By Lt. Ian Tumulty, July 23, 2025 

MEDITERRANEAN SEA  –  The first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) and USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), all assigned to Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (GRFCSG), integrated their force with Italian Navy frigate ITS Spartaco Schergat (F598) beginning July 20, 2025. 
 
“ITS Spartaco Schergat is eager to cooperate with the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group,” said Cmdr. Michele Spada, commanding officer of Spartaco Schergat. “Interoperability activities between our units will result in an extraordinary exchange of experiences, allowing for deeper mutual understanding and strengthened trust between our crews. This strengthens both individual skills and our ability to operate as one.” 
 
On July 19, the same members of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group transited the Strait of Gibraltar with Spanish Armada Santa Maria-class ESPS Canarias (F86), and fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE-6), 
 
“It is a privilege for our strike group to enter the Mediterranean Sea and immediately be met by an Italian Allied warship,” said Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, commander of Carrier Strike Group Twelve. “Our transit through the Strait of Gibraltar with Spain and naval integration with Italy is just the beginning of our efforts together in deterring regional aggression and improving the lethality of our forces by raising readiness and responsiveness with our Allies and partners.” 
 
While in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, GRFCSG will continue to work alongside NATO Allies and other partners, focusing on strengthening partnerships, deepening interoperability, and supporting theater security and stability. 
 
Built on more than seven decades of partnership and experience, NATO is the strongest military alliance in history. Carrier strike groups like Gerald R. Ford’s showcase the inherent flexibility and scalability maritime forces provide to the combined force, while reinforcing the U.S. Navy’s ironclad commitment to the stability and security of the European theater. 
 
Gerald R. Ford, along with the nine embarked squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Eight, Destroyer Squadron Two’s Bainbridge and USS Mahan (DDG 72), and USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), left Virginia in June and conducted multi-domain strike group operations in the Atlantic Ocean before transiting east. 
 
Carrier Strike Group Twelve is on scheduled deployments in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations to support the warfighting effectiveness, lethality, and readiness of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, and defend U.S., Allied and partner interests in the region. For more than 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa has forged strategic relationships with our Allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability. 

RRelease From Hanwha USA Corporate Communications 

It will be the first U.S.-ordered LNG carrier since the late 1970s 

HOUSTON (July 21, 2025) – Hanwha Shipping, an American subsidiary of Hanwha Ocean, announced today that it has ordered a liquefied natural gas carrier (LNG) from its affiliate, Hanwha Philly Shipyard. This new LNG carrier will be constructed with advanced technology and propulsion systems and represent the first U.S.-ordered, export-market-viable LNG carrier in almost 50 years, dating back to the late 1970s.  

With this contract for one LNG carrier and an option for one additional vessel, Hanwha is bringing its LNG shipbuilding and operational know-how and expertise from Korea to America through capability and technology transfers supporting the growth of the U.S. maritime industrial base. This initiative aims to meet the growing demand for U.S. LNG carriers crewed by U.S. mariners that comply with rigorous U.S. Coast Guard standards.  These ships represent a resurgence in U.S. shipbuilding capabilities, buoyed by recent U.S. trade policies that require a growing percentage of LNG exports to be transported on U.S. vessels.  

“We’re excited to leverage Hanwha’s world-class shipbuilding prowess to equip American industrial partners with the skills to construct next-generation LNG carriers for the first time in nearly five decades,” said Ryan Lynch, President & CEO of Houston-based Hanwha Shipping. “Hanwha Ocean—Philly Shipyard’s Korean shipbuilding affiliate—became the world’s first shipbuilder to produce and deliver its 200^th LNG carrier earlier this year. This amazing milestone reinforces Hanwha’s global leadership position in LNG carrier construction, which we are eager to replicate in the U.S.” 

Under the structure of this project, Hanwha Philly Shipyard, as the U.S.-based shipyard, signs the primary shipbuilding contract with Hanwha Shipping—a Hanwha Ocean affiliate and the project’s owner—and then executes the contract as part of a joint-build model with Hanwha Ocean. 

