ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy secretary and chief of naval operations announced on June 13 these flag assignments:

Rear Adm. Kathleen M. Creighton will be assigned as director, information warfare integration, N2/N6F, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Creighton is serving as Navy Cyber Security Division director, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. John V. Fuller will be assigned as deputy director for force protection, J-8, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. Fuller is serving as director, J-5, U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

Rear Adm. James E. Pitts will be assigned as director, warfare integration, N9I, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Pitts is serving as commander, Submarine Group 7; commander, Task Force 74; and commander, Task Force 54, Yokosuka, Japan.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Douglas W. Small, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as commander, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, San Diego. Small is serving as program executive officer for integrated warfare systems, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) William E. Chase III will be assigned as senior military adviser for cyber policy to the undersecretary of defense for policy, and deputy principal cyber adviser to the secretary of defense, Washington, D.C. Chase is serving as deputy director, command, control, communications, and computers/cyber, J-6, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Leonard C. Dollaga will be assigned as commander, Submarine Group 7; commander, Task Force 74; and commander, Task Force 54, Yokosuka, Japan. Dollaga previously served as commander, Undersea Warfighting Development Center, Groton, Connecticut.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Thomas M. Henderschedt is assigned as senior defense official/defense attaché, China. Henderschedt previously served as naval attaché, U.S. Defense Attaché Office, Beijing, China.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Nicholas M. Homan will be assigned as director of intelligence, J-2, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Homan previously served as deputy, deputy chief of staff, intelligence, Resolute Support; and deputy director, J2, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, Kabul, Afghanistan.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Matthew N. Ott III will be assigned as executive director, operational contract support, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, Washington, D.C. Ott is serving as special assistant for audit readiness, Office of the Assistant Navy Secretary (Financial Management and Comptroller), Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) William P. Pennington will be assigned as commander, Task Force 70; and commander, Carrier Strike Group 5, Yokosuka, Japan. Pennington served as special assistant to the deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy, N3/N5, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Rear Adm. (lower half) Jeffrey S. Scheidt will be assigned as deputy chief, computer network operations, National Security Agency, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, Washington, D.C. Scheidt is serving as commander, Naval Information Warfighting Development Center, Norfolk, Virginia. Rear Adm. (lower half) Philip W. Yu will be assigned as U.S. senior defense official/defense attaché, Moscow. Yu served as China branch chief, N5I1, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

CAMP KISARAZU, Japan — Bell Boeing delivered the first V-22 Osprey to Camp Kisarazu in Japan on July 10, the company said in a release. The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) is the first operator of the V-22 outside of the U.S. military. 

“The delivery of the first Japanese V-22 is an important milestone and represents our strong partnership with the government of Japan,” said Shane Openshaw, Boeing vice president of Tiltrotor Programs and Bell Boeing deputy program director. “The Osprey’s ability to carry out the toughest missions in the most challenging operating environments will reshape what is possible for the Japan Ground Self Defense Force.” 

The V-22 can conduct multiple missions not possible with traditional rotorcraft or fixed-wing aircraft, improving mission efficiency and reducing logistic costs. Japan’s V-22 has a unique configuration with a customer-specific communication system. The marinized design resists corrosion and reduces the cost of long-term maintenance. JGSDF service members have been training with U.S. Marines for the last month to gain aircraft proficiency before delivery of their first V-22.  

“We have had the pleasure of working with the JGSDF state-side to produce, develop, train and maintain their initial fleet of aircraft,” said Marine Corps Col. Matthew Kelly, program manager for the V-22 Joint Program Office (PMA-275). “This arrival marks a key step in standing up its V-22 fleet, and more importantly, the continued collaboration between our nations.” 

Japan joins the U.S. Marines, Navy and Air Force in operating the V-22. These aircraft support multiple missions, including the transportation of personnel, supplies, and equipment; humanitarian support and search and rescue missions; long-range personnel recovery. With more than 500,000 flight hours, the V-22 is one of the most in-demand platforms in military aviation, providing safe, survivable, combat-proven mission success only capable with the tiltrotor range, speed and versatility of the Osprey.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Teledyne Technologies Inc.’s subsidiary, Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc., was awarded a $6 million contract from Northrop Grumman Corp. to manufacture the first production unit of the Surface-to-Surface Missile Module (SSMM) for the U.S. Navy’s littoral combat ship (LCS), the company said in a July 13 release.  

