PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson operated in the Spratly Islands on July 14 in a freedom of navigation operation that upheld the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea, recognized in international law, by challenging restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Vietnam, and Taiwan, U.S. Pacific Fleet public affairs said in a release.

Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea threaten the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade and unimpeded commerce, and freedom of economic opportunity for South China Sea littoral nations.

The U.S. challenges excessive maritime claims around the world regardless of the identity of the claimant. The international community has an enduring role in preserving the freedom of the seas, which is critical to global security, stability, and prosperity.

U.S. forces continue to operate in the South China Sea daily as they have for more than a century. U.S. 7th Fleet conducts forward-deployed naval operations in support of U.S. national interests in the Indo-Pacific area of operations. As the Navy’s largest numbered fleet, 7th Fleet interacts with 35 other maritime nations to build partnerships that foster maritime security, promote stability and prevent conflict.

CARIBBEAN SEA — The U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Pinckney challenged Venezuela’s excessive maritime claim in international waters during a successful freedom of navigation operation on July 15 in the Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command public affairs said in a release.

The Navy previously contested Venezuela’s excessive claim on June 23, when the USS Nitze completed a similar operation in international waters outside of Venezuela’s 12 nautical-mile territorial sea.

The Maduro regime claims excessive controls over those international waters, which extend 3 miles beyond the 12-mile territorial sea, a claim that is inconsistent with international law.

The Navy conducts freedom of navigation operations worldwide to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to uphold the rights, freedoms, access and lawful uses of international waters and airspace guaranteed to all nations. Freedom of navigation operations help preserve the navigation and access rights guaranteed to all nations.

Global access to international waters protects U.S. national interests, promotes a just international order, and ensures the Navy can accomplish key missions, including humanitarian assistance deployments, disaster relief operations, support to international counter-narcotics efforts, and multinational exercises that strengthen regional partnerships.

USS Pinckney, as well as other Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships, are operating in the Caribbean as part of the president’s enhanced counter narcotics operation.

“We will exercise our lawful right to freely navigate international waters without acquiescing to unlawful claims,” said Navy Adm. Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command. “The guaranteed right of nations to access, transit and navigate international waters is not subject to impositions or restrictions that blatantly violate international law.”

ARLINGTON, Va. — The United States needs a larger merchant fleet, including ships available for sealift and tankers to meet the challenges of the new era of “great power competition,” particularly a conflict in the Pacific, said a senior Navy League of the United States official.

Jonathan Kaskin, who spoke July 14 during a webinar, NatSec 2020: Coronavirus and Beyond, co-sponsored by the Navy League, the Association of the United States Army and Government Matters, said the “fleet itself just needs to grow.”

Kaskin, a former Navy logistics official, said “we in the Navy League would like to … advocate for a much larger Merchant Marine in order to support the tenets of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which says that we should have a [merchant] fleet large enough to support not only our domestic trade but a portion of our international trade to be able to maintain our commerce at all time in peace and war. I don’t think we have adequate capability in both areas right now.”

Maritime Administrator Mark Buzby, a retired Navy admiral and former commander of Military Sealift Command (MSC), also spoke during the webinar.

“We need more ships,” Buzby said, noting that about 50 more vessels are needed for sealift; 87 U.S.-flag international-trading cargo ships (of which 60 are enrolled in MARAD’s Maritime Security Program, a stipend paid to keep ships available for sealift), available for mobilization for military use; and 99 large Jones Act ships.

Buzby said that the nation’s Merchant Mariner workforce is short about 1,800 personnel for a sustained sealift mission.

He said he prefers to have more commercial ships operating rather than Reserve ships tied up at the pier, because they would be more ready and would have trained mariners already on board and qualified.

Kaskin said that there are two ways to grow the merchant fleet, one being an expansion of the Maritime Security Program. The other is a MARAD proposal to create a Tanker Security Program “to help mitigate a shortfall of tankers required to support a war in the Pacific.”

He said only six U.S-flag international trade tankers are available for use by the military — and three of those are already leased by the Navy to support current operations.

“The requirement that U.S. Transportation Command has shown — and earlier studies have shown — that we need more than 78 tankers. Adding 10 is not going to be sufficient,” he said. “So, what we really need to do is find ways of utilizing the tankers that we have in the domestic fleet — the Jones Act [ships] — to be able to support wartime operations.”

HOUSTON — The U.S. Coast Guard held a commissioning ceremony for the Coast Guard Cutter Harold Miller, the service’s 38th fast-response cutter, at Sector Field Office Galveston, Texas, on July 15, the Coast Guard 8th District said.

The district commander, Rear Adm. John Nadeau, presided over the ceremony, along with Lt. Michael Salerno, the Harold Miller’s commanding officer.

Harold Miller, the cutter’s namesake, was a Coast Guard boatswain’s mate second class and a Silver Star recipient for his heroic actions that led to the victory at Tulagi Island during World War II.

On Aug. 7, 1942, while stationed aboard the USS McKean, Miller piloted the first wave of landing craft on Tulagi Island in the Pacific theater against a Japanese force on Guadalcanal Island. Miller then made repeated trips despite heavy enemy fire to affect the landing of his embarked troops, equipment ammunition and supplies.