With this order, Hanwha is positioned to secure a leading technological edge and supply capability in the North American LNG carrier market. As the only company in the world with shipbuilding operations in both Korea and the United States, Hanwha plans to enhance its capability to build LNG carriers in the U.S. through a cooperative model with Hanwha Philly Shipyard. 

While a significant portion of the construction will be carried out at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje shipyard in Korea, the project will be executed as a joint-build model. Hanwha Philly Shipyard will be responsible for U.S. regulatory compliance and safety certifications, laying the foundation for a collaborative production framework. Through this model, Hanwha plans to gradually transfer its advanced shipbuilding technologies to Hanwha Philly Shipyard, enabling the latter to expand into high-value shipbuilding. This LNG carrier order marks a significant milestone in contributing to the revitalization of the U.S. shipbuilding and maritime sectors. 

Hanwha Shipping plans to utilize the ordered vessels as a strategic platform to support U.S. energy security and global energy reliability. In addition to fulfilling internal group transport requirements, the vessels will play a key role in establishing the U.S.-flagged LNG fleet, reinforcing American leadership in global energy logistics, and accelerating the reindustrialization of the American maritime sector. By leveraging U.S.-sourced LNG and modern shipbuilding capacity, Hanwha aims to offer a reliable, cost-effective solution to rising global demand—particularly amid heightened geopolitical tensions and increasing pressure on energy supply chains. 

Last December, Hanwha—a global conglomerate with a world-class shipbuilding arm—acquired the Philly Shipyard for $100 million. The historic shipyard has delivered more than half of the U.S.’s large commercial vessels under the Jones Act since 2000. 

With the acquisition, Hanwha is focused on revitalizing the Hanwha Philly Shipyard as part of its wider goal of increasing U.S. maritime capacity and the U.S. maritime industrial base. Drawing on its decades of shipbuilding expertise and know-how, Hanwha is making significant investments in expanding Philly shipyard’s capabilities with technological advancements, workforce training and smart systems—creating significantly more onboarding capacity and thousands of new skilled manufacturing jobs in the U.S. 

About Hanwha Shipping  
Hanwha, one of the largest South Korean conglomerates with growing investments in the U.S., added shipping to its scope of operations with the formal establishment of Hanwha Shipping in April 2024. Hanwha Shipping, a subsidiary of Hanwha Ocean, aims to take a leading position in the American shipping ecosystem by deploying next-generation digital technologies and advancing the resilience and robustness of America’s energy security and maritime industrial base. 

About Hanwha Philly Shipyard 
Hanwha Philly Shipyard is a leading U.S. shipbuilder that has earned a reputation as a preferred provider of ocean-going merchant vessels with a track record of delivering quality ships, having delivered around 50% of all large ocean-going U.S. Jones Act commercial ships since 2000. The shipyard is part of Hanwha Group, a multinational company with a robust network of affiliates in the energy, shipbuilding, defense, aerospace, finance, and retail & services industries. For more information, visit www.hanwhaphillyshipyard.com. 

Release From U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area

MAJURO, Republic of the Marshall Islands — The crew of national security cutter USCGC Stratton (WMSL 752) conducted at-sea boardings with the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Sea Patrol within RMI’s exclusive economic zone from July 9 to 13. 
 
Stratton’s crew embarked three law enforcement officers from the RMI Sea Patrol, who provided a combined presence and conducted two successful maritime law enforcement boardings of commercial fishing vessels operating in the RMI EEZ. While no violations were initially reported from the boarding, potential issues with the catch emerged later and constituted further inspection from RMI. 
 
Stratton’s shared patrol with the RMI officers emphasized collaborative efforts in maritime safety, security, and stewardship to maximize the protection of natural resources. The U.S. Coast Guard and RMI have long cooperated to enhance maritime security and sovereignty, focusing on bilateral maritime law enforcement that combats maritime trafficking and safeguards fisheries for both countries. 
 
“It has been an honor to host members of the Sea Patrol and conduct bilateral maritime law enforcement boardings alongside our partners from the Republic of the Marshall Islands,” said Capt. Brian Krautler, the Stratton’s commanding officer. “We focused on boardings to deter, detect, and suppress illicit transnational maritime activity, specifically maritime drug trafficking, fisheries offenses, and illegal migration. Our combined operations and shared efforts enforce laws and preserve the local way of life, deepening our  partnership. Standing together, we improve regional maritime governance and build a resilient future for both our nations.” 
 
