Category: United States of America

Source: United States Navy

“As we talk about climate readiness as mission readiness, Gen. Middendorp’s experience demonstrates it,” Berger said. “His message resonates with us as we work to build a climate-ready force. From increasing temperatures and sea levels to droughts and wildfires, climate change threatens our forces, communities and economies. Being a climate-ready force enables us to fight and win around the globe while anticipating, preparing for, recovering from, and adapting to the evolving climate and security future.”

According to Middendorp’s book, “The Climate General,” he made news following a 2016 speech after declaring, “Climate change is a cause of conflict,” adding that “the security sector was not paying enough attention to the climate and its impact on our existence.” His nickname was subsequently dubbed.

Middendorp discussed his time serving in Afghanistan fighting the Taliban and how, despite brief success of clearing them from a local area, his team did not fully solve the problem as the Taliban would repeatedly return.

“It took a while before we understood what was going on there. We found out that it was all about water scarcity,” he said. “These were all farmers in an agricultural environment. They all needed water, and there wasn’t enough water. The Taliban jumped in to decide who got the water. That gave them enormous leverage over these [farmers] and the local population.”

Once Middendorp’s team realized the issue, they flew in water management experts who were able to negotiate a solution to divide the water among the population.

“Once that solution was accepted in the local population, it became quiet,” he said. “A year later after mediating the solution, I could walk through the main street with our current [Dutch] king with very limited protection, which shows the enormous turnaround that happened in that village. It shows that you can win fights not just by fighting, but also by addressing root causes. And one of the main root causes has to do with climate change.”

Middendorp also provided a broader perspective on how climate impacts global security and the importance of addressing issues now. He discussed increasing global competition, regional disruption, severe weather events, climate policies and legislation, and new opportunities, all of which offered compelling narratives to help communicate the issue of climate change.

He emphasized to the attendees the importance of their roles.

“All of you working in this team, working on this topic of climate and security, I want to encourage you to take up this fight,” he said. “You are on the front line of future security. This is about the future.”

Middendorp served in the Royal Netherlands Army for 38 years. His last assignment in uniform was as the Chief of Defence of the Dutch Armed Forces, serving as the senior military advisor to the Minister of Defence.

He spent much of his career advocating for not only clean energy conversion, but also reducing the amount of environmentally harmful energy sources.

“As a former service member, I know what the price of war is,” Middendorp has previously stated. “Where there is war, there is no room for climate mitigation and adaptation. This makes it imperative to work on both ends. Climate and conflict are two sides of the same coin; we need security and stability to address climate change, while dealing with climate change can help reduce the conflict sensitivity in fragile areas around the world.”

Throughout his career, he commanded troops at all levels, led a large multinational task force in southern Afghanistan and was involved in more than 20 international military missions.

Since 2019, he has been chairman of the International Military Council on Climate and Security.

In May 2022, the Department of the Navy released Climate Action 2030 in which Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro recognized climate change as one of the most destabilizing forces of our time and charged the Department with building a climate-ready force.

The Navy and Marine Corps considers climate impacts, risks, and opportunities in all relevant guidance and decision-making processes to improve effectiveness, efficiency and resilience.

Berger is responsible for providing oversight and policy for Navy and Marine Corps energy and climate resilience; infrastructure sustainment, restoration and modernization; military construction; acquisition, utilization and disposal of real property and facilities; environmental protection, planning, restoration and natural resources conservation; and safety and occupational health.

Source: United States Navy

Fargo Navy Week brings Sailors from across the fleet to the area to emphasize the importance of the Navy to Fargo, the state of North Dakota, and the nation.

More than 50 Sailors will participate in education and community outreach events throughout the city.

Participating Navy assets include the Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, USS North Dakota (SSN 784), Navy Band Great Lakes, USS Constitution, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command,  Naval History and Heritage Command, Ceremonial Guard Drill Team, Navy Talent Acquisition Group Northern Plains, Navy Reserve Center Fargo, U.S. Fleet Forces, U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Office of Small Business Programs, and Navy Esports.

The Navy’s senior executive is Adm. Stuart Munsch, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe/Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Africa/Commander, Allied Joint Forces Command, Naples. Munsch is a native of Oakes, North Dakota and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Munsch assumed his current role in June 2022 as commander of Allied Joint Force Command, located in Naples, Italy. During Navy Week, he is participating in community engagements, a proclamation ceremony and engaging with local businesses, civic, education, and government leaders.

Navy Weeks are a series of outreach events coordinated by the Navy Office of Community Outreach designed to give Americans an opportunity to learn about the Navy, its people, and its importance to national security and prosperity. Since 2005, the Navy Week program has served as the Navy’s flagship outreach effort into areas of the country without a significant Navy presence, providing the public a firsthand look at why the Navy matters to cities like Fargo.

