Navy

These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Feb. 24, 2022, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.

Total U.S. Navy Battle Force:

Ships Underway

Ships Deployed by Fleet

In Yokosuka, Japan

US Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, visits USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) Feb. 17, 2022, US Navy Photo

USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is in port in Yokosuka, Japan, conducting its annual winter maintenance availability. The carrier began a four-month selected restricted availability in Yokosuka on Jan. 13, following a five-month deployment in the Middle East and the Pacific.

“Employees from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility and Norfolk Naval Shipyard, along with the ship’s force and contractors, are working together in Japan to complete maintenance on the aircraft carrier,” according to a Navy statement.

In the Philippine Sea

An EA-18G Growler, assigned to the ‘Wizards’ of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133, makes an arrested landing on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) on Feb. 21, 2022. US Navy Photo

The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is underway in the Philippine Sea along with the America Amphibious Ready Group (ARG).

Carrier:
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), homeported in San Diego, Calif.

Carrier Air Wing 9

An F-35C Lightning II, assigned to the ‘Black Knights’ of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) on Feb. 22, 2022. US Navy Photo

Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9, based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., is embarked aboard Abraham Lincoln and includes a total of nine squadrons and detachments:

• The “Black Aces” of VFA-41 Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) flying F/A-18Fs from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
• The “Tophatters” of VFA-14 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
• The “Vigilantes” of VFA-151 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
• The “Black Knights” of VMFA 314 – Marine Strike Fighter Squadron (VMFA) flying F-35Cs from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.
• The “Wizards” of VAQ-133 – EA-18G – Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
• The “Wallbangers” of VAW-117 – E-2D – Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
• The “Titans” of VRM-30 – CMV-22B – Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
• The “Chargers” of HSC-14 – MH-60S – Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) – from Naval Air Station North Island.
• The “Raptors” of HSM-71 – MH-60R – Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) – from Naval Air Station North Island.

Cruiser

Sailors, assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 3, conduct a helicopter, visit, board, search and seizure (HVBSS) drill aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) on Feb. 23, 2022. US Navy Photo

• USS Mobile Bay (CG-53), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.

Destroyer Squadron 21

Seaman Oscar Ruvio, left, from Los Angeles, and Seaman Michael Blanchard, right, from Panama City Beach, Fla., wait to be signaled by the landing signalman enlisted (LSE) on the flight deck of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG-111) on Feb. 23, 2022. US Navy Photo

Destroyer Squadron 21 is based in San Diego, Calif., and is embarked on the carrier.

• USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), homeported at Naval Station San Diego.
• USS Gridley (DDG- 101), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
• USS Sampson (DDG-102), homeported at Naval Station Everett.
• USS Spruance (DDG-109), homeported at Naval Station San Diego.

America Expeditionary Strike Group (ARG) 

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Corbin Douglas, center left, from Richmond, Calif., and Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Vincente Carrizales, center right, from Chicago, both assigned to the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA-6), carry a simulated casualty from an MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 during an aviation training team drill on the ship’s flight deck on Feb. 23, 2022. US Navy Photo

The amphibious ships of the America Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) are USS America (LHA-6), USS Green Bay (LPD-20) and USS Ashland (LSD-48). Elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) are embarked. The ESG departed on Jan. 14 from Sasebo, Japan, for a patrol in the Western Pacific.

In the Ionian Sea

Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class Ryan Shewmaker, from Lawton, Oklahoma, conducts a magnetic particle inspection aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) on Feb. 22, 2022. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations in support of U.S., allied and partner interests in Europe and Africa. (U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Elexia Morelos)

The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is back in the Ionian Sea and under NATO command. The CSG departed for its deployment on Dec. 1. Along with the U.S. ships, Royal Norwegian Navy frigate HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen (F310) joined the strike group under the Cooperative Deployment Program. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the strike group to remain in the Mediterranean Sea, rather than travel to U.S. Central Command, USNI News reported in December.

Russian warships have deployed in a formation to the theater; however, additional guided-missile destroyers – each with 90 vertical launcher cells each – have deployed and are in the Mediterranean Sea. These five Aegis DDGs and one guided-missile cruiser were built to counter the type of surface-surface anti-ship cruise missile threat currently presented by the Russian cruisers in the theater. Each of these Russian cruisers has 16 SSN-12 missiles. The six U.S. Navy DDGs and the cruiser San Jacinto carry hundreds of surface-to-air missiles and can control 16 missiles in the air simultaneously to counter multiple targets out to 256 nautical miles.

There are currently three NATO carrier strike groups underway in the Mediterranean Sea –Truman, Italian aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH 550) and French carrier FS Charles de Gaulle (R 91).

Carrier:
USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), homeported in Norfolk, Va.

