A Navy F-5N Tiger II crashed about 25 miles off the coast of Naval Air Station Key West, Fla., at 9:20 a.m local time., the service announced on Wednesday. The pilot of the fighter, assigned to the “Sun Downers” of Fighter Squadron Composite (VFC) 111, was recovered by the crew of a MH-60S Knight Hawk. […]
An F-5N Tiger II assigned to the Sun Downers of Fighter Squadron Composite (VFC) 111 launches from Boca Chica Field in 2014. US Navy Phoro
A Navy F-5N Tiger II crashed about 25 miles off the coast of Naval Air Station Key West, Fla., at 9:20 a.m local time., the service announced on Wednesday.
The pilot of the fighter, assigned to the “Sun Downers” of Fighter Squadron Composite (VFC) 111, was recovered by the crew of a MH-60S Knight Hawk. The pilot was flown to a Miami hospital for further treatment, according to a service statement.
“The safety and well-being of our pilot remains our top priority. The cause of the incident will be investigated. More details will be released as they become available,” reads the statement.
In 2017, an F-5II assigned to the Sundowners crashed off the coast of Key West. The pilot was recovered by the Coast Guard following the crash.
The Sun Downers are Navy Reserve’s fleet adversary program fly as an opposition force in air combat training. Pilots train against the Navy, Marine Corps U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard fighter squadrons.
The following is the complete May 31, 2023, statement from the service.
We can confirm that a Navy pilot assigned to a Naval Air Station Key West-based Fighter Squadron Composite (VFC) 111 “Sun Downers,” ejected from an F-5N aircraft approximately 25 miles from Boca Chica Field at approximately 9:20 a.m. today. A NAS Key West Search and Rescue crew launched an MH-60S helicopter and rescued the pilot, who is being transported to a Miami-area hospital for further evaluation.
VFC-111 is a Navy Reserve squadron composed of Training and Administration of the Reserve (TAR) and Selected Reserve personnel.
The safety and well-being of our pilot remains our top priority. The cause of the incident will be investigated. More details will be released as they become available.
A North Korean rocket crashed on Wednesday after a failed launch, state media said on Wednesday. A report from Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said the military launched the reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 loaded on the Chollima-1 rocket out at 6:27 a.m., at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in North Pyongan province. According to KCNA, the […]
A component of the Chollima-1 rocket. South Korean Defense Ministry Photo
A North Korean rocket crashed on Wednesday after a failed launch, state media said on Wednesday.
A report from Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said the military launched the reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 loaded on the Chollima-1 rocket out at 6:27 a.m., at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in North Pyongan province.
According to KCNA, the rocket crashed into the Yellow Sea due to a loss of thrust caused by an abnormal start of the second-stage motor after the first-stage separation. A spokesman for North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration said that scientists, technicians and specialists were looking in to the cause of the failure, which was likely the reliability and stability of the new-type motor system introduced into the Chollima-1 rocket and instability issues with the rocket’s fuel.
The military surveillance satellite was “indispensable to tracking, monitoring, discriminating, controlling and coping with in advance in real time the dangerous military acts of the U.S. and its vassal forces,” Ri Pyong Chol, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea said this week, reported Kyodo News.
“We steadily feel the need to expand reconnaissance and information means and improve various defensive and offensive weapons.”
The South Korean military said that it salvaged an object presumed to be part of the crashed rocket in waters 125 miles west of Eocheongdo Island. Japan’s Ministry of Defense said the rocket disappeared over the Yellow Sea at 6:35 a.m. local time. Japan has lodged a protest to North Korea over the launch.
Japan Defense Minister Hamada held a special press conference on Wednesday about the launch, saying Japan’s military will continue to maintain its current posture on North Korean launches. Hamada declined to answer media questions on the deployment status of the PAC-3 unit on Ishigaki Island and a possible relocation of the unit amidst a report from Kyodo News that the unit on the island was unable to deploy due to an approaching typhoon. Earlier this week, Japanese officials protested the satellite launch, saying it violated United Nations Security Council resolutions on ballistic missile technology.
The Japanese Defense Ministry said this week it would place its ballistic missile defense systems on alert to destroy the rocket if it threatened Japanese territory. The Japan Self-Defense Forces deployed an unspecified number of ballistic missile defense guided-missile destroyers to intercept the rocket.
On Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Japan and visited U.S. military personnel stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and Yokota Air Base. He is scheduled to meet with Hamada before departing for Singapore for the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, which begins on Friday night.
The White House on Tuesday nominated Marine Corps Assistant Commandant Gen. Eric Smith, a key figure in the service’s Force Design 2030 modernization efforts, to serve as the next commandant, according to a Senate notification. If confirmed, Smith would succeed Gen. David Berger as the Marine Corps’ top officer. Berger is expected to retire this […]
Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, speaks during his visit to Texas Agricultural and Mechanical University, College Station, Texas, Nov. 18, 2022. US Marine Corps Photo
The White House on Tuesday nominated Marine Corps Assistant Commandant Gen. Eric Smith, a key figure in the service’s Force Design 2030 modernization efforts, to serve as the next commandant, according to a Senate notification.
If confirmed, Smith would succeed Gen. David Berger as the Marine Corps’ top officer. Berger is expected to retire this summer.
Prior to becoming the assistant commandant in 2021, Smith led Marine Corps Combat Development Command and was the deputy commandant for combat development and integration, where he oversaw the Marine Corps’ effort to overhaul the force to make it lighter and more mobile for a potential conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific. Known as Force Design 2030, the modernization push has been at the forefront of Berger’s time as commandant and an initiative Smith spearheaded as the Marine Corps’ top requirements officer.
During his time as the deputy commandant for combat development and integration, Smith worked closely with Vice Adm. Jim Kilby, the deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting requirements and capabilities (OPNAV N9) at the time, on creating more seamless integration between the two services.
