Surface Warfare SUMMER 2018 Issue 59
This issue:
Surface Warfare: A Running Fix CNSF Implements Initiatives to Improve Safety and Reduce Operational Risk USS Coronado: Switching Gears
SURFACE WARFARE SUMMER 2018
Authorization
Surface Warfare is published quarterly from appropriated funds by authority of the Chief of Naval Operations in accordance with NPPR P-35. The Secretary of the Navy has determined that this publication is necessary in the transaction of business required by law of the Department of the Navy. Use of funds for printing this publication has been approved by the Navy Publications and Printing Policy Committee. Reproductions are encouraged with proper citation. Controlled circulation.
Postmaster: Send address changes to Surface Warfare, SURFPAC Public Affairs Office, 2841 Rendova Road, San Diego, CA 92155. Surface Warfare (USPS 104-170) (ISSN 0145-1073) is published by the Department of the Navy, Commander, Naval Surface Forces, 2841 Rendova Road, San Diego, CA 92155. Periodicals postage paid at San Diego, CA, and additional mailing offices.
Charter
Surface Warfare Magazine is the professional magazine of the surface warfare community. Its purpose is to educate its readers on surface warfare missions and programs, with a particular focus on U.S. surface ships and commands. This journal will also draw upon the Surface Force’s rich historical legacy to instill a sense of pride and professionalism among community members and to enhance reader awareness of the increasing relevance of surface warfare for our nation’s defense. The opinions and assertions herein are the personal views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense or the Department of the Navy.
Surface Warfare Summer 2018 Issue 59
Contact:
Surface Warfare Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs Office, N01P 2841 Rendova Road San Diego, CA 92155 Phone: (619) 437-2735
Contributions and Feedback Welcome Send articles, photographs (min. 300 dpi electronic) and feedback to: surface_warfare_maga@navy.mil
Commander, Naval Surface Forces Vice Adm. Rich Brown Deputy Commander, Naval Surface Forces Rear Adm. John Mustin Public Affairs Officer Cmdr. Patrick L. Evans Executive Editor MCCS Ahron Arendes Managing Editor Ted Townsend Layout and Design Ted Townsend
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Contents
2 • Commander's Corner Surface Force News:
Cover Stories:
4 • USS Oak Hill Completes BALTOPS 2018
20 • Surface Warfare: A Running Fix
6 • US Navy Ships Render Assistance to Mariners at Sea
24 • CNSF Implements Initiatives to Improve Safety and Reduce Operational Risk
7 • USS The Sullivans Conducts Missile Exercise 8 • Portland Commissioned in Namesake City 10 • USS Manchester Commissioned as Navy's Newest Surface Combatant 11 • CNSF Announces Changes to the Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) Qualification Instruction Feature Stories: 12 • Kearsarge ARG Underway for First East Coast ARG SWATT
28 • USS Coronado: Switching Gears 34 • True Americanism: Navy’s New Warship Highlights an Asian American Hero from WWII 36 • Deputy Dispatches 38 • Leadership Literature: The Truth About Leadership 40 • Voices From the Fleet
16 • Building Relationships RIMPAC 2018
Cover: The American flag flies from the mast of the dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) during Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2018 in the Baltic Sea. Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jessica L. Dowell
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Commander's Corner
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brandon Williams-Church
Passing seven months on deck as commander, Naval Surface Forces and Naval Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, I am encouraged by the overall progress we’re making in the Surface Force. I want to reiterate, my staff and I are committing our efforts to setting up our commanding officers, their crews and their ships for success. Our goals are for ships to deploy 92 percent fit, 95 percent fill, casualty report (CASREP) free, and fully certified. I don’t consider these lofty goals – this is our job. Here’s what we have in motion to help our commanding officers reach these goals. We’ve revised the SWO career path, increasing schoolhouse training, as well as increasing experience aboard ships at sea. The SWO Career Path has four distinct focus areas: the Division Officer tour, where officers learn how to Drive the Ship; the Department Head tour, where officers learn how to Fight the Ship; the Executive Officer tour, where officers learn how to manage the ship; and
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Editorial by Vice Adm. Rich Brown Commander, Naval Surface Forces
the Commanding Officer tour, where well-trained officers are ready to command ships from day one. We’re increasing the frequency and rigor of assessments conducted throughout a Surface Warfare Officer’s career. We now have 10 assessments, seven of which are new. We’ve conducted a competency check on 164 first-tour SWO qualified officers who had varying levels of underway experience as Officer of the Deck. Our results found performance had a bell curve distribution, similar to what any educational program might produce. The point of the competency checks was to establish a baseline for junior OODs across the fleet, so the curriculum provided in OOD phase I and OOD phase II courses could be modified to help junior officers learn and qualify more effectively. Through extensive review, we’ve identified six common traits for ship mishaps. As a result, we’ve implemented a training initiative to improve operational safety through mitigation of those six common traits. More information about this subject can be found a few pages further in the magazine. Additionally, Vice Adm. DeWolfe Miller, III, commander, Commander, Naval Air Forces, and I released a joint message promulgating operational
safety and risk mitigation expectations for aircapable surface ships during flight deck operations. Our goal is to fix shortcomings as we evolve to meet the threats ahead. We owe it to our Sailors (and their families) to keep them safe and, more importantly, ready to fight and win across the range of military operations as we return to a great power competition. As the year continues, these will remain my priorities. I look forward to discussing these in more depth throughout the summer as we host midshipmen for their summer cruises, engage with crews along the waterfront, and meet during our Surface Warfare flag officers annual training symposium. * Own the Fight, VADM Brown
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Surface Force News USS Oak Hill Completes BALTOPS 2018 By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Michael H. Lehman
KIEL, Germany (NNS) -- Exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2018 came to a close June 15 after two weeks of successful training as the participants arrive in Kiel, Germany, for Kiel Week 2018. BALTOPS is an annual, multinational exercise to enhance maritime capabilities, interoperability and support regional stability. This year's BALTOPS, the 46th iteration since 1971's inaugural exercise, saw the participation of over 20 countries including Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States and NATO. The Harpers Ferry-class amphibious landing ship Oak Hill is one of three U.S. ships visiting Kiel following their participation in BALTOPS. "Oak Hill was the centerpiece of the amphibious warfare part of the exercise, and we landed Marines on two separate
beaches in two different countries," said Capt. Brian J. Finman, deputy commodore of Amphibious Squadron 4. "We put four M1A1 Abrams tanks ashore, and we shot over 200 loads of ammunition. All of those things are unique and different from even the most recent years of BALTOPS." During the two-week BALTOPS exercise, over 100 drills in surface, subsurface, air defense, mine countermeasures, maritime interdictions, and joint personnel recovery were completed among the 43 maritime units, 60 aircraft, and approximately 5,000 maritime, ground and air force personnel. "These navies come together and exercise for 10 days to practice rapid aggregation of forces in a fictitious scenario which will ensure in a time of crisis they know how to respond," said Finman.
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jessica L. Dowell
“Oak Hill was the centerpiece of the amphibious warfare part of the exercise, and we landed Marines on two separate beaches in two different countries"
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Although the at-sea portion of the exercise concluded with the force's arrival in Kiel, exercise participants will convene for a post-sail conference upon arrival. This final event provides an opportunity for planners and participants to collect feedback that will ensure continued success of the largest, multinational naval exercise in the Baltic region. Kiel Week is an annual maritime festival event held in Kiel, Germany and is the largest event of its type in the world, attracting millions of visitors each year. While in Kiel, Sailors will participate in Kiel Week events with many of our NATO allies and partners, strengthening our enduring relationships throughout the North Atlantic and European region.