The Harold Miller’s patrol area will encompass 900 miles of coastline for the 8th District, from Carrabelle, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas. Fast-response cutters are named after Coast Guard enlisted heroes and will replace the service’s 110-foot patrol boats.

These vessels feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy commissioned USS Tripoli on July 15, the Navy’s Office of the Navy Chief of Information said in a release.

Although the Navy canceled the traditional public commissioning ceremony due to public health and safety restrictions on large public gatherings, the sea service commissioned the USS Tripoli administratively and the ship transitioned to normal operations. Meanwhile, the Navy is looking at a future opportunity to commemorate the event with the USS Tripoli’s sponsor, crew and commissioning committee.

“USS Tripoli is proof of what the teamwork of all of our people — civilian, contractor and military — can accomplish together,” Navy Secretary Kenneth J. Braithwaite said. “This ship will extend the maneuverability and lethality of our fleet to confront the many challenges of a complex world, from maintaining the sea lanes to countering instability to maintaining our edge in this era of renewed great power competition.”

Rear Adm. Philip E. Sobeck, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 3, welcomed the Navy’s newest amphib and its crew to the amphibious force.

“Tripoli is an example of the continued investment in our Navy, to increase and maintain our edge on the battlefield,” Sobeck said. “Congratulations to Tripoli’s crew for all of your hard work, amidst these challenging times, to reach this milestone.”

LHA 7 incorporates key components to provide the fleet with a more aviation-centric platform. Tripoli’s design features an enlarged hangar deck, realignment and expansion of the aviation maintenance facilities, a significant increase in available stowage for parts and support equipment, and increased aviation fuel capacity. The ship is the first LHA replacement ship to depart the shipyard ready to integrate the entire future air combat element of the Marine Corps, to include the F-35B joint strike fighter.

Along with its pioneering aviation element, LHA 7 incorporates a gas turbine propulsion plant, zonal electrical distribution and fuel-efficient electric auxiliary propulsion systems first installed on USS Makin Island (LHD 8). LHA 7 is 844 feet in length, has a displacement of about 44,000 long tons and will be capable of operating at speeds of over 20 knots.

Tripoli’s commanding officer, Capt. Kevin Myers, highlighted Tripoli’s accomplishments over the past several months getting through initial sea trials.

“Being the third ship to bear the Tripoli namesake is a profound honor and this crew stands ready to carry on the legacy of our longstanding Navy and Marine Corps amphibious community,” Meyers said.

LHA 7’s name honors the Marines and approximately 370 soldiers from 11 other nationalities who captured the city of Derna, Libya, during the 1805 Battle of Derna. The battle resulted in a subsequent peace treaty and the successful conclusion of the combined operations of the First Barbary War and was later memorialized in the Marines’ Hymn with the line, “to the shores of Tripoli.”

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.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy and supporting firefighting teams continued to battle blazes on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard for the fourth straight day, a Navy spokesperson said.

“As of 06:00 a.m. Pacific time July 15, firefighting teams continue operations on board USS Bonhomme Richard — 63 personnel, 40 Sailors and 23 civilians have been treated for minor injuries, including heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation,” the public affairs office for commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a July 15 release.

“Currently, there are no personnel hospitalized. Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 3 [HSC-3] has conducted more than 1,500 helicopter water bucket drops, which is cooling the super structure and flight deck enabling fire crews to get onboard internally to fight the fire,” the release said.

The Navy has not said what caused the fire, though numerous reports attribute it to an explosion aboard.

In a July 14 release the Navy listed the units that have assisted in the firefighting efforts in addition to HSC-3:

• USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6)
• USS Cowpens (CG 63)
• USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62)
• USS Decatur (DDG 73)
• USS Tulsa (LCS 16)
• USS Shoup (DDG 86)
• USS Rushmore (LSD 47)
• USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49)
• USS San Diego (LPD 22)
• USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)
• USS Stethem (DDG 63)
• USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26)

Federal Fire entities:

• Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
• San Diego
• Ventura County
• Naval Air Facility El Centro

Additional Defense Department firefighting agencies:

• Camp Pendleton Fire Department
• Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Fire Department

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. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Coast Guard’s Atlantic and Pacific area commanders have praised the service’s fleet of Legend-class national security cutters (NSCs) in their role as platforms for drug interdiction. 

Speaking July 14 at a webinar co-sponsored by the organization, NatSec 2020: Coronavirus and Beyond, sponsored by the Navy League of the United States, the Association of the United States Army and Government Matters, were Vice Adm. Linda L. Fagan, commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area, and Vice Adm. Steven D. Poulin, commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area.  

The NSC “is game-changing for us in countering the narcotics flow in the eastern Pacific,” Fagan said. 

She said the interdiction of drugs at sea is especially advantageous because they are seized in large quantities before the drug supply chain can break the loads into smaller quantities. 

Speaking of the “incredible capability” of the NSCs, Poulin said, “I’ve seen that time and time again. The capacity, the technological edge that those Coast Guard cutters bring to the fight … that is an incredible platform.” 

Poulin said the Coast Guard also is looking forward to accepting delivery of the future offshore patrol cutter, 25 of which will replace the service’s medium-endurance cutters, some of which are more than 60 years old.  

NSCs are built by Huntington Ingalls in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The Coast Guard has accepted delivery of nine, with two more under construction.