Carrier Air Wing 1

An E-2D Hawkeye, attached to the ‘Seahawks’ of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 126, flies over the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), Feb. 21, 2022. US Navy Photo

Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1, based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va., is embarked aboard Harry S. Truman and includes a total of nine squadrons and detachments:

• The “Red Rippers” of VFA-11 Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) flying F/A-18Fs from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Fighting Checkmates” of VFA-211 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Blue Blasters” of VFA-34 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Sunliners” of VFA-81 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Rooks” of VAQ-137 – EA-18G – Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
• The “Seahawks” of VAW-126 – E-2D – Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
• The “Rawhides” of VRC-40 – Detachment – C-2A – Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
• The “Dragon Slayers” of HSC-11 – MH-60S – Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
• The “Proud Warriors” of HSM-72 – MH-60R – Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.

Cruiser

USS San Jacinto (CG-56) conducts a replenishment-at-sea with fleet combat supply ship USNS Supply (T-AO6) on Feb. 18, 2022. US Navy Photo

• USS San Jacinto (CG-56), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk.

Destroyer Squadron 28

Sonar Technician (Surface) 2nd Class Dashae King connects a sound-powered telephone to a stowage location on the fo’c’sle before a replenishment-at-sea with Supply-class fast combat support ship USNS Supply (T-AOE-6) aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109) on Feb. 19, 2022. US Navy Photo

Destroyer Squadron 28 is based in Norfolk and is embarked on the carrier.

• USS Cole (DDG-67), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk.
• USS Bainbridge (DDG- 96), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk.
• USS Gravely (DDG-107), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk.
• USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.
• USS Gonzalez (DDG-66), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk.
• Royal Norwegian Navy frigate HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen (F310).

In the Eastern Pacific

Sailors assigned to Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD-2) unload a RIM-162D-class missile from a NATO Sea Sparrow Surface Missile System missile launcher aboard Essex, Feb. 22, 2022. US Navy Photo

The Essex Expeditionary Strike Group (ARG) with the embarked 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed Aug. 12. Commandant of the Marine Corps, General David Berger, welcomed the ARG home from deployment when the ARG made a port call in Hawaii. The Essex ARG is now underway again en route homeport in California.

The ARG is comprised of three ships: landing helicopter dock USS Essex (LHD-2), amphibious transport dock USS Portland (LPD-27) and amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD-52). Together the 11th MEU, Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 1 and ships are designated as an ARG/MEU. In addition to the ships, the principal Navy elements of the ARG are a Naval Beach Group element, a Tactical Air Control Squadron element, a fleet surgical team and a helicopter sea combat squadron element.

The 11th MEU consists of four major components: a command element, a ground combat element, an aviation combat element and a logistics combat element. The 11th MEU is comprised of Battalion Landing Team 1/1, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 165 (Reinforced), Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 214 and Combat Logistics Battalion 11. The “White Knights” operate the MV-22B Osprey, UH-1Y Venom, AH-1Z Viper and the CH-53E Super Stallions, while the “Black Sheep” of Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 214 operate an AV-8B Harrier detachment.

USS Nimitz (CVN-68) departing San Diego, Calif., on Feb. 15, 2022. USNI News Photo

USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is underway in the Southern California Operating Areas conducting crew training and workup after completing maintenance at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility.

In addition to these major formations, not shown are others serving in submarines, individual surface ships, aircraft squadrons, SEALs, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, Seabees, Coast Guard cutters, EOD Mobile Units, and more serving throughout the globe.

Related

The Russian Navy acted largely in a supporting role as Russian ground and air assault forces entered Ukraine early Thursday morning in what a senior U.S. defense official called an “initial phase” of the assault against Ukraine.

The Russian force has made a three-axis assault in invading Ukraine, the official said. Forces moved south to north, going from Crimea to the Ukrainian city of Kherson. They moved from the northern central part of the country to the south, with forces coming in from Belarus toward Ukrainian capital Kyiv, and northeast to the south, with more forces from Belarus moving toward Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Russia is targeting population centers, the senior defense official said, with some of the heaviest fighting around Kharkiv. The United States expects that Moscow plans to incapacitate the Ukrainian government in order to install a puppet regime in Kyiv, officials have said.

For its part, the Russian Navy has assembled two amphibious task forces – one in Crimea that could land troops in the vicinity of the major port city of Odessa – and a second in the Sea of Azov that would likely support an offensive at the port of Mariupol.

Over the last month, the Kremlin has flowed six amphibious landing ships into the Black Sea, – assembled from assets in the Baltic and North fleets – joining landing ships already part of the Black Sea fleet.

On Feb. 8, three Ropucha-class tank landing ships – RFS Minsk (127), RFS Korolev (130) and RFS Kaliningrad (102) entered the Black Sea, USNI News reported. The next week, Ropucha-class tank landing ships RTS Georgy Pobedonosets (016), RTS Olenegorsky Gornyak (012) and the more capable Ivan Gren-class RTS Pyotr Morgunov entered the region.

The 4,080-ton Ropucha-class LSTs are each capable of landing 10 main battle tanks and about 350 troops ashore, while the larger 6,600-ton Pyotr Morgunov is capable of landing 13 main battle tanks and 300 troops, as well as field two attack helicopters.

