Bahrain Desert Times (492) - April 2023

Bahrain-based Sailors Hold Navy Skills Competition

From NAVCENT Public Affairs

U.S. Sailors in Bahrain participated in a waterfront competition, March 29-30, to showcase their naval knowledge and damage control skills.

More than 100 crewmembers from nine ships based at Naval Support Activity Bahrain took part in the competition hosted by Naval Surface Squadron (CNSS) 5, whose staff also participated.

The ships included USS Sentry (MCM 3), USS Devastator (MCM 6), USS Dextrous (MCM 13) and USS Gladiator (MCM 11), as well as recently decommissioned USS Hurricane (PC 3), USS Monsoon (PC 4), USS Sirocco (PC 6), USS Chinook (PC 9) and USS Thunderbolt (PC 12).

“We came out here and performed really well as a team,” said Mineman Seaman Chance Gardner from Gladiator. “I like the fact that we built camaraderie with each other and were able to get it done.”

During the two-day event, Sailors competed in firefighting, leak patching and general military knowledge tests. Participating teams also used a shore-based navigation, seamanship and shiphandling simulator to showcase their ability to work together during at-sea scenarios. Service members also competed in sporting events.

“We were able to get some good training in and have a competition at the same time,” said Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class Gianna D'Esposito, one of the event coordinators from CNSS-5.

Gladiator placed first in the competition, followed by CNSS-5 and Devastator.

Gladiator and Devastator are mine

countermeasures ships deployed to U.S. 5th Fleet to help maintain regional maritime security and stability. CNSS-5 is responsible for the maintenance, logistics, manning and training of the mine-countermeasures ships.

DOD Announced New Bereavement Leave Benefit for Members

implements the policy and procedures for the administration of bereavement leave for service members across the Department of Defense. The new leave benefit is authorized in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022.

The loss of a spouse or child has detrimental effects on a service member’s ability to perform assigned duties. Bereavement leave is designed to allow service members time away from their military duties to make

arrangements required by the tragic death of their spouses or children and to attend their funeral, burial, or memorial service. Service members will be afforded the opportunity to take up to two weeks of leave in connection with the death of a service member’s spouse or child, consistent with operational requirements.

Specifically, an active and reserve component service member (on active duty for longer than 12 months) who experience the death of a spouse or child and who has fewer than 30 days of accrued ordinary leave on the date of the death is eligible for up to 14 consecutive days of bereavement leave. Based on the law, this benefit is only available to service members with accrued leave

balances below 30 days. Thus, a service member with a leave balance of 30 or more days may take chargeable emergency leave as they would in the past. However, if, while on emergency leave, his or her balance falls below 30 days, the service member will become eligible for the bereavement leave benefit of up to 14 days.

The new bereavement leave benefit applies to all eligible service members on or after the effective date of DTM 23-003 (i.e., March 29). Also, a retroactive provision in DTM 23-003 is available to service members for this new benefit. For a service member whose spouse or child died on or after June 25, 2022 and before the effective date of DTM 23-003, and who was charged leave taken in connection with the

death will have those leave days of up to 14 days restored to his or her leave balance if the service member would have been eligible for bereavement leave. Additionally, for a service member who took emergency leave in connection with the death of a spouse or child after the effective date of DTM 23-003 but before his or her respective military service releases its bereavement leave policy, will have those emergency leave days of up to 14 days restored to his or her leave balance if the service member would have been eligible for bereavement leave.

Service members are encouraged to contact their military service for more specifics on the administration of the new bereavement leave benefit.

The U.S. 5th Fleet operating area includes 21 countries, the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb and Suez Canal.

U.S. Navy Decommissions Last Patrol Craft Stationed in Bahrain

From NAVCENT Public Affairs

The U.S. Navy decommissioned the last two Cyclone-class patrol coastal ships stationed at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, March 28, during a pierside ceremony attended by U.S. 5th Fleet officials.

Leaders and crewmembers of USS Monsoon (PC 4) and USS Chinook (PC 9) marked the end of nearly three decades of U.S. naval service.

“I’m honored to be a part of the legacy on this waterfront,” said Lt. Cmdr. Dre Johnson, during the ceremony. “PC Sailors are a unique bunch, and only they can understand the amount of work they’ve done and the pride they have in what they’ve accomplished.”