Oak Hill is deployed in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations conducting naval operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa to enhance capability and interoperability with our allies and partners in the region. The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group embarks the 26th MEU and includes the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), the transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21), Oak Hill (LSD 51), Fleet Surgical Team 4 and 8, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 28, Tactical Air Control Squadron 22, components of Naval Beach Group 2 and the embarked staff of commander, Amphibious Squadron 4. *
Photos by Mass Communication Specialist 21st Class Adam C. Stapleton
Photos by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Michael H. Lehman
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 21st Class Adam C. Stapleton
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Surface Force News US Navy Ships Render Assistance to Mariners at Sea U.S. Navy ships USS Gravely (DDG 107) and USS Hue City (CG 66) rendered assistance to distressed mariners in the Atlantic Ocean on May 17 and May 24, respectively. The vessels responded to the calls for help following notification by the U.S. Coast Guard. In the Gravely-involved event, the crew provided life-saving medical support to an injured mariner on a sailboat approximately 600 miles southeast of Bermuda. By Ensign Britney While the Coast Guard assumes the lead in Duesler, Naval coordinating maritime search and rescue in the area, Surface Forces sometimes Navy or good Samaritan merchant vessels Public Affairs are requested to assist. Gravely was transiting the Atlantic Ocean when the crew received word about the medical emergency. Once the Navy ship arrived on scene, the patient was transported from his sailboat to Gravely via small boat. The evolution involved the ship’s medical team providing care to stabilize the patient prior to transport to a shorebased medical care facility. “This is the kind of mission that any Navy crew rallies around instantly, and that was the case here on Gravely,” said commanding officer Cmdr. Justin Hodges. Nearly one week later, Hue City responded to a similar call off the coast of Jacksonville, Fla. The ship was about 10 nautical miles north of the distressed fishing vessel’s location when they were notified by the Coast Guard of a situation involving an injured mariner with a compound fracture. Once the fishing vessel was sighted, Hue City deployed their small boat
with the ship’s Hospital Corpsman, Chief Cory Butler, aboard. He provided an initial assessment and began treatment of the injured fisherman. The boat crew then transferred the patient to the Navy vessel and the ship returned to Naval Station Mayport, where emergency medical services were standing by. “Hue City executed the mission flawlessly,” said commanding officer Capt. Jake Douglas. “They showed they are always ready to respond to any situation and uphold the tradition of assisting fellow mariners at sea.” Medical response teams aboard Navy surface ships train regularly in accordance with unit-level and integrated phase standards to prepare for situations like these, understanding they must be ready to respond quickly to provide what could be life-saving medical assistance at sea. Bravo Zulu to the crews of USS Gravely and USS Hue City! *
Photos by U.S. Navy
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USS The Sullivans Conducts Missile Exercise
The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) launched a standard missile (SM-2) in the Virginia Capes operating area, May 28, 2018. The missile exercise demonstrated The Sullivans' ability to defend against a close-in aerial attack. A BQM-74E air-launched drone served as the target. The ship successfully demonstrated its ability to employ By Lt. Daphne a layered defense construct to engage a target with both White, USS The the Mk 45 MOD2 (5"/54) caliber gun weapons system Sullivans (DDG and the Aegis Weapons System. 68) Public Affairs "Our crew has trained and prepared for over a year to be ready to deploy with the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group," said Cmdr Russ Moore, the commanding officer. "We are a team. The success of this missile exercise is a testament to the abilities and preparedness of our combat systems, and our outstanding crew as we deploy to support maritime security overseas." USS The Sullivans deployed May 26 as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG). HSTCSG is forward-deployed in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations in support of NATO allies, European, and African partner nations, coalition partners, and U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa. *
Photo by U.S. Navy
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Surface Force News
Portland Commissioned in Namesake City PORTLAND, Ore. — As medals adorning their chests clang with each running step, Sailors rush past the brow to man their vessel. During an official commissioning ceremony held in front of over 5,000 guests, the crew of the USS Portland (LPD 27) brought their ship to life in Portland, Oregon, April 21. By Mass The Honorable Patrick Shanahan, Deputy Secretary of Defense, officially placed Communication the Portland in commission, the 11th San Antonio-class amphibious transport Specialist 2nd Class Kristina Young, dock ship to join the Navy’s operational fleet. Expeditionary “The City of Roses has a ship worthy of its creative spirit and industrious heritage,” Strike Group 3 proclaimed Shanahan. “The acceptance trials are over and her officers and crew Public Affairs are ready. Wherever her flag flies, in foreign ports, on the high seas, in weather fair or foul, this ship will carry the spirit of this city on the Columbia River.” While addressing the audience, Shanahan emphasized the importance behind the naming of the Portland, while touching upon the history of the first two ships to carry the name ‘Portland’.
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“This is the first ship to be named exclusively for Portland, Oregon,” said Shanahan. “Her officers and crew will write the next chapter, and do so with pride. This ship will carry our power and goodwill anywhere they are needed.” Since departing Pascagoula, Miss. the ship and her crew have sailed 9,930 nautical miles, conducted a crossing the line ceremony, and sailed through the historic Panama Canal on their way to their designated homeport of San Diego. “Since Dec. 1775, commissioning ceremonies have been an honored Naval tradition celebrating, accepting, and welcoming a new ship into the fleet,” said Capt. J. R. Hill, Portland’s commanding officer. “When USS Portland was brought to life during today’s ceremony, I was humbled as I thought back to the dedication and passion the crew demonstrated throughout our journey to this culminating moment.” Speaking on behalf of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson, deputy CNO Vice Adm. Dixon Smith went down memory lane, recalling the history of the Oregon Shipyard, which during the height of World War II launched 24 ships in only 30 days. “The USS Portland has joined the ever growing list of reasons for Portlanders to be proud,” said Smith. “The men and women of this crew come from all across the nation and will soon sail, perhaps into harm’s way, to keep us safe here at home.” Upon conclusion of the ceremony, guests were invited to tour the 684-foot war fighting vessel, where they could experience the state of the art design that will continue to sail decades from today with future generations of Sailors and Marines aboard. “Portland’s motto, ‘First Responders, Brave and Determined’ made having the ceremony in Portland — with the city’s first responders present — even more meaningful for all in attendance,” said Hill.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Zach Holden, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs
