Navy SEALs enhance maritime dominance with partner forces in Colombia

ByLt.j.g MartinCarey Naval Special Warfare Group Two CARTAGENA, Colombia East-CoastBased Naval Special Warfare Operators (SEAL) showcased their capabilities and strengthened international partnerships during their participation in the multinational exercise UNITAS 64 As part of the exercise, SEALs trained alongside partner nation special operations forces in submarine operations, visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS), and close quarters combat (CQC),reaffirmingtheimportanceofcollaborationinmaritimedefensestrategies

UNITAS, an annual joint exercise, brought together naval forces from 20 nations in Colombia to enhance interoperability and increase the collective capabilitytorespondtoevolvingmaritimesecurity challenges The event kicked-off with an opening ceremony where Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro delivered remarks.

“WhenIassumedofficeasthe78thSecretary of the Navy in August of 2021, I made enhancingstrategicpartnershipsoneofour Department’s top enduring priorities,” said DelToro “Trust,proficiency,andinteroperabilityarecoretenetsofourpartnershipsas we work together to advance our common interestsintheWesternHemisphere,maintaining the stability and security necessary foreconomicprosperity.

Naval Special Warfare’s (NSW) involvement in UNITAS demonstrated the United States Navy’s commitment to maritime dominance and showcased the crucial role playedbyspecialoperationsforcesinachievingthisobjective.TrainingalongsideColombian special operations forces, the SEALs practiced landing and launching combat rubberraidingcraftboatsontotheLosAngeles-Class attack submarine USS Pasadena’s (SSN 752) stern deck, refining their tactical abilitiesintheoperationaldomain “UNITASprovidedauniqueopportunity to work with SOCSOUTH aligned special operations forces in the region, to advance our skills and train toward contingency operations,” said the SEAL commander on the ground overseeing the training. “Working alongside our partner nations adds another degree of interoperability, while demonstrating to our allies why we remain the partner of choice in the SOUTHCOM AOR,andsendsamessageofaunitedWesternHemisphere.

During UNITAS, the SEALs engaged in rigoroustrainingexercisesalongsideBrazilian,Chilean,Colombian,Dominican,Ecuadorian, French, Paraguayan, and Peruvian special operations counterparts, exchanging best practices and tactics to strengthen their collective abilities. During CQC the SEALs honed their skills in operating in confined spaces, a critical aspect of maritime special operations. The VBSS training focused on refining techniques for board- ingandsearchingvessels,ensuringtheyare ready to protect international law and safeguardallnations’inherentrighttofreedom oftheseas.

PartnershipslieattheheartoftheUnited States’nationaldefensestrategy,andNSW’s engagement in UNITAS 64 exemplifies this principle By working alongside partner nations they fostered strong relationships,deepenedmutualunderstanding,and improved operational effectiveness This exerciseservedasatestamenttotheUnited States’ commitment to maritime security and operating everywhere international lawallows UNITAS,whichisLatinforunity,united, or oneness was conceived in 1959 when representatives at the first Inter-American Naval Conference in Panama agreed to conduct an annual maritime exercise with oneanother PriortoUNITASIin1960,U.S.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm.

Arleigh

Burke reviewed preparations for the multinationalexercise Hecommendedplanners for their progress, especially in building compatiblecommunicationsystemsamong navies, and predicted that UNITAS would build strong relationships among sailors of theWesternHemisphere.

The Colombian navy hosted this year’s UNITAS which featured 26 warships/ vessels, three submarines, 25 aircraft (fixed wing/helicopter),andapproximately7,000 people from 20 partner nations Forces conducted operations off the coast of Cartagena,Colombia,andashoreinCovenasand Barranquilla,Colombia.

NavalSpecialWarfareGroup2produces, trains supports and deploys the world’s premier maritime special operations commandos to conduct full-spectrum operations and integrated deterrence that supportnationalobjectives Formoreinformation,visithttps://www.nsw.navy.mil/

Defense Department expands Child Care in Your Home program

ByU.S.DepartmentofDefense

The Defense Department expanded the Child Care in Your Home program, formerly known as the in-home child care pilot. The program provides fee assistance for full-time, in-home child care providers Theprogramexpandedfromfiveto11locations and now includes lawful permanent residents and family members as possible in-homeproviders.

The Child Care in Your Home program islikethefeeassistanceprogramcurrently in place for service members using community-based care facilities; however, the child care is provided in the service member’s home The program covers fulltime care for a minimum of 30 hours to a maximumof60hoursofchildcareweekly

In this second year the fee assistance program expanded to eligible families in six new regions with the highest demand and longest waitlists for DOD-facilitated child care. These locations are:

„ ColoradoSprings CO

„ Seattle/Tacoma,WA

„ Jacksonville/Mayport,FL

„ FortWaltonBeach,FL

„ Fayetteville,NC

„ LasVegas,NV

Thefeeassistanceprogramremainsavailableinthefiveoriginallocations Thoselocationsinclude:

„ NationalCapitalRegion

„ Hawaii

„ SanDiego,CA

„ Norfolk,VA

„ SanAntonio,TX

“The Defense Department knows that easyaccesstohigh-quality,affordablechild care is critical for the well-being of military children and for the peace of mind and mission readiness of their parents,” said Patricia Montes Barron, deputy assistant secretaryofdefenseforMilitaryCommunity and Family Policy “The DOD is committed toensuringthatparentscanfindthequality, licensedcarethat’srightfortheirfamily.”

Stacey Young, director for the office of Military Family Readiness Policy, noted thatmilitaryfamilieshaveuniquechildcare needsthatmustbemet,andthedepartment is continuing its efforts toincreasethe variety of child care options available for militaryfamilies

“Child care continues to be available through installation child development centers and family care homes as well as school-age care programs, and military families now have additional options,” Young said. “In addition to the Child Care inYourHomeprogram,theDODisexpanding provider eligibility in the community-based fee assistance program, Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood-PLUS, to broaden the pool of providers eligible to receive fee assistance on behalf of militaryfamilies Thedepartmentalsoprovides military families with free, online access to a nationwide database of more than a million caregivers through the Military OneSource website Military families now have an easier way to search for quality hourly, flexible and on-demand child care that meets their individual needs.”

To learn more about military child care programs, visit the Military OneSource ChildCareResourcespageathttps://www militaryonesource.mil/leaders-service-providers/children-youth-and-teens/childcare-resources/

About Military Community and Family Policy: Military Community and Family Policy is directly responsible for establishing and overseeing quality-of-life policies and programs that help our service members, their families and survivors be wellandmission-ready.MilitaryOneSource isthegatewaytoprogramsandservicesthat supporttheeverydayneedsofthe5.2million service members and immediate family membersofthemilitarycommunity These DOD services can be accessed 24/7/365 aroundtheworld