“Naval integration and where we are going as a force, it’s based on the threat. The pacing threat,” Smith said in 2020 at an event with Kilby.
“If anyone questions why we are doing this, Jim and I are reading, along with the other deputy CNOs, deputy commandants, reading the daily intelligence that requires you to move in this direction. It is clear as the nose on your face.”
Prior to serving as the deputy commandant for combat development and integration, Smith was the commanding general of the Okinawa, Japan-based III Marine Expeditionary Force. His also previously led U.S. Marine Corps Forces Southern Command.
A career infantryman, Smith is a graduate of Texas A&M University, according to his service biography.
“He has commanded at every level, including Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment during Operation Assured Response in Monrovia, Liberia; 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment during Operation Iraqi Freedom; and 8th Marine Regiment/ Regimental Combat Team 8 during Operation Enduring Freedom. He also served in Caracas, Venezuela as part of the U.S. Military Group,” according to his service bio.
Smith’s nomination helps solidify the future of the Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030, which has received criticism of retired generals. The overhaul has seen the Marine Corps divest of legacy platforms like tanks in favor of lighter equipment that smaller units of Marines could haul around as they set up expeditionary bases on Pacific islands, from which they could fire anti-ship missiles.
Hauling goods via transport helicopter to replenish a military unit is a routine assignment. Dangling supplies over a ballistic submarine skimming across the Western Pacific is anything but routine. A pair of CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters made a supply run to ballistic missile submarine USS Maine (SSBN-741) as it traveled in the Philippine Sea. The vertical replenishment […]
U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Joseph McDonnell, a crew chief with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 462, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, lowers a package to the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Maine (SSBN-741) during a vertical replenishment (VERTREP) in the Philippine Sea, May 9, 2023. US Marine Corps Photo
Hauling goods via transport helicopter to replenish a military unit is a routine assignment. Dangling supplies over a ballistic submarine skimming across the Western Pacific is anything but routine.
A pair of CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters made a supply run to ballistic missile submarine USS Maine (SSBN-741) as it traveled in the Philippine Sea. The vertical replenishment mission marked a rare occasion for Marine Corps aviation to lend its hand to support an Ohio-class submarine.
The “Heavy Haulers” air crews of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462 – based at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, Calif., but currently assigned to Japan-based 1st Marine Aircraft Wing – conducted the May 9 vertical replenishment mission for one of the Navy’s strategic nuclear weapons-carrying submarines.
”This was the first time that 1st MAW conducted a vertical resupply for an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, delivering critical resources without disrupting maritime security operations,” Maj. Rob Martins, a 1st MAW spokesman in Japan, told USNI News via email.
For the Navy, having the Marine Corps’ heavy-lift helicopters perform resupply missions adds to the network of support for maritime logistics across the vast Pacific. As one of the Navy’s ballistic missile nuclear submarines, the Bangor, Wash.-based Maine spends much of its time submerged during its long undersea patrols. The boat’s operations remain secretive.
“The U.S. Navy’s ballistic missile submarine force has demonstrated yet again that we have the proven capability to work seamlessly alongside III Marine Expeditionary Force to execute our mission, allowing us to remain on station,” Cmdr. Travis Wood, commander of the Bangor, Wash.-based Maine, said in a Marine Corps news release about the mission. “Rotary-wing vertical replenishment such as this allows us to quickly resupply so that we can constantly maintain pressure against any adversary who would wish to do harm to the homeland.”
The recent helicopter resupply mission provided training for the aircrews and showcased another slice of how the Marine Corps’ “stand-in-force” deployed and operating in the Indo-Pacific region would support undersea maritime forces in a potential future conflict. The Marine Corps defines the stand-in force as the Marines operating in the first island chain – stretching from the Japanese islands to Taiwan, parts of the Philippines and down to Borneo – within the range of Chinese weapons.
“It highlights the importance of 1st MAW’s established forward presence, which allows us to seamlessly integrate with our naval partners operating in the first island chain,” Martins said.
The beefy CH-53E helicopter’s three engines give it enough internal and external lift capability, enabling it to carry a light armored vehicle or Humvee from a sling load. The platform’s long-running role as the Marine Corps’ king of external lift will be replaced by the CH-53K King Stallion later this decade. How much cargo a helicopter can externally sling-load depends on several factors, such as load weight, distance to the mission, altitude and climate.
U.S. Marines with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 462, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, complete a vertical replenishment (VERTREP) with the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Maine (SSBN 741) in the Philippine Sea, May 9, 2023. US Marine Corps Photo
While the CH-53E can travel more than 600 miles on a tank of fuel, its refueling probe stretches its legs and reach much farther.
The helicopter’s in-flight capability enables it to conduct a wider range of missions supporting the “stand-in-force” poised against adversaries in a future conflict in the Indo-Pacific region. In that scenario of the service’s Force Design 2030 modernization plan – which is driving much of the service’s current training focus – SIF units in the first-island chain would operate in the range of Chinese missiles, the place where fighting on land, at sea and in the air would be the most likely.
“The intricacies of seamlessly sustaining the force through naval integration and aviation-delivered logistics is a testament to our adaptability, readiness, and ability to project power within the Indo-Pacific,” Col. Christopher Murray, who commands Marine Aircraft Group 36 in Okinawa, Japan, said in the 1st MAW news release.
As interoperability goes, it’s not every day that Marines get to work closely with the Navy’s boomer fleet. On March 27, 2022, Marines from Task Force 61/2 trained with the surfaced guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN-729) near Souda Bay, Greece, to launch and recover their inflatable, combat rubber raiding craft. On Feb. 2, 2021, Force Reconnaissance Marines and an MV-22B Osprey with Japan-based III Marine Expeditionary Force joined together for an integration exercise off Okinawa with the guided-missile submarine USS Ohio (SSG-726).
