Category: US Navy

Source: United States Navy (Fleet Command)

by Joint Force Command Norfolk Public Affairs

04 June 2021

ATLANTIC OCEAN —

Part one of a three-part Steadfast Defender exercise, ended near the coast of Portugal, May 30. Part one was a dynamic maritime multi-domain collective defense exercise led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, involving 19 ships from 11 allied nations and including more than 5,000 participants.

Commander, Joint Force Command Norfolk, Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, in support of NATO, led this year’s Steadfast Defender 21.

“Steadfast Defender provides an excellent opportunity for the Allies to strengthen an already strong relationship by engaging in multi-domain, interoperability training. It also plays a critical role on the path to interchangeability as the way we will ensure our collective defense in the future,” said Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis.

Steadfast Defender 2021 is a three-part series of multilateral military exercises taking place in the Atlantic and Europe. Part one is the maritime component focused on trans-Atlantic reinforcements. Part two focuses on the enablement of Supreme Allied Commander Europe Area of Responsibility (SACEUR), military mobility and the deployment of the NATO Response Force. Part three consists of additional multinational training which includes the U.S.-led exercise Saber Guardian in Romania in which NATO allies and partner nations perform redeployment operations back to their home stations.

During part one, the Allies focused on the ability to reinforce Europe with troops and resources from North America while Europe faced a simulated maritime attack. The HMS Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group conducted a scripted attack while NATO Navy assets simulated a defense.

With a set defense, the Allies secured the sea lines of communication to deliver troops and resources on station on time. This simulation tested NATO’s adapted command structure and the unity and cooperation between North American and European NATO Allies.

U.S. 2nd Fleet served as the Maritime Component Command in tactical control of assigned units during the exercise. Employing maritime forces, ready to fight, across multiple domains in the Atlantic to ensure access, deter aggression, and defend U.S., allied and partner interests.

This is the first time 2nd Fleet has acted as the MCC in a NATO-led joint multi-lateral exercise. Canadian Rear Adm. Steven Waddell, vice commander of 2nd Fleet, led the team embarked on MCC effort aboard the command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20).

“NATO is the bedrock of our enduring trans-Atlantic security and serves to underpin our shared values of democracy and the rule of law,” said Waddell. “2nd Fleet’s role as the MCC for the exercise demonstrates our commitment to NATO. And our capability to coordinate Allied forces collectively assures security in the Atlantic.”

Lewis said he was very pleased with the execution of Steadfast Defender, and impressed with the professionalism of all those involved.
“This live maritime training event tested our ability to fortify our seams in order to grow stronger as an Alliance, which was an impressive culmination of the planning efforts of our collective NATO team,” said Lewis.

There are several notable facts about STDE 21:

• The Maritime Air Operations Cell conducted more than 150 aircraft flights.

• Service members and assets from 11 NATO allied and partner nations were involved in the maritime live exercise.

• The MCC simulated Land Attack Cruise Missile (LACM) exercises against targets.

• Sixty-six staff members from 2nd Fleet embarked aboard the Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) in the Atlantic Ocean to command and control the exercise.

• Participating units included:

o MCC: U.S. 2nd Fleet onboard USS Mount Whitney

o UKCSG: UK – HMS Queen Elizabeth with embarked UK airwing,
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, HMS Diamond, HMS Richmond, HMS Kent, USS The Sullivans, HNLMS Evertsen, RFA Fort Victoria, RFA Tidespring

o IWOARG: USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, USS Carter Hall

o SNMG1: Canada – HMCS Halifax, Denmark – HDMS Absalon

o SNMG2: Spain – ESPS Mendez Nunez

o France – FS Normandie

o Portugal: NRP Alvarez Cabral, NRP Tridente

o Italy: ITS Andea Doria

o Germany: FGS Brandenburg

o Air Forces: Spanish Air Force – F/A 18, EF-2000; Portuguese Air Force – F-16, P2C-CUP; Turkish Air Force, US tanker, NATO E-3

o Aircraft: FRA Atlantique, US P-8, PRT P-3C, Joint Strike Fighter F-35B

Steadfast Defender 2021 is NATO’s flagship exercise for 2021, and focuses on collective defense based on a NATO Article 5 scenario. STDE 21 is the first in a new series of long-planned NATO exercises to ensure forces are trained, able to operate together, and ready to respond to any threat from any direction. This exercise demonstrates the value of North America and Europe working together to keep nations safe in a more challenging security environment, and seeks to enhance interoperability and military capabilities on air, land, and sea among NATO members for the purpose of deterring potential adversaries and assuring allies of NATO’s ability to defend them.