Johnson is Monsoon’s last commanding officer. The U.S. Navy initially commissioned the ship in 1994 and then recommissioned it in 2008 after Monsoon served four years in the U.S. Coast Guard. Chinook was commissioned in 1995.

“With 28 years of crew covering multiple generations, each one was dedicated to the mission, adapting to rapidly changing mission sets, and working together as a team to accomplish whatever obstacle that came their way,” said Lt. Cmdr. David Hartmann, Chinook’s commanding officer.

Monsoon and Chinook are the last of a group of 10 ships designed for shallow-water operations that were stationed in Bahrain. The Middle East region includes 5,000 miles of coastline from the northern Arabian Gulf, around the Arabian Peninsula, through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

Last year, the U.S. Navy decommissioned and transferred five patrol craft to the Royal Bahrain Naval Force: former ships USS Tempest (PC 2), USS Typhoon (PC 5), USS Squall (PC 7), USS Firebolt (PC 10) and USS Whirlwind (PC 11). Additionally, the U.S. Navy decommissioned and transferred former ships USS Hurricane (PC 3), USS Sirocco (PC 6) and USS Thunderbolt (PC 12) to the Egyptian Navy last week during a formal ceremony in Alexandria, Egypt.

Monsoon and Chinook are slated for transfer to the Philippine Navy. Officials from the Philippines attended the ceremony.

“I’m proud of our crews for reaching this milestone and representing our nation and Navy with utmost pride and professionalism,” said Capt. Anthony Webber, commander of Task Force 55, which oversees operations for U.S. 5th Fleet’s surface forces. “I’m also proud that we are turning over great

ships to our Philippine partners.”

Bahrain, Egypt and the Philippines are members of the largest multinational naval partnership in the world called

Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).

Led by the United States, forces from the organization’s 38 nations operate across approximately 3.2 million square miles of

international water space in the Middle East. The partnership ensures maritime security and stability in some of the world's most important shipping lanes.

U.S., Egypt Enhance Maritime Partnership with Patrol Craft Transfer

From NAVCENT Public Affairs

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) transferred three patrol craft to the Egyptian

Navy, March 21, during a formal ceremony in Alexandria, Egypt.

The transfer ceremony represents the culmination of

weeks of preparation, training and professional exchanges between Egyptian and U.S. Navy Sailors. The U.S. Navy turned over

former patrol coastal ships USS Hurricane (PC 3), USS Sirocco (PC 6), and USS Thunderbolt (PC 12) after sailing from Bahrain to Egypt during a month-long journey around the Arabian Peninsula, January through February.

“The Egypt-U.S. maritime partnership has been a fundamental pillar of our bilateral defense cooperation for decades,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of NAVCENT, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces. “This transfer is yet another major milestone in our strong relationship that will enhance regional maritime security for years to come.”

During the 4,000-mile transit to Alexandria, U.S. and Egyptian crewmembers worked side-byside safely navigating the three ships on a voyage that included port visits to Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates; Duqm, Oman; Djibouti; and Berenice, Egypt.

U.S. and Egyptian service members continued training after the ships arrived in Alexandria, Feb. 12. Classroom lessons

included discussions on engineering, search and rescue, damage control and weapons handling.

“This transfer process was an incredible opportunity for our crews. It enabled us to strengthen our bilateral ties while enhancing our interoperability with a highly capable regional maritime partner,” said Capt. Anthony Webber, commander of Task Force 55, which oversees operations for U.S. 5th Fleet’s surface forces.

The Egyptian Navy currently commands Combined Task Force 153, one of four multinational task forces organized under U.S.led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). The task force coordinates multinational maritime security efforts in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden.

NAVCENT and CMF are headquartered in Manama, Bahrain. They include maritime forces operating in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Bab al-Mandeb.

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jacob Vernier

First Woman Selected as CMF’s Next Senior Enlisted Leader

From NAVCENT Public Affairs

On March 19, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) announced the selection of the first woman to serve as the senior enlisted leader for the 38-nation naval partnership led by the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) in Bahrain.

NAVCENT Command Master Chief Celina Miller was selected as the next senior enlisted leader to replace U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Cortez Brown in May. Brown has filled the role since August 2021.

When Miller assumes the role, she will be the first woman to hold the position.