The Malaysian coast guard detained a Chinese bulk cargo ship carrying unexploded shells that may have been looted from United Kingdom Royal Navy World War II wrecks HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, which were both sunk by torpedoes days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency is questioning the 32 […]
Photo of a Chinese salvage ship suspected of raiding U.K. Royal Navy WWII wrecks. Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency Photo
The Malaysian coast guard detained a Chinese bulk cargo ship carrying unexploded shells that may have been looted from United Kingdom Royal Navy World War II wrecks HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, which were both sunk by torpedoes days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency is questioning the 32 member crew about the ship’s recent activities in its waters. Investigators from several Malay law enforcement agencies and the Malay Heritage Department are searching the ship for suspicious cargo that could be connected to the illegal scavenging of other World War II wreckage sites or taken from unexploded ordnance caches discovered in a recent raid on a Johor scrapyard.
USNI News reported last week that international attention has been focused on Chinese dredging and salvage operations by Chuan Hong 68 as the ship tries to retrieve specialized steel, aluminum and brass fittings used in the warships’ building.
The Royal Navy termed the dredging of the historic wreckage site “disgraceful.” Eight-hundred forty crew members lost their lives in the attack carried out by Japanese bombers.
In response to questions from USNI News, the Naval Historical and Heritage Command noted the importance of the sites as war graves.
The sites also “can carry significant cultural importance and be associated with some of the most formative moments in the course of a nation’s or global history. For all these reasons and more, sunken military craft should be respected and allowed to rest undisturbed,” the command said in its answers.
The statement added that when the U.S. wreckage site is out of American territorial waters, the Navy “works closely with the Department of State and host countries to ensure the preservation of sunken military craft abroad, which may also represent protected cultural heritage resources of those nations in whose waters they have come to rest.”
Illegal salvage earlier this year over the suspected site. Photo via New Straits Times
In addition, sunken military ships also may contain hazardous substances like oil and unexploded ordnance, making salvaging or dredging extremely dangerous.
U.S. law protecting the sites include the Sunken Military Craft Act and Navy regulations implementing that implement the legislation. Violations can lead to $100,000 per day fines, confiscation of the vessel and liability for damages, NHHC added.
A patrol boat conducting normal operations detained the Chinese vessel, registered in Fuzhou, China, on Sunday afternoon for anchoring without permission about 20 miles off Tanjung Siang, the Malay maritime agency posted on its Facebook page.
The Straits Times in Kuala Lumpur and Agence France-Presse reported that the agency had seized the shells, corroded metal, and gas torches to cut it from the wreck. The Malays were also inspecting a crane aboard the Chinese vessel.
USNI News reported five years ago that the U.K. Ministry of Defense was so concerned over the illegal dredging of wreckage sites, scavenging and looting that it dispatched a task force of survey vessels to the region to investigate the wrecks’ status. The ministry said then it would also monitor the water by satellite to keep track of activity near the sites.
Indonesian authorities have placed charges against Chuan Hong 68 for illegal scavenging in its Exclusive Economic Zone.
Malaysian authorities detained the ship briefly, but the vessel and crew escaped. The ship’s present whereabouts are unknown.
Meanwhile, on Thursday NHHC confirmed the identity of a wreck site 90 miles off Okinawa as USS Mannert L. Abele (DD-733). It’s one of 3,000 shipwrecks and 15,000 aircraft wrecks the U.S. Navy is responsible for globally.
The Sumner-class destroyer was on radar picket duty when it became the first warship to be sunk by an Okha, a Japanese suicide rocket bomb, on April 12, 1945. The human-guided weapon was capable of speeds of up to 600 miles per hour.
The command’s Underwater Archaeology Branch used information provided by Tim Taylor’s “Lost 52 Project” to confirm the identity. Taylor is the chief executive officer of Tiburon Survivor. The project takes its name from lost American submarines in World War II.
Taylor’s father was serving on a nearby sister ship when Mannert L. Abele was struck and sank in a manner of minutes.
Japanese ballistic missile defense systems are on alert after North Korea told the Japan Coast Guard it would launch a satellite in the next two weeks, USNI News learned. Japan’s Defense Ministry on Monday issued an order that placed its BMD-capable destroyers and Patriot PAC-3 units to destroy any North Korean missiles launched from Wednesday […]
Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae inspect the country’s first military reconnaissance satellite, in Pyongyang, North Korea on May 16, 2023. KCNA Photo
Japanese ballistic missile defense systems are on alert after North Korea told the Japan Coast Guard it would launch a satellite in the next two weeks, USNI News learned.
Japan’s Defense Ministry on Monday issued an order that placed its BMD-capable destroyers and Patriot PAC-3 units to destroy any North Korean missiles launched from Wednesday to June 11, if the rockets launching the supposed satellite look like they could land in Japanese territory.
The order came about after North Korea informed the Japan Coast Guard via email that it would launch a satellite sometime between May 31 and June 11. Japan is the area coordinator for NAVAREA XI, with the JCG acting as the executing agency to release navigation and safety warnings for the area.
Japan Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada in his regular press conference on Tuesday said that based on the past, North Korea’s proclamation of a satellite launch was actually a ballistic missile launch. The Japanese government’s position is that even if North Korea calls it a satellite launch, it’s still in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions that prohibit any launches using ballistic missile technology.
Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters on Monday that even though North Korea claimed it was launching a satellite, launches using ballistic missile technology violated United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. The Prime Minister’s Office also issued a statement on Monday stating that Japan would coordinate with the United States, South Korea and other concerned countries to strongly urge North Korea to not carry out the launch. It also stated that the Japan Ministry of Defense and the Japan Self-Defense Forces had been instructed to prepare to take destructive measures against any North Korean ballistic missiles.