Source: United States Navy (Fleet Command)

class=”author-name”>by Joint Force Command Norfolk Public Affairs
04 June 2021

ATLANTIC OCEAN —

Commander, U.S. Second Fleet (C2F) and Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFCNF) communications staff broke barriers between North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and partners and U.S. Naval forces by establishing a system agnostic approach that allowed users to communicate in a common virtual environment during Exercise Steadfast Defender 21 (STDE 21).

During the first part of STDE 21, military service members and assets from 11 NATO member countries onboard 16 ships engaged in a multi-domain, multilateral, joint military exercise which involved extensive sea and air control events. U.S. Second Fleet served as the Maritime Component Command (MCC) in tactical control of assigned units during the exercise, employing maritime forces, ready to fight, across multiple domains in the Atlantic to ensure access, deter aggression, and defend U.S., allied and partner interests. Canadian Rear Adm. Steven Waddell, vice commander of C2F, led the team embarked aboard the command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20).

“The team’s innovative approach to establishing a NATO secret baseline, by leveraging existing architecture, allowed for rapid implementation of effective command and control across an allied task force without the need for costly and lengthy prior installations,” said Waddell.

It was vital that embarked staff members were able to effectively command, control, and communicate with fellow NATO partners on a common network, specifically, the NATO Secret Wide Area Network (NSWAN).

“One of the main goals of this exercise, from a communications perspective, was to enhance interoperability with our NATO allies and partners and demonstrate our dedication to the alliance,” said Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Murphy, C2F communications officer. “This meant that we needed to overcome communication barriers and establish access to NSWAN, while reducing the amount of national system use during a multinational mission.”

U.S. Navy computer systems are typically limited to a U.S.-based computer domain and rarely integrate with other domains except by email or limited web services. However, when other domains are needed onboard, the typical solution is to procure new domain specific hardware solutions. This usually means that a separate network is installed and that the new domain is now isolated from the existing infrastructure. Murphy says this is both disjointed and costly, so he and his team decided to use cloud based principles to ensure staff had full access to the NSWAN domain during the exercise.

“We implemented a Commercial- Off-The- Shelf (COTS) based solution that gave us access to the NSWAN domain. We were able to access many NSWAN resources by using the ship’s current infrastructure without the need for unique operational accounts, expensive hardware, additional technical support, or long timelines and install costs,” said Murphy. “We did this by creating a virtual office in the operational environment, which not only allowed us to have communication interoperability but it also allowed us to use a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to establish remote access to the NATO domain, this essentially allowed us to telework while out at sea.”

This exercise was the first to pioneer the U.S. use of a VDI solution into a NATO environment. Another cross domain highlight was that exercise leaders could communicate with multiple enclaves from a single console without ever changing seats to do so. This was accomplished by bridging three separate communication systems: Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPR), Battlefield Information Collection and Exploitation Systems (BICES), and NATO Initial Data Transfer Services (NIDTS) with NSWAN. Murphy believes leveraging proven COTS solutions is the 21st century way forward to sustainable communication systems in the Navy.

“We should continue to develop our system agnostic approach as much as possible for efficient communications. By continuing to commit more resources into connection agreements, access policies, and application interoperability, while reducing hardware procurement and stovepipe solutions, we can expand our capabilities to quickly deploy into multi-domain operations,” said Murphy.

Source: United States Navy (Fleet Command)

class=”author-name”>by IWOARG Public Affairs
27 May 2021

SOUDA BAY, Greece —

The amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17), operating as part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Readiness Group (IWOARG), arrived in Souda Bay, Greece, May 27.

In Souda Bay, the ship expects to take on supplies and conduct maintenance in preparation for continuing its deployment.

“The Sailors and Marines aboard San Antonio have been working hard over the past few months of our deployment,” said Capt. Robert Bibeau, San Antonio’s commanding officer. “This port visit gives the crew a well-deserved break from regular operations for a few days, and it also gives us an opportunity to receive some supplies and to perform some minor maintenance around the ship that can’t be done easily while at sea.”

San Antonio is operating in the Atlantic Ocean in support of naval operations to maintain maritime stability and security in order to ensure access, deter aggression, and defend U.S., allied, and partner interests.

The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit have roughly 4,300 Sailors and Marines. The ARG-MEU is deployed to Sixth Fleet in support of regional NATO Allies and partners as well as U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.

The IWOARG consists of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), and the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17). Embarked detachments for the IWOARG include Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) Four, Fleet Surgical Team (FST) Six, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 26, Tactical Air Control Squadron (TACRON) 21, Naval Beach Group (NBG) Two, Beach Master Unit (BMU) Two, Assault Craft Unit (ACU) Two and Four, and Sailors from Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) Two.

