SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutter Reliance crew repatriated 91 migrants to the Dominican Republic Sept. 3 from three at-sea interdictions in the Mona Passage off the west coast of Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release. 

These interdictions are the result of ongoing Coast Guard and Caribbean Border Interagency group partner efforts to deter and stop illegal voyages in the Mona Passage.  

In the first interdiction, the Coast Guard Richard Etheridge located and interdicted an illegal voyage at 3:26 a.m. Sept, 2, comprised of a 17-foot makeshift vessel with 32 migrants onboard, 30 men and two women, in waters just off Rincon, Puerto Rico. 

In the second interdiction, a Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action marine unit interdicted a 30-foot makeshift boat at 7 a.m. Sept. 2 just off Aguadilla, Puerto Rico that was carrying 50 migrants onboard; 47 men and three women. 

In the third interdiction, a Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action marine unit interdicted a 15-foot makeshift boat at 9:20 a.m. Sept. 2 just off Rincon, Puerto Rico that was carrying 12 migrants onboard, 11 men and a woman. 

“These interdictions highlight the professionalism, commitment and unwavering resolve of the Coast Guard and our Caribbean Border Interagency Group partners in safeguarding the maritime border of Puerto Rico,” said Cmdr. Beau Powers, Sector San Juan chief of response. “We continue to implore anyone thinking about taking part in an illegal voyage that they not take to the sea. It is just not worth it, not only would you be putting your life at risk, but the life of everyone else if the voyage. You are also risking federal prosecution for attempting to enter illegally into the United States.” 

In the last eight days, Coast Guard and Caribbean Border Interagency Group partner agencies have interdicted 10 illegal voyages with 211 migrants, who were traveling illegally to Puerto Rico aboard grossly overloaded makeshift boats. Since Oct. 1, 2021, the Coast Guard and CBIG federal and state partner agencies have interdicted and or apprehended over 2,100 migrants who were traveling illegally to Puerto Rico. 

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention. Throughout the interdictions, Coast Guard crewmembers were equipped with personal protective equipment to minimize potential exposure to any possible case of COVID-19. There were no migrants in these cases reported to have any COVID-19 related symptoms.  

The Coast Guard Cutter Richard Etheridge is a 154-foot fast response cutter homeported in Puerto Rico, while the Coast Guard Cutter Reliance is a medium-endurance cutter homeported in Pensacola, Florida. 

PACIFIC OCEAN — Fifth- and fourth-generation aircraft assigned to Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group (VINCSG), with embarked Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2), and U.K. Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 21 conducted joint interoperability flights in the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet, Aug. 26, USS Carl Vinson Public Affairs said in a Sept. 1 release. 

During the joint interoperability flights, the aircraft conducted missions to validate joint integration techniques, tactics, and procedures; including mid-air refueling. This is the first time that VINCSG and CSG-21 have operated together. 

“In a very short amount of time, we were able to seamlessly combine the collective 5th generation capabilities of joint strike fighter aircraft from two services and a partner nation together with the rest of the advanced capabilities of our entire air wing,” said Capt. Tommy Locke, commander, CVW-2. “Our strike group and air wing arrived in the Indo-Pacific ready to demonstrate the value of having agile 5th generation maritime power in the region — and make no doubt, we are ready to win.” 

Participating aircraft from CVW-2 include: four F-35C Lightning IIs from Strike Fight Squadron (VFA) 147; five F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadrons (VFA) 2 and 192; two EA-18G Growlers, from Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 136; and one E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, from Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 113. 
 
Participating CSG-21 aircraft include: two U.S. F-35Bs from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211; and two F-35Bs from United Kingdom’s No. 617 Squadron. 

Sailors and Marines worked together with unmanned technologies, never used before to conduct expeditionary mine countermeasures operations, during the recent Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2021 exercise in Germany.

Tony Brescia, a systems engineer with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Patuxent River, Maryland, brought new and innovative technologies to BALTOPS 2021 to let warfighters experiment with the systems during a major exercise.

Brescia has been working with Arizona-based Hydronalix on developing its unmanned systems platforms and technologies through investments from the Navy’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer programs. Brescia has worked with the company to successfully transition its Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard (EMILY) USV, which is used for lifesaving, and the sonar-equipped version used for underwater surveys.

That work has evolved into two new platforms — the Amy and Nix USVs and a small unmanned aerial vehicle called Adapt, capable of carrying small payloads such as water bottles, food or medicine.