Prior to commissioning, Portland underwent multiple phases to prepare her join the fleet. The ship’s formal recognition of transition from concept to reality began Aug. 2, 2013 at Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding during the keel laying ceremony when the ship’s sponsor, Bonnie Amos, engraved her name upon a plaque, as a symbol authenticating the keel. A mast stepping ceremony was then held May 20, 2016. This time-honored Naval tradition symbolizes the moment a shell becomes a ship, and her crew honors that tradition by placing mementos into a time capsule for future Portland Sailors to discover. Portland was officially launched May 21, 2016 after a ceremonial christening was held Feb. 13, 2016. Today, Portland boasts a heavy arsenal of capabilities beneath the hood. Amphibious transport dock ships are versatile players in maritime security with the ability to support a variety of amphibious assault, special operations or expeditionary warfare missions, operating independently or as part of Amphibious Readiness Group (ARGs), Expeditionary Strike Groups (ESGs), or Joint Task Forces (JTFs). In addition to performing their primary mission, the San Antonio-class ships support anti-piracy operations, provide humanitarian assistance, and foreign disaster relief operations around the world. *
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Surface Force News USS Manchester Commissioned as Navy's Newest Surface Combatant PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (NNS) -- The littoral combat ship USS Manchester (LCS 14) was commissioned as the Navy's newest surface combatant in a ceremony in Portsmouth, May 26. The IndependenceBy Mass variant LCS is the Communication Navy's second ship to Specialist Jacob be named for the city Allison, Naval of Manchester, New Surface Force, Hampshire. U.S. Pacific Fleet "The faces of the Public Affairs Sailors that ran to man this ship are the faces that I've seen day after day for the last 22 months as we worked to bring this ship to life," said Cmdr. Emily Basset, Manchester's commanding officer and a Seattle, Washington native. "They took the city of Manchester's motto - work conquers - and they have personified the spirit of our namesake city. Each Sailor is highly trained and must do the duties that three or four would do on another ship. These Sailors are reasons to make us all proud." The ship's sponsor, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, gave the traditional order to, "Man this ship and bring her to
Photo by U.S. Navy
life," signaling the Sailors to embark and officially begin the ship's service as a U.S. Navy ship. For the ship's crew, the day was the culmination of months' worth of work to get the Manchester prepared for commissioning, and having the commissioning in the ship's namesake state was a special opportunity for some of Manchester's Sailors. "It's really amazing to be on a ship named for [a city in] my home state," said Information Systems Technician 1st Class Laryssa Noyes, from Derry, New Hampshire. "It's really quite an honor that I'm here for this. It's awesome because my family got to be here and see what I do on a daily basis." After the ceremony the ship will transit to San Diego to join Littoral Combat Ship Squadron 1 and eight other LCS currently homeported at Naval Base San Diego. Manchester is the 12th littoral combat ship and the seventh of the Independence variant. The littoral combat ship is a high speed, agile, shallow draft, missionfocused surface combatant designed for operations in the littoral environment, yet fully capable of open ocean operations. As part of the surface fleet, LCS has the ability to counter and outpace evolving threats independently or within a network of surface combatants. Paired with advanced sonar and mine hunting capabilities, LCS provides a major contribution, as well as a more diverse set of options to commanders, across the spectrum of operations. *
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Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Declan Barnes
Commander, Naval Surface Forces/Commander of Naval Surface Force U.S. Pacific Fleet announced a revision to the requirements for qualification and designation as a Surface Warfare From Commander, Officer (SWO), July 23. Naval Surface Force Effective immediately, U.S. Pacific Fleet designators 116X and lateral Public Affairs transfers into the SWO community are the only designators eligible to pursue SWO qualification. This change aligns with new career path revisions, which focuses on increased experience on ships, including increased bridge watchstanding opportunities for SWOs. “The Surface Warfare Officer qualification is the path to 1110 and is the crucible of a junior professional Surface Warfare Officer to develop and master the core competencies necessary to excel as a future Commanding Officer of a warship,” said Vice Adm. Richard Brown, Commander, Naval Surface Forces/ Commander of Naval Surface Force U.S. Pacific Fleet. “My team and I remain committed to ensuring the future leaders of our community are properly trained and qualified.” Officers pursuing SWO qualification must be a commissioned officer permanently assigned to either a commissioned or pre-commissioning U.S. Navy surface ship. Non-116X Officers, who are currently pursuing a SWO qualification, are authorized to continue until Oct. 1, 2018.
Additionally, only COs of commissioned surface ships may qualify officers who are permanently assigned to their ship as SWOs. Once SWO qualification is achieved, transfer from one ship to another will not require requalification as a SWO or revalidation of the entire SWO PQS package. However, requalification in all applicable watchstations is required. Further changes to the instruction include removing the time requirement for attaining SWO Qualification and now documenting it in the instruction. The minimum time requirement for SWOs to attain their qualification is not specified in the instruction. However, open communication with NPC is required if a qualification is expected to take longer than the first Division Officer tour. Ships must actively manage and maintain Personnel Qualification Standards Plan of Action and Milestones (PQS POAMs) for each Officer to ensure the Officer is on track for SWO Qualification. In addition to the PQS POAM, SWOs must keep a log book of the amount of hours spent on the bridge. This information will be used when detailing Junior Officers to their second division officer and shore tours. The update to the SWO Qualification instruction follows a revision to the SWO Career Path and Training Continuum. The intent of the revised career path is to develop the most experienced and capable Commanding Officers (CO) who are specialists in five areas: Seamanship, Navigation, and Shiphandling; Combat Systems; Engineering; Command and Program Management and Administration; and Leadership. *
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Kearsarge ARG Underway for First East Coast ARG SWATT MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (June 22, 2018) - Sailors from the USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) departed Morehead City, North Carolina, June 21, to participate in a first for the Navy on the East Coast – an ARG Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) exercise. SWATTs are the premiere advanced tactical training exercise developed and led by Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC). The training focuses on advanced tactics at sea to improve warfighting proficiency, lethality, and ship interoperability before entering the integrated phase of training, prior to deployment.
“While our headquarters is located in San Diego, we have divisions on both coasts and representatives in most fleet concentration areas. We are committed to increasing the lethality and tactical proficiency of the entire surface fleet,” said Rear Adm. Dave Welch, SMWDC’s commander. “I am proud of the work our headquarters and divisional teams do to have an immediate and positive impact to surface fleet proficiency.”
