Army to Demonstrate New High Speed Vessel
The Army's future force will soon meet the future of Army transportation when Stryker interim armored vehicles are transported to the Port of Tacoma on a high-speed Army watercraft. The HSV-X1 Joint Venture will pull into port on August 13 carrying soldiers and vehicles of a Fort Lewis-based Stryker Brigade Combat Team returning from a military exercise in California. The Army leased the Joint Venture, a wave-piercing catamaran, to assess the capabilities of this type of technology for future procurement. The test vessel is capable of sustained speeds greater than 40 knots, and is four times faster than current Army watercraft. The 313-ft. aluminum catamaran can carry 850 short tons and accommodate 363 personnel, including crew.
MCPON Visits Navy Region Northwest
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON)(SW/FMF) Joe R. Campa Jr. traveled to the Pacific Northwest for a series of visits, ceremonies and all hands calls April 28 and 29. Campa, who served as Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay senior enlisted advisor before taking office last July, spent several hours outside Seattle at Fort Lewis where Sailors receive three weeks of training prior to departure for JTF-GTMO. Campa observed training and spoke to the members of the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion. “Guantanamo Bay is an operational environment just as important as the frontlines of Iraq or Afghanistan,” Campa told them. Campa also conducted an all-hands call for Naval Base (NB) Kitsap E-6 and below Sailors.