Japan’s Defense Ministry on Monday issued a release stating that the JSDF would take measures to destroy any missiles heading toward Japanese territory by using SM-3 missiles launched from destroyers or PAC-3 missiles launched by Patriot units. The release did not state how many destroyers would deploy, though it said those destroyers would go to the East China Sea. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has eight Aegis-equipped destroyers capable of BMD tasking: four Kongo-class destroyers, 2 Atago-class destroyers and 2 Maya-class destroyers.
PAC-3 units on alert are comprised of units stationed at Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JSGDF) Naha (in Okinawa) and Yonaguni Island garrisons, Japan Air Self-Defense Force ( JASDF) Miyakojima base and the PAC-3 unit on Ishigaki Island, all of which are located in the southwest islands of Japan.
Path of People’s Liberation Army Navy warships.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Joint Staff Office (JSO) of Japan’s Ministry of Defense issued a news release stating that at 4 p.m. local time on Friday, People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Sovremenny-class destroyer, a Jiangkai-class frigate and two Yuzhao-class amphibious ships were sighted sailing north in an area 81 miles south of Yonaguni Island. The release did not include the usual pennant numbers of the ship, nor did it include photos of the ships, as per the norm for JSO releases. The PLAN ships then sailed between Yonaguni Island and Taiwan and were later seen sailing north in an area 50 miles west of Uotsuri Island, according to the release, which also said that destroyer JS Sawagiri (DD-157) and a JMSDF P-3C Orion Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) of Fleet Air Wing 5 based at Naha Air Base, Okinawa shadowed the PLAN ships.
On Tuesday, the JSO said Russian Navy corvettes RFS Sovetskaya Gavan (350) and RFS Koryeyets (390) were sighted sailing southeast in an area 19 miles north of Cape Soya, Hokkaido. Subsequently the two Russian corvettes sailed east through La Pérouse Strait. Destroyer JS Yudachi (DD-103) and a JMSDF P-3C Orion MPA of Fleet Air Wing 2 based at JMSDF Hachinohe Air Base on the main island of Honshu monitored the Russian ships, according to the release.
Russian corvettes RFS Sovetskaya Gavan (350) and RFS Koryeyets (390)
Also on Tuesday, French Navy frigate FS Lorraine (D657) docked at the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal on a port visit as part of its Indo-Pacific deployment. French Navy Chief Admiral Pierre Vandier at a news conference in the United Kingdom said the frigate would integrate with a U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group during its deployment, Naval News reported. Vandier did not specify which CSG the French frigate would integrate with, but both the Nimitz and Reagan CSGs are currently operating around Japan.
Earlier on Monday Lorraine carried out the France-Japan bilateral exercise “Oguri-Verny 23-2” with destroyer JS Yamagiri (DD-152) in the waters south of the Kanto region on the main island of Honshu, according to a Tuesday JMSDF release. The release said the two ships conducted tactical maneuvers as part of the exercise.
MANILA — The Philippine Coast Guard will hold maritime exercises with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Japan Coast Guard near the Chinese-occupied Scarborough Shoal this week. The trilateral maritime exercise will start on June 1, and will be held in the waters of Mariveles, Bataan, is the first for the PCG which is facing […]
HERE
MANILA — The Philippine Coast Guard will hold maritime exercises with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Japan Coast Guard near the Chinese-occupied Scarborough Shoal this week.
The trilateral maritime exercise will start on June 1, and will be held in the waters of Mariveles, Bataan, is the first for the PCG which is facing an aggressive China in the South China Sea.
BRP MelchoraAquino (MRRV-9702), BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV-8301), BRP Boracay (FPB-2401) and one 44-meter multi-role response vessel will conduct the exercise with National Security Cutter USGCC Stratton (WMSL-752) and Japanese patrol vessel Akitsushima (PLH-32).
According to the PCG, the trilateral maritime exercise would strengthen interoperability through communication exercises, maneuvering drills, photo exercises, maritime law enforcement training, search and rescue and a passing exercise.
“Participating coast guard personnel will demonstrate a scenario involving a suspected vessel involved in piracy,” reads a statement from the Philippine government.
“The joint law enforcement team from the three coast guards will carry out a boarding inspection followed by a operation.
PCG Officer-in-Charge Vice Adm. Rolando Lizor Punzalan said the combined maritime exercise would also improve maritime cooperation and understanding.
“The U.S. Coast Guard and Japan Coast Guard have been assisting us in our human resource development program, particularly in law enforcement training. This is a good opportunity to thank and show them what our personnel learned from their programs,” Punzalan Jr. noted.
The week-long engagement will also involve a sporting event to strengthen the three Coast Guards’ camaraderie, a special interest exchange for women in maritime law enforcement, and an expert exchange for PCG personnel’s professional development.
The exercises followed the government’s installation of five additional navigational buoys off the coast of Luzon Island as Manilla asserts its sovereignty over nearby waters, while China placed its own buoys.
Last month a China Coast Guard Cutter nearly collided with PCG patrol vessel BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4402).
Malapascua (MRRV-4402) and BRP Malabrigo (MRRV-4403) encountered a PLAN Type 054A frigate, hull number 549, 7 nautical miles from Pag-asa Island, internationally known as Thitu Island and part of the disputed Spratly Islands, on April 21,” reported USNI News.
“Embarked media reported and filmed a near collision between the two ships when the CCG . The Philippines ship stopped its engines and reversed, averting a potential collision.”
Amid a delay in fielding the Marine Corps’ new Amphibious Combat Vehicle program, sailors and Marines are adjusting how they move Marines ashore. Last summer, the three ships in the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group became the first U.S. Navy vessels certified to operate the new ACVs. But a late-stage change ahead of their deployment […]
A member of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 1 Expeditionary Mine Counter Measure (ExMCM) Company 1-3 participates in a raise, tow, beach operation with Marines from I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Feb. 17, 2023. US Navy Photo
Amid a delay in fielding the Marine Corps’ new Amphibious Combat Vehicle program, sailors and Marines are adjusting how they move Marines ashore.