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ARG SWATT exercises provide dedicated in-port and at-sea training for surface ships and focus on watch team, unit, air defense commander, and surface combat commander training. The event typically takes place prior to full amphibious squadron and Marine expeditionary unit integration training, known as PMINT. The exercise provides focused training in a number of specific warfare areas including anti-submarine warfare/surface warfare, integrated air and missile defense, amphibious warfare, mine warfare, and information warfare. “It’s an exciting time to work with the SMWDC team to conduct the first East Coast ARG SWATT,” said Rear Adm. Brad Skillman, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 2. “Anytime an ARG has the opportunity to receive operational training that will prepare them in greater warfighting proficiency and interoperability, that is a very positive thing for our Navy and Marine Corps team.” SMWDC was established in 2015 to increase the lethality and tactical proficiency of the surface force as the surface warfare community’s warfighting development center. Since that time, five SWATT exercises have been
completed in both ARG and cruiserdestroyer units. The first two ARG SWATTs were completed off the coast of Southern California with USS America (LHA 6) and USS Essex (LHD 2) ARGs. These early SWATTs not only supported ship preparation for deployment, but also led to critical organizational learning as SMWDC matures as an institution. For example, the Kearsarge ARG SWATT curriculum relies on feedback and iterative processes to ensure SMWDC-delivered training prepares ships for the high-end, integrated scenarios they will see in the future. What makes SMWDC’s training unique is more than simply a focus on high velocity learning – it’s also the methods by which the command
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drives learning. First, using senior mentors including, post major-command commanders, Warfare Tactics Instructors (WTI), and technical community experts, to plan training events, brief teams, and embark ships for underway to mentor teams as they learn. A key method mentors and WTIs use to develop watch teams is the Plan, Brief, Execute, Debrief (PBED) process. With the PBED process, after planning and completing a training event, mentors and WTIs leverage the technical community to provide rapid debrief using replay tools enabling watch teams to critically assess their own performance and improve. The most significant benefit to watch teams is they learn from the most accurate information and develop the critical thinking skills to continue learning throughout the integrated phase of training and deployment. “One of the biggest highlights in my position,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kyle Hiscock, an Amphibious WTI and lead planner for the Kearsarge ARG SWATT, “is watching teams progress throughout a well-designed SWATT and to move from a team that is waiting for guidance, to a team that has the confidence to aggressively self-assess and have the humility to learn and grow together. I have no
doubt that we’ll see the same while underway for this SWATT.” Ultimately, SWATT events provide high-fidelity system, tactics, and human performance data needed by the surface warfare enterprise to improve warfighting readiness and increase lethality. After SWATT concludes, data recorded during the events is further extracted through a partnership between SMWDC and Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) – Corona. There the data is reviewed in a Data Analysis Working Group which analyzes system, operator, and tactics performance. The results are parsed out to appropriate entities within SMWDC and the surface warfare community to refine doctrine and tactical guidance, provide capabilities assessments,
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define future requirements, and to inform future training events. “Before any of our ships deploy there is unit training and certifications that take place", said Capt. Daniel Blackburn, commander of Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 6. “Participating in SWATT will allow the Kearsarge ARG team the multi-warfare training environment needed to become more efficient in advanced tactics for future missions.” Units participating in the SMWDC-led Kearsarge ARG SWATT are PHIBRON 6, Kearsarge, USS Arlington (LPD 24), and USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43). Commands supporting the exercise include Fleet Forces Atlantic Exercise Coordination Center (FFAECC), Fleet Area Control and Surveillance Facility (FACSFAC) Virginia Capes (VACAPES), Naval Information Warfighting Development Center (NIWDC), Information Warfare Training Group (IWTG) Norfolk, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 4, NSWC - Corona, Tactical Training Group
Atlantic (TTGL), Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Atlantic (EWTGLANT), 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 detachment 4, and Tactical Air Control Squadron (TACRON) 21. SMWDC has four divisions focused on mine warfare, amphibious warfare, integrated air and missile defense, and anti-submarine warfare/surface warfare. SMWDC is a subordinate command of Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and exists to increase the lethality and tactical proficiency of surface forces across all domains. *
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By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Woody S. Paschall, Naval Surface Forces Public Affairs
The Rim of the Pacific Exercise, the world’s largest international maritime exercise, brought 25 nations, 46 ships, five submarines, 200 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel together from June 27 to Aug. 2 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California to train and to foster and sustain cooperative relationships to ensure the safety of sea lanes and the security of the world’s oceans. Participating nations and forces exercised a wide range of capabilities and demonstrated the inherent flexibility of maritime forces. These capabilities range from disaster relief and maritime security operations to sea control and complex warfighting. The relevant, realistic training program included amphibious operations, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises, as well as counter-piracy operations, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal, and diving and salvage operations.
Photo by U.S. Navy
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“The training we will complete will increase capability, evaluate new and existing tactics, [and] foster interoperability… “
“The purpose of these operations is to increase capability and to build relationships with our partners. Trust isn’t something you can surge, and it’s critical that we maintain and develop these key relationships for the times we really need to rely on one another,” said U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Dave Welch, the commander of Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center and Commander, Task Force 177. “The training we will complete will increase capability, evaluate new and existing tactics, [and] foster interoperability”. CTF 177 is comprised of 26 units with approximately 1,100 personnel representing the United States, Australia, Canada, England, Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand conducting advanced mine warfare operations to support RIMPAC. “At each RIMPAC our Navy trains with friends, partners and colleagues to be capable, adaptive, innovative and ready,” said Rear Admiral Brian Fort, Commander, Naval
Photos by U.S. Navy
Surface Group Middle Pacific. “RIMPAC offers relevant and realistic training that fosters and sustains cooperative relationships. During RIMPAC in 2002 I learned quickly that when we understand each other we can prevent miscalculations. We can build trust. We can preserve peace and prevent conflict.” For the first time since RIMPAC 2002, U.S. 3rd Fleet's Command Center relocated from San Diego to Pearl Harbor to support command and control of all 3rd Fleet forces in their area of responsibility to include forces operating forward in the Western Pacific. The Fleet Command Center was established at a Deployable Joint Command and Control on Hospital Point for
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the first part of the exercise and then transitioned to USS Portland (LPD 27) for the remainder of the exercise. Hosted by Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, RIMPAC 2018 was led by Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, Vice Adm. John D. Alexander, who served as Combined Task Force (CTF) commander. Royal Canadian Navy Rear Adm. Bob Auchterlonie served as CTF deputy commander, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Hideyuki Oban served as CTF vice commander. The Fleet Marine Force was led by U.S. Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Mark Hashimoto. Other key leaders of the multinational force included Commodore Pablo Niemann of Armada de Chile, the Combined Force Maritime Component Commander (the first time a non-founding RIMPAC nation held a component commander leadership position) and Air Commodore Craig Heap of the Royal Australian Air Force, who commanded the air component. This year's exercise included forces from
Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam. This is the first time Israel, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are participating in RIMPAC. Information for this article was compiled from U.S. 3rd Fleet Public Affairs releases. *
“At each RIMPAC our Navy trains with friends, partners and colleagues to be capable, adaptive, innovative and ready,�
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Surface Warfare: A Running Fix By Vice Adm. Richard Brown, Commander, Naval Surface Forces
The force able to deliver those results must be properly manned, trained, equipped, and well-led. Persistent, demanding, global operations last year exposed vulnerabilities in these areas, which led to the Comprehensive Review (CR) and Strategic Readiness Review (SRR). This “running fix” describes our progress.
The Destination The U.S. Navy’s role in this dynamic and complex environment requires every officer and sailor who goes to sea to be a professional mariner and a skilled warfighter. Leadership within this environment demands thoughtful compliance with exacting standards, continuous improvement of processes, and brutally honest self-assessment. We owe it to the American people to ensure our surface force is ready to do the nation’s business and emerge victorious. Winning is the only acceptable outcome. To accomplish this, just as any seasoned mariner planning a voyage would do, we pick waypoints along our journey. These waypoints gauge our progress, inform adjustments to our course, and ultimately deliver us to our destination, ready to take on any challenge and win over and over again.
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Levingston Lewis
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First Waypoint: Individual Level Skills Our surface forces afloat and ashore require surface warfare officers (SWO) of competence and character to lead them. Sea time, combined with a continuum of formal education and experience, is vital to building expertise over time by reinforcing and enhancing the skills learned in ships.
Career Progression
Surface warfare is an exacting profession where character, competence, judgment, skill, and experience are blended throughout a career at sea. The SWO career path focuses on driving the ship as a division officer, “fighting the ship” as a department head, managing the ship as the executive officer, and ultimately commanding the ship as the captain. Moreover, it will develop a commanding officer who possesses a full array of warfighting skills, including shiphandling, operations, tactics, combat systems, engineering, and damage control. This career progression will blend classroom training, simulators, shipboard experience, rigorous assessments, and candid feedback. Division officers will serve a combined 48 months at sea. This new career path affords approximately 38 percent more sea time for these junior officers. Department head and command-level training will continue with revised assessments and defined go/no-go criteria. Similar to division officer tours, department heads will serve a single longer 36-month tour or complete two 18-month tours. The length of time between department head and executive officer will be shortened as the force evaluates the XO and CO progression. But one thing will not change - forceful emphasis on the principles at the heart of command: authority, responsibility, accountability, and expertise.