“It’s scalable. By upscaling the propeller and motor combination, it can carry a bigger payload,” Brescia said of Adapt. “It’s a short-range, one-way disposable UAS. You tell it where to go on your smart device and the autopilot will take it there.”

EMILY, Amy, Nix and Adapt

The Marines took advantage of BALTOPS to evaluate the new technologies and the characteristics of the different systems, such as weight, range, payload and power. 

“End-user feedback goes long way to set priorities,” Brescia said, “and to help us be sure we’re investing in the right technologies.”

According to Master Sgt. Matt Jackson, an explosive ordnance disposal technician with the Camp Pendleton-based USMC 4th Platoon Littoral Explosive Ord­nance Neutralization (LEON) team at BALTOPS, the exercise gave the Marines the chance to use unmanned systems designed for explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) to detect explosive hazards in the littorals, but they can also provide commanders with information using unmanned systems.

“There’s a lot of things these sensors collect that can be federated up to higher echelons,” he said.

Jackson said the Marines used EMILY with the side-scan sonar to detect anomalies in very shallow water. But, while EMILY may be too small for Marine Corps EOD, Jackson said the larger Amy has the size and form factor to load up with sensors and acoustic, satellite and radio frequency communications gear to link divers and unmanned systems to the greater mesh network.

“We want to be able to tie that all together, from the undersea node all the way to space and to the command and operations control,” he said.

Jackson envisions using a second Amy to tow a magnetometer in the surf zone to “search the sea bottom to give a heat map of metallic signatures, so I know where to avoid, as well as a side-scan sonar towed under the surface to get bathymetric data such as depth and water temperature. That’s valuable information.”

When it comes to mines, on the beach or in the water approaching the beach, the Marines are a breaching force, not a mine clearance force. “We want to avoid any mines while our small units are trying to get ashore,” Jackson said.

Nix is a relatively small USV that can carry a large volume.

“It has the capability to float an amount of weight. You can autonomously send it somewhere with gear, food, batteries, medical supplies or sensors,” Jackson said. “For LEON, it’s a little bit on the large size, because we have to operate from small boats. But we can tow it behind a boat, and then send it off when we get near its destination.” 

While many navies use USVs for environmental sensing and mine hunting, few navies have general-purpose USVs that can be used for general tasks. EOD is a just one niche in the Marine Corps. According to Jackson, there could be many uses for these vehicles.

“By demonstrating these systems for the Marine Corps, there may be other Marines out there who will say, ‘Amy can work for us, too.’ It could be for signals, recording, jamming or whatever. The same goes for Nix. Marines will find things to put in and move around in something like Nix.”

Brescia described Nix as a “mini-connector” to haul 80 to 100 pounds of critical repair parts, food, water or ammo. “It’s large enough to have a hybrid power supply, not just batteries, so it can stay out there for a long period of time.”

Cheap Sensors Needed

Marines have been brought into a distributed maritime environment where they will be operating under a composite warfare command, with their own connectors and working as a stand-in force within a weap­ons engagement zone. That means below the threshold of conflict, the Marine Corps will be a persistent sensor for the Navy to deter or curb maligned behavior.

“We need to understand the underwater domain, and we need tools to sense things in it,” Jackson said. “We want to support our Marines organically to survey those waters in the littorals, and also feed the Navy with intelligence to paint a better picture for the overall fleet. It’s a capacity problem. To really conduct Distributed Maritime Operations, we need more sensors.” 

That means the need to have effective and affordable systems that can be acquired and deployed in large numbers, which fits systems such as EMILY, Amy, Nix and Adapt.

Hydronalix CEO Tony Mulligan said the company’s unmanned systems are easy to use. Sailors or Marines only require a few minutes of training to be able to send off an Adapt drone using a smart phone app from a ship offshore, for example, to an exact spot on the beach or a person in need.

“There’s no pilot. There’s no ground station. There’s not even a radio. If a Corpsman needs to send plasma or morphine to a unit ashore three miles away, he loads the drone, clicks on where he wants it to land and it flies right to that location. If an area has been devastated by an earthquake or a storm, and there are not safe places for helicopters to land, these drones could be used to deliver water or food to isolated or damaged areas,” Mulligan said.

“You can be helping people before the helicopters get there, or for those victims in smaller numbers that might not be the top priority for the relief teams.”

While they are reusable, and could be recovered, reloaded and sent off again, Mulligan said they are cheap enough so that it doesn’t matter if they don’t come back.

NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard is continuously working to reopen the ports and waterways throughout Southeast Louisiana following Hurricane Ida, the Coast Guard 8th District said in a Sept. 2 release.  