Teledyne Brown Engineering will manufacture, assemble and test the SSMM at the company’s main facility in Huntsville, Alabama. The company will then integrate launch-control assemblies along with other equipment into the modules. Teledyne Brown Engineering, along with Northrop Grumman and the Navy, will validate the system using SSMM-specific software and emulators. The company will then perform Factory Acceptance Testing, leading to delivery of production units. 

The SSMM is a modular weapons system, which fires Longbow Hellfire Missiles and compliments the Gun Mission Module (GMM), also manufactured by Teledyne Brown Engineering. Along with the GMM, the SSMM will provide additional capabilities to the LCS as part of the Surface Warfare Package. The SSMM is an integral part of the LCS’ that are used for defense against swarming Fast Attack Craft/Fast Inshore Attack Craft (FAC/FIAC), counter-piracy, maritime interdiction, and security missions. 

“This award is a testament to the successful collaboration between Teledyne Brown Engineering and Northrop Grumman,” said Jan Hess, president of Teledyne Brown Engineering. “We have built and delivered 25 Gun Mission Modules, and we are proud to be supporting the U.S. Navy’s efforts to enable a broader mission scope.” 

This contract continues the decade long relationship between Northrop Grumman and Teledyne Brown Engineering supporting the LCS Mission Modules Design Engineering, Production and Sustainment program. 

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The U.S. Air Force has joined the U.S. Navy’s Tactical Combat Training System Increment II (TCTS Inc. II) program, making it a collaborative effort to field a next-generation air combat training solution, Collins Aerospace said in a July 13 release. 

Developed and built by Collins, TCTS Inc. II is a scalable and flexible multiple independent levels of security (MILS)-based open architecture system that enables highly secure air combat training between U.S. and international aircraft, including advanced 5th-generation platforms. Collins Aerospace is a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp.  

By making it a collaborative effort, the Air Force leverages investments already made by the Navy to deliver a significant leap in training capabilities sooner and at less cost. The Air Force will call this the P6 Combat Training System (P6CTS), which will significantly improve training realism in simulated, contested combat environments and allow pilots to “train as they fight.” 

“This capability can’t be overstated,” said Heather Robertson, vice president and general manager of integrated solutions for Collins Aerospace. “The TCTS Inc. II and P6CTS programs will enable joint tactics, techniques and procedures in a secure environment against a peer adversary threat, unlike anything the services have been able to do in the past. We’re excited about the potential.” 

P6CTS fills gaps from currently fielded air combat training equipment such as encrypted time, space, position information, multilevel security, and mesh networking waveform enabling services to move faster toward next-gen capabilities that will increase mission readiness. This collaboration lays the digital foundation for bringing secure, cross-service air combat and joint Live, Virtual, and Constructive training to the United States and its allies in 2022. 

With an open systems architecture that is conformant with the Future Airborne Capability Environment standard, TCTS Inc. II ensures interoperability between platforms, reducing test time and ultimately increasing rapid, affordable deployment of the solution.  

Collins Aerospace recently announced the completion of the first pre-production TCTS Inc. II training pod, a key component of the solution that provides connectivity to and from the aircraft for data and weapons activity during training exercises. This pre-production maturity will enable early Air Force fielding of P6CTS to all 55 training ranges.

MAYPORT, Fla. — The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Detroit returned to Mayport on July 11 following its maiden deployment to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations, Lt. j.g. Miranda Rossum, U.S. 4th Fleet/U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command public affairs, said in a release. 

Detroit, along with a detachment from the “Sea Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22, deployed on March 15 to conduct U.S. Southern Command and Joint Interagency Task Force South’s enhanced counter-narcotics operations missions in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. 

During their deployment, Detroit, with their embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), disrupted an estimated 1780 kilograms of cocaine, worth over an estimated street value of $124 million. 

“I could not have asked for more from the crew over the past several months. Our Sailors and Guardsmen have overcome equipment casualties, COVID-19 challenges, and losses back home to ensure the success of USS Detroit while deployed to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations,” said Cmdr. Jiwan Mack, Detroit’s commanding officer. “I am proud to be a USS Detroit Blue Iron Warrior and can’t wait to sail with this extraordinary unit again in the near future.”  

Just as Detroit deployed, the crew adjusted quickly to the new COVID-19 environment. Detroit’s crew met the changes in guidance and procedures due to the pandemic, safeguarding Sailors while still meeting counter-drug mission requirements. 