Training
To build officers immediately ready to stand watch, we will augment the nine-week Basic Division Officer Course (BDOC) with a rigorous six-week Officer of the Deck (OOD) bridge watch standing course. A second, three-week OOD course will be attended prior to commencing the Advanced Division Officer Course (ADOC). Taken together, this new training model will increase formal schoolhouse instruction for division officers from 14 weeks to 23 weeks. Relevant improvements to the course curricula are also being implemented to better prepare junior officers for the challenges they will face at sea. These courses are difficult — not all will pass. This cycle of training, assessment, and experience will continue throughout an officer’s career at every afloat milestone.
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Second Waypoint: Unit Level Readiness Each unit must demonstrate proficiency across a wide array of mission sets spanning from internal damage control to long-range anti-air warfare and everything in between.
Team building
To better challenge our crews for complex environments, we are creating maritime skills training centers (MSTCs) in Norfolk and San Diego. New watchbill instructions will offer adequate periods for rest. Administrative tasks that do not directly contribute to combat readiness will be reduced. And navigation check-rides presided over by immediate supervisors in command (ISIC) will evaluate the proficiency of the ships and crews to safely navigate in a range of scenarios. Unit readiness necessitates a disciplined process for shipboard training drills, special evolutions, and real-world events to absorb lessons and apply best practices. The Surface and Mine Warfare Development Center (SMWDC) and the creation of warfare tactics instructors (WTI) have been instrumental in emphasizing the role of doctrine, championing data-driven analytic training approaches, and inculcating a warfighting mentality within our wardrooms and combat information centers.
Equipment
Finally, unit readiness is a function of the systems and the crew’s proficiency to operate them. Consequently, we released a comprehensive Fleet advisory on safe operation of all variants of steering systems; completed a survey of all ships with integrated bridge systems for feedback and lessons learned; established standards for use of the Automatic Identification System when transiting high traffic areas; and evaluated existing “redline” policies with respect to navigation, radar, steering, and propulsion.
Photo by Staff Sgt. Zach Holden, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs
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Third Waypoint: Fleet Level Employment Fleet certification
As the Surface TYCOMs produce and deliver properly manned, trained and equipped ships, the two numbered fleet commanders produce carrier strike groups, expeditionary strike groups and independent deployers through intermediate and advanced training. SMWDC is now two years into conducting surface warfare advanced tactical training (SWATT). Following certification, units can be employed within the scope of their training and skill sets to increase our competitive advantage. For FDNF-J, 7th Fleet is developing similar intermediate and advanced training exercises.
Command and control
Additionally, we are bolstering the readiness of our rotational and forward-deployment ships by more closely assessing actual readiness across the fleet; adjusting overseas presence based on future overseas homeporting and strategic laydown plans; evaluating all current operational requirements in the Western Pacific; developing a force generation model for ships based in Japan addressing operational requirements while preserving maintenance, training, and certification windows; and restoring the 7th Fleet’s deliberate scheduling process.
Voyage Summary The strategic environment in which we sail is fast-paced, increasingly complex, and oftentimes uncertain. Make no mistake: the competition is on for maritime superiority. We must build teams with the requisite training, skills, and equipment to be effectively employed to fight and win any battle, against any challenge. The surface type commanders own this and are underway at flank speed. *
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Commander, Naval Surface Forces/Commander of Naval Surface Force U.S. Pacific Fleet implemented training initiatives aimed at improving operational safety and reducing occurrences of the six common traits of surface ship mishaps. From Force Safety Office, The emphasis of these Commander, Naval Surface initiatives, many of which Forces/Commander of Naval were recommended Surface Force U.S. Pacific Fleet by the Comprehensive Review and associated efforts, is pointed toward this end. Tools and training are making their way in to the Force to fully implement and sustain this focus. Every member of every crew can take action right now aboard their ship to make a difference in how we approach safe, effective operations across the surface fleet. The six common traits of surface ship mishaps were identified by the Surface Force Safety office while analyzing all Class A and B surface ship mishaps over the past 20 years using Safety Investigation Board and legal investigation results. A Class A mishap is categorized as loss of $2,000,000 or more in property damage, or where a fatality or permanent total disability occurred. Class B mishaps are a loss of between $500,000 to $2,000,000 in property damage, or where a nonfatal injury resulted in loss of time from work beyond the day/shift when injured occurred. Each safety mishap investigation assigns Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) codes to the causes of the mishaps. Naval Safety Center
and other stakeholders use these codes to look at common causes. That said, the HFACS system has some limitations, and is not completely aligned with current Human Factors Engineering and Safety Management System science.
HFACS alone don’t suffice when looking at cause vs. effect. Current Safety Management System thinking (for the last 10+ years), has moved from looking at HFACS to looking deeper into threats and error precursors. On the surface these may seem like small differences, but to Human Factors
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Engineers they help illustrate a bigger picture. For example, two of the HFACS codes are "checklist not followed correctly" and "procedure not followed correctly.” These are NOT, in fact, causes or human factors, they are the outcomes caused by human factors (deliberate decisions, miscues, inadvertent omissions, etc.), in turn influenced by environmental factors, fatigue, lack of complete knowledge, etc. – they are what people did, not why they did it. Another tenet of this approach to operational safety is that there is enough rigor built into our systems (equipment, procedures, training, and supervision) to allow for some error. This frame of reference was the catalyst for the Safety Office to go back to the former mishap reports and review every single one of them, looking for commonalities while applying a new lens to get a more accurate view of the mishaps. During the review, the analysis team examined the documented human performance contributions of those mishaps, looked for common traits, and compared them to a set of solutions recommended by mishap boards.
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Every commanding officer and crew member can look around at their commands today and evaluate how they are doing
Importantly, no single error was the ‘cause’ of a mishap in our review. It is only when errors are allowed to persist and propagate that the threshold to a mishap is crossed. We noted that the recommendations of the investigative bodies pointed to better procedures, training, manning, equipment, or supervision protocols, but did not directly address the fact that if the current equipment (as found), procedures, supervisory measures, or training had been used, the mishap would not have happened. We will always hold ourselves and our Sailors accountable. It is tempting to think, however, that finding and punishing errors “solves” the underlying problem(s). Something else is needed much earlier to break the mishap chain that enabled the last error to push the team across the mishap threshold.
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Of particular note is that 1) failures to perform an action or follow protocol almost always happened in mission areas where the ship was certified to safely operate, 2) as number six points out, the majority of incidents occurred on ships known to have a good “operational reputation” -- were the “go-to” ship because outside commands and the crew believed they could get the job done, and 3) a similar near miss was uncovered. These show that inside and outside the ship, there was no recognition that the margin to safety had already eroded. The ship drifted into failure as a team because they and their assessors did not recognize and cope with those errors and other hazards, on the spot. These concepts are key to understanding, developing and fielding our recent initiatives. “These six common traits align with failures in executing the six watchstanding principles,” wrote Vice Adm. Brown in a Navy message to the Surface Fleet. “They indicate an organization drifting into failure. Recognizing these indicators requires objectively examining our teams’ performance in daily operations.” When the Safety team examined the reports beyond HFACS codes, they noted explicit signs of organizational drift expressed in the common traits of mishap ships. This included signs that watchstanding was not fully embraced as a primary duty – one where everyone on watch was personally responsible for the safety of the ship. Some of the programs put in place to recognize and arrest this drift and build team capacity were ineffective. Among other observations, we noted that bridge resource management (BRM) and operational risk management (ORM) were evaluated based on administrative program requirements, not how well they were applied during daily operations; the planning process itself was specifically assessed; and there was not a consistent force-wide examination of the effectiveness of post-mishap actions taken, or whether the changes were sustained over time. We were using compliance-based measures of effectiveness which are incompatible with a system that is based on effectively applying operational principles. The truth is that the individual, daily decisions made by each member of the crew, influenced by the commanding officer’s guidance and example, create an environment that leads toward either success or failure of the organization. As a result, an increased awareness of how we execute basic blocking and tackling aboard ships, each day, is necessary to preventing the six traits from resurfacing and leading to future mishaps.