Last summer, the three ships in the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group became the first U.S. Navy vessels certified to operate the new ACVs. But a late-stage change ahead of their deployment meant the ARG and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit would deploy without the new armored vehicles that are able to swim from an amphibious warship to shore across the open ocean.
During the last amtrac age, the Marine Corps’ amphibious assault doctrine called for two-thirds of Marines to hit the shore from the sea, while a third of the force would fly. But without the AAVs or ACVs, the Marine Corps is rethinking how to deploy Marines ashore. In the interregnum between the amtracs and the new ACV, the MEUs have adapted to employ other ship-to-shore capabilities.
The Makin Island ARG/MEU – which has been deployed to the Indo-Pacific for the last seven months – has instead relied on its five Landing Craft Air Cushions and one Landing Craft Utility to land Marines ashore.
“We saw no degradation to any capability in our ship-to-shore connectors during any portion of the exercise,” Col. Samuel Meyer, the commanding officer of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked with the Makin Island ARG, told USNI News in an interview last week.
The ability to pivot to the other platforms, for which the ARG/MEU also has certifications, demonstrates the nimbleness of the amphibious force, USS Makin Island (LHD-8) commanding officer Capt. Andria Slough told USNI News.
Marines from I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Feb. 17, 2023. US Navy Photo
“I think that just goes back to show how agile these L-class ships, with their combined Marine compliment, really are. You can change that plan – it happened to change for deployment – but it can change for specific missions too. And we’ve seen that in the past, specifically with humanitarian aid, disaster relief, or small security packages that are needed wherever. Not everything’s a full-scale war. So we’re very scalable, very agile,” Slough said.
USS Makin Island (LHD-8) and amphibious transport docks USS John P. Murtha (LPD-26) and USS Anchorage (LPD-23) deployed in November as an ARG with the 13th MEU embarked. Since then, the ARG/MEU has participated in a host of exercises throughout the Indo-Pacific with regional allies and partners like Japan and the Philippines.
“When you have the change of a configuration, you don’t have a loss of capability. So it’s the team together that manifest this robust capability and it’s a team fight,” Meyer said.
A Marine sits atop a LAV-25 aboard a landing craft utility in the well deck of USS Bataan (LHD-5) on April 23, 2023. USNI News Photo
The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit were slated to be the first East Coast ARG/MEU to deploy with the ACVs. But the ongoing operational pause meant the MEU had to rethink its ship-to-shore capabilities without the ACVs, one Marine told USNI News on an embark to Bataan last month.
In place of ACVs, Bataan was filled with the Marines’ LAV-25 light armored vehicles. The LAVs were both in the big deck’s vehicle stowage and packed aboard two LCUs in Bataan’s well deck. The amphibious assault battalion cross trained to operate 11-meter rigid hull inflatable boats, 26th MEU commander Col. Dennis Sampson told USNI News during an interview aboard Bataan in April.
“What we’ve done is taken Marines that are familiar with water operations from the amphibious assault battalion Navy coxswain courses to a high standard, and we also put them through a maintenance course that is associated with those 11-meter RHIBs,” Sampson said.
“We’re heavily reliant on our aviation assets to build combat power ashore. We’re more reliant on LCACs and LCUs but they’re not equivalent to tracks. We’d like to have those ACVs.”
An ACV with 3d Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division onshore and USS Anchorage (LPD-23) and two Navy safety boats in the water. USNI News Photo
It’s unclear when the Marine Corps will deploy the ACVs for the first time. After the service decided not to deploy the new vehicles with the 13th MEU, Marine Corps deputy commandant for combat development and integration Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl said last year that the 15th MEU would be the first to deploy with the ACVs.
Last month, when announcing a new training unit to help with the ACV transition, the Marine Corps said it would not “speculate on future deployments,” but wants to focus on training the operators.
For now, the Marines out with the fleet feel they have what they need to achieve their missions.
“I don’t think there’s any capability lost for anything that we’ve done. We certainly look forward to the modernization of the ACV when it comes out, but that will be when it’s ready and that will be on a future MEU,” Meyer said.
The following is the May 26, 2023, U.S. Naval Academy graduation ceremony and the text of the address by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. Good morning, Class of 2023! I don’t think there’s anybody out there, Sean. Good morning, Class of 2023! Secretary Del Toro, Admiral Gilday, General Berger: thanks for your leadership of our […]
The following is the May 26, 2023, U.S. Naval Academy graduation ceremony and the text of the address by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Good morning, Class of 2023!
I don’t think there’s anybody out there, Sean. Good morning, Class of 2023!
Secretary Del Toro, Admiral Gilday, General Berger: thanks for your leadership of our Navy and our Marine Corps.
And it’s great to see so many distinguished guests and local leaders, as well as members of Congress here today. Thanks for your support of this great Academy.
Vice Admiral Buck, family, friends, and above all graduates: I am absolutely delighted to join you on this proud day.
It is great to be here.
Even though the first guy I met said, “Beat Army!”
And it is indeed an honor to help welcome the next generation of Sailors and Marines to what is, beyond any doubt, the finest Navy that the world has ever known.
Now, you’re going to need to get used to some new titles.
So congratulations, Ensigns and Second Lieutenants! Huh!
You know, I really appreciate the warm welcome today, especially for an old West Point guy like me.
And as a former service-academy cadet, it’s a real pleasure to take care of this next piece of important business.
So in keeping with the longstanding tradition: To all midshipmen serving restrictions for minor infractions, you are hereby absolved.
You know, I’ve always wanted to do that.
You know, the U.S. Navy has been doing some pretty amazing things lately.
Pushing the limits with cutting-edge platforms. Schooling the next generation. And confronting new dangers.
And that was just the first half-hour of “Top Gun: Maverick.”
As I look around this stadium, I see some very proud families and loved ones out there.
