Category: United States of America

Source: United States Navy

Over the course of three days, over 100 military and civilian installation planners and commanding officers participated in the workshop geared towards increasing their knowledge of installation management-related Title 10 authorities related to real estate, intergovernmental support agreements (IGSA), energy and other transactional authorities.

Over 240 installation management personnel across Navy and Marine Corps Installation commands attended the interactive educational sessions on authorities granted by Congress in public law. Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Facilities, Ms. Brenda Johnson-Turner, spearheaded the series in 2024 with east coast and west coast workshops where Navy lawyers provide foundational education on authorities while subject matter experts from Navy and Marine Corps installations share how they leverage them. The combination of experts assists participants in finding creative solutions to installation and infrastructure challenges, providing best practice examples and solutions for the unique challenges they face.

The mix of educational material and focused time and recommendations from subject matter experts at the workshops has supercharged Navy and Marine Corps installation personnel to work together to find creative solutions beyond traditional military construction, and facilities sustainment and modernization funding.

“Over the last two plus decades, the Navy and Marine Corps have had to make tough budget decisions on where to take risk, and often, that risk has been taken in installation infrastructure and facilities by not funding required maintenance and sustainment,” said Ms. Johnson-Turner. “Increasing our knowledge of the numerous authorities Congress has granted to the Department of Defense across real estate, energy, and IGSAs, in particular, will allow installation planners and commanding officers to develop creative solutions to these infrastructure challenges as demands for military construction and facility sustainment dollars far outpace available funding.”

The DON will host additional Title 10 workshops in April and May 2025 to train over 300 installation support personnel this year.

Source: United States Navy

U.S. Navy Capt. Lee Stuart, JMIC director, along with representatives of Combined Task Force (CTF) 153 of the Combined Maritime Forces, briefed ships’ masters, senior officers and corporate security managers on the current Middle East region maritime security situation, specifically in the Red Sea. CTF 153 is responsible for maritime security in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Western Gulf of Aden.

“The Red Sea attacks highlighted the gap in understanding between commercial shipping and navies. JMIC aims to bridge that gap and increase cooperation to help keep mariners and passengers safe at sea,” said Stuart.

Stuart also outlined JMIC’s role, composition, operations and range of information products, including its incident-specific Information Notes and monthly reports with rolling statistical analysis.

“The cruise industry is highly competitive, rapidly growing, sets schedules years ahead and must keep passenger safety as paramount,” he said.

Stuart also introduced JMIC’s Bridge Emergency Reference Cards, which guide bridge crews on actions to take before, during and after an incident.

The deepening engagement comes as cruise operators and other commercial shipping operators cautiously evaluate the risk of returning to the Red Sea.

“The cruise industry has some difficult decisions to make in response to the region’s complex and dynamic regional security situation,” Stuart said. “JMIC has a vital role to play in giving them reliable information to help their decision-making.”

The Joint Maritime Information Center, initially formed in February 2024 to engage commercial shipping stakeholders regarding Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, recently became a permanent part of Combined Maritime Forces with a broader, region-wide mandate.

Similar cruise industry engagements are planned for the future. JMIC also welcomes engagement from shipping industry stakeholders via its LinkedIn page at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jmic.

Source: United States Navy

More than 80 Reservists took part in the ninth iteration of IMX, the largest multinational training event in the Middle East. IMX involved 5,000 personnel from more than 30 nations and international organizations committed to preserving the rules-based international order and strengthening regional maritime security cooperation.
During the exercise, Reservists supported NAVCENT exercise serials for maritime operations, including intelligence briefings, logistics planning, and responses to medical emergencies — all designed to prepare them to fill the roles of their active-component counterparts at a moment’s notice while also working alongside partner nations.

The immersive training brought many Reservists to the Maritime Operations Center and provided valuable experiences needed if called upon for duty.

