Us 5Th Fleet News

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…

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:…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

“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…

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…

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…

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)…

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)

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.

The US Central Command announced the opening of operations from its Bahrain headquarters to protect shipping in the troubled waters of the Gulf, after a string of attacks that Washington and its allies blamed on Iran.The new mission, dubbed Operation Sentinel, is designed to “ensure freedom of navigation and free flow of commerce in international waters” throughout the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Oman, US Central Command said in a release“Today, we reach two significant milestones in the standing up of the CTF Sentinel headquarters under the International Maritime Security Construct and the introduction of the CTF’s first appointed commander, Rear Adm. Alvin Holsey,” said Vice Adm. Jim Malloy, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S.

Navies operate on a spectrum between deterrence and defense, to include offensive operation, support of foreign policy, and power projection to civil affair and humanitarian assistance and disaster response. Many have constabulary responsibilities, and it could be argued that, with the exception of the largest navies, most are more like a coast guard than a military force in their normal responsibilities.Every Navy is different. Yes, they all share similar challenges of acquisition…

A fire broke out aboard the mine countermeasures ship USS Devastator (MCM 6) while the ship was pierside at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain at approximately 8 p.m. local, March 14, the U.S. Navy said. No personnel injuries were reported.The ship declared the fire out at approximately 9 p.m. local, and Sailors continued to cool hot spots to prevent a reflash.The extent of the damage is being assessed, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.Sailors aboard Devastator…

The guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) interdicted a shipment of narcotics aboard a stateless vessel while conducting maritime security operations in the international waters of the Gulf of Aden, Dec. 27.Chung-Hoon’s visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team seized over 11,000 pounds of hashish while conducting a flag verification boarding.“We have been conducting maritime security operations along suspected maritime smuggling routes in order to interdict illicit shipments into Yemen and Somalia,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Brent Jackson, commanding officer of Chung-Hoon.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) interdicted a shipment of narcotics aboard a stateless vessel while conducting maritime security operations in the international waters of the Gulf of Aden, Dec. 27.Chung-Hoon’s visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team seized over 11,000 pounds of hashish while conducting a flag verification boarding.“We have been conducting maritime security operations along suspected maritime smuggling routes in order to interdict illicit shipments into Yemen and Somalia,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Brent Jackson, commanding officer of Chung-Hoon.