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5Th Fleet News

13 Dec 2023

Why the Indian Ocean Could be China's Achilles' Heel in a Taiwan War

© Igor / Adobe Stock

Every day, nearly 60 fully loaded very large crude-oil carriers sail between the Persian Gulf and Chinese ports, carrying about half of the oil that powers the world's second-largest economy.As the vessels enter the South China Sea, they ply waters increasingly controlled by China's growing military, from the missile batteries and airfields at its bases on disputed islands to its stealthy Type 055 destroyers.But when crossing the Indian Ocean, joined by others headed to China from Africa and Brazil…

21 Sep 2023

U.S. Revives Cold War Submarine Spy Program to Counter China

Credit: noraismail/AdobeStock

On a windswept island 50 miles north of Seattle sits a U.S. Navy monitoring station. For years, it was kept busy tracking whale movements and measuring rising sea temperatures. Last October, the Navy gave the unit a new name that better reflects its current mission: Theater Undersea Surveillance Command.The renaming of the spy station at the Whidbey Island naval base is a nod to a much larger U.S. military project, according to three people with direct knowledge of the plans:…

23 Aug 2023

Unmanned Maritime Systems Development Accelerates

Photo courtesy Jack Rowley

There is little question that world militaries see the value of unmanned systems to complement their manned counterparts. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan accelerated the development of unmanned aerial systems and unmanned ground systems to meet urgent operational needs. Now, there is increasing interest in unmanned surface systems, resulting in their placement on an accelerated development path.Like their air and ground counterparts, these unmanned surface systems are valued because of their ability to reduce the risk to human life in high threat areas…

18 Jul 2023

U.S. Navy: Unmanned Maritime Systems Development Accelerates

Photo courtesy Jack Rowley

There is little question that world militaries see the value of unmanned systems to complement their manned counterparts. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan accelerated the development of unmanned aerial systems and unmanned ground systems to meet urgent operational needs. Now, there is increasing interest in unmanned surface systems, resulting in their placement on an accelerated development path.Like their air and ground counterparts, these unmanned surface systems are valued because of their ability to reduce the risk to human life in high threat areas…

10 Jul 2023

Iran Accuses US Navy of Defending Fuel Smuggling in Gulf Incident

© MasterSergeant / Adobe Stock

An Iranian Revolutionary Guards Commander accused the U.S. Navy on Monday of defending fuel smuggling in the Gulf by trying to interfere when Iran intercepted a ship last week."On July 6th, Revolutionary Guards' Navy personnel were inspecting a ship with the name NADA 2 that was involved in smuggling Iranian oil and gas in the Persian Gulf, which the Americans sought to prevent through a series of unprofessional and risky actions," IRGC Commander Ramazan Zirrahi said in comments reported by Iran's Tasnim news agency.On July 7th…

06 Jul 2023

Iran Seizes Commercial Ship in the Gulf

© Adhi / Adobe Stock

Iran's Revolutionary Guards "forcibly seized" a commercial ship in international waters in the Gulf on Thursday and the vessel was possibly involved in smuggling, a U.S. Navy spokesperson said.The U.S. Navy had monitored the situation and decided not to make any further response, U.S. 5th Fleet spokesperson Commander Tim Hawkins said.British maritime security company Ambrey said it was aware of an attempted seizure by Iranian forces of a small Tanzanian flagged tanker, around…

05 Jun 2023

Iranian Boats 'Harass' Merchant Ship in the Strait of Hormuz

A screenshot of surveillance footage from a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft showing three Iranian fast-attack craft approaching an internationally flagged merchant vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz, June 4, 2023. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

U.S. and British naval forces on Sunday came to the aid of a commercial ship that was "harassed" by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy in the the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy said.Civilian crew aboard the merchant vessel reported three Iranian fast-attack craft with armed personnel approached and followed their vessel at close distance while it transited the narrow strait. The radio distress call was made at 4:56 p.m. local time.U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) and U.K.

27 Apr 2023

Iran Seizes Oil Tanker in Gulf of Oman, U.S. Navy Says

Credit: Advantage Tankers

The U.S. Navy said Thursday that Iran had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Advantage Sweet while transiting international waters in the Gulf of Oman. According to a tweet by U.S. 5th Fleet, the incident happened on April 27 at approximately 1:15 p.m. local time, when the tanker was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN). "The oil tanker issued a distress call during the seizure. U.S. 5th Fleet is monitoring the situation. Iran's actions are contrary to international law and disruptive to regional security and stability.

