Most of the people who live on Pitcairn today are descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers, with the wreck of the ship still available to visit (Picture: PulauResidence X)
Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Tamar has been enjoying a slice of paradise on a visit to the remote Pitcairn Islands, which lie about midway between Peru and New Zealand.
The volcanic outcrop of four tropical islands – Henderson, Lucie, Reno and the islands’ namesake, Pitcairn – are the only UK Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean.
With a population of around 50, the people of Pitcairn are descended from the mutineers of HMS Bounty and their Tahitian companions who settled on the islands in 1789.
An official for the Administrator on Pitcairn Island, which is the only inhabited island in group, measuring just two miles long and one mile wide, posted on X that they were delighted to have HMS Tamar to visit.
They said: “We always welcome the Royal Navy to one of the most remote Overseas Territories. It must be one of the few times when the ship’s company outnumbers the local community.”
HMS Tamar, the fourth of the five Offshore Patrol Vessels built to replace the current River-class vessels, and her sister ship HMS Spey are currently on a five-year deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.
Most of the people who live on Pitcairn today are descendants of the HMS Bounty mutineers, with the wreck of the ship still available to visit (Picture: PulauResidence X)
Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Tamar has been enjoying a slice of paradise on a visit to the remote Pitcairn Islands, which lie about midway between Peru and New Zealand.
The volcanic outcrop of four tropical islands – Henderson, Lucie, Reno and the islands’ namesake, Pitcairn – are the only UK Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean.
With a population of around 50, the people of Pitcairn are descended from the mutineers of HMS Bounty and their Tahitian companions who settled on the islands in 1789.
An official for the Administrator on Pitcairn Island, which is the only inhabited island in group, measuring just two miles long and one mile wide, posted on X that they were delighted to have HMS Tamar to visit.
They said: “We always welcome the Royal Navy to one of the most remote Overseas Territories. It must be one of the few times when the ship’s company outnumbers the local community.”
HMS Tamar, the fourth of the five Offshore Patrol Vessels built to replace the current River-class vessels, and her sister ship HMS Spey are currently on a five-year deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.
The ship was named for the German statesman Otto von Bismarck. The design for Fürst Bismarck was an improvement over the previous Victoria Louise-class protected cruisers—Fürst Bismarck was significantly larger and better armed than her predecessors.
The ship was primarily intended for colonial duties, and she served in this capacity as part of the East Asia Squadron until she was relieved in 1909, at which point she returned to Germany. The ship was rebuilt between 1910 and 1914, and after the start of World War I, she was briefly used as a coastal defense ship. She proved inadequate to this task, and so she was withdrawn from active duty and served as a training ship for engineers until the end of the war. Fürst Bismarck was decommissioned in 1919 and sold for scrap. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_F%C3%BCrst_Bismarck
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Jan. 16, 2024, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.
Ships Underway
Total Battle Force
Deployed
Underway
291 (USS 232, USNS 59)
104 (USS 72, USNS 32)
65 (49 Deployed, 16 Local)
In Japan
Damage Controlman Fireman Abraham Orrantia, from El Paso, Texas, conducts an operational test on a portable exothermic cutting unit in the machine repair shop aboard USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) on Jan. 8, 2024. US Navy Photo
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is in port Yokosuka. USS America (LHA-6) is in Sasebo.
In the East China Sea
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), left, conducts a replenishment-at-sea with Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Erickson (T-AO-194) on Jan. 12, 2024. US Navy Photo
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 1, with Carrier Air Wing 2 embarked, USS Princeton (CG-59), USS Kidd (DDG-100) and USS Sterett (DDG-104) departed the South China Sea via the Bashi Channel after a port visit to Manilla and is operating with Japanese naval vessels in the East China Sea.
Vinson is using older C-2A Greyhounds flying out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, as a temporary carrier-onboard delivery vehicle while the CMV-22B fleet is grounded following the November crash of an Air Force MV-22B off the coast of Japan.
Carrier Strike Group 1
Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Anthony Kernaghan, assigned to Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), right, a native of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, plays a game with a child at Gentle Hands Orphanage during a community relations event in Manila, Philippines on Jan. 6, 2024. US Navy Photo
Carrier
USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), homeported at San Diego, Calif.