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“Ultimately, we must increase awareness and not allow these traits to creep into our ships,”
As the CR notes, “Historically, leadership would typically go through three phases following a major mishap: order an operational pause or safety stand down; assemble a team to determine what happened and why; and develop a list of discrete actions for improvement. Causes were identified, meaningful actions taken, and there would be repeated near term success in instilling improved performance.” When those phases were complete, it was easy to think we’re “done” since our plan of action and milestone actions were completed. The problem is that those improvements have proven to have only marginal effect over time in the absence of enduring and effective programs and processes that ensured lessons were not forgotten as personnel changed and priorities shifted. For this reason, all levels of command must continuously evaluate internal means and methods to recognize and account for human factors in a team setting. Our “business as usual” approach does not work. Again, these traits can be used to help assess how we are doing business right now; every commanding officer and crew member can look around at their commands today and evaluate how they are doing, leveraging these traits, and employing the watchstanding principle to combat them. The Surface Force is committed to providing the tools and resources needed to improve safe shipboard operations, but it first starts with the decision
to critically evaluate how your ship is doing and the commitment to eliminating traits that exist on mishap ships. “Ultimately, we must increase awareness and not allow these traits to creep into our ships,” noted Brown in his message to the Fleet. “I charge you to think of training, qualifications, certifications, daily operations, maintenance, and high end warfare missions in these terms – as the means to avoid the common traits of a mishap. Nothing less will suffice.” As the Force Safety office, we challenge commanding officers to engage with your crew on where your ship stands on the mishap traits, questioning the status quo of “normal” operations. This daily team performance is the foundation that is assumed to be rock solid going in to every special evolution. Most mishaps, however, occur during those things we do often: normal operations. This is a team sport. Mistakes are expected. It’s the team’s job to recognize those, and adjust constantly to keep the safety system strong – as a team. *
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By Lt. j.g. Caroline Zotti, Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron ONE Public Affairs
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Conor Minto
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In June, littoral combat ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) conducted underway operational testing of the Navy’s newest unmanned helicopter, the MQ-8C Fire Scout. The testing was a continuation of initial Fire Scout operational testing that began in April this year. The most recent phase tested the MQ-8C's ability to operate concurrently with other airborne assets and littoral combat ships, like Coronado. The enhanced capability will provide commanders an improved and integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance picture. Operations such as these reflect a shift in mindset for Coronado’s crew. Last year, they were conducting division tactics with foreign navies at sea and community relations events in numerous ports throughout Southeast Asia during the Independence-variant’s maiden deployment. Since Coronado’s return to homeport in late 2017, she embraced her new role as a test ship assigned to Commander, Littoral Combat Ship Squadron One. This transition does not make Coronado’s crew any less operational, but their mission is now centered on technological and tactical advancements, Coronado’s story highlights exciting developments for the LCS community and the Fleet writ large.
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SURFACE WARFARE SUMMER 2018 Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anthony N. Hilkowski
A Test Ship in the Making In December 2017 Coronado pulled into San Diego after a 14-month deployment to the Western Pacific.. The lengthy maiden deployment was made possible by the work of two crews, LCS Crew 203 and 204, who turned over the ship in Singapore at the halfway point. With a focus on Theater Security Cooperation operations, both crews demonstrated the tangible value of the Navy’s newest ship class through 11 bilateral and multilateral exercises, 10 strategic port visits, and working alongside 16 foreign navies. Executing multiple operations and maintenance events throughout 7th Fleet, often in places unfamiliar with LCS, equipped both crews with the first-hand knowledge necessary to optimize the platform, while also making them the right Sailors to see Coronado through her transition to a test ship upon return to home port. Coronado Sailors returned to San Diego even more knowledgeable, highly agile and steadfast -- traits that have been invaluable and directly contributed to recent testing successes involving the ship.
SURFACE WARFARE SUMMER 2018 Photo by Ensign Jalen Robinson
A Test Ship is Born The transition period and subsequent testing have required a perfect balance of following directed procedures and finding inventive solutions. Beginning in January 2018, Coronado completed developmental and operational testing of the Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis (COBRA) system in conjunction with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21 and Mine Countermeasure Detachment 6. The COBRA software is designed to aid unmanned aerial systems in the detection and localization of mines in the littorals. Future development of this system could provide increased capabilities for the unmanned helicopter included in the LCS Surface Warfare package, the MQ-8B Fire Scout, and key support for amphibious forces. Coronado then completed the first Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) for the MQ8C Fire Scout, the Navy’s newest unmanned helicopter, with Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VX-1). The latest Fire Scout offers increased speed, a higher ceiling, over twice the fuel endurance, and improved payload capacity. Through in port and underway operations, Coronado and VX-1 assessed how to leverage the improved asset and use it in parallel to the aviation detachment’s other aircraft, the MH-60S Seahawk. They conducted a series of simulated engagements and were able to demonstrate Fire Scout’s role within the ship’s tactical framework. This testing built on previous successful flights aboard other LCSs and platforms. Their findings will enable to decision-makers to integrate the new Fire Scout technology with LCS, as well as other fleet units.