“Sailors are the reason America’s Navy is the most powerful in the world,” said NAVCO’s director, Cmdr. Julie Holland. “We are thrilled to bring your Navy Warfighters to Fargo. At Navy Weeks, Americans will connect with Sailors who have strong character, competence, and dedication to the mission, and who continue a nearly 250-year tradition of decisive power from seabed to cyberspace.”

Throughout the week, Sailors will participate in various community events and projects across the area, including engaging with youth at the YMCA summer camps, Fargo Library, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Red River Valley, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, Great Plains Food Bank, 4 Luv of Dog Rescue, amongst many others. They’ll also participate in a Red River Cleanup and sled hockey competition with Hope Inc. The Navy Band Great Lakes has free scheduled performances at the Fargo Airsho opening ceremony, Red River Valley Zoo, Red River Market and other venues throughout the week.

Mayor Tim Mahoney, The City of Fargo and leadership from surrounding communities will hold a Proclamation Ceremony, at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 25, in the Commission Chambers at Fargo City Hall. Admiral Stuart Munsch will accept the Proclamation, Sailors from the USS North Dakota (SSN 784), will attend, and the Navy Band Great Lakes Brass Ambassadors and Ceremonial Guard will perform.

Fargo Navy Week is one of 15 Navy Weeks in 2024, which brings a variety of assets, equipment, and personnel to a single city for a weeklong series of engagements designed to bring America’s Navy closer to the people it protects. Each year, the program reaches more than 130 million people — about half the U.S. population.

Media organizations wishing to cover Fargo Navy Week events should contact Lt. Cmdr. Jill Brown at (214) 402-4444 or jill.m.brown2.mil@us.navy.mil

Source: United States Navy

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global has promoted Dr. Marcus Tepaske to the role of Technical Director, where he will lead experts in finding cutting-edge technologies and solutions and getting them into the hands of Sailors and Marines.

Tepaske, who officially started in his new position on July 1, previously served as an ONR Global science director in Singapore from 2022 to 2024.

“Dr. Tepaske brings a wealth of experience and expertise in fostering international research collaborations in emerging science and technology for our future fleet and force,” said ONR Global Commanding Officer Capt. Andy Berner. “With a strong background working at ONR, and a long history of building productive partnerships, he is poised to make even more significant contributions to our mission.”

ONR Global provides worldwide science and technology (S&T)-based solutions for current and future naval challenges. The command reaches out to the broad global technical community and the operational fleet to cultivate cooperation in areas of mutual interest and to bring the full range of possibilities to the Navy and Marine Corps.

Tepaske will lead more than 50 scientists, technologists and engineers with a physical presence on five continents, and bridge the gap between emerging science and technology and warfighters at home and abroad.

Tepaske’s prior tenure at ONR Global includes rotations as the director of Experimentation and Analysis, as well as science advisor to U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Marine Corps Forces Command and II Marine Expeditionary Force. During those assignments, he made significant contributions to the ONR Global mission, including deployments to Afghanistan and aboard the USS BUSH CVN in support of naval science and technology.

Tepaske has extensive experience in both Navy and Marine Corps weapons system integration through his work as the ONR Fires Thruster deputy program manager and as the deputy program manager for the Navy’s Patrol Coastal Griffin Missile System.

Previously, Tepaske spent 10 years at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, working on a broad spectrum of technology development programs, some of which deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

Tepaske earned a Bachelor’s of Science in mechanical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic and State University, and a Master’s of Engineering Management and Doctorate of Engineering from Old Dominion University.

Cherish T. Gilmore is a contractor for ONR Corporate Strategic Communications.

Source: United States Navy

Commissioned in December 1995, the nation’s seventh Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier entered RCOH in May 2021, under a $3 billion contract with NNS. The overhaul is now more than 65 percent complete and tracking for redelivery in October 2026.

Aircraft carriers enter refueling complex overhauls at the mid-point of their 50-plus-year lifespan, incorporating upgrades to propulsion equipment, infrastructure and electronic systems. After NNS flooded the dry dock with more than 100 million gallons of water, the ship moved to the shipyard’s outfitting berth, where shipyard workers and crew will complete the installation and testing of major components and combat support systems.

Rear Adm. Casey J. Moton, Commander, Program Executive Office Aircraft Carriers, recognized the important milestone, adding that the next phase of the ship’s overhaul will deliver impressive new technologies to support the Navy’s warfighters, enabling John C. Stennis to meet operational taskings during another 25-plus years of service.
“When John C. Stennis redelivers, she’ll be the most technologically advanced Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in the Navy,” Moton said. “She’ll bring to the fleet the highest level of capability across all mission sets.”