“This iteration of IMX featured more real world involvement of more real world elements than other exercises I have been a part of as a Navy Reservist,” said Chief Operations Specialist Brendan McLendon. “To be on the watch floor and knowing that there are real ships underway, executing real events, made IMX an all-encompassing exercise I was happy to be a part of.”
Intelligence Specialist 1st Class Christopher Stark was at his third IMX, and acknowledged the work alongside partner nations was more integrated than previous editions.
“I was not able to work alongside each nation represented at IMX, but the ones I did work alongside were very professional,” said Stark. “They brought a lot of different knowledge and experience with them and to the methods they approach each scenario, which was interesting to learn.”

“If we did have a need to work alongside our partner nations, having this kind of preexisting relationship already in place is a good thing,” added McLendon.

Rear Adm. Jeff Jurgemeyer, the NAVCENT/C5F vice commander, participated fully in IMX 25 and addressed the 83 reserve Sailors at the culmination of the exercise.

“I hope you all had a worthwhile experience here in Bahrain during IMX,” said Jurgemeyer.
Also, he reinforced, that in an increasingly dynamic global security environment, exercises such as IMX display the critical role reserve Sailors play in current operations.

“The importance of what you all bring to NAVCENT and 5th Fleet in providing the support to be able to come in here is widely recognized. I get a lot of positive fededback about you all and they really appreciate that here. It can be hard for Vice Adm. Wikoff, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet, to tell who is a reservist and who is not, and that is certainly what I like to hear.”

NAVCENT/C5F is the maritime component commander of U.S. Central Command in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, which encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse comprises more than 20 countries and includes three critical choke points: the Suez Canal, and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Strait of Hormuz.

Source: United States Navy

To support the newly expanded JMIC mission, Royal Australian Navy Capt. Jorge McKee, Combined Task Force (CTF) 153 commander, transferred three Naval Cooperation and Guidance of Shipping (NCAGS) specialist officers to JMIC.

McKee with JMIC Director, U.S. Navy Capt. Lee Stuart, and JMIC Deputy Director, Republic of Singapore Navy Cmdr. Andrew Sim, to transfer the officers, who are from the Royal Netherlands and Royal Norwegian navies.

Since forming on Feb. 20, 2024, as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG), the international response to attacks on merchant mariners by Yemen-based Houthis terrorists, JMIC has enhanced understanding, information sharing and cooperation between naval and commercial shipping in the region.

Once responsibility for OPG transferred from CTF 153 to the U.S. Navy’s Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 50 on Feb. 1, JMIC expanded their operating area so they can provide the same level of service to the entire operating area.

JMIC’s regular information products now include incident monitoring, reporting and security assessments for the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman and Northwestern Indian Ocean in addition to the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab.

“These officers have been an integral part of this task force, bringing valuable specialist commercial shipping industry expertise to inform daily operational decisions that I, and the rest of the team, have greatly appreciated,” McKee said. “We look forward to seeing their expertise benefit all CMF task forces and shipping operators across the region.”

Stuart likened the officers to the first crew of a newly commissioned ship.

“These officers are JMIC ‘plank owners.’” Stuart said. “They comprise the first crew of a combined unit supporting the free flow of commerce and commercial mariner safety for years to come.”

JMIC welcomes engagement from shipping industry stakeholders via its new LinkedIn page at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jmic

Source: United States Navy

“Every time a nuclear-powered submarine ties up in HMAS Stirling, we take a meaningful step closer to establishing Submarine Rotational Force – West and a sovereign conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarine capability for Australia,” said Royal Australian Navy Rear Adm. Tom Phillips, the Australian Submarine Agency’s Head of Submarine Capability. “Each visit is unique with specific goals and objectives designed to ensure we are moving at pace to host the first rotational U.S. attack submarine in late 2027.”

This year, USS Minnesota (SSN 783) is conducting at-sea operations as part of the Submarine Command Course, a training program for naval officers preparing to take command of a submarine. At HMAS Stirling, the U.S. Navy will have the opportunity to share and compare procedures, such as weapons handling, with their Australian counterparts.