In total, the Russians have a force of 10 amphibious ships, U.S. defense officials have said.

Russia did not use amphibious ships for landing operations in the beginning phase of the invasion, a senior defense official told reporters.

“We still have no evidence of Odessa right now being occupied or attacked,” the official said Thursday afternoon.

Unlike the U.S. Marines, Russian amphibious forces don’t train for contested amphibious landings and would drop off troops to reinforce an area that was already under control, or move behind Ukrainian lines to attack.

Admiral Grigorovich on March 1, 2017. Bosphorus Observer photo used with permission

“If the ground offensive is slowed, an amphibious landing behind the Ukrainian front lines becomes an option. The Ukrainian military has to hedge against that possibility, diluting them further,” former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Adm. James Stavridis told USNI News on Thursday.

As of Thursday morning, the Russian Black Sea fleet has largely supported the Russian ground and air assault troops that have struck near the capital of Kyiv from Belarus and the city of Kherson with forces from Crimea.

“The Russian Black Sea fleet is essentially a holding force directed against the Ukrainian military south of Ukraine. Assuming Putin’s ground offensives don’t bog down – which will depend on the quality of Ukrainian resistance – they will probably limit their participation to surface-to-surface missile strikes,” Stavridis said.

A U.S. defense official told USNI News that Russian Navy surface ships in the Black Sea fired the long-range Kalibir NK land-attack missiles. The Russian Navy bases Steregushchiy-class corvettes in the Black Sea. The 2,200-ton guided missile corvettes are “designed for operations in adjacent maritime zones, fighting enemy surface ships and submarines, as well as to provide naval gunfire support for amphibious landings,” according to a U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence report.

The Russian Navy also has a fleet of Kilo-class submarines in the Black Sea capable of firing Kalibirs.

Related

Did the failure of the US Navy and NATO to protect Russia’s “Back Door” give Putin the confidence to invade Ukraine?

By John Irish, Robin Emmott and Jonathan Saul (Reuters) – When Russia attacked Ukraine, the nearest naval vessel of a major NATO ally was in the Mediterranean. The last such ship from a major naval member of the Western military alliance left the Black Sea – an area roughly the size of California bordering Russia, Ukraine and NATO members Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania – over a month ago. 

A French warship completed a tour in early January and no major NATO naval ally has patrolled its waters since, according to Turkish maritime website Turkishnavy.net, which tracks the movements of foreign warships. Meanwhile, 16 ships from Russia’s naval fleets, including missile ships and vessels capable of landing tanks, had sailed into the Black Sea, according to Turkishnavy.net and Russian defense ministry statements. 

Also Read: Ukraine Crisis: Wall Street Should Forget Putin And Start Counting Ships

As NATO scrambles to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a major exposed flank is the Black Sea. Despite a stated resolve to deter Russia, the alliance has failed to prevent it from building a presence in the area.

A key reason: divisions among members over whether to challenge Russia’s navy in the area, resulting in a lack of a coherent and meaningful Black Sea NATO strategy, according to Reuters interviews with diplomats, intelligence officials and security sources from NATO members as well as military strategists, retired military commanders and shipping industry officials.

That includes reluctance by some NATO members, notably Turkey, to agree to maritime patrols to avoid provoking Moscow, they said. Other factors are budget constraints and the existence of other priorities among some major NATO allies, they added.

Russia’s Black Sea naval presence, which provides both military and economic leverage over Kyiv, had been disrupting Ukraine’s maritime trade even before the invasion. Ukraine’s ports have seen traffic fall sharply in recent weeks, according to commercial ship data reviewed by Reuters. Following Thursday’s attack, Ukraine suspended operations at its sea ports. 

“It’s like a boa constrictor around Ukraine’s neck, squeezing and squeezing and squeezing,” said retired U.S. Admiral James Foggo, who commanded U.S. and NATO fleets in Europe for almost a decade until 2020. “NATO needs a maritime strategy.”

Ukraine is not a NATO ally, and the alliance is not treaty-bound to protect it. 

On Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the assault on Ukraine included Russian naval forces as well as from the air and ground. Speaking to news media, he said NATO had more than 120 allied ships “from the high north to the Mediterranean” and more than 100 jets at high alert.

NATO did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this article. It has previously denied neglecting the Black Sea. Earlier this month, Stoltenberg said Black Sea security is of “vital strategic importance” to the alliance. Three of NATO’s members plus two close partners, including Ukraine, have coastal borders.

NATO has focused on boots on the ground. It plans to deploy land combat units totaling around 4,000 troops to Black Sea countries Romania and Bulgaria as well as Hungary and Slovakia, which border Ukraine. In addition, the United States is sending nearly 3,000 extra troops to Ukraine neighbors Poland and Romania.

Prior to Thursday’s invasion, Russia had amassed more than 150,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders, including in the Black Sea area, the United States has said.

Russia, which has demanded an end to NATO’s eastward expansion, launched airstrikes on Ukrainian cities while advancing troops and tanks early Thursday. Putin said he authorized military action to defend against what he said were threats emanating from Ukraine, a democratic state of 44 million people. 