Bilateral maritime law enforcement agreements enable Pacific nations to protect their sovereignty and help ensure the safety and security of mariners and vessels of all nations conducting legal maritime operations within the nation’s EEZ. Through these agreements, the host nation makes determinations regarding targeting vessels for law enforcement boardings within its EEZ, identifies violations, and determines penalties and follow-on actions. 
 
Stratton conducted these boardings in support of Operation Blue Pacific, the U.S. Coast Guard’s campaign throughout Oceania to maintain unrestricted, lawful access to the maritime domain for all nations, enhance maritime governance, and improve regional prosperity.  
 
Commissioned in 2012, Stratton is one of ten Legend-class national security cutters and one of four homeported in Alameda, California. National security cutters are 418-feet long, 54-feet wide, and have a 4,600 long-ton displacement. They have a top speed of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 nautical miles, and sail with a crew of up to 170. These crews routinely conduct operations throughout the Pacific, where their combination of range, speed, and ability to operate in extreme weather provides the mission flexibility necessary to conduct vital strategic missions. 
 
The namesake of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton is Capt. Dorothy Stratton, the first female commissioned officer in the Coast Guard. Capt. Stratton led the service’s all-female reserve force during World War II, commanding more than 10,000 personnel. The ship’s motto is “We Can’t Afford Not To.” 

The Arctic is a hot topic these days. As sea ice melts, many questions surface: How should Arctic nations manage more shipping traffic while preserving the delicate environment? Can countries maintain a history of regional cooperation in this increasingly contested space?

As these and other concerns come to the fore, there’s one entity keeping all things polar on the front burner: the Center for Arctic Study and Policy, or CASP.

This tiny U.S. Coast Guard Academy office — with an annual operating budget of just $150,000 and two salaried positions — plays an outsized role in promoting knowledge of the north and south polar regions, a growing area of human interest as the environment rapidly changes.

The Arctic polar region is primarily ocean, surrounded on its edges by the eight member states of the Arctic Council: Canada; the Kingdom of Denmark, which includes Greenland and the Faroe Islands; Finland; Iceland; Norway; the Russian Federation; Sweden; and the United States, where Alaska includes a 1.5-million-square-mile exclusive economic zone in its surrounding waters.

Council decisions are achieved in agreement with six “permanent participants” that represent Aleut, Arctic Athabaskan, Gwich’in, Inuit, Saami and Russian Indigenous people, who have inhabited the Artic for millennia. About 10% of the 4 million Arctic residents are native peoples, according to the “Arctic Review,” an online publication covering polar issues.

There is a long history of international cooperation regarding Arctic scientific research and discovery and access to the region’s abundant fisheries, oil and gas assets, minerals, tourist sites and other resources. But rapid changes to the area’s physical, economic, geopolitical and technological characteristics have altered the future of polar affairs. As a result, many nations, including the United States, have intensified their focus on the region.

The U.S. Coast Guard, part of the Department of Homeland Security, underscored the region’s strategic importance in its 2023 Arctic Strategic Outlook Implementation Plan: “Global geopolitical trends combined with changes to the Arctic’s physical environment are increasing the region’s economic opportunities and strategic importance while hastening the impacts and risks to U.S. Arctic residents, commercial activity, and U.S. national security.”

In the middle of the action is CASP, the U.S. Coast Guard’s only scholarly center and internal think tank. It focuses only on the polar regions — mostly the Arctic but also Antarctica.

Widening Interest, Changing Arctic

Tony Russell, CASP’s executive director since 2022, said his personal interest in the Arctic started in 2007. He was serving as an active-duty officer in the Coast Guard and completing a master’s degree at the Marine Corps University. The Arctic, Russell thought, would be a unique thesis topic.

“That was when folks were just beginning to understand how access — physical access — was increasing via the sea ice reducing [and asking] what does that mean?” said Russell, who retired from the Coast Guard as a captain in 2020. Global attention to the region also coalesced around a 2008 U.S. Geological Survey report predicting the Arctic Circle had massive stores of undiscovered oil and gas reserves.

