BEIRUT — Expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Choctaw County (T-EPF 2) arrived in Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 20, to participate in U.S. Naval Forces Central Command’s (NAVCENT) first-ever Central Partnership Station (CPS) mission, the command said in a Sept. 21 release.

The CPS mission in Lebanon is designed to build partner capacity through subject-matter-expert exchanges, enhancing interoperability and the military-to-military relationship between the U.S. Navy and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).

“This is a new opportunity for the U.S. Navy to work with our Lebanese counterparts,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of NAVCENT, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces. “We are ushering in a new era of strengthening and expanding capacity building across the region.”

The mission includes a series of subject matter expert exchanges between LAF and NAVCENT personnel on mine countermeasures, disaster response, public health and construction capabilities.

U.S. forces working alongside their LAF counterparts include the Choctaw County, explosive ordnance disposal technicians and Navy divers, a medical and health engagement team, and a Seabee construction battalion. Seabees are constructing a maritime security support facility with LAF engineers.

The U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses nearly 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The region is comprised of 21 countries and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab-al-Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.

ARLINGTON, Va. — A U.S. Navy T-45C Goshawk jet trainer aircraft crashed Sept. 19 in Lake Worth, Texas, approximately two miles northeast of Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, the service said in a release.

The two pilots ejected from the aircraft. The instructor pilot was reported in stable condition; the student naval aviator was reported in serious condition — his injuries were not life threatening. Both were transported to local medical facilities for treatment.

The aircraft impacted the ground in a civilian neighborhood causing damage to at least three homes. Emergency services responded to the scene. The Navy is cooperating fully with local authorities.

The T-45C was assigned to Training Air Wing Two based at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas. The pilots were conducting a routine training flight that originated at from Corpus Christi International Airport.

Safety and environmental teams have been sent to the crash site for scene assessment. The incident is under investigation.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy conducted a scheduled, two-missile test flight of unarmed life-extended Trident II (D5LE) missiles from USS Wyoming (SSBN 742), an Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine, on the Eastern Test Range off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, Sept. 17, the From U.S. Navy Strategic Systems Programs office said in a Sept. 18 release. 

This successful test was part of a Demonstration and Shakedown Operation, designated DASO-31. The primary objective of a DASO is to evaluate and demonstrate the readiness of the SSBN’s Strategic Weapon System (SWS) and crew before operational deployment following the submarine’s engineered refueling overhaul. 

“The DASO test, and others like these, underscore our readiness and capability for 21st Century Strategic Deterrence,” said Rear Adm. Thomas E. Ishee, U.S. Strategic Command’s director of Global Operations. “SSBN crews undergo constant training and regularly planned testing to ensure the weapons systems remain ready and reliable. The Sailors and support element who make up the silent service prove every day they are capable and prepared to protect America and its allies.” 

This launch marks 184 successful missile test flights of the Trident II (D5 & D5LE) SWS. 

“Today’s [Sept. 17] test demonstrates the unmatched reliability of our sea-based nuclear deterrent, which is made possible by a dedicated team of military, civilian and industry partners who bring expertise and dedication to the mission that is truly extraordinary,” said Vice Adm. Johnny R. Wolfe, director of the Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs. Further, “This same team is now developing the next generation of the Trident Strategic Weapon System, which will extend our sea-based strategic deterrent through 2084.” 

The Trident strategic weapon system is highly accurate and reliable, according to the release. The Trident II (D5) missiles recently underwent a life extension program to address potential impacts from aging and obsolescence. The life-extended missiles – Trident II (D5LE) – are now being deployed to the Fleet and will serve for the remaining service life of U.S Ohio-class and United Kingdom Vanguard-class SSBNs, and as the initial load-out for the U.S. Columbia-class and U.K. Dreadnought-class SSBNs. 