You’ve been on this journey right alongside your midshipmen—from I-Day to plebe summer to signing those “two for seven” pledges. Your love and encouragement has given them the strength to keep going.
So graduates, today belongs to your loved ones too. And let’s give them a third round of applause.
Let me offer a special word of thanks to the sponsor families.
They open up their homes to exhausted mids—offering hot meals, and laundry, and a place to crash that isn’t “Mother B.”
So thanks to all of you for you have done and what you continue to do in support of these great men and women.
And Vice Adm. Buck has also got a graduation of sorts coming up.
Supe, you’ve led this brigade through incredibly challenging times. I want to thank you for your many years of service. And as your retirement beckons, we wish you fair winds and following seas.
Now, graduates: I know that you’re feeling some powerful emotions today.
Pride, gratitude, relief—and maybe a bit of shock.
And if you’re anything like my own academy class back in the day, you may be worrying about what’s next.
And you may wonder whether you’re truly prepared to lead.
Ensigns and Lieutenants, let me be clear: You are ready.
And that’s not just because you’ll have a commission the next time that you walk off the Yard.
It’s because of each and every time that you walked onto the Yard.
You chose to come to this Academy.
And despite challenges that nobody imagined, you chose to keep coming back, and to keep pushing, and to keep growing.
You know, all those choices add up to character.
And all those decisions add up to integrity.
And all those deeds add up to leadership.
And the way that you overcame obstacles at this Academy will show you how to conquer challenges outside of this Academy.
You led the brigade with grace and compassion after the Academy family tragically lost two midshipmen last year.
And I ask that we take a moment to remember Midshipman Taylor Connors and Midshipman Luke Bird.
Some of you have been hit with unexpected challenges.
Maya Weiss learned last year that she was facing a battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
But last November, she rang the bell at Walter Reed—done with chemo and cancer free.
And Maya, your classmates can’t wait for you to join them in the Fleet later this year.
This class has also led throughout a global pandemic.
COVID-19 disrupted your plebe year. It delayed rituals like climbing Herndon. It separated you from your classmates, as you were just starting to feel like a family.
But you hung in there. You took care of each other. You found ways to adapt, like firing up grills on the Yard for Thanksgiving dinner—or doing squats with jugs of water in your parents’ backyards when sea trials become “e-trials.”
And when it was finally safe to gather again, you reunited with your classmates. And you made good use of that weekday liberty at O’Brien’s.
Now, the Naval Academy’s new Midshipman Ethos records the core values that you’ve sworn to live by.
You seek wisdom. You practice discipline. You treat others with dignity and respect.
And you will defend our democracy with honor, courage, and commitment.
You know, those values aren’t just words that you recite. Those values are who you are.
And that’s how I know that you are ready for the challenges ahead.
As one of your predecessors once said, “We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.”
That was President Jimmy Carter, Class of 1947.
And I’m proud that one of this school’s most distinguished alumni—a man of deep faith and a champion of human rights—is now honored on the Yard with the naming of Carter Hall.
Graduates, over the years, I’ve learned that leadership is not just what you do.
It’s who you are.
And over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with some outstanding graduates of this academy.
People like Carlos Del Toro, who came to America, as you heard this morning, as a refugee from Cuba—and went on to command a destroyer and serve as your 78th Secretary of the Navy.
And his American journey reminds us how much is possible in this exceptional country.
I’m also thinking of Michelle Howard, the Navy’s first female four-star and the first African-American woman to command a combatant ship.
After she retired, Admiral Howard led the important commission to rename military assets after great American patriots who represent the very best of our history.
And her career is an inspiration to anyone facing a tough task.
“Some days,” she says, “you’ve just got to get your warrior on—and take that first step.”
I’m also thinking of my junior military assistant, Lieutenant Colonel Jay Armas, Class of 2001.
Now, this outstanding Marine is with me every day, morning until night.
And every morning, when Colonel Armas briefs me on my schedule, he realizes that all those “chow calls” were actually good for something.
And finally, I’m thinking of my former boss, Adm. Mike Mullen, who was the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He taught me some of the most important lessons of my career.
And the first one was: don’t ever work for a Naval Academy graduate when Navy Football is in the middle of a 14-year winning streak.
Adm. Mullen also taught me that a leader’s single most important job is to build and empower a great team. To encourage debate and diversity of views. And to take care of all of your people.
And if it hadn’t been for Adm. Mike Mullen, I probably wouldn’t be here with you today.
You know, naval officers have a special understanding of the power of teamwork.
To keep a ship afloat or a submarine diving, the crew has to work together as one team—from the captain to the cooks.
And that’s the spirit that makes American seapower so formidable.
And we need that spirit for the crucial mission that you’re all here to shoulder.
America’s seapower lets us sail, and fly, and operate alongside our unrivaled network of allies and partners, from the South China Sea, to the Gulf of Aden, to the Caribbean.
It lets us project power around the world.
And it helps us secure the sea lanes for the free movement of people, and goods, and ideas.
Today, our Marines are showing the power of teamwork as they train alongside our allies in Japan and the Philippines to strengthen deterrence in the Indo-Pacific.
Our Navy is driving forward our historic AUKUS partnership with Australia and the U.K., bringing together three great democracies to keep the Indo-Pacific free, and open, and prosperous.
In Europe, our Sailors are operating shoulder-to-shoulder with our NATO allies. And the Navy has helped expand Ukraine’s maritime capabilities as Ukraine fights against Russia’s cruel and reckless war of choice.
So around the world, the Navy and the Marine Corps bring relief to disaster zones, they counter piracy and drug trafficking, and they defend the freedom of the seas, skies, and space.
And that’s what American seapower lets us do.
Ensigns and Second Lieutenants: that is your mission.
And your leadership will be at the very heart of America’s work to forge a more open and more peaceful 21st century.