Moscow, which asserts NATO should stay out of waters it claims as its own, had said the recently arrived ships were part of a pre-planned movement of military resources. Russia has long complained about what it has called a dangerous increase in military activity by the United States and its allies in the Black Sea – activities that NATO has said are purely defensive. 

NATO’s naval response to Russia also has implications for the West’s ability to assert its interests elsewhere, such as the South China Sea, where Beijing claims sovereignty.

“If, with the whole world watching, we cannot deter the Kremlin, I don’t think the Chinese will be terribly impressed about what we say about Taiwan or the South China Sea,” said retired U.S. General Ben Hodges, who commanded U.S. Army forces in Europe from 2014 until 2017 and who met Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv in early February.

‘CREEPING MILITARIZATION’

The warmer waters of the Black Sea in contrast to the Arctic have been critical to Russia since at least the 17th century. “Going back to Peter the Great, Russia has always been concerned as a land power about its lack of maritime access, particularly year round ice-free access,” said retired British Vice Admiral Duncan Potts.

Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014 allowed it to begin what one Western intelligence official described as the “creeping militarization” of the Black Sea. Russia took over or sank many of Ukraine’s navy vessels stationed in the Black Sea port of Sebastopol.

Russia’s military presence in Crimea and the modernization in recent years of key Russian naval fleets has “shifted the military balance in the Black Sea region in its favor,” said analyst Stephen Flanagan at the RAND Corporation think tank in the United States. Moscow currently has 18 major warships in the Black Sea, said Flanagan, giving it “a formidable force to conduct various operations against Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, the presence of NATO warships in the Black Sea has fluctuated. According to Turkishnavy.net, U.S. naval forces spent around 180 days in the Black Sea last year, up from less than 60 days in 2016 but down from over 200 days in 2014. Non-littoral NATO allies deployed 31 ships to the area in 2014, that dropped to 14 in 2016 before rising again to 31 last year, according to an independent database run by a Ukrainian think tank, the Monitoring Group of the Black Sea Institute of Strategic Studies and BlackSeaNews.

The last big allied destroyer, the U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke, left the Black Sea in December, according to a U.S. Navy statement. Britain’s Royal Navy has not been to the Black Sea since last summer, according to Turkishnavy.net.

NATO member Turkey does have a navy that operates in the Black Sea region. Other NATO allies – including the United States and France – currently have navy vessels in the Mediterranean.

PORTS ‘SHUT DOWN’

Ukraine relies heavily on its coastline for trade, with more than half of the country’s exports and imports traveling by sea. The Black Sea port of Odessa, Ukraine’s busiest port and largest oil and gas terminal, came under missile attack on Thursday, regional authorities of Ukraine’s southern Odessa region said. 

Ukraine’s military on Thursday suspended commercial shipping at its ports after Russian forces invaded the country, an adviser to the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff said. Read full story

Even before Thursday’s attack, there had been a growing reluctance by companies to send ships to the area because of the increased Russian naval presence, the three shipping industry officials plus one other said. That added to existing disruptions to trade caused by global supply chain issues, which has reduced the pool of available vessels willing to sail into the region.

Shipping traffic had recently dropped. The number of container ship arrivals to Ukrainian ports this month through Feb. 20 had fallen to 25 visits, down sharply from 48 visits during the month of January, according to data from ship tracking and intelligence provider MarineTraffic, which is based in Greece.

Odessa had also seen the capacity of ships coming into the port more than halved. For the first three weeks of February it was at 46,357 20-foot container units, down from 82,091 in January and 97,027 in December 2021, data from U.S. headquartered logistics platform project44 showed.

NATO’S ‘HAND TIED’

Some diplomats say NATO should have already established a Black Sea maritime patrol mission. 

The lack of such a presence despite regular visits by U.S. warships has allowed Russia to declare large areas near the Romanian and Bulgarian coastlines off-limits for months at a time while Moscow conducts military maritime exercises, according to a senior Western military official.

NATO is heavily dependent on member Turkey’s help; the other alliance members bordering the Black Sea – Bulgaria and Romania – have limited navies.

Under the international Montreux Convention of 1936, Turkey has control over passage of vessels between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Ships from non-littoral states such as Britain and France, can only stay for 21 days at a time. France has about three naval exercises in the Black Sea each year. Read full story

But Turkey must balance Ankara’s strong diplomatic ties with Moscow and its obligations as a NATO ally. Recent informal talks at NATO with Ankara over a possible maritime policing mission have gone nowhere, according to two Turkish government security sources and a NATO ambassador.

“We are evaluating the situation to be prepared for every situation,” Turkey’s defense ministry told Reuters on Feb. 10.NATO has previously declined to comment directly on the possibility of a Black sea policing mission.

“NATO has one hand tied behind its back,” Paul Taylor, a European analyst at the Friends of Europe think tank, referring to Turkey’s reluctance to impose more control over the Black Sea.