USS Maine (SSBN 741) successfully executed the Navy’s last DASO in February 2020 off the coast of San Diego, California. The Navy’s most recent flight test – a Commander’s Evaluation Test – was a series of four launches in February 2021 off the coast of Florida.  Each of these flight tests were of the life-extended Trident II (D5LE) missiles. 

Flight test missiles are not armed, and safety of the public and the crew conducting the mission is paramount, the release stated. The launches were conducted from the sea, the missile flew over the sea and landed in the sea. At no time did the missile fly over land.  

The missile test was not conducted in response to any ongoing world events, nor as a demonstration of power. Test launches – including DASOs – are scheduled years in advance. 

A credible, effective nuclear deterrent is essential to our national security and the security of U.S. allies. Deterrence remains a cornerstone of national security policy in the 21st century.   

Strategic Systems Programs is the Navy command that provides cradle-to-grave lifecycle support for the Navy’s strategic weapon systems. This includes training, systems, equipment, facilities and personnel responsible for ensuring the safety, security- and effectiveness of the nation’s Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) Trident II (D5LE) strategic weapon system.  

SLBMs are the sea-based leg of the nation’s strategic nuclear deterrent Triad that also includes the U.S. Air Force’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and nuclear-capable bombers.  Each part of the Triad provides unique capabilities and advantages.    

The sea-based leg makes up the majority — approximately 70% — of the U.S.’s deployed strategic nuclear deterrent Triad. The SLBM is the most survivable leg of the triad, provides a persistent presence, and allows for flexible concepts of operations. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Just five weeks into his tour as secretary of the Navy (SECNAV), Carlos Del Toro has checked up on the training and readiness of the Navy’s surface warfare ship crews and likes what he sees. 

“Crew readiness and training is incredibly important. It is the utmost responsibility of the commanding officer at sea, and I would argue that it is the utmost responsibility of the secretary of the Navy in the Pentagon,” Del Toro said, speaking Sept. 17 at a media virtual roundtable after his return from Newport, Rhode Island, where he attended the 24th International Seapower Symposium. 

As a former destroyer commanding officer, Del Toro was asked by Seapower about whether he had concerns about issues with surface warfare crew training and readiness that came to light in 2017 with the collisions of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Fitzgerald and USS John McCain, both of which resulted in the deaths of crew members. 

“I’ve taken a hard look at this over the last five weeks,” the SECNAV said. “I’ve even gone up to Surface Warfare Officers School as well to meet with the leadership and junior officers up there. I have a lot of experience in this arena being a former commanding officer that sailed in those Pacific waters. 

“I am overly impressed with the major investments that have been made subsequent to those two horrific disasters that we had,” he said. “It’s really apparent to me that the entire surface community has come together — I would argue that the entire Navy has come together — in very serious ways with major, major investments in technology, in training [and] in trying to understand the cultural impacts of decisions that have been made in the past on the surface warfare community. We have come out of this like a shining star. When I look at the professionalism of our junior officers, our mid-grade officers today, the changes that were made to the executive officer pipeline [and] commanding officer pipeline, I have really been blown away these past two weeks, really taking a deep dive into all those issues.” 

Del Toro said that while in Newport this week he “spent a substantial amount of time up there taking a look at their curricula, their training, their simulators. For example, just alone in the world of simulators for their training — the pilot house, the combat information center — it was so impressive.”  

The SECNAV said that he is “really of the belief that we’ve come a long way here and that we have largely corrected the deals of the past that have been made and we’re on the right path moving forward. And of course, we will continue to give this our utmost attention because the safety and the effect of our operation of out Navy vessels is of utmost importance.” 

PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division has completed the final round of sea trials for Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121), the company announced Sept. 17. 

“The successful completion of acceptance trials is an extremely rewarding accomplishment for Ingalls and for our partners who work closely with us to ensure we achieve this milestone together,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Kari Wilkinson said. “We are proud of our shipbuilders for working as a team to move DDG 121 one step closer to delivery.” 

