MAYPORT, Fla. — The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Milwaukee (LCS 5), along with the “Dragon Whales” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 28 Detachment 9 and embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), departed from Naval Station Mayport Oct. 18, starting its second deployment this year to support U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations, said Lt. Anthony Junco of Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Two in an Oct. 19 release. 

Milwaukee will support counter-illicit trafficking in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific. Milwaukee’s operations will also involve exercises and exchanges with partner nations, supporting U.S. 4th Fleet efforts to enhance capability and improve interoperability e while reinforcing the Fleet’s position as the regional partner of choice. 
 
Deploying an LCS to the region demonstrates the U.S. commitment to regional security. The ship’s size, speed and agility make LCS ideal for narcotics interdictions, partner engagements and port access. 
 
“This crew is excited to take the ship on another deployment to 4th Fleet. We have some new Sailors that are looking forward to see new parts of the world, and the Sailors who deployed last time are ready to execute their mission once again,” said Cmdr. Brian A. Forster, commanding officer of Milwaukee. “The interoperability and exercise with our partner nations were the highlight of last deployment and we look forward to doing the same. Building peace through partnership is a core aspect of any deployment and the Sailors of USS Milwaukee are looking forward to working with our allies.” 
 
Manned by more than 100 Sailors, Milwaukee’s crew will consist of surface warfare mission-package personnel, a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment and an aviation detachment, who will operate the embarked MH-60S helicopter. 
 
USS Milwaukee is operationally assigned to U.S. 2nd Fleet and is one of four littoral combat ships under Surface Division 21. 

MANAMA, Bahrain — U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) announced Oct. 19 the Indian Ocean island nation of the Seychelles has joined the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC), a multinational maritime coalition established in 2019 to deter attacks on commercial shipping in the Middle East. 

Seychelles becomes the tenth member of IMSC and its operational arm, Coalition Task Force Sentinel, which also welcomed Romania in March. Headquartered in Bahrain, IMSC is led by NAVCENT. 
 
“We are very excited to now welcome Seychelles, another great maritime partner in the region,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of NAVCENT, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces. “Having representation from countries all over the world makes us a stronger team.” 
 
IMSC was formed in July 2019 in response to increased threats to merchant mariners transiting international waters in the Middle East. Coalition Task Force Sentinel was established four months later to deter state-sponsored malign activity and reassure the merchant shipping industry in the Bab al-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz. 

“Through our presence across the Middle East, we continue to strengthen our coalition and build new partnerships while reassuring those who operate in this region,” said United Kingdom Royal Navy Commodore Ben Aldous, commander of IMSC and Coalition Task Force Sentinel. 

In addition to Seychelles and Romania, IMSC’s member-nations include Albania, Bahrain, Estonia, Lithuania, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States. 

Seychelles is also a member of Combined Maritime Forces, another major naval partnership based in the Middle East led by Cooper. 

SANTA RITA, Guam — The Jose D. Leon Guerrero Commercial Port also known as the Port of Guam is among several Western Pacific entities receiving federal grant money through the 2022 Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) to ensure supply chain resiliency within Guam and the Mariana Islands, U.S. Coast Guard Forces Marianas said in a release. 

Guam will receive $564,218 from the PSGP. The PSGP is one of four grant programs under the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency that focuses on strengthening the nation’s critical transportation security infrastructure.  
 
The purpose of the PSGP is to provide the necessary funds for not only state partners but local, territorial and private sector partners to enhance security measures and resilience to critical maritime infrastructure and build threat readiness. 
   
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration also awarded Guam $5.7 million in grants under the America’s Marine Highway Program in early October. The Jose D. Leon Guerrero Commercial Port is Guam’s only deep-water port and receives about 90% of the island’s imports. It offers facilities and services to ships of all registries and is striving to develop into the world-class container terminal port of the Western Pacific Region. 

“We’re excited for our partners at the Port of Guam, and these awards are very timely. The region we operate in is referred to as the Blue Pacific Continent, highlighting that the ocean connects hundreds of diverse communities,” said Capt. Nick Simmons, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia and the Captain of the Port. “The eyes of the world are focused on this region, and it has never been more obvious how vital our ports are to our way of life — our economic security and prosperity.” 