(Reporting by John Irish in Bucharest, Robin Emmott in Brussels and Jonathan Saul in London. Additional reporting by Sabine Siebold in Berlin, Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara, Phil Stewart in Washington. Editing by Cassell Bryan-Low)

Seaman Brady Long, a native of Bronson, serves the U.S. Navy aboard one of the world’s largest warships, the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77).

Bush was commissioned in 2009 and is completing a pre-deployment work up cycle.

“Our Sailors’ hard work to return George Herbert Walker Bush to the operational fleet in 2021 was exemplary,” said Capt. Robert Aguilar, GHWB commanding officer. “They represent the best principles of service to the mission and the nation that our namesake, President George H.W. Bush, embodied.”

Long joined the Navy one year ago. Today, he serves as an interior communications electrician.

“My uncle had a big influence on my decision to join the military,” said Long. “His name is Scott Lamontagne, and lives in Coldwater. He was a machinist’s mate in the Navy.”

Boeing delivered the 12th P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to India, on February 23. This is the fourth of the four additional aircraft delivered under the options contract signed by the Ministry of Defence in 2016. Only the US operates more P-8Is than India.

“Customer centricity, commitment to the modernization and mission-readiness of India’s defense forces are key values to our partnership with India,” said Surendra Ahuja, managing director, Boeing Defence India.

“With this delivery of the P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, we continue to nurture this partnership and are fully committed to working closely with India’s defense forces to deliver the right value and capabilities to meet their operational needs,” Ahuja added.

The P-8I is an integral part of the Indian Navy’s fleet and has surpassed 35,000 flight hours since it was inducted in 2013. The aircraft, with its exceptional maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, versatility and operational readiness, has proven to be an important asset to the Navy.

In addition to unmatched maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities, the P-8I has been deployed to assist during disaster relief and humanitarian missions.

The Indian Navy was the first international customer for the P-8 and today the P-8 is also operated by the US Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force and the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

Boeing remains committed in its efforts to further the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) vision for manufacture, sustainment and support of the Indian Navy’s P-8I fleet. Boeing Defence India (BDI), Boeing’s local entity in India, supports India’s growing P-8I fleet by providing training to Indian Navy flight crews, spare parts, ground support equipment and field-service representative support.

Boeing’s integrated logistics support has enabled a high state of fleet readiness at the lowest possible cost, the company said.

Several complex and mission-critical P-8I components such as the radar fingerprinting system, IFF (I/T) and datalink, speech secrecy system, mobile satcom system and wire harnesses are made in India by supplier partners, including Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) located across the nation.

Boeing plans to enhance in-country technical services support for the P-8I fleet by leveraging the skills and expertise of Boeing’s India Engineering and Technology Center, the aerospace giant said in a press release.

Boeing is also completing construction on the Training Support & Data Handling Centre at INS Rajali, Arakkonam, in Tamil Nadu, and a secondary center at the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology, Kochi, as part of a training-and-support package contract signed in 2019.

The indigenous, ground-based training will allow the Navy crew to increase mission proficiency in a shorter time while reducing the on-aircraft training time resulting in increased aircraft availability for mission tasking.

Indian Navy Expands

The Indian Navy is reportedly setting up a naval base in the remote Mauritian island of North Agalega and could operate its P-8 Poseidon from the facility, located in the south-western Indian Ocean.

As reported by The EurAsian Times in May last year, new satellite imagery showed changes in the physical features of the Indian infrastructure in Mauritius with an airfield and port development work being undertaken.

This work was believed to be worth more than $87 million. There has been a presence of the Indian military in Mauritius since 2015. Al Jazeera in its report claimed that it is a naval facility, and other military experts said that “an airstrip under construction will almost certainly be used for maritime patrol missions by India’s Navy”.

This infrastructure plan included the construction of a 3,000-m runway capable of handling the Indian Navy’s P-8I Neptune Maritime Patrol Aircraft and a port that could host other surface vessels and potentially submarines, or other assets of strategic importance.

According to the Lowy Institute, this development was supposed to be in sync with the Modi government’s 2016 vision for the Indian Ocean, articulated as Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR). Under SAGAR, New Delhi planned to work together with Indian Ocean regional governments to “engineer virtuous cycles of cooperation”.

Recently satellite pictures of Agalega,  have emerged to depict the construction of two large jetties and a runway that is more than 3km (1.84 miles) long.

“It’s an intelligence facility for India to stage air and naval presence in order to increase surveillance in the wider southwest Indian Ocean and Mozambique channel,” Abhishek Mishra, associate fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) think-tank in New Delhi told Al Jazeera.

It’s worth mentioning that India is set to acquire six more P-8I maritime patrol aircraft from the US. Developed by Boeing, the P8I is the Indian variant of the P-8A Poseidon multi-mission maritime aircraft. The P-8I planes are expected to replace the older fleet of the Tupolev Tu-142 aircraft.

