ARLINGTON, Va. — The new tri-service maritime strategy released Dec. 17 by the chiefs of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard pivots toward the great power competition that has been building up in recent years, and aspects of the strategy bear substantial resemblance to the Maritime Strategy of the 1980s put in place by the Navy at the height of the Cold War, a Navy admiral said. 

The new strategy, Advantage at Sea, “places particular focus on China and Russia due to their increasing maritime aggressiveness, demonstrated intent to dominate key international waters and clear desire to remake the international order in their favor,” the three service chiefs, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael M. Gilday, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David H. Berger, and Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl L. Schultz, wrote in the strategy’s forward. 

“China’s and Russia’s revisionist approaches in the maritime environment threaten U.S. interests, undermine alliances and partnerships, and degrade the free and open international order,” the service chiefs said. “Moreover, China’s and Russia’s aggressive naval growth and modernization are eroding U.S. military advantages.” 

With nearly 20 years of U.S. active combat in counter-insurgency warfare – mostly on and overland in Southwest Asia – apparently winding down, the U.S. military is now focusing on the growing military prowess of China and increasing activity by Russia. China’s navy, plus a large coast guard and a naval militia, have grown in size and capability and are increasingly assertive, particularly in the waters adjacent to China, the East and South China Seas. China and Russia have developed and continue to develop missiles that threaten U.S. and allied naval forces in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean and island bases such as those in Guam and Okinawa. 

One of the five major aspects of the new strategy is “focusing on controlling the seas — which is returning to our past,” said Rear Adm. James Bynum, acting deputy chief of naval operations for Warfare Development, speaking to reporters during a Dec. 17 teleconference on the new strategy. 

Asked by Seapower to compare the new strategy to the Maritime Strategy put in place in 1987 by then-Navy Secretary John Lehman, Bynum said “They compare very well, better than [they] contrast.” 

Lehman’s Maritime Strategy emphasized maritime power as a key counter to the Soviet Union during the Cold War. With Soviet military power focused on a potential land campaign in Europe, Lehman proposed using the Navy to be ready to strike the Soviet homeland from the peripheral seas, greatly complicating and widening — encircling — the Soviet Union’s defense of its territory. With Soviet naval might also growing, Lehman also began a build-up of a 600-ship navy, a growth that was nearly achieved in full — 594 ships — before the fleet began to decline in number of ships after the end of the Cold War.  

One of the key tenets here is the return to the thought process of control of the seas,” Bynum said. “We were just coming out of the Vietnam era where we had free, unfettered access to support operations in land-based warfare. We’re coming off of a similar though much more prolonged set of time in the Middle East. As we look away from that and acknowledge there are global comprehensive actors out there where we no longer enjoy assured access in the sea, and assured access to the sea today because of those places where we need to go to confront those malign actors.  

“I think that compares greatly with secretary Lehman’s thought processes and, frankly, some of that mindset shifted after what [then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Elmo] Zumwalt endured at the tail end of the Vietnam era as he had to reshape the forces,” Bynum said. “So, I think you will see in a lot of those strains that the power of the naval services is to provide access to the joint force.”     

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard released a new tri-service maritime strategy, entitled Advantage at Sea, the Navy said in a Dec.17 release. 

The document provides strategic guidance on how the sea services will prevail in day-to-day competition, crisis, and conflict over the next decade. It also directs the services to deepen tri-service integration, aggressively pursue force modernization, and continue robust cooperation with allies and partners. 

“Our integrated Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard must maintain clear-eyed resolve to compete with, deter, and, if necessary, defeat our adversaries while we accelerate development of a modernized, integrated all-domain naval force for the future,” wrote Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael M. Gilday, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David H. Berger, and Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl L. Schultz in the strategy’s forward. “Our actions in this decade will shape the maritime balance of power for the rest of this century.” 

Advantage at Sea places particular focus on China and Russia due to their increasing maritime aggressiveness, demonstrated intent to dominate key international waters and clear desire to remake the international order in their favor. 

“China’s and Russia’s revisionist approaches in the maritime environment threaten U.S. interests, undermine alliances and partnerships, and degrade the free and open international order,” the document states. “Moreover, China’s and Russia’s aggressive naval growth and modernization are eroding U.S. military advantages.” 

The strategy also emphasizes the maritime domain is integral not only to America’s security and prosperity but to those of all nations. The oceans connect global markets, provide essential resources, and link societies and businesses. Shared interests create opportunities for greater cooperation with allies and partners. 