Then, as now, the drastic environmental changes were hard to ignore: According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, scientists have observed a consistent decline in Arctic sea ice cover in nearly 50 years of continuous satellite monitoring — a rate of decline of more than 2% per decade. In 2025, sea ice cover is at its lowest level since recording began in 1979.

The Arctic in the past four decades has warmed three times faster than the worldwide average, according to “Arctic Climate Change Update 2024: Key Trends and Impacts — Summary for Policymakers,” a report by the Arctic Council’s Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme.

The evolving situation sparked new areas of concern, collaboration and potential conflict among nation-states, residents, the scientific community and industry players.

The area’s residents, land, waterways and wildlife face new threats from erosion, flooding, wildfires and greater human activity. The Arctic is at risk from more air crashes, vessel collisions and groundings. It’s also exposed to threats to subsea cables, unsafe shipping through the Russian maritime Arctic and friction from regional military exercises (involving the U.S. and its allies but also Russia and China).

“That all speaks to rising interest for U.S. national security,” Russell said.

Renewing the Center’s Mission

Although CASP was founded in 2014, Russell’s tenure began as the Coast Guard Academy was relaunching and revitalizing the center, complete with new offices at the academy’s New London, Connecticut, headquarters. The center is now housed within the academy’s Office of Scholarship, Research and Innovation. Its renewed mission is focused on educating cadets, conducting research and analysis, and broadening partnerships.

At the reborn CASP, a federally funded rotating research professor position was first filled in 2023 by Arctic analyst Abbie H. Tingstad, who holds a Ph.D. and the title of visiting arctic research professor. Tingstad’s predecessors, Drs. Rebecca Pincus and Barry Zellen, were funded by Coast Guard Academy alumni donations.

In addition to overseeing a two-year research agenda, Tingstad is a sought-after expert on Arctic affairs and widely published author of Arctic peer-reviewed research, policy papers and presentations, and media commentaries. Her work has touched on topics such as the role of icebreakers in diplomacy and the effects of a poleward shift in fish stocks in the Northern Bering Sea.

Tingstad also directs CASP’s participation in international policy development for the Arctic.
“For example,” Tingstad said, “we are part of a multinational network of research and educational institutions that are shaping the conversation about all the facets of Arctic security and what that means, and how it’s changing, and what it implies for governance and cooperation in the Arctic region.”

CASP is also educating the next generation of Coast Guard officers. It accepts some 18 to 20 cadets every other semester into its polar studies course, focused on U.S. and international strategies and policies in the region. In addition to studying Arctic history and policy, cadets attend expert lectures involving academia, the military, business, Indigenous communities and political spheres.

They also benefit from CASP’s reorganization, which “al­lowed us to increase our access to all of the academic dis­ciplines at the academy,” Russell said. That’s important because “the challenges that the Arctic faces are definitely multidisciplinary,” he said, involving infrastructure, sci­ence, policy, business and more. “All of those things factor into what’s going on in the Arctic region.”

Each year, CASP encourages six to eight cadets to delve deeper into polar issues as Arctic scholars. Russell highlighted two cadets, among others, making important contributions to Arctic policy.

Elise Beauchemin, an Arctic scholar studying marine environmental science, completed CASP-sponsored internships last year with the University of Alaska Anchorage and at CASP. She worked with the Coast Guard Research and Development Center, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Labs, and the Navy’s Undersea Warfare Development Center. She also completed a course supporting Tingstad’s research. Beauchemin was accepted into the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program and recognized by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem at the Coast Guard Academy commencement in May.

And, after completing the Arctic studies course, Emelia Campbell was one of three team members invited to partner with the Coast Guard’s Maritime Law Enforcement Fisheries Division to research implementation options for the Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement. This 10-party pact bans commercial fishing in the central Arctic Ocean for 16 years while scientists study the ecological impact. With CASP, Campbell participated in the Fridtjof Nansen Institute’s Arctic Security Conference in Oslo, Norway. In January 2025, she presented research findings at the Arctic Frontiers conference in Tromsø, Norway, and later briefed Coast Guard executives.