To put these activities into context, the Chinese PLA Navy has been working firmly to be on par with the US military by 2027. The PLA navy possesses the largest surface fleet according to a US Congressional report published last year.

Beijing has been constructing military as well as commercial bases along the sea lines of communication (SLOCs), which extend from the Chinese mainland to Port Sudan in the Horn of Africa.

India’s Plan To Checkmate China

Many commentators in India believe this plan, together with the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor, a part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, is a threat to India’s national security. Such a system would encircle India and threaten its power projection, trade, and potentially territorial integrity.

China is on its way to creating a strong foothold in the Indian Ocean region with its elaborate naval bases, one that already exists in Djibouti, and the other long-expected one to be completed at Gwadar in Pakistan.

Wary of such developments, India is duly building and restoring its military presence pertaining to the naval assets/infrastructure in the region of the Indian Ocean.

Apart from Agalega, India also has its strategic listening post and radar facility in Madagascar and a coastal surveillance radar in Seychelles (whose existence is disputed and under shadows of secrecy and political controversies).

There is another listening post at Ras al Hadd. The Indian Navy has berthing rights at Muscat naval base, Oman. In 2018, New Delhi also secured access to facilities at the port city of Duqm in Oman for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.

According to Samuel Bashfield, a researcher at the National Security College at the Australian National University, a port is being constructed at the north end of Agalega, which now includes accommodation for up to 430 Indian workers.

“The latest images show the original jetty in addition to the considerable port development (two longer jetties) stretching closer to the deep water,” he said.

“This base on Agalega will cement India’s presence in the south-west Indian Ocean and facilitate its power projection aspirations in this region. As new imagery of Agalega is publicly released in the coming months the full scale and capabilities of this facility will be better understood,” Bashfield wrote for The Interpreter in March 2021. 

(First photo) Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific Gen. Charles Flynn meets with Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Andres Centino.

(Second photo) U.S. 7th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Karl Thomas and Philippine Navy Fleet Commander Rear Adm. Nichols Driz exchange command ballcaps following the Navy-to-Navy staff talks.

Manila, February 24, 2022—This week, Gen. Charles Flynn, U.S. Army Pacific Commanding General, and U.S. Navy 7th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Karl Thomas visited the Philippines to meet with military leaders and underscore the U.S.’ commitment to the Philippines and the Indo-Pacific region. 

Both commanders separately met with U.S. Embassy in the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Heather Variava, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Andres Centino, and the commanders of their respective branches of service to discuss further opportunities to work together to build more capable and interoperable forces. 

Gen. Flynn met with Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner, Commanding General of the Philippine Army, Maj. Gen. Connor Canlas, Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force, and traveled to Basa Air Base and Fort Magsaysay to discuss details of the upcoming Salaknib and Balikatan exercises with the 7th Infantry Division and 1st Brigade Combat Team commanders.

“The Philippines is a key ally in ensuring stability in the region,” said Gen. Flynn.  “I look forward to our upcoming exercises—Salaknib and Balikatan—and also to future opportunities to enhance readiness and interoperability between our two armies.” 

Vice Adm. Thomas’ visit included a courtesy call with Philippine Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Adm. Adeluis Bordado and staff talks with other Philippine Navy counterparts to discuss pertinent issues that will be brought to the U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Board and Security Engagement Board.

“Having open lines of communication with our partners and allies in the Indo-Pacific is vital to our lasting commitments and strong presence in the region,” said Vice Adm. Thomas.  “Holding maritime discussions face-to-face with Philippine leadership is important to our alliance and navies, and I look forward to continued engagements in the future.”

The 7th Fleet delegation also visited the Subic Bay Port leadership, received a tour of Subic Bay Port facilities, and participated in a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of the World War II liberation of the Philippines. 

For more information about the U.S.-Philippines defense and security partnership, visit https://ph.usembassy.gov/fact-sheet-u-s-philippines-defense-and-security-partnership/. 

By U.S. Embassy Manila | 24 February, 2022 | Topics: Events, News, Press Releases, U.S. & Philippines | Tags: Free and Open Indo-Pacific, U.S. 7th Fleet, U.S. Army Pacific, U.S. Navy

The Nimitz class made the US Navy a superpower in its own right. Here is their story: Giant aircraft carriers have become synonymous with U.S. military power, but many do not realize just how exceptional these vessels are.

These floating airbases are loaded with dozens of advanced warplanes and can launch up to 150 sorties per day. No other nation has deployed nuclear-powered supercarriers of comparable size and striking power—and the United States Navy operates eleven of them.

All but one of those carriers belongs to the Nimitz-class, a design which until 2017 was the largest vessel ever built, with a hulking displacement exceeding 113,000 tons loaded and a ship’s company of 3,200.

Named after Chester Nimitz, the legendary commander of U.S. Pacific forces during World War II, the Nimitz was then only the United States’ second nuclear-powered carrier when she was commissioned in 1975 with hull number CVN-68.