“As Sailors, we are on the leading edge of great power competition each and every day,” said Gilday. “Sea control, power projection and the capability to dominate the oceans must be our primary focus. Our forces must be ready today, and ready tomorrow, to defend our nation’s interests against potential adversaries at any time. This strategy helps us do exactly that.” 

The strategy directs the services to pursue an agile and aggressive approach to force modernization and experimentation. The future fleet will combine legacy assets with new, smaller ships, lighter amphibious ships, modernized aircraft, expanded logistics, resilient space capabilities, and optionally manned and unmanned platforms. To succeed in a dynamic operating environment, the services will also invest in warfighter development, delivering innovative training and education to ensure our Sailors, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen remain the world’s premier naval force. 

Advantage at Sea also reflects the dual roles of the service chiefs: advising on the employment of forces in day-to-day competition, crisis and conflict, and developing a modernized future force that deters potential adversaries and advances and defends U.S. interests. 

“The Marine Corps is conducting a sweeping force design transformation to fulfill our role as the Nation’s expeditionary force-in-readiness while simultaneously modernizing the force in accordance with the operating environment described in the National Defense Strategy and the tri-Service maritime strategy. We must embrace new ways of operating within the concepts of integrated U.S. naval power to deter future adversaries and generate better strategic choices,” said Berger. 

As the services pursue greater integration, to include training and education; capabilities and networks; plans, exercises, and experiments; analysis and wargaming; investments and innovation; and force design, Advantage at Sea states they will collaborate with allies and partners to build capability, enhance interoperability, and generate unity of effort. Alongside allies and partners, the services will be able to establish sea denial and sea control where and when needed, project power, and hold critical adversary targets at risk. 

“As the only military service in the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Coast Guard provides unique multi-mission and intelligence capabilities to complement the ability of our Marines and Navy to protect our national interests when necessary and deliver lethality across the globe,” said Schultz. “Our hallmark is working daily with partner agencies, sister sea services, and international navies and coast guards to counter maritime coercion and uphold the rules-based order – partnerships work.” 

To read the full strategy, please visit: Advantage at Sea 

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – The Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance (SENEDIA) has launched a new website, www.BuildSubmarines.com, which will serve as a one-stop clearinghouse for careers and workforce development programs to support the submarine shipbuilding supply chain, the alliance said in a Dec. 16 release.  

The site reinforces southeastern New England as the national hub for submarine shipbuilding and connects industry leaders and prospective employees with the opportunities they need to build their business or build a rewarding career in this high-wage, high-growth sector.  

“SENEDIA is the bridge for the regional submarine shipbuilding supply chain. For employers, we provide resources on building their workforce and building their business. For prospective employees, we provide resources for building their careers,” said Molly Donohue Magee, SENEDIA’s executive director. “The southeastern New England submarine shipbuilding supply chain and the talented individuals who support it are integral to the security of our nation. This new website will make it easier for them to find new opportunities and grow our economy in the process.” 

SENEDIA launches BuildSubmarines.com as part to its first Department of Defense contract, an $18.6 million initiative to develop a robust regional workforce development partnership that will serve the needs of submarine shipbuilding employers and open up job exploration and employment opportunities to more than 5,000 potential workers. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Planning for the unplanned before a crisis like COVID-19 helped the U.S. Navy continue ship maintenance and acquisition at a rapid pace despite the coronavirus pandemic, the service’s top procurement official says.

“It has been fairly remarkable that we have not slowed down, in fact our operations are at an all-time high. We’ve never shut down a shipyard – private or public – for a day during COVID,”  James “Hondo” Geurts, the assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, told an Atlantic Council webinar on leadership Dec. 16.

Much of that success stemmed from the resiliency of individual Sailors, shipbuilders and Marines. Geurts said, adding that having a resilient organization was also key. “You can plan for the unplanned,” he said, “you can get in sets and reps and start building while you have the time to absorb the inefficiency of that learning.”

When he came to the Navy from U.S. Special Operations Command three years ago, “we didn’t have a good wartime plan on the acquisition side. We were very focused on being hyper-efficient in a peacetime mode,” Geurts said.

The Navy was able to pivot quickly when COVID-19 struck, Geurts said, not because the service had been rehearsing for a pandemic, but because it had ramped up teams, procedures and tools to be more efficient in wartime and adapted the improvements to the coronavirus challenge. 

