SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The U.S. Coast Guard repatriated 86 of 87 migrants to the Dominican Republic navy between June 30 and July 1 following the interdiction of three illegal migrant voyages in the Mona Passage off the west coast of Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard’s 7th District reported. 

The 87 interdicted migrants were Dominican nationals. One remains hospitalized in Puerto Rico after he was medically evacuated due to an existing medical condition. 

The interdictions are the result of ongoing efforts in support of Operation Caribbean Guard and the Caribbean Border Interagency Group CBIG. 

“The strong collaboration between the Coast Guard and our Caribbean Border Interagency Group partner agencies involved in this case, as well as, with our allies in the Dominican Republic navy, led to the interdiction of three migrant vessels and ensured the quick and safe return of 86 migrants,” said Capt. Gregory Magee, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Juan. 

“This same effort allowed for one of the migrants in need of urgent medical care to be transported to a local hospital in Puerto Rico. We are committed to safeguarding our nation’s southernmost maritime border against existing threats and call for anyone thinking of taking part in an illegal voyage to not take to the sea, you are placing your life at great risk as well as the life of everyone else taking part in the voyage.” 

The first illegal voyage was detected June 29 by the crew of a patrolling Air Station Borinquen MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, about 40 nautical miles off Aguadilla. The Coast Guard Cutters Richard Dixon and Heriberto Hernandez diverted to the scene. Richard Dixon arrived on-scene and stopped the 30-foot migrant vessel that was transporting 39 men and six women. The Richard Dixon escorted the migrant vessel back to Dominican territorial waters, where they met with the Dominican navy vessel Bellatrix and completed the repatriation. 

The second illegal voyage was detected the evening of June 29 by the crew of a Customs and Border Protection Marine Enforcement Aircraft, about 22 nautical miles off the southwest coast of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. The Heriberto Hernandez diverted to the scene, while a marine unit from Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine also responded to interdict. 

The CBP marine unit stopped the 35-foot vessel that was transporting 31 men and eight women, while the Heriberto Hernandez arrived on scene shortly thereafter and embarked the migrants. 

One of the migrants in this case was medically evacuated to a local hospital in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, while the remaining migrants were transported by the Heriberto Hernandez to Dominican territorial waters, where they met and completed the at-sea repatriation to a Dominican Navy vessel just off Santo Domingo. 

The third illegal voyage was detected the morning of July 1 by the crew of a Customs and Border Protection Dash-8 maritime patrol aircraft, about 12 nautical miles west of Aguadilla. The crew of a responding Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action marine unit interdicted the 21-foot makeshift vessel that was transporting three men. 

Shortly thereafter, the Heriberto Hernandez arrived on scene, embarked the migrants and transported them to waters just of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where the repatriation was completed to a Dominican navy vessel that afternoon. 

Once aboard a cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention. Throughout the interdiction Coast Guard crew members were equipped with personal protective equipment to minimize potential exposure to any possible case of COVID-19. No migrants were reported to have any COVID-19 related symptoms. 

Heriberto Hernandez and Richard Dixon are 154-foot fast-response cutters homeported in San Juan. 

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy stood up a special task force on June 30 to address the issues of racism, sexism and other destructive biases and their impact on naval readiness, the chief of naval personnel public affairs office said in a release. 

“Task Force (TF) One Navy” will be led by Rear Adm. Alvin Holsey, who will report his findings to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday via the Navy’s chief of personnel, Vice Adm. John B. Nowell Jr.   

“As a Navy — uniform and civilian, active and reserve — we cannot tolerate discrimination or racism of any kind. We must work to identify and eliminate individual and systemic racism within our force,” Gilday said. “That is why we are standing up Task Force One Navy, which will work to identify and remove racial barriers and improve inclusion within our Navy.” 

Holsey will be supported by fleet commanders and leadership from a number of organizations such as the Judge Advocate General of the Navy, Chief of Chaplains, Surgeon General of the Navy, Chief of Legislative Affairs, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Russell Smith and many others. 

The task force will seek to promptly address the full spectrum of systemic racism, advocate for the needs of underserved communities, work to dismantle barriers and equalize professional development frameworks and opportunities within the Navy. 

“We are at a critical inflection point for our Nation and our Navy and I want to ensure that we are fully responding to this moment as we work to facilitate enduring change,” Nowell said. “We must use the momentum created by these events as a catalyst for positive change. We need to have a deeper inclusion and diversity conversation in our Navy and amongst our own teams.” 

