Category: United States Navy

Source: United States Navy

“My crew is proud to join the submarine force team in Guam,” said Cmdr. James Tuthill, Annapolis’s commanding officer. “It’s an excellent place to live, with a strong sense of community and a clear mission. We worked hard to get the ship through a shipyard period ahead of schedule, and we’re ready to assume our place on the front line.”

The security environment in the Indo-Pacific requires that the U.S. Navy station the most capable ships forward. This posture allows rapid responses for maritime and joint forces, and brings our most capable ships and submarines with the greatest amount of striking power and operational capability to bear in the timeliest manner.

“I would like to personally extend a warm Hafa Adai to the Sailors and families of our fifth homeported submarine on Guam, USS Annapolis,” said Commander Joint Region Marianas Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson. “Guam and the Mariana Islands are incredibly important to the overall defense of the region, and this additional capability further underscores our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

In accordance with the strategic laydown plan of 2021, Annapolis makes the fifth Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine to be homeported in Guam alongside USS Asheville (SSN 722), USS Key West (SSN 758), USS Jefferson City (SSN 759), and USS Springfield (SSN 761). USS Springfield arrived in Guam one week before USS Annapolis on March 21.

“As part of the U.S. Navy’s plan to put the most advanced and capable units forward, USS Annapolis completed a homeport shift from San Diego, California to Guam in order to support Indo-Pacific initiatives and missions,” said Capt. Bret Grabbe, commodore, Submarine Squadron 15.

The submarine’s ability to support a multitude of missions, to include anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface ship warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance, and strike warfare, makes Springfield one of the most capable submarines in the world.

“My Sailors keep close tabs on world events, especially those in the Indo-Pacific region” said Tuthill. “We’re ready to get to work.”

Commissioned April 11, 1992, Annapolis is the fourth ship of the United States Navy named for the city of Annapolis, Maryland. Annapolis has a crew of approximately 16 officers and 127 enlisted Sailors.
Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarines make up the majority of the submarine force, with nearly 40 still in commission. Annapolis returned from its last deployment, April 2021, where they conducted operations vital to national security in the Western Pacific.

Annapolis is assigned to Commander, Submarine Squadron 15 (CSS-15), which is located at Polaris Point, Naval Base Guam. The squadron staff is responsible for providing training, material and personnel readiness support to these commands. Also based out of Naval Base Guam are submarine tenders USS Frank Cable (AS 40) and USS Emory S. Land (AS 39). The submarines and tenders are maintained as part of the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed submarine force and are readily capable of meeting global operational requirements.

Source: United States Navy

Balikatan featured field and maritime training events including an amphibious exercise, maritime security training, military operations in an urban terrain training, an air defense exercise, and an airfield seizure exercise. The field and maritime events were designed to develop capabilities pertaining to maritime security, amphibious operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and counterterrorism.

Translated, “Balikatan” is a Tagalog phrase that means “shoulder-to-shoulder” or “sharing the load together,” which characterizes the spirit of the exercise and represents the partnership between the United States and the Philippines, as well as both nations’ commitment to the Mutual Defense Treaty.

“Conducting exercises at sea with our allies ensures that we are prepared in any situation to seamlessly come together,” said Cmdr. Keith Tate, Ashland’s commanding officer. “We are grateful to have had the opportunity to work alongside Philippine Naval professionals.”

Ashland and Miguel Keith supported amphibious operations and landings, rotary wing aircraft operations, and maritime security events, such as visit, board, search and seizure exercises. Additionally, they supported coastal defense operations and formation steaming maneuvers.

“It was an honor to be invited to participate in this exercise and conduct operations with our Philippine Navy counterparts,” said Capt. Patrick Keller, commanding officer Miguel Keith’s Gold Crew. “Throughout the exercise we not only got to work with talented naval allies, we were also able to validate our aviation core capability, embarking and operating U.S. Marine Corps aircraft from the ship.”

Balikatan involved coordination and participation from the Philippine Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and special operations forces. The exercise will also include participation from the U.S. Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Army, and Special Operations Command. Additionally, the Armed Forces of the Philippines invited observers, as part of the International Observers Program, to promote greater defense cooperation with ASEAN and other key allies and partners.

