Robert M Gates News

Sailors and guests bade farewell to Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Ingraham (FFG 61) as the ship concluded 25 years of naval service during a decommissioning ceremony on Naval Station Everett (NSE), Washington, Nov. 12. Former Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates joined the crew in honoring Ingraham and her many years of service by acting as the guest speaker at the ceremony. Several former crew members, plankowners, friends and family also attended. Ingraham's last commanding officer, Cmdr. Daniel Straub kicked off the ceremony and put into context the ship's place in the history of the Navy during her time in service. "During 25 years of service to the nation…

Joe Kernan, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.) has recently been appointed to the Board of Advisors of Swiftships Shipbuilders, LLC, a leading supplier of military and commercial watercraft to clients across the globe. Vice Admiral Kernan (Ret.) served in various leadership positions in the Department of Defense, which included Commanding Officer, SEAL Team Two, Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, Commander US Fourth Fleet, and Senior Military Assistant to former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.

A top Navy commander suggested that commercial vessels should arm themselves when traveling through pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast. Navy Adm. Mark P. Fitzgerald, commander of U.S. naval forces in Europe and Africa and of NATO’s Allied Joint Task Force Command Naples, told Pentagon reporters that the scope of the piracy problem is too great to be policed by military vessels alone. On an average day, 30 to 40 ships comprising international maritime forces monitor pirate activity in the Somali basin and the western Indian Ocean, Fitzgerald said, adding that five to 10 of these ships at any given time are American vessels. Another issue, the admiral said, is what to do with pirates who are captured.

With the spray of bubbly from a champagne bottle, PCU Missouri (SSN 780), the Navy's newest Virginia-class attack submarine, was christened during a late morning ceremony at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Conn., Dec. Missouri, the fifth Navy ship to be named in honor of the people of the "Show Me State," is "a link in the honored chain of ships to bear the name; another chapter in the storied history of the Naval service," said Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus. SECNAV and Secretary of Defense Robert M.

The U.S. military's rescue of a kidnapped American ship captain was textbook, but the issue of piracy is likely to worsen in the absence of a systemic solution, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said April 13. Off the Somali coast yesterday, U.S. special operations snipers on the USS Bainbridge shot and killed three pirates who had held hostage the captain of the Maersk-Alabama cargo ship on a lifeboat for five days. Military officials said Capt. Richard Phillips' life was in imminent danger at the time of his rescue. "It was textbook," Gates said of the operation. "They were patient. Gates, speaking at the Marine Corps War College here…

The Virginia-class attack submarine USS Missouri (SSN 780) reached her first major milestone Sept. 27, during her keel authentication ceremony held at the General Dynamics Electric Boat facility in North Kingstown. Caesar S. DeSanto Sr. welded the initials of Rebecca W. Gates onto a plate of steel to symbolize the authentication of the keel. Gates, the wife of Secretary of Defense, Robert M. Gates, is the sponsor for Missouri, the seventh Virginia-class submarine to join the fleet. U.S. Rep.

The Navy League's 2008 Sea-Air-Space Exposition, appropriately themed "Global Maritime Security," will be held at the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel in , March 18-20. The goal of the exposition is to provide up-to-the-minute developments on policy and programs of the maritime services, with speakers that include Secretary of Defense the Honorable Dr. Robert M. Gates, Secretary of the Navy the Honorable Dr. Donald C. Winter and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead. The expo will also showcase national and international maritime exhibits of the latest in sea power technology.