Carrier Air Wing 2
The “Bounty Hunters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
The “Stingers” of VFA 113 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
The “Warhawks” of VFA 97 – F-35C – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
The “Golden Dragons” of VFA 192 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
The “Gauntlets” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 136 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Black Eagles” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 113 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
The “Titans” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30 – CMV-22B – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
The “Blue Hawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 78 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island.
The “Black Knights” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.
USS Princeton (CG-59), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
Destroyer Squadron 1
Destroyer Squadron 1 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Carl Vinson.
USS Hopper (DDG-70), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
USS Kidd (DDG-100), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
USS Sterett (DDG-104), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor.
In the Western Pacific
USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) sits anchored off of Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, during Pacific Partnership 2024-1, Jan. 12, 2024. US Navy Photo
Hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) is in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, for its next mission stop of Pacific Partnership 24-1, the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific region.
In the Western Atlantic
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro addresses the crew of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) in the hangar bay during a visit to mark the completion of the ship’s eight-month maiden deployment, Jan. 15, 2024. US Navy Photo
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is expected to return to its homeport of Norfolk, Va., this week after completing an extended deployment in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Secretary of Navy Carlos Del Toro visited Gerald R. Ford yesterday. Six months into the first-ever overseas deployment of the carrier, the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group was extended 76 days after it was directed to the Mediterranean Sea after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel. It was subsequently extended twice more.
Carrier Strike Group 12
Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuel) 2nd Class Bruce Williams, assigned to the air department of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), prepares to conduct routine maintenance on an in-deck refueling station on the flight deck, Jan. 7, 2024. US Navy Photo
Carrier
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Carrier Air Wing 8
Family members of a pilot assigned to the ‘Ragin’ Bulls’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 37, throw up bull horns as a greeting as planes taxi on the runway after the squadron return to Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia, Jan. 15, 2024. US Navy Photo
The “Ragin’ Bulls” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 37 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Blacklions” of VFA 213 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Golden Warriors” of VFA 87 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Tomcatters” of VFA 31 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Gray Wolves” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Bear Aces” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 124 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
The “Spartans” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 70 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
The “Tridents” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
Cruiser
Yeoman 2nd Class Navading Jones, from Chicago, Ill., assigned to the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60), left, mans the helm, as the ship departs Rota, Spain, Jan. 12, 2024. US Navy Photo
USS Normandy (CG-60), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Destroyer Squadron 2
Destroyer Squadron 2 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Ford. Due to the length of the deployment, the destroyers assigned to the strike group have changed since the initial deployment.
USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), homeported at Naval Station Rota, Spain.
USS Bulkeley (DDG-84), homeported at Rota.
USS Ramage (DDG-61), returned to its Norfolk homeport.
USS McFaul (DDG-74), returned to its Norfolk homeport.
USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), returned to its Mayport, Fla., homeport.
In the Eastern Mediterranean
Boatswain’s Mate 3rd Class Abel Aguirre, assigned to Beachmaster Unit 2, directs a landing craft air cushion, attached to Assault Craft Unit 4 and embarked aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19), into Volos, Greece, Jan. 8, 2024. US Navy Photo
USS Bataan (LHD-5) and USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) pulled into Piraeus, Greece, on Thursday for a scheduled port visit.
U.S. Marines and Sailors with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit are joining in the exercise “Odyssey Encore,” in the vicinity of Volos, Greece, through Jan. 17. The two-week-long exercise focuses on advanced skills and operations capabilities Marines to need to be able to respond to crises in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. This is the first exercise for the 26th MEU since the Bataan ARG reaggregated on Dec. 28.
Among many missions Marines are trained in is evacuating civilians from conflict zones. USNI News visited the unit in April during a noncombatant evacuation operation in North Carolina.
Embarked units include Amphibious Squadron 8, 26th MEU (SOC), Fleet Surgical Team 8, Tactical Air Control Squadron 21, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, Assault Craft Unit 2, Assault Craft Unit 4 and Beach Master Unit 2. The 26th MEU (SOC), based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., includes Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marines; Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 22.