The PSGP is vital to maintaining a modernized and secure port supporting the uninterrupted flow of commerce. Regional health, safety, and prosperity inextricably link to the maritime-enabled flow of goods and services, especially realized within the Pacific Islands. This program is one of the ways the U.S. Coast Guard works with private and public sector partners to secure the regional maritime transportation system from disruption, cyber-enabled or otherwise. 

“October is cyber security awareness month which can sound vague but requires our attention. We must safeguard our critical infrastructure from all threats, including those in the digital domain. We are adding capacity here in the Sector, including a cyber security expert, capacity crucial to better supporting our regional partners,” said Simmons. 

At the end of September, members from U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam, the Government of Guam and industry partners conducted a successful annual full-scale maritime security training exercise at the port of Guam. This exercise prepares federal, territorial and industry Area Maritime Security Committee partners to respond to security threats affecting Guam’s marine transportation system and surrounding critical infrastructure. The scenarios included: 

• Simultaneous cyber incidents at several port facilities. 
• Coordination of response efforts during an island-wide loss of communications. 
• Simulated response to suspected terrorist activity. 
• Changes to the maritime security level. 
• Establishment of a Unified Command to manage the various response efforts. 

“Recently, the Port invited us over to help celebrate their 47th anniversary,” said Simmons. “The main event was a coed team tractor-trailer pull for time. There were seven teams, and the Port Police took the first prize. What heartened me the most was to see our Coast Guard members step in to make a difference when a few teams needed another person. It reflects what we know is true out here, this thing only works if we come together as a team to pull it across the finish line.”

HUNT VALLEY, Md. — Textron Systems Corporation, a Textron Inc. company, has been awarded a contract valued at up to $22 million by the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to provide UAS operational support to the USS Miguel Keith (ESB 5), the company said in an Oct. 20 release. The contract begins in fiscal 2023 and has a total potential performance period of five years. This award builds on the four-year extension of USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4) earlier this year and joins two guided-missile destroyers, bringing the total number of U.S. Navy ships supported by the Aerosonde UAS system to four.  

Under this contract, Textron Systems will deploy its Aerosonde UAS to provide extended range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) services with enhanced mission payloads aboard the ESB 5. The company’s Field Service Representatives will work alongside the sailors onboard to provide support for a variety of maritime missions.  

“There are numerous vessels of opportunity with the Navy that can benefit from consistent multi-INT ISR,” said Wayne Prender, senior vice president, Air Systems. “Through this fee-for-service contract, the Navy can continue to mature future shipboard ISR requirements while supporting existing real-world missions. We are already seeing the benefits for DDG- and ESB-class ships, and we continue to optimize our services to deliver the unique operational and logistical capabilities our customers demand in order to accomplish their mission and keep our sailors safe.” 

The Aerosonde system has amassed more than 585,000 flight hours while serving multiple U.S. and international allies. It is designed for expeditionary land- and sea-based operations in austere environments and is equipped for multiple payload configurations. For more than 10 years, Textron Systems has provided turnkey, fee-for-service operations, providing hands-on operational support for customers around the world. 

DARTHMOUTH, CANADA — Ultra Maritime (Ultra) and UMS SKELDAR announced that they have been awarded a 2nd Phase contract under the Department of National Defence’s Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security program, which will explore the development of a Rotary Wing UAS to provide an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) sonobuoy dispensing capability, based on the SKELDAR V-200 Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS). 

This innovative program will review how a medium-sized UAS can be used to deploy sonobuoys for the purpose of tracking potentially hostile submarines operating in the open ocean or close to coastal areas that could pose a threat to the Royal Canadian Navy or other forces. Andrew Anderson, chief technology officer, Ultra Sonar Systems, explains: “We are constantly reviewing new technologies to determine how they can be used to tackle the threat from hostile submarines. The scope of this program is to evaluate the technical and operational feasibility of deploying sonobuoys from a Class II Rotary Wing UAS, to provide the warfighter with another tool in the ASW toolbox.” 