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Photo by Lt. Bryce Hadley
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The Future of LCS Test Ships LCS test ships will take on more and more testing throughout the rest of the year. Upcoming mission module testing will further develop mine countermeasure and anti-submarine warfare technology available to operational and soon-to-be commissioned LCSs. Manning an LCS test ship is both a challenge and an opportunity for Sailors. The small, highly-trained crew must adapt to meet the goals of many entities, including the normal requirements of any command, the normal requirements of any ship on the waterfront, as well as the unique demands of a testing platform. Coronado, along with USS Freedom (LCS 1), USS Independence (LCS 2), and USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), are performing a distinct mission which will simultaneously help improve our Navy’s technology while also enabling other ships to focus on future operations.In these ways testing ships strengthen the foundation of the LCS community and rapidly-evolving Navy technology as a whole. *
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Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month provides the opportunity to highlight the achievements of our Armed Forces that identify as Asian American and/or Pacific Islander. U.S. Navyships host namesakes highlighting our heroes, and currently, USS ChungHoon (DDG 93) is the only active commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy named after someone of Asian American and/or Pacific Islander descent. That distinction is about to change. In the coming years, the Navy will christen and then commission USS Daniel K. Inouye (DDG 118), named after the late Senator and former Army Captain Daniel Inouye. So, who was Daniel Inouye, and what is his legacy? Inouye was born in Honolulu in 1924 when Hawaii was still a territory of the United States. His parents had emigrated from Japan, and as a young man in a world where tensions were increasing with Japan, Inouye faced significant discrimination as a Japanese American. Curfews were enforced, and discussions of internment camps in Hawaii were shut down due to a heavy reliance on Japanese American business within the local economy. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Inouye attempted to enlist in the U.S. Army and was questioned about his patriotism. He was initially prevented from enlisting because of his status as a Japanese American. Instead, Inouye studied pre-medicine at the University of Hawaii. In 1943,
when the Army dropped its enlistment ban on Japanese Americans, Inouye dropped his studies and enlisted into the Army as a private. Daniel Inouye was part of a group of individuals called the Nisei who volunteered, many from internment camps elsewhere in the country. The Nisei was a segregated regimental combat team made up of second generation Japanese Americans. He shipped out to Italy in 1944 and was commissioned in the field as a second lieutenant shortly thereafter. Although his unit earned a reputation well before 1945, Inouye’s most famous moment came that spring. On April 21, 1945, Inouye was faced with an uphill battle as his unit attempted to take the Colle Musatello Ridge, a German strong point in Northern Italy. He single-handedly used machine guns and grenades to thwart enemy forces under heavy fire, sustaining significant injuries to his right arm. In spite of the crippling wounds, which included a shredded arm, a few bullets through the abdomen, and a bullet through his leg, he refused evacuation, and remained at the head of his platoon until they broke through the enemy and seized the ridge. Inouye’s arm worsened following the battle and surgeons eventually amputated it. His personal losses, however, came with a significant strategic victory for the Allied forces. In 1947, Inouye was honorably discharged as a captain in the U.S. Army. He then finished his studies at the
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Social Sciences is developing the “Daniel K. Inouye University of Hawaii in 1950, ultimately graduating from law school in Initiative for Democratic Leadership” program, as 1952. well. And although his military service had concluded, his service to Fifty-five years after the battle to take Colle country had not. Musatello Ridge, Inouye was awarded the Medal of Following his service in the military, Inouye practiced prosecuting Honor for his heroic actions alongside 21 other Asianlaw in Honolulu. Although Hawaii was still a territory, he was elected American veterans on June 21, 2000. to the Territorial House of Representatives in 1952 and the Territorial In 2012, Inouye passed away, leaving behind a wife Senate in 1956. When Hawaii became a state in 1959, he served as and one son. the state’s first congressional representative, making him the first Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated Japanese-American in Congress. In 1962, Inouye was elected to the “Americanism is not and has never been a matter of race 86th Congress and proceeded to spend the next four decades serving or color. Americanism is a matter of mind and heart.” as a senator from Hawaii, where he also obtained the distinction Inouye embodied true Americanism, dedicating his of being the second-longest serving senator in the history of the lifetime to committed service to the American people. United States. His time as a senator was marked by supporting the From enlisting in the U.S. Army in spite of intense civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and Hawaii’s interests discrimination, to serving in the U.S. Senate for almost 40 in Washington. He played an important role in the Watergate Scandal investigation in 1973 and the Iran-Contra affair in 1987. years, Inouye’s legacy is unparalleled. His legacy will continue on in the crew of USS Daniel K Inouye’s legacy is well known throughout Hawaii, heralded as a Inouye (DDG 118); no longer limited to the buildings in man of the people. Recently, the Honolulu International Airport Hawaii, it will stretch across many oceans, representing our was renamed the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. The nation’s interests– just as he did 75 years ago. * NOAA Daniel K. Inouye Regional Center on Ford Island is also named in his honor. The University of Hawaii’s College of
Photos by U.S. Navy
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Deputy Dispatches
As your Deputy Commander of U.S. Naval Surfaces, my top priority is support to the waterfront. Every member of our staff is laser-focused on creating warready crews, war-ready systems, war-capable systems – who when called upon to do so, are ready to fight and win today and tomorrow. I encourage each of you to consider how our guiding principles: Good Stewardship, Professional Development and Safety, naturally lead us to Owning the Fight. We’ve maintained an impressive pace, as a community and as a Navy, since our last edition of this, the waterfront’s finest magazine. Since our last issue, we’ve commenced RIMPAC, successfully completed Pacific Partnership, wrapped up the SURFLANT Surface Line Week (and SWO Ball), announced the stand-up of SECOND Fleet in Norfolk, graduated a new crop of Warfare Tactics Instructors, and welcomed new DDGs and LCS hulls to the waterfront. In addition to those episodic events, we’ve also continued to do what we do best: sustain and train our forward deployed teams and deploying carrier strike and amphibious ready groups, independent deployers and homeport shifters. It’s a great time to be a Surface Warrior. Through it all, our priorities… to protect the American homeland, promote American economic prosperity, and advance American influence throughout the world, remain constant. Today’s security environment is faster paced, more complex, and increasingly competitive. In fact, for the first time in 25 years, we’re witnessing a return to Great Power competition – something the The National Defense Strategy (NDS) makes abundantly clear. The
NDS, which operationalizes these By Rear Adm. imperatives and articulates our John B. Mustin plan to compete, deter and win Deputy in today’s competitive security Commander, U.S. environment, also directs us to be Naval Surface operationally unpredictable while Forces remaining strategically predictable – essentially to leverage the dynamic force employment concept, and the inherent maneuverability and flexibility of the U.S. Navy. As such you’ll see changes in the way we deploy and surge. Dominance on the seas cannot be guaranteed. With the return of great power competition, we must pay greater attention to sea control and maritime superiority. Operating ships in a complex maritime environment demands tactical expertise, and everyone reading this article is a supporting member of that very important mission. As are the contributing constituencies who support our 284 ships, 327,000 active duty Sailors; 97,000 ready reserve Sailors; and 210,000 civilians. Together, we make up America’s Varsity away team – focused on keeping those who seek to do us harm away from American soil and our shores. I hear many questions, when I travel the force, about the complementary documents known as the Comprehensive Review (CR) and the Strategic Readiness Review (SRR). Together they provide the guidance necessary to build a better, more talented, and more ready fleet, which is
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the path to increased naval power. For context, the outcomes of those two efforts (and associated GAO and IG recommendations) started with 147 specific recommendations, representing a broad range of proposed changes. After consolidation and review, the Readiness Reform and Oversight Council (RROC) combined them into 111 recommendations. We’re moving out on this. In fact, our Navy, through the RROC, has made significant progress in implementing recommendations from the CR and SRR with the ultimate purpose of improving readiness to ensure that our fleet remains a lethal, global maneuver force ready to execute the National Defense Strategy. To this end, our goal is not to continue looking back to see how we should have avoided mistakes; but rather to address any systemic shortcomings as we evolve to meet the complex, evolving threats of tomorrow. We owe it to our Sailors to keep them safe and, more importantly, ready to fight and win across the range of military operations as we return to great power competition. Operationally, our goals are clear – we want our ships to deploy with 92 percent fit, 95 percent fill, casualty report (CASREP) free, and fully certified. And as a staff, in addition to supporting those expectations, we want to carve out more time for Commanding Officers’ discretionary training, which we know helps our commanding officers reach these goals.