Capt. Will Watson, Coast Guard captain-of-the-port for the Port of New Orleans, is working in close coordination with federal, state, parish, city and maritime stakeholders to safely reopen maritime traffic along the Mississippi River and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Some key areas along the river remain closed as recovery operations continue. 

“We continue to work closely with the State of Louisiana and our maritime industry partners to reconstitute our ports,” said Watson. “This is a massive recovery effort and we are doing our part to ensure that the commerce that sustains our Nation can continue to flow freely and safely over our critical waterways.” 

Coast Guard crews conducted post-storm port assessments to reopen the Mississippi River and Gulf Intracoastal Water after Hurricane Ida passed through the area. The assessments were conducted to ensure maritime commerce is safe to resume.  

Coast Guard crews continue to work with port partners on the identification and mitigation of grounded and submerged vessels along banks of the Lower Mississippi River. 

BALTIMORE — Northrop Grumman Corp has delivered its 15th AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR) Active Electronically Scanned Array multi-mission radar system to the U.S. Marine Corps, completing the low-rate initial production phase of the program, the company said in a Sept. 2 release.  

The team recently fielded the first full-rate production system to the Marine Corps and will continue deliveries through 2024. Providing enhanced mission capabilities, software upgrades and logistics support are expected to continue through G/ATOR’s 30-year lifetime. 

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755) arrived in Subic Bay, Philippines, Aug. 31 following operations and exercises in the West Philippine Sea with the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Coast Guard Pacific Area said in a Sept. 1 release.  

Munro’s crew participated in bilateral operations, professional exchanges, search-and-rescue and communications exercises, small boat operations, multi-vessel maneuvering and maritime domain awareness drills while at sea. 

“As the maritime security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region become increasingly complex, partnering with our Philippine Coast Guard and fisheries counterparts is vital to our shared interest in a free and open maritime environment,” said Munro’s commanding officer, Capt. Blake Novak. “We thoroughly enjoyed our Philippine hosts’ professionalism and hospitality, and we look forward to future bilateral operations to further our longstanding relationship.” 

The search-and-rescue exercise simulated the agencies’ bilateral response to a vessel in distress. During the exercise, the Munro, PCG, and BFAR practiced searching for the distressed vessel, shipboard firefighting techniques, and recovering and treating persons in the water. As part of the exercise, members of the PCG joined USCG members aboard Munro as they launched the cutter’s small unmanned aircraft system to aid in the search-and-rescue response. The day’s exercises and operations provided opportunities for each involved agency to learn from each other. 

“The success of the joint maritime exercise between the PCG and USCG will not only strengthen international partnerships for immediate response to calamities and disasters but will also ensure that our personnel could effectively perform their mandated functions in countering terrorism and other acts of lawlessness in our country’s waters,” said Adm. George V. Ursabia Jr., PCG commandant. 

The USCG has a long history of cooperation with the PCG. In 2019, the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf conducted engagements with the PCG as part of its Western Pacific deployment, focusing on search and rescue, maritime security, and law enforcement capabilities. 

Munro, a 418-foot national security cutter, departed its homeport of Alameda, California, in July for a months-long deployment to the Western Pacific. Operating under the tactical control of U.S. 7th Fleet, the cutter and crew are engaging in professional exchanges and capacity-building exercises with partner nations and are patrolling and conducting operations as directed. National security cutters like Munro feature advanced command and control capabilities, aviation support facilities, stern cutter boat launch, and increased endurance for long-range patrols, enabling the crews to disrupt threats to national security further offshore. 

“The Coast Guard shares deep and abiding interests with our allies and partners, who, like us, have long endorsed a rules-based international order,” said Vice Adm. Michael F. McAllister, commander, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area. “Partnering with the Philippines to enhance maritime governance, including important missions such as search and rescue and enforcement of fisheries laws and treaties, is essential to the security, stability and prosperity of all nations.” 

As both a federal law enforcement agency and an armed force, the USCG is uniquely positioned to conduct defense operations in support of combatant commanders on all seven continents. The service routinely provides forces in joint military operations worldwide, including the deployment of cutters, boats, aircraft, and deployable specialized forces. 

WASHINGTON – The future USS Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002) recently conducted builder’s trials, the Team Ships Public Affairs office said in a Sept. 1 release. 

Builder’s trials consist of a series of in-port and at-sea demonstrations that allow the shipbuilder, General Dynamics Bath Iron Works and the U.S. Navy to assess the ship’s systems. 