CASP has also sponsored cadets to attend and present at industry conferences, such as the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space, American Society of Naval Engineers symposia and International Marine Design Conference.

The center supports summer internships for roughly eight cadets each year. “We have two cadets right now on an exchange with the Icelandic Coast Guard,” Russell said, where they’re “getting some great exposure” working with another Arctic nation partner.

Other cadets have interned at the Marine Exchange of Alaska, a nonprofit focused on preventing maritime disasters; the Arctic Domain Awareness Center, a DHS research center at the University of Alaska Anchorage; and the Defense Department’s Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies.

Promoting International Partnerships

In addition to maintaining a spirit of cooperation, CASP’s ongoing outreach and engagement with most Arctic nations and dozens of U.S. and international organizations — through cadet exchanges, tabletop exercises, policy and research development, and other areas — is yielding Arctic insights for potential action by U.S. and allied militaries, policymakers, industry groups and affected populations.

For the Coast Guard decision-makers, Russell said, CASP “helps flatten the learning curve and it helps maintain consistency and quality of information we’re using for those decisions.” And for external partners who need or want to share information with the Coast Guard, “we know who the subject matter experts are within the service that do that.”

Through its extensive partner network, CASP can foster international dialogue on issues such as illegal fishing, homeland defense, Arctic-capable shipping design, transportation safety, biodiversity preservation, ecosystem management and emergency preparedness.

For instance, CASP helps nations better prepare for Arctic emergencies, which now occur with relative frequency. That includes this year’s Bering Air Flight 445 that crashed on the sea ice on the way to Nome, Alaska, killing 10 people on board; and the 2023 grounding of a 206-person cruise ship stranded for days on Greenland’s remote East Coast.

A recent CASP-hosted tabletop exercise convened emergency response and aviation representatives from four nations and several U.S. military and federal organizations to wargame crises in remote areas of the Arctic. The exercise revealed potential gaps in training, infrastructure, communication and hardware. CASP also moderated a panel discussion on cruise ship search and rescue with the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators and maritime rescue organizations.

“At the end of the day,” Russell said, “the process is as important as the answer, and we strive to provide the kind of analytical research and defendable background knowledge that best informs polar policy choices and answers.”

Erika Fitzpatrick is an award-winning writer living in Washington, D.C. With more than 20 years of experience in public policy journalism and communications, she specializes in covering issues affecting service members, veterans and military families. This article originally appeared in the July-August issue of Seapower.

By NAVSEA Public Affairs, July 21, 2025 

In a rare moment of living history, ship namesake and Medal of Honor recipient, Col. Harvey “Barney” Barnum Jr. joined members of future USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr.’s (DDG 124) crew, the Navy programmatic team, and industry partners onboard the ship’s first set of sea trials, departing from General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, July 15. 

Col. Barnum twice served in Vietnam and received his Medal for heroic actions taken against enemy forces at Ky Phu in Quang Tin Province in December 1965 after his company came under enemy fire and was separated from the rest of their battalion. He also served as the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for reserve affairs. 

DDG 124 was named for Col. Barnum in 2016 and is one of 32 DDG 51 class destroyers that are currently named after Medal of Honor recipients. 

“It’s a great honor and I was very humbled when I got the call that I was going to have a ship named after me and that it was a warfighter, a DDG Arleigh Burke Class, it made me very proud. I’m very honored to be here for this trial,” said Barnum. 

Col. Barnum continues to be a tireless champion of the Navy and Marine Corps team and has closely followed construction of DDG 124. He has been present for all the ship’s significant milestones, including keel laying and christening. 

The ship will continue its series of sea trials in advance of delivery to the Navy. 

Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet, providing protection to America around the globe. These highly capable, multi-mission ships conduct various operations, from peacetime presence to national security, providing a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface, and subsurface domains. These elements of seapower enable the Navy to defend American prosperity and prevent future conflict abroad. 

 PEO Ships, one of the Department of Defense’s largest acquisition organizations, is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships and craft, and auxiliary ships, including special mission ships, sealift ships and support ships. 

From Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, July 22, 2025 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) has inducted its first two T-45 Goshawk aircraft into the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) production line, 13 months after the Navy identified the requirement. 

The Goshawk is the primary tandem-seat jet trainer used by the Navy and Marine Corps for pilot carrier qualification – a mandatory certification pilots must complete before flying any other carrier-capable aircraft. 

One T-45 will undergo a wing swap, while the other will receive the full scope of SLEP work. The wing swap process allows aircraft to fly into FRCSE and exchange their wings with ones that have already undergone repair, enabling more efficient turnaround times. The capability required FRCSE to develop an incremental approach to perform SLEP on the wings before aircraft fuselage induction for full SLEP production line establishment. 

“The V2X crew was on site to assist us upon the arrival of the first aircraft,” said James Bock, an FRCSE Business Development Office aircraft, structural and mechanical component lead. “Through close coordination with PMA-273 and CNATRA, we will be able to work collaboratively to ensure our artisans receive the highest quality training.” 

V2X currently manages all T-45 organizational-level, intermediate-level and depot-level maintenance. V2X provided FRCSE with organizational-level training to FRCSE artisans to support the SLEP and help achieve the Navy’s readiness and pilot training objectives. FRCSE relied heavily on collaboration with V2X, PMA-273 and CNATRA to coordinate the organizational-level training required for the first two aircraft arrivals. 

“The T-45 aircraft encompasses 29 distinct configurations, making the partnership with V2X particularly critical,” said Bock. “Organizational-level training is tailored specifically to the type, model and series, so ensuring our artisans are expertly trained on these unique variants is essential. Throughout a full service life extension repair, there are 17 technical directives that must be accurately completed, underscoring the complexity and importance of the collaboration in support of fleet requirements.” 

FRCSE expects to conduct T-45 repairs through 2036. 

From U.S. 7th Fleet, July 20, 2025 

SANTA RITA, Guam  –  The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752) arrived in Guam, July 3, after a landmark multinational sail with representatives aboard from the maritime forces from Australia, India, and Japan—collectively known as the Quad. 
 
As four leading maritime nations in the Indo-Pacific, Quad nations are united in our conviction that peace and stability in the maritime domain underpin the security and prosperity of the region. We are committed to a region where all countries are free from coercion and strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion. 
 
This inaugural event underscored the U.S. Coast Guard’s commitment to fostering a free and open Indo-Pacific and reflected the U.S. Coast Guard’s strategic priority to strengthen partnerships that uphold the rule of law, sovereignty, and regional stability. The Quad Sail enhanced joint operational capabilities, boosted readiness, and promoted a secure Indo-Pacific region with unrestricted, lawful access to maritime domains. 
 
“The Quad Sail signaled a hallmark moment for our respective nations and the Indo-Pacific,” said Capt. Brian Krautler, commanding officer of the Stratton. “Together, we fostered professional exchanges and enhanced maritime domain awareness. We believe in the necessity of a prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific and share concern over the rise of malign behaviors that undercut law and order and erode maritime safety and security. The Stratton team is honored to represent the U.S. Coast Guard in this historic endeavor.” 
 
The U.S. Coast Guard’s mission in the Indo-Pacific relies on close collaboration with allies, enhancing operational flexibility and delivering a wide range of capabilities. National security cutters, such as the Stratton, routinely operate across the Pacific. 
 
Throughout Stratton’s patrol, the crew has engaged with regional partners and participated in joint operations to advance maritime safety and security. Stratton is currently assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. DESRON 15 regularly assumes tactical control of surface units operating in the area. 
 
Commissioned in 2012, Stratton is one of 10 Legend-class national security cutters; four of the 10 are homeported in Alameda, California. These 418-foot vessels, with a 54-foot beam and 4,600 long-ton displacement, have a top speed of 28 knots, a 12,000-nautical-mile range, and a crew capacity of up to 170. Their versatility, range, speed, and ability to operate in extreme weather provide mission flexibility throughout the Pacific. 
 
7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. 

By U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command / U.S. 4th Fleet – Continuing Promise Detachment, July 22, 2025 

PUERTO PLATA, Dominican Republic  –  The Mercy-class hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) departed from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, July 21, 2025, after a four-day mission stop during Continuing Promise 2025 (CP25). 

