Category: United States Navy

Source: United States Navy

The investigation determined that the crash was caused by an in-flight failure of a damper hose, resulting in total loss of the main rotor damping which led to severe vibrations upon touchdown.

The Navy continues to mourn the loss of Lt. Bradley Foster, Lt. Paul Fridley, Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 1st Class James Buriak, Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Sarah Burns, and Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Bailey Tucker, and our thoughts and prayers go out to their families and loved ones.

A redacted version of the findings from this command investigation is available on the U.S. Pacific Fleet on-line FOIA Reading Room: https://www.cpf.navy.mil/FOIA-Reading-Room/#release-181321

Source: United States Navy

Now in its 17th year, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. The Pacific Partnership 22 team will work with host nation counterparts and regional partners to provide tailored medical, dental, and veterinary care and conduct bilateral engineering civic actions, and exchange information related to disaster response processes and procedures.

As part of PP22, Mercy and the mission team will conduct missions throughout Oceania and the Western Pacific. Typical Pacific Partnership events include the building of schools, medical and engineering expert exchanges, and host nation outreach events.

“Pacific Partnership is a unifying mission that builds trust among nations to work efficiently together in preparing to respond in crisis,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Hank Kim, Pacific Partnership 22 mission commander. 

“I look forward to exchanging experiences and expertise with our host and partner nations to collectively build skills that will last well after the mission.”

For more information about Pacific Partnership and USNS Mercy, visit www.facebook.com/USNSMERCY, www.facebook.com/pacificpartnership, or https://www.msc.usff.navy.mil/ships/mercy/ .

Commander, Task Force 73 public affairs can be reached via email at CTF73_Public_Affairs@fe.navy.mil.

Source: United States Navy

Navy tradition dictates when Sailors cross into the Arctic Circle, they enter the realm of Boreas Rex, King of the North, and must complete a series of challenges before being deemed worthy of the title “Blue Nose.”

At the time of the ceremony only nine Sailors and Marines aboard the ship were previously designated as “Blue Nose”. They were critical in the planning and execution of the ceremony to ensure safety and fun for those who chose to participate.

“I became a ‘Blue Nose’ in 2016 with 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment in Norway,” said Religious Program Specialist 1st Class Brandon Peterkin. “Getting to help plan it this time for my shipmates was a lot of fun. All the homemade costumes and different traditions made this a priceless experience full of fun and laughter for everyone involved.”

Arlington Sailors and embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit Marines completed four cold water challenges before presenting themselves to Boreas Rex, played by Arlington’s Master Chief Engineman Arcent Vazquez and Sergeant Major Gerald Furnari, Sergeant Major of Troops aboard Arlington, for acceptance into the “Order of the Blue Nose.”

“When the Chief’s Mess was putting the plan together, we wanted to ensure we delivered a lasting impression for the crew,” said Vazquez. “This is my last deployment and to have been asked to play Boreas Rex and provide everyone with an experience they will cherish was something I will forever be grateful for.”

The ceremony is 100% voluntary and all those who participate receive a certificate notating their crossing into the Arctic Circle. Receiving the certificate is purely morale-based and does not benefit the Sailor in any professional manner. The Navy has a similar line-crossing tradition at the equator, referred to as a “Shellback” ceremony.

 “It was a privilege to participate in a time honored Navy tradition as fun and unique as the ‘Blue Nose’ ceremony,” said Cpl. Henry Rodriguez, attached to the 22nd MEU. “This is something I’ll never forget from my time aboard the Arlington.”

After recently completing exercise Northern Viking 2022 off the coast of Iceland, Arlington made the trek north to cross into the Arctic Circle. Northern Viking 2022 is a U.S. European Command-directed and U.S. Naval Forces Europe-led, U.S. Sixth Fleet planned and executed Joint and Coalition live exercise that strengthens interoperability and force readiness between the U.S., Iceland and allied nations and enables execution of multi-domain command and control of joint and coalition forces in defense of Iceland the Sea Lines of Communication in the Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom (GIUK) gap.

USS Arlington, attached to the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and 22nd MEU, is on a scheduled deployment under the command and control of Task Force 61/2 while operating in U.S. Sixth Fleet in support of U.S., Allied and partner interests in Europe and Africa.

Source: United States Navy

Naval Supply Systems Command Fleet Logistics Center Sigonella’s (NAVSUP FLCSI’s) Global Multiple Award Husbanding Contract (GMAC) enables the command’s contracting specialists to partner with European husbanding service providers (HSPs) to support requirements for U.S. maritime forces participating in various bilateral and joint exercises across Africa and Europe, including the High North.

As the U.S. Sixth Fleet-led exercise Northern Viking 22 (VK22) drew to an end in mid-April, NAVSUP FLCSI’s contracting team leveraged the GMAC to procure husbanding services for one of the exercise participants, USS Arlington (LPD 24), during a scheduled port visit April 14, 2022 in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Some of the husbanding goods and services procured for the port visit included pilot and tug services, mobile crane and manlift services, mobile crane equipment, potable water, ship brow, x-ray scanner with trained operators, cell phones and transportation vehicles.

“The GMAC proved to be the ideal contracting vehicle for the port visit as it allowed for a number of administrative efficiencies resulting in minimizing the risks of increased costs and poor service,” said Robert DeAngelis, NAVSUP FLCSI contract specialist.

As part of his role, DeAngelis was boots-on-the ground in Reykjavik during the port visit.