Miller enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1998. Over the course of more than 24 years of service, Miller has served aboard ships USS Shippingport (ARDM-4), USS Ashland (LSD 48), USS Tortuga (LSD 49) and USS Halsey (DDG 97).

In addition to tours at sea, she served as an independent Yeoman at Naval Station Sigonella, Sicily; alongside the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne and 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan; and attended the Air Force Senior Enlisted Academy at Maxwell Air Force Base. She returned to Sigonella in 2014 to serve as the military personnel office and command career counselor at the Navy Supply Fleet Logistics Center.

In 2016, she was selected to the Command Senior Chief program and earned her master’s degree in science. She also attended the Command Master Chief course

in Newport, Rhode Island. After completing the course, she became the first woman to serve as Halsey’s command master chief. Miller has also previously served as the command master chief for U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 55, responsible for U.S. Navy

U.S. Conducts Airstrikes in Syria in Response to Deadly UAV Attack

From DOD News

On March 23, a U.S. contractor was killed and five U.S. service members and one additional U.S. contractor were wounded after a one-way unmanned aerial vehicle struck a maintenance facility on a Coalition base near Hasakah in northeast Syria at approximately 1:38 p.m. local time.

The intelligence community assess the UAV to be of Iranian origin.

"At the direction of President Biden, I authorized U.S. Central Command forces to conduct precision airstrikes tonight in eastern Syria against facilities used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)," said Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III. "The airstrikes were conducted in response to today’s attack as well as a series of recent attacks against Coalition forces in Syria by groups affiliated with the IRGC."

These precision strikes are intended to protect and defend U.S. personnel. The United States took proportionate and deliberate action intended to limit the risk of escalation and minimize casualties.

"As President Biden has made clear, we will take all necessary measures to defend our people and will always respond at a time and place of our choosing," said Secretary Austin. "No group will strike our troops with impunity."

"Our thoughts are with the family and colleagues of the contractor who was killed and with those who were wounded in the attack earlier today," said the Secretary.

Two of the wounded service members were treated on site, while three additional service members and the U.S. contractor were medically evacuated to Coalition medical facilities in Iraq.

surface forces operating in the Middle East.

Multinational forces under CMF operate in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Northern Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean. CMF is the largest

multinational naval partnership in the world and helps ensure maritime security and stability across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters in the Middle East encompassing some of the world's most important shipping lanes.

439-4520

www.cnic.navy.mil/bahrain

Commanding Officer

Naval Support Activity Bahrain

Capt. William Lane

NSA Bahrain Executive Officer

Cmdr. Ernesto Rivera

Public Affairs Officer

Chief Editor

Lt. Nicolas Mahone

Deputy Public Affairs Officer

Mark C. Mosher

Mass Communication Specialist

1st Class Sean Gallagher

Host Nation Public Affairs Director

Ameera Al-Kooheji

The Bahrain Desert Times is an authorized publication primarily for members of the Navy and Marine Corps military services in Bahrain. Its contents do not necessarily reflect the official views of the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps and do not imply endorsement thereof.

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New MOVIES at the MWR Cinema

Creed III (PG-13) – 116 mins

Still dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed is thriving in his career and family life. When Damian, a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy resurfaces after serving time in prison, he's eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian -- a fighter who has nothing to lose. | Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Tessa Thompson, Florian Munteanu

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (PG-13)

– 130 mins

Bestowed with the powers of the gods, Billy Batson and his fellow foster kids are still learning how to juggle teenage life with their adult superhero alter egos. When a vengeful trio of ancient gods arrives on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Shazam and his allies get thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and the fate of the world. | Cast: Grace Caroline Currey, Zachary Levi, Rachel Zegler, Asher Angel

Cocaine Bear (R) – 1h 35m

After a 500-pound black bear consumes a significant amount of cocaine and embarks on a drug-fueled rampage, an eccentric gathering of cops, criminals, tourists, and teenagers assemble in a Georgia forest. | Cast: Ray Liotta, Keri Russell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Scott Seiss

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (PG-13) – 2h 14m

With their relationship at a crossroads, Michelle and Allen invite their parents to finally meet. As it turns out, their parents already know each other, maybe a little too well. | Cast: Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey, Richard Gere, Diane Keaton

The Bahrain Desert Times

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