TF One Navy will focus their efforts in recommending reforms in several key areas. These areas include: 

• Recruiting/barriers to service entry 
• Pre-accession mentorship frameworks/scholarship opportunities 
• Diversity of talent by community/talent management 
• Training/education along the service member career continuum 
• Detailing/milestone job opportunities 
• Fitness reporting/evaluation systems 
• Promotion/advancement processes 
• Military justice analysis of racial disparity 
• Health care and health disparities 

TF One Navy leadership and membership will represent the diversity of thought, experience, and perspectives within the Navy and will include membership reflecting the diversity of race, ethnicity, gender, age, and ranks from across the sea service. 

“We must demand of each other that we treat everyone with dignity and respect. If you won’t do that, then our Navy is not the best place for you,” Gilday said. “We are one team, and we are one Navy.” 

HOUSTON — KBR has been awarded a $42.5 million task order to support technical training product development for the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the company said in a June 30 release. 

KBR was awarded this recompete task order under the Defense Department Information Analysis Center’s (DoD IAC) multiple-award contract by the USAF Installation Contracting Center. 

As part of this cost-plus-fixed-fee task order, KBR will provide research and analysis to upgrade, modernize and develop state-of-the-art training products associated with aircraft and other systems. 

KBR will work with NAVAIR, the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division and the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Training and Simulator Division to support training needs in response to updated requirements and systems. 

This work is expected to be performed over 60 months and will include additional technical training and product development support for other government agencies and Foreign Military Sales. KBR will perform the work for this contract primarily in Orange Park and Orlando, Florida and Lexington Park, Maryland. 

“I am proud of our KBR team for its hard work and unwavering dedication to meet emergent training requirements that help sustain fleet readiness and ensure the safety of maintainers and operators in the U.S. military,” said Byron Bright, president, Government Solutions U.S. 

“We look forward to developing training solutions with NAVAIR as we continue to solidify our position as a trusted source of innovative engineering and technical expertise for the Department of Defense,” Bright continued.   

KBR has provided technical training product development for NAVAIR for almost a decade and has supported the mission of the DoD research and development community through various predecessor DoD IAC contracts since 2005. 

KBR is one of DoD IAC’s leading prime contractors, having successfully provided over $3 billion in solutions to a variety of DoD customers. 

MIAMI — The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies interdicted about 1,500 packages testing positive for cocaine on a 72-foot motor vessel approximately 46 miles northeast of Panama on June 8, the Coast Guard 7th District said. 

While on routine patrol, a Coast Guard HC-130 maritime patrol aircraft crew detected a suspect motor vessel traveling northeast of Panama. The Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant crew launched an over-the-horizon small boat with an embarked law enforcement team, who proceeded to board the vessel and discovered that it was taking on water. 

The Vigilant sent a rescue and assistance team aboard, who were able to contain the source of flooding at the request of the motor vessel crew. The Vigilant’s law enforcement team continued the boarding and discovered general cargo that was suspected of containing contraband. After completing the initial boarding, the crew recommended a further inspection be completed in port due to sea-state and safety concerns and to more fully access the cargo and cargo holds. 

Coordinating with Colombian authorities, the Vigilant crew placed the motor vessel, which had experienced a mechanical problem, in tow and transferred it to the Colombian coast guard and navy. 

The Colombian navy continued the boarding pier side and discovered over 16,700 pounds of suspected contraband. Lab test reports yielded positive hits for cocaine, which validated both the efforts of the Vigilant crew and the Colombian partners. As final lab testing continues, this drug seizure is predicted to be worth up to $286 million. 

“Despite the various challenges our crew faced during this multi-day boarding, they demonstrated the utmost professionalism and resiliency, identifying numerous indicators of contraband in arduous conditions while preserving the seaworthiness of the vessel,” said Cmdr. Fred Bertsch, commanding officer of the Vigilant. 

“We are extremely appreciative of the coordination and substantial efforts undertaken by our Colombian partners to continue the law enforcement efforts where we left off. As transnational criminal organizations continue to adapt their techniques and procedures, we will continue to work with our partner nations to thwart their illicit activities is the region.”  

“As we address the persistent threats our nation faces across our maritime approaches, the success of this highly collaborative operation speaks to the value of our relationship with our valued international partner, Colombia, and of the mutual successes we achieve when we coordinate our efforts,” said Rear Adm. Eric C. Jones, commanding officer of the Coast Guard’s 7th District. 

ANDOVER, Mass. — Mercury Systems Inc. has received a $25 million follow-on order from a leading defense prime contractor for integrated radio frequency (RF) and digital subsystems for an advanced naval electronic support application, the company said in a June 30 release. 