As treaty allies, U.S.-Philippine military cooperation has served as a cornerstone of stability in the Indo-Pacific region for decades. We have a continuing interest in strengthening our longstanding alliance, reinforcing our maritime security efforts, and addressing the shared extremist threat.

Ashland and Miguel Keith, part of the USS America (LHA 6) Amphibious Ready Group, are operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners, serving as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Source: United States Navy

The theme for the inaugural symposium was “Setting the Next Watch Team Up for Success – Building the Roadmap for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”. More than 350 Sailors and guests attended the event, representing Navy commands from around the world.

“I am excited, hopeful and inspired by this event,” Rear Adm. Jennifer Couture Commander, Naval Service Training Command, said. “All these Sailors truly care about DEI. The authenticity, vulnerability, and open conversation show the tremendous amount of support and importance for these principles.”

This symposium specifically aimed at identifying new approaches to attracting, developing and retaining talent in the Surface community in order to build strong cultures which empower Sailors and drive performance.

Rear Adm. Brendan McLane, commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, opened up the event with his expectations and goals for the attendees.

“While leadership and taking care of your people is not the panacea for all these problems, it is a positive step toward what we are talking about here,” McLane said. “You can’t just go through the motions. You have to take these lessons learned and go back to your ship and execute. You don’t always have to agree with different perspectives, but accepting them and moving on is progress. Progress made slowly is still progress made.”

The event presented an opportunity to inform the waterfront of Task Force One policy updates and new DEI initiatives, conduct leadership panels for our young junior officers, and participate in breakout sessions where Sailors can receive feedback from senior leaders.

“I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of this event,” said Command Master Chief Samira McBride, command master chief of Afloat Training Group Norfolk. “I’ve been given a platform to be on a panel to share experiences and have this conversation. I leave this symposium with a renewed conviction and outlook to do better myself.”

The symposium’s first day saw naval leaders discuss new policies and lessons learned from around the Navy. For most of the day, panels representing different groups of Sailors or minorities discussed barriers they faced during their service. Many panels allowed open questions and answers, further enabling DEI dialogue. Keynote speaker Rear Adm. (ret.) Jesse Wilson emphasized the importance of each pillar of DEI.

“When you institutionalize equity and inclusion in your force, diversity will follow naturally,” Wilson said. “Equity plus inclusion equals diversity. This event should not be a one-and-done. We need to institutionalize how we talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion and how we get everyone on board with these basic leadership principles. These will lead to a stronger and more cohesive fighting force, one needed for the current power competition.

The symposium gave leaders information on the value of DEI and how to incorporate it into all levels of leadership and decision-making. Topics and speakers touched on DEI in several areas, including officer accession and recruiting grooming standards, and work-life balance.

In closing, McLane charged everyone in attendance to turn the proposals discussed at the symposium into action.

“We have to take the notes from this symposium out to the fleet,” said McLane. “We have to spread the word. This is just like maintenance; it needs to be done 100% of the time.”

The CNSF DEI Symposium was established as a direct response to Adm. Gilday’s call to “identify and remove racial barriers, improve inclusion efforts, create new opportunities for professional development, and eliminate obstacles.”

Source: United States Navy

The day prior, on April 3, the Navy League held a day-long STEM Expo where different exhibits demonstrated ideas and mechanics in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“This STEM Expo is designed to attract young men and women in our underserved communities,” said Mike Stevens, retired master chief petty officer of the Navy and current CEO of the Navy League of the United States. “We want to introduce them to STEM in a maritime space. We’d love to one day see these young men and women become the shipbuilders of America, the aircraft designers of America that support the sea services.”

Day one of the SAS Expo started with a Chiefs Leadership Panel where Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations (CNO), spoke alongside Gen. David Berger, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, and Adm. Karl Schultz, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard. The panel discussed what maritime forces were doing to deal with growing threats of all types, evolving changes, and challenges faced in the post-pandemic world.

“What it boils down to is fielding and investing in a combat creditable force that can deter,” said Gilday. “If you look at the investments we’re making in the force that we’re fielding this decade, whether it’s [in the] light amphibious warships or unmanned [technology], the transitions are really what we’re hoping come alive in the 2030s. This is an evolutionary process, and I think the budget reflects that.”