The preceding USS Enterprise employed eight nuclear reactors, but the Nimitz generated nearly as much power (190 megawatts) using just two Westinghouse A4W reactors to turn four steam turbines. Those turbines crank four bronze propellers in the stern that can propel the 330-meter long vessel—that’s longer than three football fields—up to speeds of thirty knots (thirty-five miles per hour), adequate to outrun most diesel-electric submarines. The reactors only require refueling every twenty years, though that process is lengthy, expensive, and usually combined with a major overhaul.

In the thirty-eight years between 1968 and 2006, ten of the gargantuan flattops were built in a huge 662-meter long drydock in Newport News, Virginia, each one introducing improvements over its predecessor.

The third vessel, Carl Vinson, featured better anti-submarine capabilities reflecting a late Cold War shift in Navy doctrine back to sea control.

Then the Theodore Roosevelt and its four successors were built using new modular construction techniques, reducing construction time by sixteen months, and had two-and-a-half inches of Kevlar armor added to key areas.

Finally, the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush introduced a swelled “bulbous bow” to decrease wave resistance, improved defenses, and a reduced radar cross-section.

The Nimitzes’ angled flight deck towers fifty-seven feet over sea level and spans 4.5 acres, allowing one aircraft to land at the same time as another takes off using Catapult Assisted Takeoff and Barrier-Assisted Recovery, or CATOBAR, in which a steam catapult helps propel heavily-laden aircraft off the flight deck while three or four tripe wires stand ready to snag an airplane’s arresting hook while it approaches. This allows for the operation of fast and heavily loaded jets, and it facilitates the ability to surge aircraft launch and recovery to very high tempos in critical combat scenarios.

For comparison, carriers in service with Russia, China and India featured an upcurved “ski-jump” ramp which significantly limits aircraft takeoff weight, while other navies rely on lower-performing vertical-takeoff jump jets.

Only one other active carrier, the French forty-eight-thousand-ton Charles De Gaulle, currently uses CATOBAR takeoff, though China and India are building CATOBAR-equipped carriers.

Most Nimitz-class vessels feature four catapults and arrestor wires. Four huge elevators in the side of the carrier then transfer aircraft to hangars in the lower deck, where there are wingtips are folded inwards to conserve space.

Following three catastrophic carrier accidents during the 1960s, the Nimitz-class was designed to be especially resilient to damage and has three hangars separated by heavy steel doors to prevent fires from spreading. These and other safety measures have prevented major disasters on the Nimitz carriers, though fatal landing accidents inevitably still occur.

Flight activities are coordinated from a control tower situated atop a superstructure on the rear right-side of the carrier called “the island.” The island also houses no less than fourteen different radars specialized in tasks ranging from flight control, air defense and missile targeting.

Carriers invariably deploy with a taskforce of around a half-dozen escorting frigates, destroyers, cruisers and usually one attack submarine. These vessels act as sentries to hunt down submarines and bombers before they get to close, provide a long-range air defense umbrella, and even serve to divert missiles and torpedoes towards themselves to protect the carrier.

While carriers never want to engage enemies directly, they do have short-range defenses to thin out any missiles or aircraft that make it through the gauntlet. These include radar-guided Sea Sparrow missiles (range twelve to thirty miles), super-rapid firing radar-directed auto cannons called Close-In Weapons systems, and on the Reagan and Bush, cheap, short-range Rolling Air Frame missiles in twenty-one-cell launchers. Additionally, the carriers employ multiple electronic warfare and anti-torpedo systems to misdirect incoming munitions.

Fortunately, there have been no serious attacks on a U.S. carrier at sea since World War II.

The Carrier Air Wing:

A carrier’s real values lie in its aircraft, which are administratively grouped in a separate unit called the Carrier Air Wing incorporating nearly 2,500 aviators and support personnel. These have evolved considerably over the years, including the integration of female aviators and Marine Hornet squadrons. Originally, the Nimitz-class carried over a hundred specialized aircraft: speedy, heavily armed F-4 Phantom and F-14 Tomcat jets designed to intercept enemy aircraft (and double as recon jets), and slower A-6 Intruder and A-7 Corsair bombers for pounding surface targets.

Smaller units of EA-6 Prowler and KA-6 jets offered jamming and aerial refueling support, while large E-2 Hawkeye turboprops aircraft mounting hefty radar dishes provided airborne early warning and command and control.

Later, carriers received a squadron of S-3 Viking anti-submarine jets, which adapted Swiss Army knife-like to serve as tankers, spy planes, jammers, fast transports, and even strike jets.

In the 1980s, the Navy introduced F/A-18 Hornet, a jack-of-all-trades supersonic attack plane. As the threat of mass bomber attacks evaporated with the end of the Cold War, the Navy decided it would be more efficient to focus on a single multirole design, the FA-18E/F Super Hornet, which can fly further and more stealthily than its smaller predecessor, as well as the specialized EA-18G Growler electronic attack model.

The Vikings were retired, arguably prematurely, their anti-submarine role subsumed by a squadron of more effective though shorter-range SH-3 or SH-60 helicopters, which also provide search-and-rescue services for downed pilots.