Geurts doesn’t want to see things roll back once the coronavirus crisis is over. The pandemic showed new ways to handle old problems and make ships more self-reliant, he said adding:  “Success for us is not going back to where we were a year ago. That’s failure.”

Instead, “our focus now is taking all the hard lessons we’ve learned from the terrible challenges of COVID, how we continued to operate through that,” and apply them to the future he said, adding “I think we are a stronger force than we were nine months ago.”

MIAMI—The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter James offloaded more than 23,000 pounds of cocaine and nearly 8,800 pounds of marijuana worth more than $411.3 million Wednesday at Port Everglades, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a Dec. 16 release.  

The drugs were interdicted in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Mexico, Central and South America, including contraband seized and recovered during 20 interdictions of suspected drug smuggling vessels by eight American and United Kingdom ships: 

• Coast Guard Cutter James 
• Coast Guard Cutter Seneca 
• Coast Guard Cutter Reliance 
• Coast Guard Cutter Legare 
• Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Doyle 
• USS William P. Lawrence 
• USS Gabrielle Giffords 
• RFA Argus  

“This patrol highlights our crew’s continued commitment to protecting the American people from our adversaries,” said Capt. Todd Vance, James’ commanding officer. “Despite COVID, the James crew demonstrated supreme resilience, and the results of their exceptional performance are being showcased today.” 

“I am honoured to be able to pay tribute to the successes of the team here today, and recognize the role the Royal Navy and UK National Crime Agency has played in this joint operation,” said Commodore Phil Nash, Royal Attaché, United Kingdom Embassy. “Working seamlessly with U.S. and international colleagues, the presence of RFA Argus has prevented the $54 million of drugs offloaded here from reaching the streets in the last few months; taken together with a wider effort this year by UK ships HMS Medway and RFA Mounts Bay, around $650 million of drugs have been stopped. This has been a genuine team effort. The key to success continues to be the close working relationship and collaboration between our nations.” 

Numerous U.S. agencies from the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security cooperated in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with allied and international partner agencies, play a role in counter-drug operations. The fight against drug cartels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean requires unity of effort in all phases from detection, monitoring and interdictions, to criminal prosecutions by U.S. Attorneys in districts across the nation. 

During at-sea interdictions, a suspect vessel is initially detected and monitored by allied, military or law enforcement personnel coordinated by Joint Interagency Task Force-South based in Key West, Florida. The law enforcement phase of counter-smuggling operations in the Eastern Pacific is conducted under the authority of the Coast Guard 11th District, headquartered in Alameda, California. The interdictions, including the actual boardings, are led and conducted by members of the U.S. Coast Guard. 

The fight against drug cartels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea requires unity of effort in all phases from detection, monitoring and interdictions, to criminal prosecutions by international partners and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in districts across the nation. The law enforcement phase of counter-smuggling operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean is conducted under the authority of the Coast Guard 11th District, headquartered in Alameda, California, and the law enforcement phase of operations in the Caribbean is conducted under the authority of the Coast Guard 7^th District, headquartered in Miami. The interdictions, including the actual boardings, are led and conducted by members of the U.S. Coast Guard.  

The cutter James is a 418-foot national security cutter home ported in Charleston, South Carolina. The cutter Legare is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter home ported in Portsmouth, Virginia. The cutter Seneca is a 270-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Boston, Massachusetts. The cutter Reliance is a 210-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Pensacola, Florida. The cutter Joseph Doyle is a 154-foot fast-response cutter homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The USS William P. Lawrence is a 509-foot Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The USS Gabrielle Giffords is a 418-foot Independence-class littoral combat ship homeported in San Diego, California. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Argus is a 574-foot ship homeported in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. 

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Cobham Mission Systems’ underwing mounted refueling buddy store was carried for the first time during a successful test flight of Boeing’s MQ-25 test asset, known as T1, Cobham said in a Dec. 16 release. The test helped to validate the unmanned aircraft’s aerodynamics when carrying existing refueling equipment. The flight marks a significant milestone in the development of MQ-25, the first operational, carrier-based unmanned aerial refueler for the U.S. Navy. The Navy’s F/A-18 fleet currently operates the same Cobham 31-301 buddy store, when fulfilling this key aerial refueling role. 