DDG 121 is named for Frank E. Petersen Jr., the U.S. Marine Corps’ first African-American aviator and general officer. After entering the Naval Aviation Cadet Program in 1950, Petersen would go on to fly more than 350 combat missions during the Korean and Vietnam wars. 

Ingalls has delivered 32 destroyers to the Navy and currently has four more under construction including Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123), Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), Ted Stevens (DDG 128) and Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129). 

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are highly capable, multi-mission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management, to sea control and power projection. The guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense well into the 21st century. 

SAN DIEGO — The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) arrived in its new homeport of Naval Base San Diego after 25 years as a forward-deployed ship in Yokosuka Japan, Sept. 16, the commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a release. 

Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CNSP) directed Curtis Wilbur to return to San Diego for scheduled maintenance. Following routine repairs and upgrades, the ship will join U.S. 3rd Fleet, which leads naval forces in the Indo-Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy. 

“Following 25-plus years of service in the forward-deployed naval forces Japan, Curtis Wilbur, her crew, and our families are excited to arrive to our new homeport of San Diego,” said Cmdr. Anthony Massey, commanding officer of USS Curtis Wilbur. “We bring with us our ‘Steel Hammer’ professionalism and proud history of service and look forward to preparing for, and executing, operations in support of 3rd Fleet and [the Indo-Pacific].” 

In the months leading up to the ship’s change in homeport, Curtis Wilbur deployed to the South China Sea and conducted anti-submarine warfare tasking, a bilateral exercise with the Royal Australian Navy, and freedom of navigation operations, including two transits of the Taiwan Strait. 

Curtis Wilbur was commissioned in 1994 and joined U.S. 7th Fleet in Yokosuka, Japan in September 1995, making it the longest forward-deployed naval asset in recent history. In its previous area of operations, Curtis Wilbur is known for forging and strengthening relationships with like-minded naval forces, as well as its demonstrated lethality in warfare exercises. 

With an advanced Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense suite as the mainstay of Curtis Wilbur’s capabilities, the ship will be a unique asset to U.S. 3rd Fleet. While Curtis Wilbur’s primary mission set provides defense against hostile ballistic missiles, the ship is also proficient in multiple warfare missions including anti-air, anti-submarine, anti-surface, and strike warfare. Curtis Wilbur’s capabilities are amplified by the training and readiness of the crew, many of which are veterans of the high operational tempo found in U.S. 7th Fleet. 

YOKOSUKA, Japan — The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) departed Yokosuka, Japan, Sept. 17 as part of a scheduled homeport shift to Naval Station Everett, Washington, said Lt. j.g. Marion Bautista, USS John S McCain Public Affairs, said in a release. 

While forward deployed to Fleet Activities Yokosuka, John S. McCain has operated independently and with carrier strike groups in the region since arriving to U.S. 7th Fleet in the summer of 1997. 

“John S. McCain and her Sailors have proven time and time again our Navy’s resolve to answer the call-in support of our nation and our allies,” said Cmdr. Tin Tran, USS John S McCain’s commanding officer. “After 24 years of faithful overseas service, we are ready to head back home to America, back to Washington state. Our Sailors will forever remember the bonds of friendship and hospitality Japan has shown us.” 

During 24 years of forward-deployed service, John S. McCain operated across the region from the Indian Ocean to the Sea of Japan supporting joint and multinational exercises and operations to strengthen U.S. alliances and partnerships, maritime security, and promote regional stability toward a free and open Indo-Pacific. 

 John S. McCain also participated in several surge deployments to U.S. 5th Fleet in support of the USS Independence battle group in 1998 and USS Kitty Hawk strike group in 2002 and again in 2003 supporting Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. 

During the most recent seven-month deployment, John S. McCain participated in the annual multinational exercise MALABAR alongside the Indian Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Royal Australian Navy, focusing on anti-submarine and anti-surface operations. 

In March, 2011, John S. McCain responded in support of Operation Tomodachi to provide humanitarian assistance following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.  