In the Gulf of Aden
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Laboon (DDG-58) transits the Suez Canal, Dec. 18. US Navy Photo
A Houthi-launched anti-ship ballistic missile struck a U.S.-owned container ship Monday in the Gulf of Aden, U.S. Central Command said.
The Houthis launched the ballistic missile at M/V Gibraltar Eagle. The ship did not report any damage or injuries from the Houthi missile, according to the Central Command release.
Starting on Oct. 17, the Houthi’s said they would attack any ship with affiliations with Israel. Senior Houthi official Nasr al-Din Amer told BBC that it will now attack any American-affiliated ship.
U.S. fighter aircraft shot down an anti-ship cruise missile the Houthis fired toward USS Laboon (DDG-58), U.S. Central Command announced Sunday night.
Central Command’s release did not specify the aircraft that shot down the missile or the military branch. The fighter aircraft shot down the missile off the coast of Al-Hudaydah, according to the release.
There were no reports of damage or injury following the strike.
USS Carney (DDG-64) launched a Tomahawk Land Attack Missile against a Houthi radar site in Yemen at 3:45 a.m. local time Saturday, U.S. Central Command announced in a Friday night release.
While U.S. ships like Carneyare currently part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, the strikes are separate from the defensive coalition.
On Tuesday, U.S. Central Command released details on an interdiction operation in the Gulf of Aden in which two Navy SEALs went missing.
On Jan. 11, a SEAL team operating from the expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3) boarded a dhow off the coast of Somalia and discovered weapons parts, reads the statement.
“Seized items include propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) and anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), as well as air defense associated components. Initial analysis indicates these same weapons have been employed by the Houthis to threaten and attack innocent mariners on international merchant ships transiting in the Red Sea,” reads the statement. “This is the first seizure of lethal, Iranian-supplied advanced conventional weapons (ACW) to the Houthis since the beginning of Houthi attacks against merchant ships in November 2023. The interdiction also constitutes the first seizure of advanced Iranian-manufactured ballistic missile and cruise missile components by the U.S. Navy since November 2019.”
In the Red Sea
Ens. Hunter Riportella relays information from the bridge aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG-87) during a vertical replenishment with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) while the ships operate in support of Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG) in the Red Sea, Jan. 8, 2024. US Navy Photo
As of Tuesday, the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group was operating off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.
Carrier Air Wing 3 from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), USS Gravely (DDG-107), USS Mason (DDG-87) and USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) were involved in Thursday’s strike on Houthi targets in Yemen, a senior defense official told reporters Friday.
An Ohio-class guided-missile submarine. USNI News understands the submarine was USS Florida (SSGN-728) which entered the Red Sea in November.
A senior U.S. official told Military.com that 22 fixed-wing aircraft were involved in the strikes, with more than 80 Tomahawk missiles launched.
The United Nations Security Council on Jan. 10 approved a resolution calling on Yemen’s Houthi rebel group to “cease its brazen” attacks in the Red Sea, as the United States and Britain hinted at military strikes.
Ike deployed on Oct. 14, while several of the carrier’s escorts left on Oct. 13. The carrier transited the Strait of Gibraltar on Oct. 28 and transited the Suez Canal on Nov. 4.
The Pentagon, on Dec. 18, announced an initiative to protect commercial traffic in the region after almost two months of attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea by forces in Yemen.
Operation Prosperity Guardian is a multinational push to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden under the structure of the existing Combined Task Force 153.
Carrier Strike Group 2
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG-87) conducts a vertical replenishment with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) while the ships operate in support of Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG) in the Red Sea, Jan. 8, 2024. US Navy Photo
Carrier
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Carrier Air Wing 3
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) conducts flight operations in response to increased Iranian-backed Houthi malign behavior in the Red Sea, Jan. 12, 2024. US Navy Photo
The “Gunslingers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Fighting Swordsmen” of VFA 32 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Rampagers” of VFA 83 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Wildcats” of VFA 131 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Zappers” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Screwtops” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 123 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
The “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
The “Dusty Dogs” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 – MH-60S – from Naval Station Norfolk.