“Detroit did a fantastic job while deployed, sending strong messages to our partners and our adversaries that the United States Navy operates globally and in all conditions,” said Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, commander U.S. 4th Fleet. “Detroit did a great job adapting to our changing world, and their operational successes set a high bar for the next round of deployments. We are both grateful for and proud of Detroit’s accomplishments.” 

Detroit joined other U.S. Navy warships, numerous U.S. agencies from the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security cooperating in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. 

The Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with allied and international partner agencies, are all playing a role in counter-drug operations.

SAN DIEGO — The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt returned to San Diego on July 9, marking the end of its deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, the commander of 3rd Fleet public affairs said in a release. 

More than 6,000 Sailors from Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11 deployed Jan. 17 to conduct operations in the Indo-Pacific and maintain security and stability in the region. 

“I am incredibly proud of the Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group and all they’ve accomplished over the deployment,” said Rear Adm. Doug Verissimo, commander of Carrier Strike Group 9. “They operated in a variety of complex environments ranging from how to respond to an international pandemic to operating safely throughout the Indo-Pacific, including the South China Sea.” 

Theodore Roosevelt sailed over 31,835 nautical miles, deploying dynamically to support dual-carrier operations, expeditionary strike force operations, air defense exercises, and joint-service interoperability exercises. 

Theodore Roosevelt made a historic port visit to Da Nang, Vietnam, only the second time a U.S. carrier has visited the country since the Vietnam War, to commemorate 25 years of U.S.-Vietnam diplomatic relations. 

Theodore Roosevelt had an outbreak of coronavirus in early March and pulled into Guam ahead of a scheduled port visit. The carrier responded and moved more than half of the crew off ship to quarantine at various locations on Guam, leaving enough Sailors aboard to stand critical watches and to clean and sanitize the ship. The crew members who met rigorous ‘operational units’ return to work criteria set forth by U.S. Pacific Fleet returned to the ship and were able to get underway and back to their mission on June 4. 

“The crew of TR persevered displaying uncommon fortitude and tenacity in the face of uncertainty to meet expectations in a crisis,” said Capt. Carlos Sardiello, the commanding officer of Theodore Roosevelt. “This recovery of the ship and the crew on deployment is a testament to the professionalism of the young men and women of the TR who turned a potentially demoralizing downward spiral into a symbol of inspiration and hope against adversity.” 

To ensure the success of the deployment extends beyond their return to homeport, Theodore Roosevelt conducted a variety of training classes promoting sound decisions and safety. The information provided in the classes helps individual Sailors and their families know what to expect after returning to homeport. Topics covered included drinking and driving, returning to children, traffic safety, motorcycle safety, car buying, and money management. 

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard is naming the 11th Legend-class national security cutter in honor of pioneering code-breaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman, the sea service said in a July 7 release. 

Friedman was a code-breaker for the Coast Guard during the Prohibition Era and World War II, serving within Cryptanalytic Unit-387. She’s been dubbed “America’s first female cryptanalyst” and in many ways could be considered the founder of the modern-day Coast Guard Intelligence Program.  

Her work with the Coast Guard began soon after the passage of the Volstead Act, which prohibited the manufacture, sale or trade of alcoholic beverages in the United States. Liquor smugglers frequently made use of radios to coordinate their activities and began to encode their messages. 

Friedman was detailed by the Department of Treasury to the Coast Guard, thus beginning a remarkable career. Between 1927 and 1930, she is estimated to have solved over 12,000 smuggling messages in hundreds of different code systems, all by hand, with just pencil and paper. Her work led to 650 federal prosecutions and she personally testified in 33 cases. 

During World War II, she was part of the team that broke the codes generated by the formidable Enigma machine used by Nazi Germany. Friedman exposed a ring of German spies in South America, effectively denying them a foothold in the Western Hemisphere during the war. Her unit eventually moved from Treasury and evolved into the modern Coast Guard Intelligence Program. Only recently was her legacy fully appreciated when a journalist researched declassified papers to learn that she was pivotal in code-breaking the Enigma as well as the Customs prohibition operations. 

The NSC is one of the largest and most technologically sophisticated vessels in the Coast Guard fleet. The 418-foot cutter can operate in the most demanding open ocean environments around the globe, from the hazardous fishing grounds of the North Pacific to the vast approaches of the Eastern Pacific where its crews battle transnational crime.  

With robust command, control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment, multiple small boat and aviation capabilities including unmanned aerial systems, the NSCs are exceptionally well-suited for complex law enforcement and national security missions while integrating multiple Coast Guard and partner agencies. 

Legend-class cutters honor women and men who have a renowned status in the Coast Guard’s rich history.  