At the Dominican mission stop, Comfort’s team provided medical and dental care, veterinary subject matter exchanges, medical subject matter exchanges, a humanitarian aid and disaster response workshop, band performances, and a beach clean-up event. During CP25, a Dominican military medical team embarked with Comfort, where they worked side-by-side with the ship’s crew to provide care to patients at each site visit of the mission. 

“The collaboration we experienced here exemplifies what’s possible when partners come together with a shared commitment to service,” said Capt. Grace Key, commanding officer, USNS Comfort Medical Treatment Facility. “It’s through teamwork like this that we achieve a lasting impact.” 

U.S. and Dominican providers together encountered 1,588 patient at the Puerto Plata medical site. Comfort’s medical and dental teams completed 248 dental cleaning and fillings, filled 1,158 pharmaceutical prescriptions, and distributed 160 assistive devices to Dominican patients. Additionally, 24 surgeries were performed aboard Comfort. A standout moment came from one of Comfort’s hospital corpsmen who, as a child, received dental treatment at a medical site in the Dominican Republic during a Continuing Promise mission stop in 2007. Hospitalman Flor Jones Garcia, assigned to Comfort, had a tooth extracted in the Dominican Republic by the Continuing Promise medical team when she was seven years old. 

“It was awesome being back here,” said Jones Garcia, “I was able to see my mother and this was the first time she saw me in uniform, so I was pretty excited. It is absolutely astounding for me to be on the other side and provide medical care. It means everything to me and I know it does to the people of Puerto Plata as well.” 

The mission stop also featured the U.S. Fleet Forces Band, “Uncharted Waters,” who had the opportunity to play alongside Dominican Republic ‘Oleaje’ band and Fuerza Aérea de República Dominicana band for Dominican citizens. They performed four concerts at Central Park of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic with a total audience of 645 people. 

“It’s a great opportunity to not only share cultural aspects in terms of dance and music, but it is also to highlight the work the other lines of effort are doing for the Dominicans,” said Ens. Chris McGann, assistant director of the U.S. Fleet Forces Band. 

U.S. Army veterinarians from the 248th Medical Detachment Veterinary Service Support also hosted subject matter expert exchanges while in the Dominican Republic. They trained 187 members of the Fuerza Aérea de República Dominicana in K-9 tactical combat casualty care, as well as Dominican dairy farmers on proper cattle care and sanitization techniques. Furthermore, Comfort Sailors taught a tactical combat casualty care course to Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic members and Comfort’s preventive medicine team took part in a two-day health fair hosted by the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Public Health. 

Field training exercises and a beach clean-up were also conducted in Puerto Plata. The combined efforts for the beach clean-up resulted in the 366 hours of work and the removal of 3,152 pounds of trash from the local beaches. Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) held Search and Rescue (SAR) field training exercises with 160 Dominican participants, including federal firefighters and paramedics. 

Following the mission stop in Dominican Republic, Comfort is scheduled to arrive in Limon, Costa Rica for CP25’s fifth mission stop. 

CP25 marks the 16th mission to the region since 2007 and the eighth aboard USNS Comfort. The mission will foster goodwill, strengthen existing partnerships with partner nations, and encourage the establishment of new partnerships among countries, non-federal entities, and international organizations. 

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet supports U.S. Southern Command’s joint and combined military operations by employing maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations to maintain access, enhance interoperability, and build enduring partnerships in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American region. 

Learn more about USNAVSOUTH/4th Fleet news and photos, visit facebook.com/NAVSOUS4THFLT, https://www.fourthfleet.navy.mil/, X – @ NAVSOUS4THFLT, and https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-naval-forces-southern-command-u-s-4th-fleet 

From the Navy’s Office of Information, July 11, 2025 

BRISBANE, Australia – Senior U.S., Australian and Japanese flag officers agreed today to further enhance logistics interoperability among their maritime forces. Their intent is to enable deeper maritime cooperation among the three nations, building upon their enduring commitment to stability and security in the Indo-Pacific. 