“Trials provide an opportunity for the Navy and industry team to test the capability and readiness of the ship,” said Capt. Matthew Schroeder, DDG 1000 program manager, Program Executive Ships. “DDG 1002 is a warship that is going to equip our fleet with next-generation capability and capacity for the high-end fight.” 

After completing builder’s trials and fully proving out the hull, mechanical, and electrical systems, the ship will complete combat systems installation and activation. 

The future USS Lyndon B. Johnson is the third and final ship in the Zumwalt-class of guided missile destroyers and will provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities to the fleet. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Marine Corps will embark F-35B strike fighters on a Japanese aircraft carrier this fall, the service’s commandant said, a next step to match a current F-35B deployment on board a U.K. Royal Navy aircraft carrier.  

“We’re actually going to fly U.S. Marine Corps F-35s off of a Japanese ship,” said Gen. David H. Berger, commandant of the Marine Corps, speaking Sept. 1 during a webinar conducted by the U.S. Naval Institute and the Center for Strategic and International Studies and sponsored By Huntington Ingalls Industries. 

The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force operates the JS Izumo, commissioned a helicopter carrier in 2015 but under conversion to operate F-35Bs, of which Japan has ordered 40 from Lockheed Martin. A sister ship, JS Kaga, was commissioned in 2017 and also is planned for conversion to operate F-35Bs. 

The U.S. Marine Corps operates two F-35B squadrons at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan: Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121) and VMFA-242. 

Berger pointed to the current deployment of F-35Bs of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) together with Royal Air Force F-35Bs on board HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is operating in the Pacific region, as an example of how the United States and its allies are working together to solve operational details. 

For one example he discussed, the British and Americans each have their own Special Compartmented Intelligence Facility, or SCIF, on the Queen Elizabeth to avoid complications of handling classified information. 

Berger sees cooperation with such allies as the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia as key to sharing information to countering the influence of China in the region. Enabling the F-35’s of each country to share data over networks is an important part of that cooperation.    

SAN DIEGO — A U.S. Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter crashed into the Pacific Ocean while conducting flight operations approximately 60 nautical miles off the coast of San Diego, the U.S. 3rd Fleet public affairs said in a release. 

Six personnel were on the helicopter when it crashed. One was rescued and transported ashore. He was said to be in stable condition. Search efforts continue by ships Navy and Coast Guard aircraft for the five additional aircrew members. 

The helicopter crashed at 4:30 p.m. PST, Aug. 31, while embarked aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). The carrier was conducting carrier qualifications for aircraft at the time. 

The MH-60S was “operating on deck before crashing into the sea,” the Navy said. “Five additional Sailors aboard Abraham Lincoln suffered injuries in the incident and are in stable condition. Two of the five Abraham Lincoln Sailors were transported ashore for treatment, while three of the five Abraham Lincoln Sailors had minimal injuries and remain aboard the ship.” 

The MH-60S was assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8, based at Naval Air Station North Island, California. 

The crash marked the second loss of an MH-60S this year. On July 16 an MH-60S assigned to NAS Fallon, Nevada, crashed on a rescue mission near Mount Hogue, California. No injuries occurred in that mishap. 

An investigation into the cause of the incident is underway. 

MANAMA, Bahrain — Ships from the Israeli navy and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) conducted a combined maritime security patrol in the Red Sea, Aug. 30-31, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in an Aug. 31 release. 

 Four Israeli and U.S. Navy ships sailed together in the Gulf of Aqaba as the U.S. Department of Defense shifted Israel from U.S. European Command to U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility. 
 
“Our navies are ushering in a new era of expanded cooperation and capacity building,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of NAVCENT, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces. “We are partnering in new ways, which is essential for preserving security in today’s dynamic maritime environment.” 

 
Guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) sailed alongside an Israeli navy corvette and two patrol boats as a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flew overhead. The units conducted air defense, high value unit defense, small boat operations and tactical maneuver training.    
 
“Combined patrols like these help maintain regional maritime security and stability,” said Capt. Robert Francis, commodore for NAVCENT’s Task Force 55 which controls U.S. Navy surface assets in the Middle East. “The collaboration has been tremendous. We share a common understanding with our international counterparts that there is strength in unity.” 
 
In January, the United States announced moving Israel from U.S. European Command to U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility effective Sept. 1. The change offers new opportunities for cooperation among regional navies in the Middle East. 
 
The U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses nearly 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab-al-Mandeb. With Israel’s addition, the region is now comprised of 21 countries.