You know, our competitors openly challenge that vision. They want to replace the hard-won postwar system of rules and rights with a lawless world of autocracy and aggression.
But the American flag atop a U.S. Navy ship has long been the symbol of hope for a more free and secure world.
So graduates, you will deploy forward. You will travel the globe to defend our democracy. And you will learn that the lifeblood of the rules-based international order is actually seawater.
That’s a big job.
But you’re up to it.
You know, exactly 30 years ago today, the Class of 1983 [1993] heard from a wise and scrappy member of the Naval Academy’s Class of 1958.
Senator John McCain held true to his values under impossible circumstances.
And to the graduates sitting where you are, he said, “You have been taught much of what is necessary to lead other men and women in war and peace. You will learn much more from your approaching experiences. As Ensigns and Second Lieutenants, the character of the young Sailors and Marines entrusted to your care will be formed in large part by their appreciation of your character.”
And then Senator McCain added, “You are where leadership begins.”
Ladies and gentlemen, look around you.
This stadium reminds us of the great battles in which those who came before you fought to defend democracy. Belleau Wood. Guadalcanal. Iwo Jima. Inchon.
But what you don’t see here is all the battles that never occurred, all the wars that never erupted—because American Sailors and Marines showed up.
They deterred conflict. They kept the watch. And they reminded the world of what America stands for.
As President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “A good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace.”
Class of 2023: wherever your career takes you, remind the world of what you stand for—and what America stands for.
Honor. Courage. And commitment.
Democracy. Liberty. And the rule of law.
The lessons of this academy will always steer you true.
And when the fog rolls in, let the values that you have learned here be your lighthouse.
Because your commanders will call on you.
Your teammates will look to you.
And your country will count on you.
And I know that you are ready.
Because you are where leadership begins.
Class of 2023: I am absolutely honored to call you my teammates and shipmates.
And we will all be cheering you on as you make our country stronger, and our democracy deeper, and our world safer.
Congratulations.
May God bless you. May God bless your families. And may God continue to bless the United States of America.
Navy lawyers are reviewing an investigation to determine potential punishments for sailors who may bear responsibility for the death of a SEAL candidate in 2022, USNI News has learned. In his endorsement of the command investigation into the death of 24-year-old Seaman Kyle Mullen, Naval Education Command commander Rear Adm. Peter Garvin recommended that sailors […]
Navy SEAL candidates participate in Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in 2018. US Navy Photo
Navy lawyers are reviewing an investigation to determine potential punishments for sailors who may bear responsibility for the death of a SEAL candidate in 2022, USNI News has learned.
In his endorsement of the command investigation into the death of 24-year-old Seaman Kyle Mullen, Naval Education Command commander Rear Adm. Peter Garvin recommended that sailors spread around 10 different functions involved in the training and treatment of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training candidates could face accountability actions. A Navy spokesperson would not give specific numbers of sailors that are at risk for punishment. The decision would be left up to commanders based on recommendations from Navy lawyers, USNI News understands.
The March 24 endorsement tops a November investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mullen’s Feb. 4, 2022 death that identified several gaps within the medical oversight of SEAL training, especially around the “Hell Week” graduation exercise. A lack of written policy and guidance, including on medical issues associated with Hell Week and training, as well as insufficient communication led medical providers to miss the deteriorating conditions of Mullen and other unnamed SEAL candidates.
Kyle Mullen
“This investigation identifies risks that aggregated as the result of inadequate oversight, insufficient risk assessment, poor medical command and control, and undetected performance-enhancing drug use; and also offers actionable solutions to mitigate those risks going forward,” Garvin wrote in his endorsement of the investigation performed by Rear Adm. Benjamin Reynolds, the director of operations and plans (N3) for the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.
An October investigation into Mullen’s line of duty death found the sailor died of bacterial pneumonia with a contributing factor to be cardiomegaly – an enlarged heart. The timeline surrounding Mullen’s death, included in the May 25 investigation as well as the October investigation, found that Mullen struggled with respiratory issues throughout Hell Week before ultimately succumbing to pneumonia after he completed the phase.
A lack of communication between medical providers resulted in Mullen’s deteriorating condition going unmonitored. Another SEAL candidate also struggled with respiratory challenges and was taken to the hospital with Mullen. The unnamed candidate was ultimately intubated and also diagnosed with pneumonia.
Mullen sought medical assistance at the urging of his classmates on Feb. 3, 2022, after his worsening condition, including a hacking cough and a dark-colored fluid pouring out his nose and mouth when he sat up, worried them.
While on the way to medical, the candidates were stopped by an unnamed person who told them it was not time to go to medical as the candidates were going to be woken up and there would be a sick call.
The investigation does not say what happened during the sick call that morning.
Mullen was treated on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022 with high-flow oxygen due to a low oxygen saturation level. His vital statistics returned to normal after being treated with oxygen and he appeared normal, talking about playing football at Yale and singer Taylor Swift.
He then returned to training before needing to go back to the ambulance for a second time due to respiratory distress.
The medical providers in the ambulance treated Mullen as if he were suffering from Swimming Induced Pulmonary Edema, a medical condition that can be associated with cold water exposure and causes people to have breathing difficulties and spew frothy, pink sputum. SIPE is a common occurrence among SEAL candidates and Reynolds’ investigation found that medical providers may have normalized it, preventing them from seeing signs and symptoms of other conditions like pneumonia.
The medical provider who treated Mullen with oxygen in the ambulance did not alert other medical professionals about the course of treatment. Mullen’s treatment in the field was not noted in the BTC medical log. The next time a medical provider checked Mullen, they noted hearing diffused crackles in his lungs.
Without knowing Mullen had needed oxygen, the medical professional did not recognize that there might have been a more serious concern and did not order additional diagnostic testing.