Vice Adm. Jeff Jablon (Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Installations and Logistics, OPNAV N4), Rear Adm. Naoya Hoshi (Director General of Logistics Department, Maritime Staff Office, Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF)), and Commodore Catherine Rhodes (Director General Logistics, Royal Australian Navy (RAN)) took part in the signing ceremony aboard USS America (LHA-6) during a port visit in Brisbane. 

The U.S. Navy, JMSDF, and RAN routinely collaborate on a bilateral basis for logistics and other topics under a strategic dialogue framework that has been in place for several years. This is the first time a trilateral logistics agreement has been established under this framework. 

“Sustainment in depth is a primary objective,” said Vice Adm. Jablon. “We have robust logistics partnerships with Japan and Australia to ensure we can provide the right material and services at the right place, at the right time to mutually support our maritime forces, from day-to-day training during peacetime through contingencies. This arrangement strengthens those commitments and allows us to more easily share information, technologies and processes for greater logistics resiliency.” 

Reloading missile systems and flexible refueling are among the areas of cooperation outlined in the agreement.  

RAN and U.S. Navy forces have supported missile reloading for each other’s warships in the Indo-Pacific region since 2019. To enhance the capability to reload rapidly at sea, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) is developing prototype systems that are compatible with both existing U.S. and partner nation warships’ MK-41 missile launchers and can be utilized to transfer missile canisters between ships in elevated sea states.  These systems were demonstrated in 2024, with demonstrations planned in 2025 and 2026 to showcase additional capability and interoperability.    

Refueling naval vessels at sea is fundamental to the ability to maintain presence and respond to contingency situations. U.S., Australian and Japanese military oilers routinely refuel partner nation vessels while participating in combined joint exercises and other cooperative engagements. To augment oiler capability, since 2011 the Military Sealift Command (MSC) has been outfitting leased commercial tanker ships with consolidated tanking, or CONSOL, connections that enable them to refuel a U.S. or partner nation military oiler at sea. This allows the oiler to remain on station for longer periods and continue refueling operational forces, rather than returning to a port to refuel. Since 2022, MSC has ramped up CONSOL operations and related training with Australia, Japan, and other partners. The U.S. Navy is currently exploring how partner nation tankers could incorporate CONSOL capabilities. 

“Japan is excited about the chance to collaborate more closely with our U.S. and Australian partners,” said Rear Adm. Hoshi. “This new arrangement will allow us to broaden the scope and increase the efficiency of our interactions.” 

Beyond information and technology sharing through these types of agreements, incorporating logistics activities into training in a realistic manner remains a focus area for U.S. naval forces. Examples include offloading missiles from dry cargo/ammunition ships, rearming cruisers and destroyers, refueling at sea, ship and aircraft repair, airfield damage repair, salvage operations, and medical evacuations. 

The signing took place just prior to the official kickoff of exercise Talisman-Sabre 2025, during which Australia, Japan, and other partners will participate in many of these activities as feasible. 

“During Talisman-Sabre and beyond, we have clear opportunities to work trilaterally with our U.S. and Japanese partners on logistics initiatives,” said Commodore Rhodes. “These efforts facilitate our speed of response for the full range of naval actions in the Indo-Pacific, from routine sustainment through crisis.”  

From U.S. Pacific Fleet, July 18, 2025 

TIMOR SEA — U.S. Navy George Washington Carrier Strike Group participates in dual carrier operations alongside Royal Navy HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group while underway in the Timor Sea, as part of Talisman Sabre, July 18, 2025. U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) sails in formation with U.S. Navy Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG 62), U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86), Royal Navy Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09), Royal Navy Daring-class air-defence destroyer HMS Dauntless (D33), British Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tide-class tanker RFA Tidespring (A136), Royal Australian Navy Hobart-class air warfare destroyer HMAS Sydney (DDG 42), Royal Norwegian Navy Fridtof Nansen-class frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen (F311), and Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ville de Québec (FFH 332).  

Talisman Sabre is the largest bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific by strengthening relationships and interoperability among key allies and partners, while enhancing our collective capabilities to respond to a wide array of potential security concerns. (U.S. Navy photo by MCSN Nicolas Quezada)