“It is definitely a changing of the guard with USS John S. McCain and her crew departing the 7th Fleet after over 24 years in Japan,” said Capt. Chase Sargeant, commander, Task Force 71/Destroyer Squadron 15. “The contributions of the current and all previous crews in defending peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific cannot be overstated, and the entire forward-deployed fleet wishes John S. McCain fair winds as she transfers to her new homeport of Everett, Washington.” 

John S. McCain is scheduled to join U.S. 3rd Fleet, which leads naval forces in the Indo-Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy. U.S. 3rd Fleet works consistently with U.S. 7th Fleet to complement one another and provide commanders capable, ready assets across the spectrum of military operations in the Indo-Pacific. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia have formed a tri-lateral defense partnership, which soon will launch a project to develop and build nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy.  

Australia operates Collins-class diesel-electric submarines and was in the process of procuring 10 submarines in a partnership with France, a deal that is likely to be torpedoed by the new AUKUS partnership. 

At the White House Sept. 15, the presidents of the three nations spoke at the news conference announcing the AUKUS partnership.   

“The first major initiative of AUKUS will be to deliver a nuclear-powered submarine fleet for Australia,” said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. “Over the next 18 months, we will work together to seek to determine the best way forward to achieve this.  This will include an intense examination of what we need to do to exercise our nuclear stewardship responsibilities here in Australia. We intend to build these submarines in Adelaide, Australia, in close cooperation with the United Kingdom and the United States. 

The project would represent a major industrial enterprise in a nation with no experience in building and operating nuclear submarines. Australia has built modern surface warships, including high-end anti-air warfare destroyers. 

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson seconded the partnership. 

“I’m delighted to join President Biden and Prime Minister Morrison to announce that the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States are creating a new trilateral defense partnership, known as AUKUS, with the aim of working hand in glove to preserve security and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” Johnson said. “We’re opening a new chapter in our friendship, and the first task of this partnership will be to help Australia acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, emphasizing, of course, that the submarines in question will be powered by nuclear reactors, not armed with nuclear weapons. And our work will be fully in line with our non-proliferation obligations.”  
   
“This will be one of the most complex and technically demanding projects in the world, lasting for decades and requiring the most advanced technology,” Johnson said. “It will draw on the expertise that the U.K. has acquired over generations, dating back to the launch of the Royal Navy’s first nuclear submarine over 60 years ago; and together, with the other opportunities from AUKUS, creating hundreds of highly skilled jobs across the United Kingdom, including in Scotland, the north of England, and the Midlands, taking forward this government’s driving purpose of leveling up across the whole country.” 

“Our governments will now launch an 18-month consultation period to determine every element of this program — from workforce, to training requirements, to production timelines, to safeguards and nonproliferation measures, and to nuclear stewardship and safety — to ensure full compliance with each of our nation’s commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,” said President Joseph Biden. 
 

STUART, Fla. — SeaRobotics Corp. has been awarded a U.S. Navy Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract to develop a CRawling Amphibious Breacher (CRAB), an amphibious robotic crawler capable of proofing shoreline assault lanes and neutralizing explosive and non-explosive obstacles to ensure clear landing zones for armed forces personnel, the company said in a Sept. 15 release.  

Phase I of the process (Navy SBIR 20.3) is to further develop an innovative but cost-effective means of demonstrating how SeaRobotics’ proposed CRAB concept could operate in swarm formation to specifically disarm various mine types — buried and submerged — in surf and beach zones. As such, CRABs are required to be rapidly deployable from a surface or subsurface marine asset in coastal waters (up to 400 meters from shore) in depths up 12 meters (or approximately 40 feet.)  

One of the other defined Key Performance Parameters is the capacity to drop GPS markers to accurately identify optimal assault lanes, made visible via a shared operating system that plots landing paths on a driver display aboard a command Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV).  