The CNO spoke on technologies equipped on Navy vessels and how the budget gives life to key innovations. He addressed the warfighting front but didn’t leave out the elements that aren’t vessels.

“In the human weapon systems, the investments we’re making in Ready Relevant Learning and live virtual constructive training are significant, in fact, groundbreaking,” said Gilday. “In the space and cyber domain, we’re making investments in afloat targeting cells that are groundbreaking in terms of what they deliver to the fleet commander in terms of being able to create effects downrange.”

The panel of Navy Autonomy and Advanced Autonomous Technologies expanded on the production and development of unmanned surface and undersea vehicles. Rear Adm. Casey Moton, Program Executive Office, Unmanned and Small Combatants, moderated the panel and discussed the mission and functions of the new autonomy directive, how autonomy is integrated, and the implementation path ahead of the technologies.

“Some amazing things are going on around us in terms of technology,” said Moton. “If you think about advanced computing, artificial intelligence, advance networks, and communications, all of these things are happening at the same time. I believe they are going to change the way we operate in the same way naval aviation changed the way we operated 100 years ago.”

Moton said he believes in Gilday’s vision of the Navy becoming a hybrid fleet of manned and unmanned vessels. This is a vision already being manifested. Moton said the unmanned systems that has fielded will become more capable and extensions of the battle force.

“They’re going to become the eyes and ears of the fleet,” said Moton. “They’re going to enable our Sailors and ships to become much more effective as a team. Sailors that work in oceanography already know we have a fleet of unmanned systems out there. Over the next 5 to10 years, I believe you’ll see the Navy transform into this hybrid fleet the CNO talks about.”

Day two kicked off with a women’s leadership panel where women leaders from the Navy, the Marines, and Coast Guard discussed milestones and accomplishments women have made across the services within recent decades. The panel held a conversation about gender equality and how the services are strengthened by women holding high-ranking positions.

We talked about envisioning a future where women and men fit and what that might look like in each service,” said Navy Capt. Emily Bassett, president of the Sea Service Leadership Association. “We talked about simple things someone can do to make that happen such as mentoring young women. Specifically, what we wanted to get out was to come to the joint women’s leadership symposium where we’ll do what we did today but for a full two days.”

The 100 Years of Aircraft Carrier Operations panel brought together aircraft carrier commanding officers from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS George Washington (CVN 73), USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), and USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) to discuss the heritage and evolution of carriers as well as how their presence provides warfighters options with multi-mission capabilities and the future of carrier aviation.

“Each of the speakers talked about their Sailors,” said Capt. Paul Lanzilotta, commanding officer, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). “We talked about how important and resilient Sailors are. One speaker spoke about the WWII generation won the war for the United States and how our current generation of Sailors are no different, if not better.”

Lanzilotta talked about the Sailors aboard his ship, saying he wants them to continue the emphasis on excellence. He said they can look forward to a little more technology in their lives, and his Sailors are much more knowledgeable about networks, computers, and digital control of things happening on the flight deck. Even though technology continues to build, he has something he’s looking forward to in Sailors.

“My hope is the Sailors that we have working on all the gear that we have today come up with the next layers of ideas,” said Lanzilotta. “The ideas that take us to that next level. We have a lot of youth, a lot of expertise, [and] I’m eager to hear their ideas because I know that this old guy doesn’t have all the answers.”

During the Future of Naval Innovation panel, Rear Adm. Lorin Selby, chief of naval research, spoke about outsourcing to the private sector. The discussion addressed the need for new ways to introduce new capabilities to warfighters in both real and virtual experiments. The speakers addressed approaches to bring industry, academia, and government to the table to focus on solving both Sailor and Marine problems with speed and at scale.

Selby asked the questions and then provided his advice on the matters. Questions like how do we go faster? How do we move technology faster from an idea, from a company into the hands of the Sailor?

“It’s less about the thing and more about the process of moving the technology faster,” said Selby. “How do we do that? Contracting, different approaches to experimentation, and ways to bring the warfighters in earlier to play with the technology. We can look into, maybe, making the technology less hardware-centric and make it more software-centric and more about the data that you get from the device.”