The 24th MEU mission is to provide the United States with a forward-deployed, amphibious force-in-readiness capable of executing missions across the full spectrum of combat and military operations other than war and consists of four basic elements – a command element, a ground combat element, Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 1/8, a logistics combat element, Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 24, and an aviation combat element, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 162 Reinforced.

U.S. Sixth Fleet, 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.

For the latest details about USS San Antonio follow: USS San Antonio LPD 17 on Facebook.

Source: United States Navy (Fleet Command)

class=”author-name”>by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO Fleet Public Affairs
22 May 2021

OEIRAS, Portugal —

Exercise At-Sea Demo/Formidable Shield’s live-fire Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) environment is the most ambitious demonstration to date and the only event with actual destruction of ballistic missiles in space within Europe. The exercise, which takes place May 15 to June 3, 2021, provides the opportunity to demonstrate the ability to conduct land and sea based defense against simultaneous cruise and ballistic missile threats with coordinated command and control.

“At-Sea-Demo/Formidable Shield allows Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) headquarters command and control of a multinational force to provide capable, credible deterrence against aggression,” said Royal Marines Col. Andrew Lock, Assistant Chief of Staff Operations at STRIKFORNATO.  “These types of exercises demonstrate our technical and tactical capabilities to defend the Alliance.”

This year, as the command and control node for NATO forces, STRIKFORNATO is conducting the exercise between the ten participating nations as they work together to respond to integrated air and missile defense threats. Serving as the critical link to integrate the complex sea, land, air, and space systems from multiple nations into a task force, the staff is focused on strengthening their ability to share common tactical pictures, share situational awareness, and conduct NATO-level mission planning and engagement coordination.

“Several live-fire and simulated engagements against subsonic, supersonic, and ballistic targets demonstrations will take place during the exercise, including the first defensive live-intercept of a ballistic missile using multinational data systems to track the target,” said U.S Navy Cmdr. Brett Lefever, Deputy Integrated Missile Defense branch at STRIKFORNATO.  “The multinational cooperation for a ballistic missile intercept in outer space is truly remarkable and proves the Alliance’s commitment to interoperability and defense.”

To fully support the complex nature of the exercise, STRIKFORNATO responded by standing up a Joint Operations Center in Oeiras, Portugal and a forward-deployed staff at-sea onboard the Spanish Álvaro de Bazán-class frigate ESPS Cristóbal Colón (F-105), which is the designated flagship of the Commander, Task Group Integrated Air and Missile Defense, Capt. Jonathan Lipps. Additional personnel support events taking place at the range control stations in the U.K.

STRIKFORNATO is a rapidly deployable headquarters that provides scalable command and control across the full spectrum of the alliance’s fundamental security tasks. As part of that mission, STRIKFORNATO is responsible for integrating U.S. naval and amphibious forces into NATO operations.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

 

Source: United States Navy (Fleet Command)

class=”author-name”>by U.S. Sixth Fleet
21 May 2021

NAPLES, Italy —

The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (IWOARG) and the embarked 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) reached a new milestone of 90 days underway with zero COVID-19 cases since the beginning of their deployment, May 21, 2021.

“The safety of our Sailors and Marines is a top priority and preventing COVID-19 is one way to keep our personnel safe and fully mission capable,” said Capt. Darren Nelson, commodore, Amphibious Squadron Four. “By maintaining high mission readiness we are able to consistently support our partners and allies.”

The roughly 4,300 Sailors and Marines of the IWOARG and 24th MEU have participated in several NATO exercises, bi-lateral exercises, distinguished visitor visits, and ports of call during this 90 day period. In addition, Sailors and Marines are stationed at shore locations throughout the SIXTH Fleet area of operations. There have been zero cases of COVID-19 during this time.

“The COVID-19 prevention and mitigation measures we practice with our Navy counterparts directly contributes to our sustainment of a healthy and resilient fighting force,” said U.S. Marine Corps Col. Eric D. Cloutier, commanding officer, 24th MEU. “Keeping our Marines and Sailors healthy allows us to maintain a high operational tempo, ensuring that we remain ready to carry out our mission.”

After reaching the 30-day mark underway without a case of COVID-19 the entire ARG/MEU relaxed some COVID mitigation procedures while maintaining their COVID-free bubble. Gyms and barbershops re-opened, distancing restrictions during meal hours were reduced, and masks were made optional for wear.

Prior to embarkation every Sailor and Marine participated in a mandatory restriction-of-movement (ROM) for 14 days. Additionally, over 94% of the ARG/MEU voluntarily opted to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

“What makes the IWOARG and 24th MEU 90 days COVID free unique is that the ships have had port visits in Europe and the ships have had distinguished guests aboard,” said Capt. William Wallace, officer in charge of Fleet Surgical Team Six. “In those events we might have seen someone contract COVID-19 yet with our thorough mitigation efforts we were able to protect our most vital asset, Sailors and Marines.”