“This marks a significant milestone for the development of unmanned aerial refueling and we are proud that Boeing’s MQ-25 test aircraft carried Cobham’s underwing mounted equipment on this test flight,” said Jason Apelquist, senior vice president for business development and strategy for Cobham Mission Systems. “It is encouraging to see how proven solutions are being leveraged to further new mission capability. We look forward to supporting next-generation technology and continue to work with our customers as a key partner to deliver the aerial refueling solution of the future.” 

The 2.5-hour flight was conducted by Boeing test pilots operating from a ground control station at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, on December 9, 2020. Future flights will continue to test the aerodynamics of the aircraft and the 31-301 Series Buddy Store at various points of the flight envelope. Insights from the tests will inform the eventual progression to the extension and retraction of the hose and drogue used in refueling. 

OHAKEA, New Zealand — The U.S. Navy recently awarded Boeing a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract, valued at $109 million, to provide P-8A Poseidon training for the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), the company said in a Dec. 14 release.

A suite of training systems and courseware will prepare RNZAF aircrew and maintainers to safely and effectively operate and maintain the world’s premier maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft for decades to come. 

Boeing’s holistic P-8 training system will enable the RNZAF to conduct up to 70 percent of all Poseidon-related training in a simulated environment. As part of the contract, Boeing will provide: 

• Operational Flight Trainer (OFT) – Full-motion simulator incorporates all P-8 unique displays and switches. 
• Weapons Tactics Trainer – Simulates mission systems and tactical operations, and when coupled with the OFT, forms a Weapons Systems Trainer that enables multi-crew, high-fidelity mission rehearsal training in the same simulated environment. 
• Virtual Maintenance Trainer – Enables training of maintenance professionals to properly perform maintenance tasks and procedures on the P-8A aircraft
• Scenario Generation Station – Creates custom scenarios for mission training
• Brief/Debrief Station – Provides post-mission analysis and playback. 

In addition, Boeing’s Electronic Classroom will give RNZAF instructors and students access to courseware and testing capabilities. Boeing also will provide initial Instructor Cadre Training to a group of RNZAF instructors, enabling them to continue training additional RNZAF P-8A instructors and aircrews following delivery of the training system in early 2024. 

“This holistic training system will enable aircrew to safely train for all aspects of flying and maintaining the P-8A Poseidon,” said Tonya Noble, director of International Defense Training for Boeing. “We look forward to bringing these training capabilities in-country and working alongside the RNZAF to ensure readiness of aircrew and maintenance personnel.” 

All training will be conducted in Ohakea, New Zealand. In March 2020, the RNZAF acquired four P-8A Poseidon aircraft through the U.S. Navy FMS process, with expected delivery beginning in 2023. New Zealand is one of seven nations operating the P-8. 

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Coast Guard is establishing an Officer Recruiting Corps, the service said in a Dec. 15 internal message released by Coast Guard headquarters. 

The Coast Guard expects to commission approximately 500 officers over the next five years, including the graduates of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Slightly more than half of the new officers will be accessed from sources other than the Academy.   

“To better access the richness of American society to recruit a world-class workforce, the Coast Guard is stablishing a dedicated Officer Recruiting Corps,” said the message, released by Rear Adm. J. M. Nunan, assistant commandant for Human Resources. “This team will focus on the sustained outreach necessary to attract the best of America’s diverse population that reflects the people we serve. As noted in the Coast Guard’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan and in alignment with the Coast Guard Strategic Plan, having the world’s most diverse and inclusive Coast Guard is critical to our ability to succeed in an increasingly complex maritime environment.” 

The message said that being prepared for a more complex future “requires us to establish a culture that supports accelerated innovation and inclusion. The full-time Officer Recruiting Corps will be well-suited to share unique perspectives on officer careers and forge the personal connections critical to attracting potential applicants. This team is an initial step towards developing a comprehensive outreach strategy to recruit a more diverse workface per the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan and establishes a persistent and dedicated presence focused on officer recruiting.” 

The new corps will recruit for all non-Academy officer accession officer programs including Officer Candidate School and Direct Commission Officer Programs, “with a special emphasis on supporting the College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative at minority-serving institutions.” 

The Officer Recruiting Corps initially will be staffed by one commander and four lieutenants. 

PHILADELPHIA — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) launched a new era in maritime education with the Dec. 15 cutting of steel for the new National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) at Philly Shipyard Inc., MARAD said in a release.

This is the initial major construction milestone for the first purpose-built, state-of-the-art training vessel for America’s state maritime academies. In addition to providing world-class training for America’s future mariners, the NSMV will be available to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions. 