The order was booked in the company’s fiscal 2020 fourth quarter and is expected to be shipped over the next several quarters. 

“Receiving this follow-on order demonstrates our focus on developing the most advanced RF conversion and digital signal processing technologies and making them profoundly more accessible to the defense industry,” said Neal Austin, vice president and general manager of Mercury’s Embedded Sensor Processing group. 

“As new threats rapidly emerge across the electromagnetic spectrum, we support our customers with the agile, high-performance capabilities they need. Our ability to provide complete RF-to-digital conversion and processing solutions has created a level of value that’s unique in our industry and reinforces our commitment to innovation that matters.” 

Mercury is accelerating innovation for its customers as the company bridges the gap between commercial technology and defense applications to meet the industry’s current and emerging needs.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has ordered four F-35C Lightning II joint strike fighters from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., the Defense Department said in a release. 

Naval Air Systems Command awarded Lockheed Martin a $360.8 million not-to-exceed undefinitized contract modification to previously awarded fixed-price-incentive-firm-target contract for the procurement of four Lot 14 F-35Cs. 

The aircraft are being procured with fiscal 2020 funds. 

The Navy operates one fleet F-35C squadron, Strike Fighter Squadron 147 (VFA-147). The service also operates one F-35C fleet replacement squadron, VFA-125. 

The Marine Corps’ first F-35C squadron, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314, completed transition this year.  

On June 29, Lockheed Martin also received a $67.7 million contract modification for long-lead materials parts, and components to “maintain on-time production and delivery of nine lot 16 F-35A Lightning II aircraft for the government of The Netherlands, as well as seven F-35A semiconductors and two F-35B Lightning II aircraft for the government of Italy,” the release said.

PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division has been awarded a $936 million contract for the construction of an additional Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) Flight III guided-missile destroyer for the U.S. Navy, the company said in a June 30 release. 

In 2018, Ingalls was awarded a $5.1 billion fixed-price incentive, multiyear contract for six Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyers for the Navy. 

“We take great pride in the craftsmanship of our shipbuilders, and in the capabilities of our world-class shipyard,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias said. “This contract award provides great momentum for Ingalls and our more than 600 suppliers, in nearly 40 states, as we enter the second half of the year. We continue to focus on high performance and providing the greatest value possible to our customers.” 

Ingalls has delivered 32 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to the Navy and has four more under construction, including the Frank E. Petersen Jr., the Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee, the Jack H. Lucas and the Ted Stevens. Ingalls delivered the Delbert D. Black to the Navy in April. 

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are multimission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of U.S. military strategy. 

These guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. They contain myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. — In June 2018 the national Undersea Technology Innovation Consortium (UTIC), headquartered in Middletown, Rhode Island, was awarded the Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) for Undersea Technology Innovation by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport, the consortium said in a June 29 release. UTIC, represented by its management firm, Advanced Technology International (ATI), and NUWC Division Newport signed a three-year OTA with options for up to 10 years. 

The OTA allows for industry, academia and the nonprofit sector to engage in a broad range of undersea and maritime prototyping activities in support of the Department of Navy’s needs. An OTA is an “enterprise partnership” between the government and a consortium of technology developers/providers allowing innovation through partnership and collaboration. 

To date, 31 UTIC OTA awards, to provide prototype technology solutions, have been made to 26 member organizations with a total value of $230.4 million. The Department of Navy identifies technology needs to UTIC members biannually in the spring and fall. Urgent needs can be identified out-of-cycle. Members respond with an enhanced white paper defining their proposed technology solutions. The government can choose to accept the white paper proposal and award, decline to award, or put the proposal in “the basket,” allowing the government the opportunity, over the next three years, to make a future award.  

“UTIC is an important resource for innovative undersea and maritime technology solutions,” said Molly Donohue Magee, UTIC’s executive director. “The Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) allows for streamlined contracting, ensuring the government can expeditiously get needed technology prototype solutions. We are extremely proud to have accomplished so much in just two years and we look forward to continuing to support the technology needs of the Department of Navy. 

“NUWC Division Newport and UTIC have been leading the way with our OTA agreement,” said Ronald Vien, technical director, NUWC Division Newport. The results of the OTA are proof of the success of collaborating with our industry partners to advance the state of the art in undersea warfare.” 

The Undersea Technology Innovation Consortium (UTIC) has over 300 UTIC members from 36 states who are part of the national community of technology practitioners in the undersea and maritime technology domain responding to the needs of the Department of Navy. Consortium members support 25 defined technology areas including: Environmental Sensing, Monitoring and Prediction; Autonomous Vehicles, Bio-inspired Sensing; Energy Storage and Release; Quantum Computing; and Virtualization.