“We are delighted to have been awarded this important SBIR Phase I contract,” said SeaRobotics president Don Darling. “Current advances in marine robotics are redefining what’s possible in terms of tactical explosive ordnance disposal, and the challenge of developing an amphibious crawler capable of operating eight-hour missions above and below the waterline in sand, mud, and shell soil sea floor conditions is a natural extension of our R&D efforts at SeaRobotics to engineer the next generation of autonomous, uncrewed systems for a range of defense applications.” 

Phase II of the Navy SBIR 20.3 process is to manufacture a scaled prototype to demonstrate system performance and test the required range of operational parameters. Results will inform the necessary refinements for a Phase III development plan and ultimately transition the proposed technology to Marine Corps use.  

ARLINGTON, Va. — Many of the Mahanian principles of sea power are as applicable today as ever, the U.S. Navy’s top officer said, noting that navies and coast guards are the guarantors of the world’s commerce and hence the well-being of nations.  

“Providing a safe, secure, and stable maritime system is an imperative to all of mankind … and it is an essential part of what our navies do every day,” said Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday. “We are not simply the “keeper of the seas” … but the ‘keeper of the global way of life’ as well.”  

Gilday was addressing a gathering of naval leaders from around the world during the Sept. 15 opening day of the 24th International Seapower Symposium, an event normally held every two years at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. The event was attended in person or over the internet by 135 delegates from 104 nations. Last year’s planned symposium was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.   

“Like all of you … I believe that robust, resilient, and responsible sea power is an international consortium of like-minded nations,” Gilday said. “We are the primary guarantors of peace, prosperity, and the open flow of goods along the oceans.  
Our navies provide these benefits to the citizens we serve every day … in peacetime and especially during these times of competition … not just in rare moments of conflict.” 
   

The CNO pointed out that the ideas of Capt. Alfred Thayer Mahan bring to mind decisive battles at sea, sea control, and combat credibility.  
 
“I think many of those arguments are still relevant today,” Gilday said. “But over time … Mahan refined the rationale for sea power. Naval combat power became less pronounced, and economics took a more central role. Mahan believed that one of the fundamental applications of naval power was to protect an increasingly globalized world economy. You see, wealth generation comes from commerce … and commerce … floats on seawater. … Our economies, our values, and our cultures are more attached to the sea than any point in history.” 

The CNO noted several facts that illustrate the magnitude of the maritime economy today. The world’s trading fleet today includes more than 60,000 ships. New container ships nearly 400 meters long can carry more than 20,000 containers. There are more than 160 offshore wind farms providing electrical power to millions of homes and businesses. There are 20,000 desalinization plants that provide fresh water to hundreds of millions of people. Ships are engaged in deep-sea mining to extract critical minerals. He also noted the importance of underwater cables that transnational communications traffic.  

In a press conference following the speech, Gilday said “the seas are getting more contested and more congested,” and that “almost 100% of our internet connectivity is connected through trans-oceanic cables.” 
 
Gilday championed the international rules-based order that “preserves the maritime commons for freedom and fairness … for coexistence and for harmony … where the collective goals of all people — regardless of where they call home — can be advanced. 

“Since it is in the political, social, and economic interests of all of us to ensure the freedom of the seas … this is a responsibility with truly global consequences, not just for today, but for our children and their children,” he said. “It cannot be taken for granted … peace does not happen by accident. When the rules prevail, everyone prospers. When the rules are undermined … or worse, broken altogether … the world is a less secure and poorer place for all of us.”  
 
The CNO stressed the importance of the navy-to-navy and coast guard-to-coast guard relationships that “serve as a strong and stable keel for the broader international community. This keel serves as a shock absorber … and in turn … provides the underlying structure for global stability. 

“Every day … our Sailors send a “bow wave” of diplomacy in front of their path … assuring our allies, partners, and friends … and deterring malign behavior that threatens the international order that is so important,” he said.