Fire Controlman 2nd Class Andrew Jackson, a native of Ray Town, Mo., launches a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) from the Combat Information Center aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70). Lake Erie fired a single modified tactical Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) and successfully impacted a non-functioning National Reconnaissance Office satellite approximately 247 kilometers (133 nautical miles) over the Pacific Ocean, as it traveled in space at more than 17,000 mph. U.S. By Gerry J. The missile fired from a U.S.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates commemorated a historic date in U.S. Navy history -- Pearl Harbor Day -- at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command headquarters. He got a detailed briefing about the command's operations and how they're helping to maintain security and keep the sea lanes flowing. Vice Adm. Kevin J. Cosgriff, commander of NAVCENT Combined Maritime Forces and U.S. 5th Fleet, briefed the secretary on the command's operations, which cover 2.5 million square miles of international waters in U.S. Central Command's area of operations. Each day, more than 10,000 vessels transit the territory, which includes about 80 percent of the global energy reserves. About 45 percent of the world's oil passes through the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Navy divers will aid in recovery efforts at the site of the Aug. 1 bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Defense Department officials said Aug. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates approved a request from Transportation Secretary Mary Peters over the weekend. The westbound Interstate 35 bridge over the Mississippi River collapsed during the evening rush hour. Five people are known dead, with 98 injured. Minneapolis officials said 24 of those injured remain in critical condition. Officials said eight more people remain unaccounted for in the collapse. Navy divers will help state and local divers examine wreckage and clear debris. The divers will come from Mobile Dive and Salvage Unit 2, based in Little Creek, Va.

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced July 6 that President George W. Navy Rear Adm. (selectee) Adam M. Robinson Jr. has been nominated for appointment to the grade of vice admiral and assignment as chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery and Surgeon General, Washington, D.C. Robinson is currently serving as commander, Navy Medicine Capital Area/commander, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Md. Navy Vice Adm. John D. Stufflebeem has been nominated for reappointment to the grade of vice admiral and assignment as director, Navy Staff, N09B, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Stufflebeem is currently serving as commander, Sixth Fleet/commander, Striking and Support Forces NATO/commander, Joint Headquarters Lisbon, Portugal.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced June 8 that he will recommend that President Bush nominate Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Mullen to replace Marine Gen. Peter Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In a Pentagon news conference, Gates said he also will recommend Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright for the position of vice chairman. Cartwright is the commander of U.S. Strategic Command. Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr., the current vice chairman, announced his decision to retire last week. “I have become well acquainted with Admiral Mullen over the last six months and believe he has the strategic insight, experience and integrity to lead America’s armed forces,” Gates said.

Special from the Department of Defense Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced May 10 that the president has made the following nomination: Navy Vice Adm. Eric T. Olson has been nominated for appointment to the grade of admiral and assignment as commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. Olson is currently serving as deputy commander, U.S. Special Operations Command.

Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) the Honorable Dr. Robert M. Gates gives his remarks during an assumption-of-command ceremony for U.S. Pacific Command. Adm. Timothy J. Keating, formerly commander of U.S. Northern Command, assumed command of U.S. Pacific Command from Lt. Gen. Daniel P. Leaf during the ceremony. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class James E. CAMP H.M. SMTH, Hawaii (NNS) -- Admiral Timothy J. Keating will bring the same good judgment and decisiveness to the U.S. Pacific Command that he demonstrated as commander of U.S. Northern Command, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here March 26. Gates spoke at a ceremony in which Keating assumed command of the largest U.S.

The U.S. Senate confirmed the nominees to the top posts at U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) during the March 19 session. The full Senate confirmed Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating as PACOM commander and Air Force Lt. Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., to receive his fourth star and to become commander of NORTHCOM and North American Aerospace Defense Command. Renuart, who currently serves as Gates' senior military assistant, will assume Keating's NORTHCOM post. In announcing both officers' nominations in February, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates praised them for establishing a record of accomplishments in a variety of complex and challenging assignments.

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Navy Rear Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler has been nominated for appointment to the grade of vice admiral and assignment as superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. Fowler is currently serving as director, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Sixth Fleet, plans and operations/deputy commander, Sixth Fleet/commander Submarines, Allied Naval Forces South/commander, Submarine Group Eight/CTF 69/CTF 164, Naples, Italy. Navy Rear Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III has been nominated for appointment to the grade of vice admiral and assignment as commander, Third Fleet, San Diego, Calif. Locklear is currently serving as director, programming division, N80, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Navy Rear Adm. Anthony L.

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced March 13 that the President has made the following nominations: Navy Reserve Rear Adm. (lower half) Albert Garcia III has been nominated for appointment to the grade of rear admiral while serving as deputy commander, First Naval Construction Division, Norfolk. Navy Reserve Rear Adm. (lower half) Gregory A. Timberlake has been nominated for appointment to the grade of rear admiral while serving as deputy fleet surgeon, U. S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk. Source: NavNews