Moton also acknowledged that the shipyard and Navy team have been navigating several challenges and working under an extended redelivery schedule due both to mandatory growth work following ship condition assessments, as well as industrial base challenges.

“The Navy-Industry team is dealing with the lingering effects of a post-COVID industrial base—one that includes a reduced or unstable capability and capacity along with challenges in workforce recruitment, retention and proficiency. However, the bottom line is that fleet operators need us to deliver these capital assets to our warfighters ready for tasking, so we are working on a daily basis with our industry partners and within the Navy to accelerate problem solving and to speed production on the deck plates—all focused on delivering readiness. I am proud of our entire team for achieving this important production milestone towards redelivering USS John C. Stennis to the fleet.”

Capt. Mark Johnson, manager of the PEO Aircraft Carriers In-Service Aircraft Carrier Program Office, said that the Navy-Industry team is leveraging lessons learned from the Navy’s previous RCOHs, especially on USS George Washington (CVN 73), which was redelivered in May 2023.

“Recognizing the changing workforce demographics coming out of the COVID pandemic, the combined Navy/Shipbuilder team has taken measurable steps to improve the level of support to the mechanic or sailor actually performing work on the ship by leveraging new digital management tools and processes,” said Johnson.

More than 25 million total man-hours of work will go into John C. Stennis’ RCOH, with crews refitting and installing a new square and tapered mast, accommodating state-of-the-art defense and communications systems, updates to the ship’s shafts, refurbished propellers, and modernized aircraft launch and recovery equipment.

“RCOH construction enhances nearly every space and system on the carrier, beyond the most critical requirement to defuel and refuel the ship’s two nuclear reactors and to repair and upgrade the propulsion plant,” Johnson said. “We work on every part of the ship, from the hull, screws and rudders to more than 600 tanks; thousands of valves, pumps and piping components; electrical cables and ventilation; as well as combat and aviation support systems. It’s demanding, complex work that challenges every member of the planning team, shipyard crews and ship’s force.”

During the upcoming outfitting and testing phase, shipbuilders will complete the overhaul and installation of the ship’s major components and test its electronics, combat and propulsion systems. This period will also focus on improving the ship’s living areas and the general quality of life for the sailors, including crew living spaces, galleys and mess decks.

From Program Executive Office Aircraft Carriers Public Affairs. 
 

Source: United States Navy

NAWCAD installed a division of four Air Force F-22 Raptor cockpits into the Navy’s premier simulation test and training facility alongside its division of eight F-35 Lightning II cockpits in January.

“When America is engaged in conflict, the DOD will bring joint capability to bear from every service across all domains,” said NAWCAD Commander Rear Adm. John Dougherty IV. “We’ve replicated this ability in the Joint Simulation Environment, a force multiplier helping aviators deter aggression and—if necessary—prevail in conflict.”

The new addition of fifth-generation fighter simulators brings Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and allied partners into the hyper-realistic digital range that consists of cockpits, domed simulators with 4K projectors and aircraft software to enable pilots to fly wartime scenarios in a near-exact virtual environment. Tactical groups training in NAWCAD’s JSE fly more sorties over one week than they do over a year on open-air ranges.

“Open-air ranges are extremely constrained with safety limitations that prevent warfighters from training like they’d fight,” said NAWCAD JSE Director Blaine Summers. “The JSE is where fifth-gen fighters train to hone their tactics and fight like their lives depend on it.”

Developed by Navy engineers and industry partners, NAWCAD’s JSE is a powerful training and test facility designed to adapt and grow, utilizing hardware and software from actual DOD aircraft, weapons and other defense systems. The JSE has all the equipment and experts needed to keep the facility running smoothly from its cockpits, to its software and simulators, to its mission debriefing rooms where pilots get feedback on their performance during training.

In this highly realistic digital range, aviators experience the consequences of their mistakes, including mission failure, loss of systems and even loss of life. The JSE enables pilots to learn those hard lessons, immediately adjust, fly again and continue the learning process to become a highly capable tactical aviator.

The JSE was initially designed to support F-35 Lightning’s operational testing as there was no way to safely and adequately represent real-world conflict on an open-air range. Today, the DOD is scaling the Navy’s technology for additional digital range facilities supporting programs like F-35, F-22 and E-2D. In addition, the DOD has made training in the JSE a formal part of the Navy’s Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program—commonly known as TOPGUN.

Over the next year, NAWCAD will incorporate additional test and training cockpits including the F/A-18 Hornet, EA-18 Growler and E-2 platforms to train fighters for future flight lines. The warfare center will also deploy its second training system onboard a Navy carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).

From the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division public affairs.