U.S. Navy Rear Adm. John Wade, Joint Task Force-Red Hill (JTF-RH) Commander, addresses the media onboard Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH), Hawaii, on Oct. 24, 2022. US Army Photo
The White House nominated Rear Adm. John Wade, the Navy official overseeing the closure of Hawaii’s Red Hill Fuel Facility, to the rank of vice admiral, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday.
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Matt Cornman, a Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command contractor, performs a routine visual inspection on a Red Hill Well water pipe. US Navy Photo
The Pentagon says it could take between 30 days to four months to empty Hawaii’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, according to the latest version of the defueling plan. Read More
A firefighter, attached to Federal Fire Department Hawaii, conducts environmental testing during a spill response exercise at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on Sept. 22, 2022. US Navy Photo
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will travel to Hawaii to meet with Indo-Pacific partners and get an update on the effort to defuel the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, a Pentagon spokesman announced Tuesday. Read More
Rear Adm. John Wade, commander, Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC), delivers remarks in 2017. US Navy Photo
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin named Rear Adm. John Wade as the commander of the Joint Task Force – Red Hill, according to a Monday statement from Austin. Read More
The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) (left), USS Nitze (DDG 94), and USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) transit ahead of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during flight operations. Abraham Lincoln is underway conducting composite training unit exercise (COMPTUEX) with Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12. The components of CSG-12 embody a “team-of-teams” concept, combining advanced surface, air and systems assets to create and sustain operational capability. US Navy photo.
ABOARD USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, IN THE VIRGINIA CAPES OPERATING AREA – The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is underway for pre-deployment training after reaping the benefits of several high-end training opportunities in the last several months. Read More
Commander, Naval Surface and Warfighting Development Center Rear Adm. John Wade, left, speaks to Warfare Tactics Instructor (WTI) candidates after they completed their initial course of instruction – the Instructor and Tactics Course. Upon completion of the course, students will have to attend and pass advanced tactical training courses to earn WTI designation through one of three SMWDC Divisions – Amphibious Warfare, Sea Combat, or Integrated Air and Missile Defense. SMWDC is one of the Navy’s five Warfare Development Centers and fills an integral role in the Surface Force Strategy: Return to Sea Control. SMWDC’s mission is to increase the lethality and tactical proficiency of the surface force across all domains. US Navy Photo
When the U.S. Navy conducted strikes on Syrian targets last month, the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) was on hand to provide expertise on conducting high-end tactics in a complex environment. When U.S. Navy ships were targeted by Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles in October 2016, SMWDC swarmed in afterwards to understand what happened and how to learn from it. And when operators in the Mediterranean Sea needed additional protection from growing threats in the region, SMWDC experts joined an effort to help integrate the SeaRAM weapon system with ballistic missile defense destroyers and write the tactics and procedures so sailors could operate safely in the region. Read More