Cruiser
USS Philippine Sea (CG-58), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
Destroyer Squadron 22
An MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter, attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7, drops off pallets of supplies to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG-87) during a vertical replenishment with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) while the ships operate in support of Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG) in the Red Sea, Jan. 8, 2024. US Navy Photo
Destroyer Squadron 22 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Eisenhower.
USS Gravely (DDG-107), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
USS Mason (DDG-87), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.
In the Persian Gulf
U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) are forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships with U.S. and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East. Initially deployed in 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, PATFORSWA is now a permanent presence based out of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
In the South Pacific
Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Casey Connors, and Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Miller, Regional Dive Locker West divers, swim under the fast ice after an underwater advancement ceremony next to the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB-10) in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, Jan. 7, 2024. US Coast Guard Photo
USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) is at McMurdo Station in Antarctica supporting Operation Deep Freeze. Last week, U.S. Coast Guard divers from Regional Dive Lockers West, East and Pacific made waves by initiating the first dive operations of the year aboard the Polar Star within the icy embrace of McMurdo Sound.
In the Eastern Pacific
Line handling crew assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) prepares to come alongside USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) for a replenishment at sea on Nov. 28, 2023. US Navy Photo
The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) deployed this week from San Diego, Calif., with a detachment of C-2A Greyhounds from the East Coast filling in for the grounded CV-22B Ospreys, USNI News has learned. TR and its escorts will follow the Vinson Carrier Strike Group, which deployed to the Western Pacific in October. As of Thursday, Vinson was in the Philippine Sea.
Carrier Strike Group 9
Carrier
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), homeported at San Diego, Calif.
Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, based in Lemoore, CA, is embarked aboard Theodore Roosevelt and includes a total of nine squadrons and detachments.
The “Fist of the Fleet” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 25 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
The “Black Knights” of VFA 154 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
The “Blue Blasters” of VFA 34 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana Virginia Beach, Va.
The “Flying Checkmates” of VFA 211 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana Virginia Beach
The “Rooks” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Liberty Bells” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 115 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
The “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Station, Norfolk, Va.
The “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
The “Eightballers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.
Cruiser
USS Lake Erie (CG-70), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
Destroyer Squadron 23
Destroyer Squadron 23 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Theodore Roosevelt.
USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
USS Halsey (DDG-97), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The amphibious warship USS Boxer (LHD-4) was spotted heading outbound from San Diego, Calif., on Jan 3, according to ship spotters.
In addition to these major formations, not shown are others serving in submarines, individual surface ships, aircraft squadrons, SEALs, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, Seabees, EOD Mobile Units and more serving throughout the globe.
The unmanned surface vessel Seahawk transits underneath the Sydney Harbor bridge as part of a scheduled port visit during Integrated Battle Problem (IBP) 23.2, Oct 24, 2023. US Navy Photo
The Navy completed its months-long unmanned battle problem in the U.S. Pacific Fleet this week, as several of the unmanned surface vessels arrived home in California.
Ghost Fleet Overlord prototypes USVs Mariner and Ranger, Medium USVs Sea Hunter and Seahawk, and staff with Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One have been testing the vehicles’ concepts of operations with the numbered fleets since August as part of the PACFLEET-directed Integrated Battle Problem 23.2.
“Integrated battle problems are going to be a consistent drum beat,” Cmdr. Jerry Daley, the commanding officer of Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One, told reporters in a Tuesday call.
“They’re not all going to look and feel like this deployment of medium slash large unmanned surface vessels, but they will continue to be focused on addressing specific warfighting capabilities in development that if they’re ready for this level of operations, testing, and experimentation, to validate CONOPS and develop them.”
During its time conducting fleet operations, the four USVs sailed more than 46,000 nautical miles, according to a U.S. Navy news release, allowing USVDIV to test the vessels’ continuous navigation.
Much of the transits, including the longer ones, were “almost exclusively in … autonomous mode,” or without a human manually controlling the platforms from aboard the USVs, Daley said.