“We are delighted to be a part of this contract with Ultra,” adds Richard Hjelmberg, vice president for Business Development for UMS SKELDAR. “Using Rotary Unmanned Aircraft Systems to help conduct ASW will provide many benefits, not least enabling rapid deployment capabilities, a smaller logistical footprint on Canadian Armed Forces ships and a cost-effective alternative to current methods. At UMS, we are proud of our innovation leadership when it comes to advances in rotary-wing UAS platforms. Our SKELDAR V-200 platform is a prime example of this, with a capability of completing remote automatic flights, exceeding six-hour flight times thanks to the robust heavy fuel engine and the ability to provide a high degree of maintainability and minimum turn-around times. These credentials we believe are the perfect fit for this program.” 

The SKELDAR V-200 has advanced intelligence-gathering capabilities when equipped with multiple sensors. Flight times can exceed six hours, and the heavy-fuel engine combined with efficient maintenance procedures and ease of access to the engine compartment allow for highly efficient routine service processes. 

SAN PEDRO, Calif. — The National Museum of the Surface Navy (NMSN) is presenting its 2022 “Freedom of the Seas” awards at a gala on Saturday night, Oct. 22, aboard the historic battleship USS Iowa at San Pedro, California.

According to retired Rear Adm. Mike Shatynski, the chairman of the board of NMSN and the Battleship USS Iowa Museum, said “the Freedom of the Seas Awards honor those individuals and organizations that embody the core principles of the American Surface Navy’s mission to protect and defend our oceans for the benefit of the free world.” 

Presented annually, the awards include the Freedom of the Seas award, Vice Adm. Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. Award, Humanitarian Award and the Commerce and Communications Award. 

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is being recognized with the 2022 Freedom of the Seas Award, which is presented to an accomplished individual who embodies the core principles of the American Surface Navy to protect and defend our oceans for the benefit of the free world.  

Shatynski said Secretary Vilsack has been spearheading a transformation of the food system to ensure that the food system of today and the future is more resilient and more competitive globally. “Under his leadership, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine are working together to enhance coordination between the U.S. and Ukrainian agriculture and food sectors to build a strategic partnership to address food insecurity.” 

The 2022 VADM Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. Award will be presented to Retired Rear Admiral Sinclair Harris, vice president, Client Relations for LMI. The award, which was named in honor of the first African American in the U.S. Navy to command a Navy ship, command a fleet and become a flag officer, recognizes leaders who exemplify the trailblazing, courageous service of the late U.S. Surface Navy vice admiral.  

“During Rear Adm. Harris’ distinguished 34-year Navy career, which culminated as vice director for operations to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he led joint, combined, multinational and interagency organizations across all aspects of defense; commanded the U.S. Fourth Fleet; and led U.S. naval forces assigned to the U.S. Southern Command,” Shatynski said. 

Jim Zenner, Director of Los Angeles County Military and Veteran Affairs, is being recognized with the 2022 Freedom of the Seas Humanitarian Award, which represents the Surface Navy’s response to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. 

Zenner created the Los Angeles County Veterans Peer Access Network (VPAN), a veteran-led, community-driven support network serving veterans and their families by providing resources in the areas of mental health, substance misuse support, housing, workforce development and employment, healthcare, education, legal services, social connections and more. According to Shatynski, VPAN has become the model program for integrated and effective veteran support for the country.  “His contributions exemplifies the fearless bravery and tenacity necessary to sail through troubled waters to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, which are core principles of America’s Surface Navy.” 

The 2022 Commerce and Communications Award is being presented to the California Trucking Association (CTA). This award recognizes leaders in commercial shipping and communications that embody a core principle of the American Surface Navy in utilizing the ocean for the benefit of the free world. 