Air-refueling duties are performed buddy-on-buddy by Super Hornets. Since 1966 long-range C-2A Greyhound turboprop transports have delivered passengers and cargo to carriers, but these will be replaced by more flexible but expensive CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotors that can switch between vertical and conventional takeoff modes.

Today’s average sixty-four-jet air wing is significantly smaller than its predecessors, with three squadrons of Super Hornets, a half-size squadron of Growlers, and two squadrons of older FA-18C/D Hornet jets which are transitioning to new F-35C Lightning stealth jets. These last enable penetration of defended enemy airspace and can fuse their powerful sensors with friendly ships or Super Hornets.

However, there are concerns that the aircrafts’ five hundred and seven hundred miles combat radiuses will force carriers to come dangerously close to enemy shores. New long-range ground-based ballistic missiles, air and sea-launched supersonic cruise missiles, and very quiet yet inexpensive AIP-powered submarines pose major new challenges to the carrier’s survivability in littoral waters, and their role in a high-intensity conflict in the Western Pacific is subject to debate.

The Nimitz-class flattops were built to serve for a half-century, which means the Nimitz is scheduled for retirement in the 2020s, to be replaced by carriers of the new, $13-billion Gerald Ford class, which boast fancy electromagnetic catapults. However, in order to maintain a twelve-carrier Navy, the Nimitz and its sister ships may see their service lives extended. One way or another, Nimitz-class supercarriers will continue to sail the world’s oceans well into the mid-twenty-first century

Sébastien Roblin holds a Master’s Degree in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States.

The remains of U.S. Navy SEAL candidate Kyle Mullen returned late Tuesday to the young man’s hometown in New Jersey, where he was welcomed home by the community, officials, fire departments, military personnel and a procession led by police, loved ones said. 

Mullen, 24, was flown from California to Newark Liberty International Airport, where he landed just after 10:45 p.m. local time. There, he was greeted with applause from passengers on the flight that carried his casket and, later, with streets lined with supporters who held flags during the procession to the Freeman Funeral Home in Manalapan Township, New Jersey. 

A Facebook page created in honor of the fallen seaman, “Remembering Kyle Mullen,” detailed the respects paid in a series of posts late Tuesday.

“I was visiting my sister in San Diego and on my return I was on this flight,” a person commented in one of the posts. “Let it be known there was an applause on board and respect was shown to this fallen soldier.”

FAMILY OF FALLEN NAVY SEAL CANDIDATE REMEMBERS KYLE MULLEN’S ‘SEEMINGLY ENDLESS IMPACT ON THIS WORLD”

One Facebook post said that while the family had not made any formal plans for Mullen’s arrival in New Jersey, members of the community had begun planning the honors themselves. 

“To everyone who came out to welcome Kyle home – Governor Murphy, police departments, fire departments, naval officers, armed services, family, friends, neighbors, even passengers of United flight 2186, and many others – thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” a post on the Facebook page stated. “It was a beautiful and honorable homecoming.”

Mullen died after experiencing an unknown illness at the Naval Special Warfare Training Center in Coronado, California, on Feb. 4. Officials said he had successfully completed “Hell Week,” a notoriously grueling part of the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) training, but began experiencing unspecified symptoms hours later. 

He and another SEAL candidate who was experiencing the symptoms were taken to nearby hospitals. Mullen could not be saved, the Navy said. The other ill SEAL candidate was reported to have been in stable condition.

Earlier this month, Mullen’s family released a statement in which they wrote that while devastated about his untimely loss, “we could not be more proud.”

“Kyle dreamed of serving others and enlisted in the Navy with the hopes of joining the best of the best – the Navy SEALs. He would not settle for anything less,” the statement continues. “Kyle was exactly where he wanted to be in life when he was with his fellow seamen/warriors/classmates at Coronado. He took on every challenge, and failure was not an option as he strived toward reaching his goal of passing Hell Week and receiving his brown shirt.”

READ THE MULLEN FAMILY’S FULL STATEMENT HERE

U.S. Navy spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Kara L. Handley told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that Mullen’s cause of death remained unknown and under investigation. Handley previously said the surviving SEAL candidate had since been released from the hospital. 

The Navy has not since released any updates since Mullen’s identity was released on Feb. 6, 2022. 

NAVY SEAL CANDIDATE DEATH: FATHER OF SEAL TRAINEE WHO DIED IN 2016 SPEAKS OUT AMID RENEWED CALLS FOR JUSTICE

Mullen grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Manalapan High School, where he played football. He subsequently attended Monmouth University and then Yale University, where he continued the sport and was designated team captain. He left behind a brother in addition to his mother and other loved ones. 

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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the seaman “represented the very best of our state.”

Visitation services have been scheduled for 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Freeman Funeral Home, on Route 9 North in Manalapan. A full military Mass has been scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at St. Thomas Moore Church on Gordon’s Corner Road in Manalapan.