19 Apr 2023

US Navy Sends a USV Through the Strait of Hormuz

An L3Harris Arabian Fox MAST-13 unmanned surface vessel transits the Strait of Hormuz accompanied by USCGC Charles Moulthrope (WPC 1141) and USCGC John Scheuerman (WPC 1146) on April 19, 2023. (Photo: Vincent Aguirre / U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Navy on Wednesday sent an uncrewed surface vessel (USV) through the Strait of Hormuz as it ramps up its use of high-tech unmanned assets for patrols and monitoring at sea.The transit was reportedly the Navy's fist for a USV through the busy and strategically important strait, demonstrating the continued operational integration of unmanned and artificial intelligence systems by U.S. maritime forces in the Middle East.The L3 Harris Arabian Fox MAST-13 USV was accompanied by a pair of Sentinel-class Coast Guard cutters…

23 Mar 2023

US Transfers Three Patrol Ships to the Egyptian Navy

(Photo: U.S. Navy)

The United States has transferred three U.S. Navy patrol craft to the Egyptian Navy in an effort to help boost regional maritime security.During a formal ceremony in Alexandria, Egypt on March 21, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) turned over USS Hurricane (PC 3), USS Sirocco (PC 6), and USS Thunderbolt (PC 12), three former Cyclone-class patrol coastal ships built by Bollinger Shipyards in the early 1990s.“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.

08 Sep 2020

US Navy Searching for Missing Sailor in Arabian Sea

File photo: Aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) transits the Arabian Sea in August 2020. (U.S. Navy photo by Elliot Schaudt)

The United States Navy is searching for a sailor missing from one of its aircraft carriers, USS Nimitz, in the northern Arabian Sea, the U.S. 5th Fleet said on Sunday.“USS Nimitz called man overboard at 6:47 p.m. local time on September 6 after personnel aboard the ship were unable to locate the Sailor following a shipwide search”, the statement on Twitter said.The Nimitz and the guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton were conducting search and rescue operations. The sailor’s name was withheld, in accordance with U.S. Navy Policy.(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

21 Apr 2022

USCG Commissions Sentinel-class Cutter Clarence Sutphin Jr.

(Photo: Ryan Schultz / U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard commissioned its 47th Sentinel-class cutter, USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC 1147), into service on ThursdayBuilt by Bollinger Shipyards and officially delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard on January 6 in Key West, Fla., Clarence Sutphin Jr. is Patrol Forces Southwest Asia's (PATFORSWA) sixth 154-foot Sentinel-class cutter.Vice Adm. Steven Poulin, U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area commander, presided over the commissioning ceremony at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City.

12 Nov 2021

UAE, Bahrain, Israel and US Conduct First Joint Naval Drill

(Photo: William Phillips / U.S. Navy)

Forces from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Israel and the United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) began a multilateral maritime security operations exercise in the Red Sea on Wednesday, NAVCENT said on Thursday.This is the first publicly acknowledged naval exercise between the United States, Israel and the two Gulf countries.An Israeli naval officer, briefing reporters in Israel on the drill, said the start of such military cooperation under U.S. auspices could…

25 Jun 2020

US Navy Ships Set Record for Longest Stretch at Sea

The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) transits the Arabian Sea, June 12, 2020. (U.S. Navy photo by Aaron Bewkes)

Two warships kept away from shore to minimize crew exposure to COVID-19 have set a new U.S. Navy record for most consecutive days at sea. As of Thursday, aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) and its escort ship, guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG 56) have been at sea for 161 days, besting the previous mark of 160 days set by aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) in February 2002.Ike and San Jacinto departed their homeport of Norfolk, Va., in mid-January for the strike group’s Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) and follow-on deployment to the U.S.

31 Aug 2022

Iran Caught Trying to Capture US Navy Sea Drone

(Photo: U.S Navy)

The U.S. Navy said it thwarted an Iranian attempt to capture one if its unmanned surface vessels (USV) in the Arabian Gulf.While transiting international waters around 11 p.m. (local time), Aug. 29, U.S. 5th Fleet observed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) support ship Shahid Baziar towing a Saildrone Explorer USV in an attempt to detain it. U.S. Navy patrol coastal ship USS Thunderbolt (PC 12) was operating nearby and immediately responded. U.S. 5th Fleet also launched an MH-60S Sea Hawk from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, based in Bahrain.The actions taken by U.S.

02 Sep 2022

Report: Iran Navy Seizes, Then Releases U.S. Unmanned Surface Vessels in Red Sea

Credit: U.S. Navy

Iran's navy seized but later released two U.S. surface drones in the Red Sea, accusing the unmanned vessels of jeopardizing maritime safety, Iranian state television reported on Friday, in the second such incident in days."The (Iranian navy) frigate Jamaran seized the two vessels on Thursday to prevent any possible accident after issuing warnings to the U.S. fleet. After international shipping lanes were secured, the two vessels were released in a safe area," the TV said. Footage…

28 Jul 2022

US Navy: Building Small Combatants to Create Force Structure and Capability

The Littoral Combat Ship has been made more lethal with the addition of the Naval Strike Mis-sile, seen here installed on USS Charleston (LCS 18).   (U.S. Navy photo by Ensign James French)

The U.S. Navy needs more ships. And that means the Navy has to build more ships than it is decommissioning.The sea service has a stated a goal of 355 ships, and as many as 500 and more when unmanned platforms are counted. There are 298 ships in the fleet today. For surface ships, this number includes a high-low mix of highly capable large surface combatants, and smaller ships such as littoral combat ships LCS).The Navy’s smallest combatants are the 330-ton, 197-foot coastal patrol boats (PCs). Up until recently, ten of them have been serving in the Middle East with the U.S.