“U.S. Navy ships have been visiting Australia for long before I was even in the Navy. Our visit, today, is another step that continues progress towards establishing the Royal Australian Navy’s sovereign, conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine force,” said Cmdr. Jeffrey “J.” Cornielle, commanding officer, USS Minnesota (SSN 783). “Those of us who serve aboard these highly capable warships understand the power they bring to the fight.”

Announced in March 2023, the AUKUS Pillar I Optimal Pathway lays out the plan for Australia to acquire a sovereign conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine fleet beginning in the 2030s. The Optimal Pathway involves three phases. Phase 1 establishes SRF-West in 2027, which will have up to four U.S. and one U.K. attack submarines conducting operations out of HMAS Stirling. This phase builds the infrastructure, expertise, sustainment and stewardship capability required for Australia to operate and maintain a sovereign fleet of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.

Phase 2 delivers in the early 2030s, when Australia receives its first of three Virginia-class attack submarines purchased from the U.S. Phase 3 delivers both the U.K.’s and Australia’s enduring attack submarine capability, SSN-AUKUS, which will be built in both countries and include technologies from the three partner nations. Australia plans to deliver the first domestically built SSN-AUKUS in the early 2040s.

“AUKUS is a foundational partnership that demonstrates the United States’ confidence in Australia and commitment to allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Siriana Nair, the U.S. Consul General in Perth. “These port visits not only advance AUKUS but provide a great opportunity for our sailors to interact with and support the local community, reinforcing the longstanding friendship between the United States and Australia.”    

Minnesota is the fourth U.S. submarine to execute an AUKUS-specific port visit to HMAS Stirling since the Optimal Pathway announcement. USS North Carolina (SSN 777) conducted the first visit in August 2023, USS Annapolis (SSN 760) visited in March 2024 and, most recently, USS Hawaii (SSN 776) visited HMAS Stirling in August through September 2024.

“Each port visit provides an opportunity for our personnel to gain hands-on experience in sustaining and supporting nuclear-powered submarines,” said Phillips. “For this visit, Australian personnel will continue to develop the skills necessary to support nuclear-powered submarines and allowed us to exercise our infrastructure improvements.”

“As the lead maintenance activity for SRF-West, we will ensure the U.S. submarines are maintained to our standards while also training our Australian counterparts in how to keep them fit to fight,” said Capt. Ryan McCrillis, PHNSY & IMF commanding officer. “Right now, we have more than 120 Australians training in Pearl Harbor, actively contributing to our national security mission as they hone their Virginia-class maintenance skills. Ensuring their success and reinforcing this crucial partnership is one of our top priorities.”

The next port visit to HMAS Stirling, slated for later this year, will be a three-week submarine maintenance period.

“We have fewer than 1,000 days before we want to establish SRF-W, which means every day matters to the program and every hour an SSN is at HMAS Stirling provides an opportunity to continue to support our Australian counterparts,” said Rear Adm. Lincoln Reifsteck, the U.S. AUKUS Integration and Acquisition (I&A) director. “Port visits are working periods that provide Australians with the ability to learn and gain proficiency maintaining a nuclear-powered warship – something that doesn’t happen too often. This will move Australia closer to the goal of maintaining their own sovereign nuclear-powered submarine fleet.”

The AUKUS security agreement strengthens the allied nations’ lethality and warfighting capabilities, enhances readiness by adding capacity and resilience to the submarine industrial base, and supports a stable Indo-Pacific region by operating more high-end allied warships in the region to deter aggression and win in combat.

The AUKUS I&A Program Office is the U.S. Navy office responsible for executing the trilateral partnership to assist Australia in acquiring conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarines at the earliest possible date while setting the highest nuclear stewardship standards and continuing to maintain the highest nonproliferation standard.