During the discussion, Selby continued to focus on reimagining naval power. He said Sailors in the fleet are eager to adopt the technology they’re seeing in their personal lives, as part of the future of the Navy.

“Whatever device that you have, you have apps that you can get whenever you want; and when you’ve got that app, it gets updated routinely while you sleep. They want to have that kind of ability, to have that type of device in the fleet,” said Selby. “I think they are hungry to adopt technology that’s already adopted in the commercial sector. So, for that technology, we have to learn how to be fast followers of the industry. Instead of thinking we have to invent it ourselves, we need to adopt what they’ve already developed and start using it. That’s a different mindset.”

On day three, one of the major highlights of the expo was the Navy Shipyards of the Future panel. The panel discussed how the Navy is looking to modernize its public shipyards and update critical manufacturing infrastructure. The day concluded with the Sea-Air-Space luncheon with retired Adm. John Richardson and retired Adm. James Stavridis discussing international security issues and the impact of climate on national security.  

The Sea-Air-Space Expo is the largest maritime exposition in the U.S., and it was a good opportunity for first-time attendees to see the capabilities and camaraderie between our military branches.  

“This is my first time coming to Sea-Air-Space,” said Cmdr. Rey Cabana, an operations research analyst attached to Naval Supply Systems Command.  “I’m excited to see everything from all of the industrial partners we have worked with throughout the years so it’s good to see what they do for us in the Navy.” 

2022 Sea-Air-Space Expo concluded and left those who attend looking forward to seeing the advancement in technology from the sea services and seeing what next year brings.  

Source: United States Navy

Over the last two weeks, nearly 9,000 exercise participants from the AFP and U.S. military trained shoulder-to-shoulder from the northern coast of Luzon to Palawan, focusing on maritime security, amphibious operations, live-fire training, urban operations, aviation operations, counterterrorism, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

“After two years of a global pandemic, U.S. and Philippine forces have come together to complete one of the largest Balikatan exercises ever held,” said U.S. Embassy in the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Heather Variava. “This is a testament to the strength of the U.S.-Philippine alliance and the shared priorities of our countries.”

U.S. and Philippine exercise forces employed more than 50 aircraft, four ships, 10 amphibious craft, four High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers, and four Patriot missile systems during Balikatan 22. This year’s exercise also included approximately 40 personnel from the Australian Defense Force.

“The experience gained from exercise Balikatan complemented our security cooperation endeavors and helped enhance existing mutual security efforts,” said Maj. Gen. Charlton Sean Gaerlan, AFP Exercise Director for Balikatan 22. “Although there were limitations brought about by the pandemic, it is highly commendable that the exercise pushed through and generated and favorable outcome.”

During Balikatan 22, U.S. Army Patriot missile systems were employed in amphibious operations in the Philippines for the first time. The exercise also saw the inaugural deployment of the U.S. Marine Corps’ 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment (3d MLR), which was established in Hawaii on March 3.

AFP and U.S. forces experimented with sensors and fire support, and used expeditionary advanced bases (EABs) as the framework for an integrated coastal defense. Over the course of eight days, the 3d MLR partnered with the Philippine Marine Corps Coastal Defense Regiment and provided command and control over multiple EABs across northern Luzon. This coastal defense was further enhanced by two Patriot Missile Batteries from the U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment and HIMARS from 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines.

The U.S. Navy and Philippine Navy played key roles providing sealift and off-shore support.

“The completion of yet another successful Balikatan is a clear example of our shared commitment to advancing peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Brig. Gen. Joseph Clearfield, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific Deputy Commander. “As a result of our mutual efforts, our militaries have grown together in friendship, and we are better prepared to respond as one cohesive team to any crisis or challenge.”

The AFP and U.S. military also conducted multiple humanitarian and civic assistance projects, including the renovation of four elementary schools, multiple community health engagements, and the exchange of advanced emergency rescue and lifesaving techniques. These construction projects, health engagements, and community relations events improved local infrastructure, facilitated the exchange of lifesaving medical skills, and strengthened ties between local communities and Philippine and American military forces.

While Balikatan 22 comes to a close, the AFP and U.S. forces will continue to train and stand together routinely during other exercises and initiatives throughout the year to promote readiness, interoperability, friendship, and security.