24 Dec 2021

US Navy Seizes Weapons from Fishing Vessel in the Arabian Sea

U.S. service members from patrol coastal ship USS Typhoon (PC 5) interdict a stateless fishing vessel carrying illicit weapons while transiting international waters in the North Arabian Sea, Dec. 20, 2021. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

U.S. 5th Fleet ships seized approximately 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and 226,600 rounds of ammunition from a stateless fishing vessel during a flag verification boarding in accordance with customary international law in the North Arabian Sea, Dec. 20.U.S. Navy patrol coastal ships USS Tempest (PC 2) and USS Typhoon (PC 5) found the weapons during a search conducted by embarked U.S. Coast Guard personnel. The illicit weapons and ammunition were later transported to guided-missile…

26 Feb 2021

US Navy Warship in the Middle East Has COVID-19 Cases

(Photo: Tyler R. Fraser / U.S. Navy)

A U.S. Navy warship operating in the Middle East has a dozen cases of the novel coronavirus, while another warship in the region is investigating whether some of its members are also infected.The USS San Diego which has the confirmed cases is at port in Bahrain. It sails with about 600 sailors and Marines aboard.The guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea, which carries some 380 sailors, is expected to pull into port for further testing. The port was not disclosed.“Once we became aware of possible COVID-19 aboard USS San Diego (LPD 22) and USS Philippine Sea (CG 58)…

05 Jul 2022

Navy Establishing Unmanned Surface Vessel Fleet for Persistent ISR in Middle East

A T38 Devil Ray unmanned surface vessel operates during a demonstration off the coast of Bahrain, April 29, 2022. (Photo: David Resnick
/ U.S. Army)

“We're not tinkering. We're building enhanced maritime domain awareness.”The U.S. Navy’s Task Force 59, based in Bahrain as part of the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and U.S. Fifth Fleet, is advancing the operational employment and integration of unmanned systems and artificial intelligence in fleet operations.According to Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the fleet commander, unmanned systems and artificial intelligence are helping to accelerate innovation, especially in such a vast area of responsibility (AOR)“It's 5…

23 Nov 2022

US Kicks Off Unmanned & AI Systems Integration Event in Bahrain

Various unmanned systems sit on display in Manama, Bahrain, Nov. 19, prior to exercise Digital Horizon 2022. (Photo: Brandon Murphy / U.S. Army)

U.S. 5th Fleet began a three-week unmanned and artificial intelligence integration event in Bahrain, Nov. 23, that will involve employing new platforms in the region for the first time.The event, called Digital Horizon, will advance the command’s efforts to integrate new unmanned technologies while establishing the world’s first unmanned surface vessel fleet by end of next summer. U.S. 5th Fleet’s efforts are focused on improving what U.S. and regional navies are able to see above, on and below the water.“I am excited about the direction we are headed,” said Vice Adm.

23 Nov 2022

Debris Analysis Shows Iran-made Drone Attacked Tanker, US Navy Says

Graphic illustration and images captured by a U.S. Navy explosive ordnance disposal team aboard M/T Pacific Zircon, Nov. 16, showing the location where an Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) penetrated M/T Pacific Zircon’s outer hull during an attack Nov. 15. The one-way UAV attack tore a 30-inch-wide hole in the outer hull on the starboard side of the ship’s stern, just below the main deck. (U.S. Navy graphic)

The U.S. military on Tuesday said debris analysis has concluded that the same type of Iranian drone that Tehran has supplied to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine was used to attack a commercial tanker off the coast of Oman a week ago.The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet published photos and details of its investigation into the attack on the Liberian-flagged Pacific Zircon tanker, including debris from the Shahed-136 drone itself.In a statement, the Navy said the drone ripped a 30-inch-wide (76 cm) hole into the back of the ship…

16 Feb 2021

US Navy Seizes Weapons from Dhows off Somalia

(Photo: Louis Thompson Staats IV / U.S. Navy)

The U.S. Navy seized thousands of weapons from two stateless dhows during a maritime security operation off the coast of Somalia last week.A boarding team from guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill’s (DDG 81) discovered the illicit cargo during a flag verification boarding in international waters, and the confiscation took place February 11 and 12.The cache of weapons consisted of thousands of AK-47 assault rifles, light machine guns, heavy sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers…

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