The team used both an unmanned operations center in Port Hueneme, Calif., and staff aboard U.S. Navy destroyers to control the vessels autonomously.
The unmanned surface vessel Ranger transits the Pacific Ocean during Integrated Battle Problem (IBP) 23.2, Sep. 15, 2023. US Navy Photo
The platforms operated with U.S. Navy and Marine Corps assets, in addition to allies in the region like Japan and Australia.
By testing the CONOPs with the operators, the squadron can provide feedback to Congress and requirements officers about what worked and what did not work during the battle problem, Daley said.
“The one benefit of having an OUSV to test medium and large capabilities is that we have a broad brush stroke of space onboard Ranger and Mariner to not just test the capabilities that we have today, but find out if the right size and form factor exists in the current stage and where it could be applied, whether it’s to small, medium or large USV, and what the sort of balance between the three form factor sizes allows us to execute in a program of record replication or expanding, or proliferating of these types of assets and sensors,” Daley said during the call.
The deployment of USVDIV-1 provided mountains of data for engineers working on developing unmanned surface systems for the service, Capt. Scot Searles, the program manager for unmanned maritime systems, said during an overview of the deployment last week at the annual Surface Navy Association symposium.
“We need to do these things in other areas in the world than where we’ve currently been operating. Getting west of the International Dateline is super valuable to us on the [research and development] side as we’re trying to develop the technology,” Searles said.
The Western Pacific’s rough seas and vast distances provided a stress test for the autonomous systems. Searles grouped the systems into three broad categories – autonomous systems, command and control and communications links, and hull, mechanical and engineering systems.
Overall, during the deployment the service found that the USVs could operate for about two weeks at a time without human intervention to troubleshoot in one of the three system categories, he said.
For example, the civilian mariners aboard the ships that act as a safety buffer had to deactivate the autonomy systems 13 times throughout the transits for safety reasons.
Large unmanned surface vessel Nomad arrives at Pearl Harbor to participate in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 on June 29, 2022. US Navy Photo
“Only six of those 13 issues were described as concerns without autonomy was handling your ship. The other interventions were due to things like rough seas or concerns with some other system on the vessel,” Searles said. “We’re having to actually have a human step in and correct the autonomy less than one time per month.”
The deployment also tested sustaining the unmanned ships across the vast distances in the Pacific.
The Western Pacific deployment “gives us opportunities to stress test processes like sustainment planning and execution,” Searles said. “That logistics tail gets under a lot of stress when you go that far away. Mid-deployment voyage repairs? How do you plan for that with an unmanned vessel?”
Wrapping up nearly six months in the Pacific, the Navy is now combing through terabytes of data to refine the ongoing development of the Navy’s planned large unmanned systems.
“The deployments provided data that’s going to keep us busy for a while. We’ve got a good backlog of things to work on now, but it’s also given us a very good fix that we’re pretty happy about,” Searles said.
RAF Typhoons arrive at Nellis Air Force Base (Picture: Nato Air Command X)
RAF Typhoon combat aircraft have arrived in Nevada for a multinational exercise described as “the world’s toughest air combat training environment”.
Exercise Red Flag, held at Nellis Air Force Base in the western United States, involves advanced aerial combat drills to prepare aircrew for challenging warfighting scenarios.
The high-intensity training involves aircrew from the UK, US and Australia take part in the drills, which run from 15 January to 2 February.
In a post on social media platform X, Nato Air Command said: “#NATO member [UK] & partner [Australia] have arrived for exercise Red Flag in [USA] highlighting the trans-atlantic & pacific link together.
“Red Flag exercises provide aircrews the experience of multiple, intensive air combat sorties in the safety of a training environment.”
The Australian government, which described it as the world’s “toughest” air combat training, said Red Flag is invaluable for the participants.
Last year, the RAF joined the US and Australia for the biggest Allied combat air exercise ever, which was designed to ensure the forces are prepared for the threat posed by China.
Red Flag began almost half a century ago when the US military realised from its experiences in Vietnam that if pilots survived their first 10 missions, the chances were they would survive the war.
The exercise was born to simulate those first 10 sorties.