“I met with local port authorities to inquire on the services and local support, assessed the competency and perceived effectiveness of port security,” said DeAngelis. “Furthermore, I was able to dynamically authorize needed service changes, with the U.S. Sixth Fleet contracting officer’s representative, the ship’s supply officer and HSP vendor. This fluid support allowed us to take advantage of cost saving initiatives and expand support for the ship in real time.”

Besides contracting support, one of FLCSI’s logistics support officers hand-delivered critical parts to the ARG’s embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).

“Our ability to support port visits at strategically significant High North locations, such as Reykjavik, is a concrete example of NAVSUP’s expanding capabilities delivering operational readiness to the Fleet where and when our Warfighters need it,” said Capt. Douglas S. MacKenzie, NAVSUP FLCSI commanding officer. “This successful port visit also demonstrates how our logisticians and contracting professionals make a crucial contribution to enhancing logistics interoperability and engagement with our Allies in the region. In this case, the Icelandic Coast Guard and the Icelandic commercial husbanding service provider industry.”

Assigned to the USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), Arlington joined six NATO Allied Nations during VK22 to strengthen interoperability and force readiness, enabling multi-domain command and control of joint and coalition forces in the defense of Iceland and Sea Lines of Communication in the Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom (GIUK) gap.

After the port visit, the 22nd MEU participated in a bilateral training event with the Kingdom of Norway’s Armed Forces to strengthen U.S. and Norway interoperability ensuring collective capabilities and steadfast partnerships among NATO allies and partners.

The Kearsarge ARG and embarked the 22nd MEU are under the command and control of Task Force 61/2. Arlington’s presence in the High North is a demonstration of the U.S. Navy’s continued commitment to collective defense of the European region and reinforces the strong bond between the U.S. and Iceland.

NAVSUP serves as the Department of the Navy’s lead for all husbanding services contracts. FLCSI is one of NAVSUP’s eight globally-positioned commands that provides for the full range of solutions for logistics, business and support services to the U.S. Naval, Joint, NATO and Allied Forces across 14 enduring and forward operating sites; forward contingency and cooperative security locations in 13 countries in Europe and Africa.

U.S. Naval Forces Europe, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

Source: United States Navy

Held at the Havelock Tourist and Event Center, the event focused on problem-solving, networking and STEM pipeline development. The Industry Day/Technology Scan marked the first working event held by the ENC Tech Bridge, which was launched Jan. 27.

As part of an Office of Naval Agility (NavalX) network, 17 Tech Bridges aim to bridge the gap between the Navy and emerging entities like startups, small businesses, academia, nonprofits and private capital that aren’t traditionally part of the Navy’s development and acquisition process. The ENC Tech Bridge operates in conjunction with a partnership between Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) and Craven County.

FRCE Commanding Officer Capt. James M. Belmont said he was excited to see participants from a wide variety of backgrounds taking part in the event, and was hopeful the ENC Tech Bridge would continue to build on the energy it has generated since the organization’s launch three months ago.

“The ENC Tech Bridge is still young, but we are enthusiastic about the opportunities it brings,” Belmont said. “It serves as a conduit that allows for us to share ideas, identify possible solutions and deliver capabilities to the warfighters, ideally faster than we could through traditional methods, and allows us to enlist these nontraditional partners in solving some of the Navy and Marine Corps’ most pressing issues. We are excited and committed to this initiative.”

In the Technology Scan aspect of the event, three companies presented briefings or demonstrations of technologies they offer that could help solve issues facing naval aviation and military maintenance, repair and overhaul operations: digital inventory tracking of small tools, and the on-aircraft measurement of a bearing liner’s remaining thickness. In order to participate, the companies first submitted white papers regarding their technologies. FRCE technical experts reviewed submitted white papers, assessed the technologies’ potential usefulness in a military depot or fleet environment, and issued invitations based on those criteria.

One participant, Anurag Kulshrestha, said he was excited about the opportunity to demonstrate his company’s tracking technology during the Technology Scan. The president and chief executive officer of Anantics said the company has done similar work for other American and international clients, and has been searching for an opportunity to do the same with the U.S. federal government. Kulshrestha said he saw the call for submissions on SAM.gov, the federal government’s website for contracting and award management initiatives, and recognized an opportunity to provide a live demonstration of the technology as a sort of proof of concept.

“I’m happy to be here and, hopefully, we have the technology solution the Navy needs,” he said.

In addition to the Technology Scan, the day’s events also featured a brief introduction to the Tech Bridge Program, an overview of the FRCE Advanced Technology and Innovation Team, an explanation of the Department of Defense’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, and a discussion about expanding outreach and awareness for STEM programs to build a sustainable STEM education and training pipeline for the production efforts of the U.S. Navy and beyond.

With such a wide range of topics covered, the event offered something for everyone who attended, said ENC Tech Bridge Director Jeff Nelson. All participants benefitted from at least one of the in-depth briefings that opened the event, and the expo provided an excellent opportunity for networking.

“I saw a lot of the attendees having very in-depth conversations with the exhibitors and with each other during the expo, and I believe that speaks to the success of today’s event,” Nelson said. “We’ve been able to strike a chord with information that was pertinent to our participants, and also facilitated them making connections with the ENC Tech Bridge, with FRCE and with each other, and that’s an important part of what we’re trying to accomplish here.”

The ENC Tech Bridge works to build an ecosystem of innovation to support the Navy and Marine Corps with a focus on several areas of consideration, including manufacturing and repair technologies; advanced manufacturing; big data, data analytics and visualization; technical insertion; augmented and mixed reality; automation and robotics; and soft and wicked problem solving.

FRCE is North Carolina’s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.