The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit have roughly 4,300 Sailors and Marines. The ARG-MEU is deployed to Sixth Fleet in support of regional NATO Allies and partners as well as U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.

The IWOARG consists of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), and the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17). Embarked detachments for the IWOARG include Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 4, Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 6, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 26, Tactical Air Control Squadron (TACRON) 21, Naval Beach Group (NBG) 2, Beach Master Unit (BMU) 2, Assault Craft Unit (ACU) 2 and ACU-2, and Sailors from Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 2

The 24th MEU mission is to provide the United States with a forward-deployed, amphibious force-in-readiness capable of executing missions across the full spectrum of combat and military operations other than war and consists of four basic elements – a command element, a ground combat element, Battalion Landing Team (BLT) 1/8, a logistics combat element, Combat Logistics Battalion (CLB) 24, and an aviation combat element, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 162 Reinforced.

U.S. Sixth Fleet, 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 (Medical)

The Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit Two (NEPMU Two) celebrates its 75th anniversary, March 30, 2024, on Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. Established on March 10, 1949, the Fleet Epidemic Disease Control Units (FEDCUs), now known as the Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Units (NEPMUs), were born out of a necessity to address health concerns faced by Navy and Marine Corps personnel, particularly in the realms of environmental health and preventive medicine.

During the event, retired Cmdr. Leyton Turner, an industrial hygiene officer, previously with the Military Sealift Command, participated as a guest speaker for the event. Mr. Turner began by reflecting on the origins of the FEDCUs, as well as the industrial hygiene laboratories that were eventually consolidated into today’s Comprehensive Industrial Hygiene Laboratories (CIHLs) embedded in NEPMU Two and NEPMU Five.

Mr. Turner highlighted the legacy defined by innovation, excellence, and resilience, and summed-up the history by adding, “we continued to strive for better quality and better service year after year, and that’s the bottom line.”

When the FEDCUs were established in 1949, the U.S. Navy FEDCU One was established in Norfolk, Virginia, evolving from the World War II-era epidemiology unit 24. In 1971 the unit became the Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit Two. In its 75-year history, NEPMU Two has provided garrison preventive medicine support to Department of Navy (DoN) commands throughout the eastern continental United States (CONUS) and has deployed personnel to deliver advanced preventive medicine capabilities in all geographic combatant commands.

Over the next seven and a half decades, the NEPMUs would evolve to meet changing occupational, industrial, environmental, and vector-borne threats to the naval force. The NEPMUs incorporated increasingly complex and capable preventive and analytic equipment, adapting its mission to encompass a wide range of force health protection services. They would go on to expand their scope of disease prevention and mitigation, ultimately extending to broad and diverse areas as food safety, ship and shore water system safety, disease vector control, advanced chemical/biological/radiological threat detection, occupational health threat assessment, and industrial hygiene laboratory analysis – ensuring comprehensive protection for DoN and joint personnel in every facet of their service.

Today, NEPMU Two staffs, trains, equips, and deploys three of navy medicine’s six active duty Forward Deployable Preventive Medicine Units (FDPMUs), and continues to provide garrison preventive medicine consultation and response to DoN Installations, military treatment facilities, and operational commands throughout the eastern CONUS and U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) areas of responsibility.

“Mr. Turner reminded us of our rich history, where we came from, and why these units were established,” said Cmdr. John Owings, officer in charge of NEPMU Two. “He also taught us the names and faces of many individuals who essentially invented and built not only NEPMU Two and our Navy CIHLs, but our entire Navy public health enterprise. We all get caught-up in the daily grind, and we are very fortunate to have this opportunity to reflect on our long history, and to remember where we come from, why we come to work every day, and ultimately, that we do this to protect the Sailors, Marines, and civilians who have to be ready to fight, and be kept in the fight when it happens.”

Looking ahead to the future, NEPMU Two and its sister NEPMUs remain poised to continue their legacy of excellence and steadfast commitment to their mission. As it embarks on the next chapter, NEPMU Two reaffirms its dedication to innovation, readiness, and service, ensuring that the health and well-being of Sailors, Marines, and our Joint partners are protected for the next 75 years and beyond.

Story originally posted on DVIDS: Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit Two Celebrates 75 Years of Excellence 

Source: United States Navy Pacific Fleet 1

SASEBO, Japan – Capt. Patrick German relieved Capt. Kelly Fletcher as Commodore of Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 11, during a change of command ceremony held on the fo’c’sle of the forward deployed amphibious assault ship, USS America (LHA 6), while in port in Sasebo, Japan, April 11.