A video of the steel cutting can be found here. 

“This new state-of-the-art modern school training ship will be a tremendous addition to the U. S. Flag fleet, be available to respond to disaster relief efforts, and support about 1,200 jobs in Philly Shipyard,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao. 

Construction of the NSMV will help recapitalize our nation’s maritime training fleet, strengthen America’s industrial base and directly support more than 1,200 shipyard jobs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  

“For more than a decade, MARAD has been working to make the NSMV a reality for America’s state maritime academy cadets who deserve state-of-the-art training ships,” added MARAD Administrator Mark H. Buzby. “Thanks to the strong bipartisan support that the NSMV has received in Congress and the leadership of secretary Chao, this program will further advance excellence in American maritime education and reignite the jobs engine that is America’s shipyards.”  

In May 2019, MARAD awarded TOTE Services LLC, a company involved in ship management, marine operations and vessel services, a contract to be the vessel construction manager for the NSMV program. This contract is an innovative approach to federal shipbuilding where the government benefits from commercial best practices for ship design and construction.  

In April 2020, TOTE Services awarded Philly Shipyard, the sole operating subsidiary of Philly Shipyard ASA, a contract to construct up to five NSMVs.  

“TOTE Services is proud to have been awarded a contract by MARAD to be the vessel construction manager for this new, state-of-the-art training ship that will help provide qualified officers to support the domestic maritime industry,” said TOTE Services President Jeff Dixon. “Each of us at TOTE Services is thrilled to be part of this historic investment in the U.S. maritime industry, and are working closely with MARAD and Philly Shipyard to advance this new class of vessel built by union labor in a U.S. shipyard with U.S.-made steel and U.S.-made engines.” 

Steinar Nerbovik, Philly Shipyard president and CEO, said, “This is a tremendous honor and recognition of our history of building high-quality ships over the last 17 years.  This project begins a new chapter in our history, a new customer and the first in series, which is a challenge we are eager to meet.  I am confident that our workforce will deliver ships that the state academy cadets will be proud to sail for many years to come.” 

The NSMV program is an important investment in the U.S. shipbuilding industry, which supports nearly 400,000 American jobs. As part of the contract, Philly Shipyard will be working with domestic mills to supply steel for the vessels and U.S. manufacturers to provide key ship equipment. 

The NSMV will feature numerous instructional spaces, a full training bridge, and have space for up to 600 cadets to train in a first-rate maritime academic environment at sea. State maritime academies graduate more than half of all new officers each year — the merchant mariners who help keep cargoes and our economy moving. Many also support U.S. national security by crewing military sealift vessels. 

In addition to being a state-of-the-art training and educational platform, the NSMV is a highly-functional national asset designed to fulfill numerous roles. Each ship will feature modern hospital facilities, a helicopter pad, and the ability to accommodate up to 1,000 people in times of humanitarian need. Adding to the NSMV’s capability, it will provide needed roll-on/roll-off and container storage capacity for use during disaster relief missions. 

TOTE Services has ordered the first two NSMVs and the president’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2021 includes sufficient funding for TOTE Services to order the third ship. Construction of the first two NSMVs will replace training ships at SUNY Maritime Academy and Massachusetts Maritime Academy, which are both more than 50 years old.  

AT SEA — The Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) with embarked U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 407 seized an estimated 2,810 kilograms of suspected cocaine, Dec. 5, the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet Public Affairs Office said in a Dec. 11 release. 

While on routine patrol, Gabrielle Giffords was diverted to intercept a low-profile vessel (LPV). Gabrielle Giffords deployed one of her helicopters, assigned to the “Wildcards” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23, to provide over watch and ensure compliance while the embarked LEDET and small boats were deployed to achieve positive control and begin boarding of the LPV. 

Gabrielle Giffords and the embarked LEDET searched the vessel and recovered approximately 134 bales, for an estimated 2,810 kilograms of suspected cocaine worth over an estimated wholesale value of $106 million. Three suspected drug traffickers were also detained. 

“Interdiction evolutions, no matter how often you conduct them, are different every time,” said Chief Boatswains Mate Daniel Pike, of Gabrielle Giffords. “Our team is dedicated to exemplifying the qualities of safe, professional mariners during these operations from start to finish.” 

Gabrielle Giffords is deployed to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations to support Joint Interagency Task Force South’s mission, which includes counter illicit drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.