NSCs are replacing 378-foot high-endurance cutters, which have been in service since the 1960s. There are eight Legend-class NSCs in service. The Coast Guard Cutters Bertholf, Waesche, Stratton and Munro are stationed in Alameda, California, Hamilton and James are in Charleston, South Carolina, and Kimball and Midgett are homeported in Honolulu. The ninth cutter, Stone, is slated for delivery in fiscal year 2021. On Dec. 21, 2018, the Coast Guard awarded a fixed-price contract option for the production of the 10th cutter, Calhoun, and the 11th cutter, Friedman.

MIAMI — The Coast Guard interdicted 14 Haitian migrants approximately 26 miles east of St. Lucie County, Florida, July 2, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a July 6 release. 

Coast Guard 7th District watchstanders received a report of a disabled 21-foot pleasure craft with 14 migrants aboard. Watchstanders launched a Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce 33-foot Special Purpose Craft—Law Enforcement crew, a Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet 45-foot Response Boat—Medium crew and a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew to search.  

The Air Station Miami airplane crew located the disabled vessel and vectored in Station Fort Pierce, Station Lake Worth Inlet and the Coast Guard Cutter Manatee (WPB-87363) crew. After determining there were no COVID-19 concerns, the cutter Manatee crew embarked the 10 Haitian men and four women. While aboard the cutter Manatee, two Haitian women fainted and were medevaced to a higher level of care. 

The cutter Manatee crew transferred 10 Haitian migrants to Bahamian authorities in Freeport, Bahamas, and two Haitian migrants to U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Lake Worth Inlet, Florida. 

“The Coast Guard and our partner agencies’ first priority is safety of life at sea and these voyages, in many situations, aren’t safe,” said Cmdr. Rick DeTar, Sector Miami response department head. “The Coast Guard and our partner agencies maintain their focused and coordinated efforts to interdict and stop these unlawful migration attempts in to the United States.” 

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter, and basic medical attention. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper announced on July 6 that the president has made the following nominations: 

Navy Capt. Trent R. Demoss for appointment to the rank of rear admiral (lower half). Demoss is serving as vice commander, Fleet Readiness Center, Patuxent River, Maryland. 

Marine Corps Col. David Nathanson for appointment to the rank of brigadier general. Nathanson is serving as the assistant chief of staff, G-4, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California.

KITTERY, MAINE — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Reliance crew was to depart on patrol from the Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on July 6 and return in August to its new homeport of Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, the Coast Guard’s 1st District said in a release. 

After 32 years homeported in New Hampshire, Reliance will continue service with two other 210-foot medium endurance cutters homeported at Naval Air Station Pensacola, allowing the Coast Guard to better leverage efficiencies gained by clustering vessels of the same class.  

The Reliance has shifted homeports several times since its commissioning in 1964. The cutter has been homeported in Corpus Christi, Texas, Yorktown, Virginia, and Port Canaveral, Florida. More recently, Reliance replaced the utter Vigilant in New Castle, New Hampshire in 1988, and in 1996, shifted berths to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.  

During the time in New Hampshire, Reliance has contributed to the Coast Guard’s missions of search and rescue, living marine resource protection, and safeguarding New England port and waterways. 

In 1989, Reliance acted as the on-scene commander for the Narragansett Bay oil spill. Reliance crews coordinated multiple assets and directed the cleanup of over 300,000 gallons of crude oil from the tanker ship, World Prodigy, that ran aground off the coast of Rhode Island. 

In 1991, a crew of the Reliance assumed tactical command for the intersection of the fishing vessel, Hunter, which was spotted 100 miles south of Long Island and caught smuggling more than 5 tons of cocaine.  

Additionally, a Reliance crew was involved with port security operations during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, responded to numerous search-and-rescue cases saving hundreds of lives at sea, and regulated New England’s fisheries to ensure sustainment of fishery stocks. 

The Reliance was originally designed with a stern exhaust system, a 3-inch gun deck capable of manning a 40 mm anti-submarine cannon, a helicopter pad capable of carrying the out of commission HH-52 rotary wing aircraft, and a power plant system that combined diesel and gas combustion. 

After undergoing a major maintenance availability in 1987, she was modified to include two pitch controlled main diesel engines capable of reaching a max speed of 18 knots, an exhaust stack that is presented amidships, an armament of one 25 mm. automatic machine gun and two .50-caliber machine guns, and a flight deck capable of carrying and deploying an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter.