”

After visiting the submarines CNO and MCPON visited the K. Mark Takai Pacific Warfighting Center on Ford Island, the command-and-control center for RIMPAC, observing more than 250 watchstanders from the Joint and Combined Forces participating in the exercise. CNO and MCPON also met with senior naval leaders from several Allied and partner nations, to include Australia, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and the Republic of Singapore.

“The United States is an Indo-Pacific nation. We know that our partnerships in this region make a difference–that friendship is strength. We don’t take that for granted,” said Franchetti. “It’s great to be out here working together with all of you. This is an incredible opportunity to continue to build interoperability across the entire maritime domain from humanitarian assistance, logistics, anti-submarine warfare all the way up to the highest end of combat training.”

Finally, CNO and MCPON flew out to a number of ships participating in RIMPAC. They visited the Republic of Korea ship ROKS Cheon Ja Bong (LST-687), the Japanese ship JS Kunisaki (LST-4003), and the Royal New Zealand ship HMNZS Aotearoa (A-11), where they thanked service members, met with leadership, and observed the exercise first-hand.

“It was great to be able visit these ships, see their RIMPAC experiences, talk to them about what they are hoping to get out of the exercise, and thank them for being here and taking on some key leadership roles in the exercise,” said Franchetti.

In its 29th iteration, dating back to 1971, the biennial event is the world’s largest international joint exercise in the maritime environment, providing a unique training opportunity to foster and sustain cooperative relationships critical to ensuring security on the world’s oceans. Capabilities exercised during RIMPAC range from disaster relief and maritime security operations to sea control and complex warfighting.

This was Franchetti’s first time attending RIMPAC as CNO.

Source: United States Navy

Representatives from France, Japan, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, India, Israel, Peru, Republic of Korea, and the United States are participating on the watch team, underscoring the multinational partnership aspect of the large-scale maritime exercise.
CTF 174 is responsible for all theater anti-submarine warfare, water space management, and prevention of mutual interference for RIMPAC 2024.

Rear Adm. Richard Seif, commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC), welcomed the partners and highlighted the importance of cohesion among international naval forces and enhancing maritime interoperability and readiness. “RIMPAC is a cornerstone exercise where we get to grow our combined undersea warfare proficiency and refine the amplified strength of many partners as one cohesive unit. I’m excited to work together with old and new friends and can’t wait to see what we can share, learn, and accomplish together,” said Seif.

Royal Canadian Navy Lt. Cmdr. Marc Perron, COMSUBPAC exercise design team lead for RIMPAC, provided an extensive overview covering exercise operations, future plans, and the roles of participating nations.
“I think that this CTF 174 multinational team will have a large positive impact on RIMPAC 2024,” said Perron. “Having our partners man the watch floor gives all of us a chance to come together, share experiences, and learn from each other.”

Twenty-nine nations , 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, more than 150 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 27 to Aug. 1. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, 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. RIMPAC 2024 is the 29th exercise in the series that began in 1971.