Eric Sauer, Chief Executive Officer of CTA, will accept the award which recognizes the association’s instrumental role in the movement of cargo, specifically on the front line of the goods-movement industry over the past couple of years. Shatynski said CTA’s ongoing efforts to boost the economy, provide safe roads, protect the environment and lower emissions have ensured the safe and responsible movement of goods through the challenging times throughout and following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Freedom of the Seas Awards are held in honor of the anniversary of the October 1944 Battle of Leyte Gulf anniversary, the largest naval battle of World War II, to honor those individuals and organizations that embody the core principles of the American Surface Navy’s mission to protect and defend our oceans for the benefit of the free world. 

“As situations across the globe continue to emerge, change and get increasingly complex, the United States Surface Navy’s roles in international relations, free trade, humanitarian assistance and technological innovation becomes even more important,” Shatynski said. “The individuals and organizations that we are recognizing with this year’s Freedom of the Seas Awards, are leaders whose incredible work and accomplishments exemplify the values and mission of our organization and the Surface Navy.” 

Major sponsors for the Freedom of the Seas Awards 2022 are Lockheed Martin, Marathon Petroleum, UPS, the Port of Los Angeles, Collier Walsh Nakazawa LLP and the Surface Navy Association.  

Scheduled to open in 2025 aboard the historic Battleship USS Iowa Museum, the National Museum of the Surface Navy is the museum for America’s Surface Navy. The museum’s mission is to raise America’s awareness of the importance of the United States Surface Naval Forces’ role in international relations, free trade, humanitarian assistance and technological innovation, not just in the past but today and into the future.  

ARLINGTON, Va. — The secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations announced Oct. 20 the following assignments: 

Rear Adm. James A. Kirk will be assigned as commander, Expeditionary Strike Group Three, San Diego, California. Kirk most recently served as commander, Carrier Strike Group Fifteen, San Diego, California.  

Rear Adm. (lower half) Michael W. Baze will be assigned as commander, Navy Personnel Command; and deputy chief of naval personnel, Millington, Tennessee. Baze is currently serving as commander, Expeditionary Strike Group Three, San Diego, California. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The recently concluded Western Pacific of the Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Jackson (LCS 6) saw extensive use of the newest version of the Fire Scout unmanned helicopter, with the operations including manned/unmanned teaming (MUM-T) with an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter. 

The USS Jackson, based in San Diego, deployed on July 11, 2021, to the Western Pacific for 15 months in support of the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI). Both the ship’s Blue and Gold crews each participated in two on-hull patrols during the deployment, which took the LCS to the South China Sea and Oceania. The Jackson, with a Coast Guard law-enforcement detachment embarked, operated with the armed forces of Brunei, France, Germany, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan, and made port calls to several island nations including Palau, Tahiti and Fiji. The ship returned to its homeport on Oct. 15, 2022.  

The Jackson was armed with surface warfare mission modules, including the Naval Strike Missile, an MQ-8C Fire Scout and an MH-60S Seahawk. The aircraft were operated alternatively by detachments of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23. This marked the first Pacific deployment of the MQ-8C version of the Fire Scout. 

“Jackson conducted multi-domain operations with our Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle and manned MH-60S Seahawk,” said Cmdr. Michael Winslow, commanding officer of the ship’s Gold Crew, during an Oct. 19 media roundtable. “We had a lot of success with the Fire Scout. We conducted about 20 hours of flight operations pushing out to distances in excess of 100 miles. Next year we have some NAVAIR operations scheduled to look at expanding the wind, pitch and roll restrictions that are currently on the Fire Scout. Absolutely a force multiplier in theater.” 

Cmdr. Nick Van Wagoner, executive officer of the Jackson’s Blue Crew, said the Jackson “set the standard in 7th Fleet and really define what persistent operations with the MQ-8C looks like. As a result of that, I think our operational commanders are seeking new ways to employ that sensor alongside other manned and unmanned aircraft and surface vehicles.” 

We did employ the manned/unmanned teaming tactic and concept with our aviation detachment from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 23 Detachment 6. We executed that approximately one dozen times and we saw over 100 hours of MQ-8C operations while deployed to the 7th Fleet area. While conducting those manned/unmanned teaming operations what we found was that having an unmanned aircraft that had many capable sensor payloads was really a force multiplier that we could use to develop our recognized air and maritime picture beyond the horizon while using the MH-60S to conduct positive identification of things that we detected with the MQ-8C.  

