Marines and sailors from 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade, I Marine Expeditionary Force and the U.S. Navy’s Expeditionary Strike Group-3, Commander, Third Fleet, announced the official commencement of multinational amphibious exercise Dawn Blitz 2013 off the Southern California coast, June 11-28. Da
On the command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), members of the Striking and Support Forces NATO (SFN) and U.S. 6th Fleet completed a week of training on integrating U.S. Forces with NATO, June 7. The event allowed the two staffs to practice the seamless integration of U.S. carrier or exp
U.S. Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Misawa received the 2013 Nippon Zenkokai Association Good Conduct Award during a ceremony at the Sanshu-den Hall of Meiji Shrine, May 25. The Nippon Zenkokai Association is an independent non-profit organization that promotes good conduct and continuin
Pacific Partnership personnel and distinguished Samoan guests attended a closing ceremony for Pacific Partnership’s mission in Samoa, June 8. The ceremony, held on the pier next to amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52), the mission platform this year, included guest speakers from th
The U.S. Chief of Naval Operations has developed a working group focused on reducing the administrative overhead on commands, allowing Sailors to spend more time and energy on “Warfighting First.” “Our goal is to give back to our warfighters, and includes everyone from the CO to the deckplate leader
Commander, Naval Submarine Forces in Norfolk, U.S. established a flag officer-led task force in May to focus on effectively integrating enlisted women Sailors on board multiple submarine platforms. Vice Adm. Michael Connor stood up the task force to specifically look at best integration practices fo
The Navy accepted delivery of the second Joint High Speed Vessel, USNS Choctaw County (JHSV 2), from Austal USA, June 6 in Mobile, Ala. JHSV 2 successfully completed acceptance trials in May, when the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey evaluated performance of the ship’s major systems and equipme
USNS Millinocket (JHSV 3) successfully launched on June 5, from the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala. The third joint high speed vessel is a versatile, non-combatant, transport ship that will be used for fast intra-theater transportation of troops, military vehicles and equipment. “This launch is
The U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, City of Valdez, and Gallagher Marine Services, LLC formally established a Unified Command on Wednesday in response to container oil leaks aboard the cargo ship BBC Arizona. The Unified Command structure brings together representa
Pensacola-area naval commands, and the local community remembered the Battle of Midway during a ceremony held at the National Museum of Naval Aviation, June 4. The Battle of Midway, which is considered by many military historians to be the turning point of World War II in the Pacific theater, was fo
After more than a decade of overseeing Navy Seabee efforts around the world, the First Naval Construction Division (1NCD) was decommissioned May 31 during a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk. Rear Admiral Mark A. Handley, the last 1NCD commander, retired during the ceremony after 32 years of Navy se
Samoan citizens, service members from U.S. and partner nations, and non-governmental organization volunteers kicked off Pacific Partnership 2013 with an opening ceremony, June 1. Pacific Partnership is the largest disaster response-preparation mission in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. It will spend e
Australian Minister for Defence Stephen Smith, Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel held trilateral defence ministerial talks in Singapore June 1 on the margins of the International Institute of Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue. This was the s
The Government of Canada has selected a ship design for the Royal Canadian Navy’s future Joint Support Ships. This represents a major milestone within the Joint Support Ship project, and it is indicative of the Government’s commitment to moving the project forward, and to making an investment in Can