We’ve also revised the SWO career path, increasing schoolhouse training, as well as increasing experience aboard ships at sea to driver towards proficiency rather than sufficiency. To that end, our over-arching focus remains support to you, our waterfront warfighters. We recognize that what makes us the best Navy in the world is not our ships, missiles, jets or technology, though all of those things are important and indeed impressive. We know that what makes us so great is our people --our Total Force team of active and reserve Sailors, and our civilians. And that’s why we focus on you as our community’s most important leaders. We as Surface Warriors are a special a community. We serve with integrity and lead with humility, compassion and professionalism. We embrace the traditions that are the foundations of our service and nation. We are highly adaptable, lethal and tough in today’s fight. We are courageous, disciplined and accountable maritime professionals. We are the Best, the Fastest, the Toughest, and the Smartest Naval Surface Force in the World. Embrace these tenets, and own the fight! I remain steadfastly appreciative for everything you’re doing to prepare to fight and win – and to keep our Navy the strongest, most capable and effective force the world has ever known. Keep up the great work leading the world’s finest Navy. I’m proud to serve with each of you, and I look forward to seeing you on the waterfront. *
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Leadership Literature When I was invited to write a review of a leadership book for this issue of Surface Warfare magazine, my mind raced through favorite titles that have inspired me, encouraged me, and challenged me over the years. Lurid tales of World War II sea combat highlight the incredible stakes of our vocation, the inspiring biographies of military leaders and statesmen teach us the impact an individual can have on the arc of history, and the harrowing suffering endured bravely by heroic prisoners in war’s most desperate circumstances reminds us that the foundation of all courage is moral courage. It is important to raise our eyes from the immediate challenges of our demanding jobs and shift our gaze to the proverbial horizon from time to time. It is important to be inspired—and sometimes warned— by these great lessons of history. If instead of the profession of arms, we were devoted to football, these books would be the highlight reels of touchdown catches, two point conversions, and gamesaving tackles. Equally important, though, is to condition ourselves and our ships for our own great tests. Establishing habits of excellence will ultimately be the decisive preparation for what lies ahead. Beyond the highlight reels, we need some books in our professional library with ideas for how to run two-a-day summer practices and perfect our blocking and tackling. The Truth About Leadership by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner (the
By Captain Luke Frost Executive Officer USS America
pair who developed the Leadership Practices Inventory online 360-degree assessment tool used by the Navy) is a good book to consider how you can establish and practice your own habits of excellence in leadership. Kouzes and Posner have distilled thirty years of their acclaimed research into ten “truths” that aim to transcend whatever is being celebrated in the latest trends of the leadership guru business—to get beyond the context of leadership and understand the unchanging content of leadership. The book is available on the Overdrive app under the Navy General Library Program. I listened to it in four days of morning gate traffic waiting in line to get onto Naval Base San Diego. There is nothing earth shattering in the conclusions the book presents but that, after all, is the point. The Truth About Leadership will l i k e l y resonate with your o w n hard-earned leadership wisdom that you are collecting in your professional tool kit. It will clarify some of your own experience and amplify your empirical understanding of what it takes to successfully lead.
Captain Luke Frost is the Executive Officer of USS America (LHA 6). Capt. Frost holds a degree in Finance and Business Economics from the University of Notre Dame, and served as Executive Officer and Commanding Officer of USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60). He has earned a certificate of legislative studies from Georgetown University and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the United States Naval War College, College of Naval Warfare, where he graduated with Highest Distinction and was recognized as the President’s Honor Graduate.
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These truths motivate the behaviors that form good and sustainable leadership. These truths are the foundation to build habits of excellence in leadership that you can rely on when the big tests confront you dramatically, or the small tests conspire to test you in the routine. If you devote the time to read—or listen to—The Truth About Leadership, I predict you will find places in the book where your own experience in Surface Warfare will allow you to articulate even more effective and more relevant examples. You already have, or will soon have, more inspiring touchstones of personal experience. The book is a great conversation starter, though, to make you reconsider your approach to leadership as a deliberate choice. There is a wealth of data and study behind these
distilled truths, and it is instructive to hear from Kouzes and Posner as well as the wide array of cross-discipline leadership experiences that underpins their work. Archilochus’ axiom, “We do not rise to the level of our expectation, we fall to the level of our training,” can be applied to leadership literature. We need to keep studying and being inspired by the professional reading list titles that help shape and elevate our expectations of ourselves. We also need to tend to our training, though. The Truth About Leadership is time well spent on leadership training. *
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Voices From the Fleet By Navy Expeditionary Combat Command
Last summer surface warfare officers learned about an exciting new opportunity for small-unit leadership on a cutting-edge platform in the Navy's Coastal Riverine Force. For the first time, surface warfare officers tracking to successfully complete their division officer tours can compete for command-at-sea billets on the Mark VI. Additionally, post department head surface warfare officers screening for early command can now serve as Mark VI company commanders, commanding three of the boats. The first screening board is complete and the first officers have been selected. Let's meet the first surface warfare officers who will soon embark on a training pipeline putting them one step closer to assuming Mark VI command: Lt.j.g. Matthew Harvey, from Oakboro, North Carolina. I’m currently serving as a fire control officer on Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Oscar Austin in Norfolk, Va. I’ve been selected to serve as one of the Navy’s new Mark VI patrol boat commanders. The reason I pursued this unique opportunity was because I saw the chance to remain operational while I continued serving at sea. The Mark VI patrol boat also supports many of the mission areas I’m interested in. I’m looking forward to working with the Riverine Squadron and the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. Lt. Andy Bergstrom from Dallas, Texas. I’m currently the Navigator on USS Lake Erie here in San Diego. I was recently selected to be the commanding officer of the Navy’s new Mark VI patrol craft. The reason I competed for this opportunity was the unique chance to lead Sailors after just two Division Officer tours, as well as the high capabilities of the craft itself and the proficiency of the crew.
Lt. James Browning, from Dallas, Texas. I’m currently serving as an anti-submarine warfare officer on Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Stockdale in San Diego, California. The experience of command at sea and the opportunity to better myself and lead Sailors as a commanding officer this early in my career is too significant to ignore. I am excited and honored to have been selected. Lt. Cmdr. Jorge Roldan, originally from Guatemala City, Guatemala. Currently I’m the Main Propulsion Assistant on USS John C. Stennis homeported in Bremerton, Wa.. I’ve been selected for early command as the Navy’s first Mark VI Boat Company Commander. I joined the Navy in 2005 for the adventure and the opportunity to serve my nation. From the early days of my first assignment, I quickly grew to enjoy the unique leadership challenges of those small units, as well as the personal and professional rewards. Rarely do professions allow you to suddenly be thrust into leadership situations that really test you mentally, physically, and emotionally at such an early stage in your career. Small boats and the Riverine Force have an extensive heritage in US Naval History. I’m superbly honored to be chosen to serve my nation in this leadership role, and I look forward to the exciting challenges of command at sea. Congratulations on your selection, gentlemen, and the best to you as you embark on this new professional journey. *
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Alfred A. Coffield
SURFACE WARFARE SUMMER 2018
Command Changes March 2018
Capt. Paul Bieraugel..............................................................................................USS Cowpens Capt. Christine R. O'Connell.............................................................................USS Lake Erie Cmdr. Jason Tumlinson............................................................................................ USS O'Kane Cmdr. Ben Miller...........................................................................................USS Pearl Harbor Capt. Matthew McGonigle................................................................................COMLCSRON 1
April 2018
LCDR Christopher W. Petro......................................................................USS Cape St George Cmdr. Bradley Nathan W. Hornback..................................................................USS Comstock Cmdr. Aaron DeMeyer................................................................................USS Rafael Peralta Cmdr. Matthew Foster............................................................................................USS Russell Capt. Brian J. Quin................................................................................................USS Somerset Cmdr. Matthew Smidt............................................................................................USS Spruance
May 2018
Rear Adm. Dave Welch..................................................................................................SMWDC Cmdr. Brent S. Jackson....................................................................................USS Chung-Hoon Cmdr. Bob Bowen....................................................................................................USS Decatur Cmdr. Gervy Alota.......................................................................................USS Harpers Ferry Cmdr. Minetree ....................................................................................................USS John Finn Cmdr. Rob Tyron...................................................................................................USS Rushmore Cmdr. Jerry Jackson................................................................................................USS Sampson Cmdr. Andrew J. Klug.........................................................................USS William P Lawrence Capt. Ken Coleman...........................................................................................COMPHIBRON 3 Capt. Murzban Morris......................................................................................COMDESRON 21
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