“In the absence of reported symptoms, a field report of respiratory issues, or abnormal vital signs, the diffuse crackles in the lungs were not enough by themselves for [redacted] to trigger SIPE protocol or pursue any further diagnostic workup,” according to the May investigation.
Mullen repeatedly declined to go to the hospital or seek medical care despite his worsening condition, out of fear that he would get dropped from SEAL training.
SEALs training off Coronado, Calif., in 2018. US Navy Photo
“He had told friends and family that would ‘not ring the bell no matter what,’ and would die before he quit,” according to the May investigation.
The May investigation noted that candidates shared concerns about seeming weak or dropping from the training, which led to a reluctance to seek medical treatment. In some cases, this led Navy providers to recommend against going to the hospital for treatment, as the medical professionals would not understand the conditions the candidates experienced as part of BUD/S. Each candidate received a hard copy of a medical brief urging them to go to the Navy Special Warfare Center duty medical officer over civilian medical personnel.
“The hard copy of the NSWCEN medical debrief provides the phone number for the Duty Medical Officer and stated: ‘Do Not go and see other medical providers. We will see you at any time (If it is a true emergency call 911). … IF YOU GO AND SEE OTHER MEDICAL PERSONNEL WHO DO NOT UNDERSTAND HELL WEEK, THEY MAY ADMIT YOU TO THE HOSPITAL OR GIVE YOU MEDICINES THAT ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH TRAINING,’” according to the investigation.
At Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL at the time of Mullen’s death, both Navy Special Warfare Command and Navy Special Warfare Command Basic Training Command had medical units overseeing sailors undergoing SEAL training that operated independently of each other but adjacently, which led to disjointed continuity of care and policies not being followed.
During Mullen’s class, the BTC Medical and the Navy Special Warfare Center Medical were not meeting or doing cross-training.
“At a minimum, the [Navy policy] requires that when a patient is handed over for subsequent care or treatment, the care providers must be coordinated to ensure optimal continuity of care, including a process to receive or share relevant patient information related to the reason for referral, the patient;’s physical and psychosocial status, a summary of care, treatment, and services provided and progress toward goals, and a list of current medication,” according to the May inspection.
The Navy Special Warfare Center did not have a signed directive to govern its medical center or the BTC medical center. It instead operated using an unsigned standard operating procedure, which did not address medical practice or protocols for caring for SEAL candidates in the field or during evolutions, according to the inspection.
Emergency Action Plans were to be reviewed by the Navy Special Warfare Center Senior Medical Officer, but instead the Basic Training Command instruction gave reviewing authority to the BTC Medical department head.
“The EAP in place at the time of class 352 [Mullen’s class] was not signed by the NWSCEN SMO but was instead signed by [redacted], an independent corpsman in the BTC Medical Department,” according to the May investigation.
The breakdown between the units meant that BTC medical corpsmen sometimes could not reach medical providers at Navy Special Warfare Center. Medical providers with Navy Special Warfare Center did not have the BTC medical log to review before conducting their medical checks, which also affected the continuity of care.
As a fix to some of the issues raised in the May inspection, the Navy Special Warfare Center Medical Department and the BTC Medical Department were merged for a 180-day trial, according to the inspection.
Three other members of Mullen’s class were sent to the hospital with symptoms of pneumonia. One was diagnosed with another bacterial strain of pneumonia with the other two discharged with “productive cough.” One of the three candidates had been monitored on the whiteboard for SIPE.
Medical staff checked Mullen multiple times after he finished Hell Week and conducted a final medical check at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, without diagnostic tools. The Navy Special Warfare Center then closed its medical clinic and assigned a duty provider to be on call by phone.
Around 2 p.m., Mullen’s condition deteriorated and a candidate went to the medical center to get help, but it was empty. The candidates then called the duty provider, who said that Mullen could go to the hospital if he was in a bad condition, but it would likely result in him being admitted. Another medical check would happen in the morning.
The candidates called the duty provider again when another candidate started to have difficulties breathing and wanted to seek hospital care. Mullen also needed care, with an unnamed person telling the candidates that the medical office was closed and to call 911.
SEAL candidates perform physical training on the beach during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training at Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Center in Coronado, Calif., May 4, 2020. US Navy photo.
By the time emergency services reached Mullen, he was unresponsive. Watchstanders had not performed CPR because they were not trained, according to the May investigation.
The investigation also noted issues with Basic Training Command Medical leadership, with corpsmen in the BTC Medical Department raising concerns about lack of leadership, medical competency and poor temper for an unnamed leader.
Capt. Bradley Geary
Capt. Bradley Geary, the commander of the Basic Training Command at the time of Mullen’s death, opted to mentor the leader instead of relieve him.
The investigation also highlighted concerns about the rate of attrition for Mullen’s class and the prior classes. Geary attributed the attrition rate to a lack of mental toughness by the current generation, according to the investigation.
Civilian employees had been hired as mentors to provide continuity, but tension arose between civilian employees and active-duty instructors. As a result, Geary told the civilians, who had raised concerns about the training’s increased risk, to allow the active-duty instructors to take on more of a leadership role.
Attrition rates during Geary’s tenure surpassed historical ones, raising red flags. In 2021 and 2022, attrition in the first three weeks of Phase 1, which comes before Hell Week, was 48 percent and 49 percent, respectively, compared to the historical average of 30 percent.
To adjust the attrition rates, Geary mandated that candidates must get six hours of sleep a night before Hell Week and ended additional training, which had been seen as extra work.
“Capt. Gear maintained a view that the high attrition was caused, among other reasons, by the current generation having less mental resilience, or being less ‘tough,’” according to the investigation. “As a result, while he removed ruck-runs and added mandatory sleep, he made the decision to take no additional action on the deficient controls on instructor cadre execution and heightened attrition continued through Class 353.”
Geary, along with Capt. Brian Drechsler, was responsible for overseeing the medical care of the candidates. Geary turned over the command to Capt. Timothy Sulick in June 2022.