UTIC membership is comprised of 75% nontraditional defense contractors, representing 70% small businesses, 25% large businesses, and 5% academic and nonprofit organizations. Membership is open to U.S. organizations who have undersea and maritime related technologies. 

WASHINGTON — Gregory J. Slavonic was selected by the president as acting undersecretary of the Navy on June 22, the Navy secretary’s public affairs office said in a release. 

Slavonic has been serving as the 18th assistant secretary of the Navy for manpower and reserve affairs since June 2018. 

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with Greg Slavonic for a number of years and value his leadership abilities, foresight and friendship,” Navy Secretary Kenneth J. Braithwaite said. “I look forward to the innovation and inspiration he will continue to bring to the Department of the Navy in his new position.” 

As the acting undersecretary of the Navy, Slavonic serves as the deputy and principal assistant to Braithwaite as well as chief operating officer and chief management officer for the Department of the Navy. 

Additionally, he oversees intelligence activities, intelligence-related activities, special access programs, critical infrastructure and sensitive activities within the department. 

“Over the past two years, I’ve been very fortunate to work with a great team of Sailors, Marines and civilians to make advances and improvements in manpower and reserve component affairs for the [department],” Slavonic said. “I am honored to have been selected to this new position, being able to do a job that I love, engaging with a broader scope of issues and personnel.” 

The majority of Slavonic’s professional life has been in service to the Department of the Navy, both in uniform and out. He enlisted as a seaman recruit and retired after a distinguished military career at the rank of rear admiral in the Navy Reserve. 

During his time as a service member, he held four command assignments, served in combat deployments to Vietnam, Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. His final assignment was as the Navy’s sixth special assistant to the chief of information and director of the Navy Reserve Public Affairs Program.  

The secretary also served as the co-chair for the design and building of the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor to remember the 429 Sailors and Marines who served aboard the battleship and lost their lives on Dec. 7, 1941. 

Prior to serving as ASN (RA), Slavonic served as chief of staff for U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), and was Lankford’s last chief when he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. 

For the past 40 years, Slavonic has held various civilian senior level positions in the communications industry and held positions with broadcasting and print organizations.

ROTA, Spain — The  Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney departed Naval Station Rota for the last time as a Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) asset on June 27. 

USS Roosevelt, named after the 32nd President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor, replaced Carney in the first of four scheduled homeport shifts to occur in support of the U.S. Navy’s long-range plan to gradually rotate the Rota-based destroyers. 

“Carney’s role as one of our forward-deployed destroyers in Spain has been the cornerstone of the United States’ commitment to our NATO allies and partners and to our combined integrated air and missile defense architecture,” said Vice Adm. Lisa M. Franchetti, commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet. “Through all five years’ worth of operations and exercises, Carney Sailors set the bar high for readiness, interoperability and combat effectiveness.” 

Carney came to C6F on Sept. 25, 2015, as one of the first Rota-based FDNF-E destroyers under commander, Task Force (CTF). Carney began operational tasking in the C6F area of operation immediately upon arrival, conducting operations in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Atlantic Ocean, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and Persian Gulf. 

The ship conducted 55 port calls throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In an effort to maintain and improve efforts towards “Partnership for Peace,” Carney conducted six at-sea maritime training exercises and one passing exercise with partner nations in the Black Sea. Additionally, the ship participated in 11 large-scale exercises in the European theater, improving relations with both NATO allies and partners to include exercise Sea Breeze 2019. 

“Working in 6th Fleet and under the direction of CTF 65 has been a phenomenal experience,” said Cmdr. Christopher J. Carrol, Carney’s commanding officer. “We were extremely blessed for the opportunities to meet the objectives of the Fleet.” 

On her seventh and final patrol this spring, Carney conducted a tactical control shift from C6F to 5th Fleet in support of national tasking alongside the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). The unconventional FDNF-E patrol included port visits to the Seychelles and to Cape Town, South Africa, which reinforced the partnership between the U.S. and South Africa. While transiting back to Rota, Spain, Carney became the most recent ship in naval history to circumnavigate Africa instead of transiting north through the Suez Canal. 

“Carney’s departure is a proud moment for all of us,” said Capt. Joseph A. Gagliano, commander, Task Force (CTF) 65. “In addition to the crew departing with pride for a job well done, we are proud to return Carney in peak readiness condition. Both the ship and crew are ready for any mission.” 

Carney is scheduled to return to its former homeport of Mayport, Florida.