The MQ-8C is equipped with the ZPY-8 search radar, the Brite Star II electro-optical/infrared sensor and the Automatic Information System. 

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy’s top officer held fast when discussing the controversial subject of decommissioning older ships in order to sustain a ready, relevant fleet in a discussion at an event in Washington. 

“For our last four budget cycles, readiness has been our number one priority, followed by modernization of the fleet that we have today — 70% of which we’ll have a decade from now — and, finally, capacity at an affordable rate,” said Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Michael Gilday, speaking Oct. 19 at the Atlantic Council. “My approach has been, commensurate with my responsibilities, to field the most lethal force we can now and into the future.” 

Gilday said that fielding a lethal force involves maintaining ships; “not taking maintenance holidays — as sometimes we we’ve been prone to do in the past, when we made capacity king; to ensure that our supply storerooms are filled with the proper parts so that our ships are self-sustaining at sea; to ensure that our magazines are actually filled with weapons.” 

Referring to the issue of capacity, Gilday said that “when we make decisions on which ships we’re going to decommission, the entering argument is the size of the fleet that we can afford.” 

Citing the current high monetary inflation, the CNO noted that 60% of the Navy’s budget rises at a rate above inflation and has to be taken into account. 

“Maintaining the fleet we have is extremely expensive,” he said. 

Gilday said the Navy looks at stratifying lethality across its platforms, ranking those platforms from 1 to 20, helping to inform decisions about which ships to decommission.  

“It gets back to what we can afford,” he said. 

The CNO noted that some ships “haven’t seen a dry dock since 2000” and that some ships have 125 departures from specifications. 

One example he cited was an engineering directive not to put a tugboat against one side of the ship because it could result in a hole puncture in the ship because the steel hull is too thin. 

The CNO said that some Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers are three years behind in completing maintenance at costs of $80 million or more, and with a weapon system that is not going to be upgraded in time “to face the threat that the Chinese pose.” 

Gilday said that “when it comes down to making hard decisions on where to put your next dollar, those are decisions that need to be made and debated within the Pentagon.” 

The CNO pointed out that a few ships account for most of the delay days in maintenance. 

The Navy has reduced maintenance delay days from 7,700 as of January down to a little over 3,000 today. Between 40% and 50% of the delay days can be attributed to six or seven ships that the Navy would like to decommission. 

“They are old and not fit to fight against the current threat,” he said. “They were designed in the 1970s for a fight of a bygone age, but we’re still holding onto them.” 

HAIFA, Israel — The U.S. Marine Corps’ latest live fire test of the TAMIR IRON DOME culminates a series of three trials carried out over the past year, and for the third time the system successfully intercepted a wide variety of targets, Rafael said in an Oct. 1 release. In this latest test, the ability to continuously launch TAMIR IRON DOME interceptors from a mobile launcher developed by the Marines was also tested. 

The series of tests were conducted by the Marines at the White Sands facility in New Mexico as part of the development program to test a new prototype system for Medium Range Intercept Capability (MRIC – Medium Range Intercept Capability). 

“The three tests that took place this year proved that the performance of the MRIC system with IRON DOME interceptors is good and provides a dedicated launcher solution for the Marines,” said Don Kelly, project manager in the Air Defense Department (GBAD) of the Marine Corps’ Land Directorate (PEO Land Systems) at the end of the test. 

“Once again, RAFAEL’s systems have proven that they are able to integrate into existing systems and create synergy between systems, providing optimal performance,” said Executive Vice President and Head of the Air and Missile Defense Directorate at RAFAEL Brigadier General (Ret.) Pini Yungman. “RAFAEL’s advanced systems are developed with an “open architecture” allowing seamless integration with other systems.  In the latest test conducted by the Marines, a successful combination of the TAMIR interceptor launched from a new launcher developed under the leadership of the Marines, combined with the Marines’ radar system and the battle management system, which are systems developed by American industries, was demonstrated.”