Tag Archives: U.S. Central Command

Amid Calls For More Presence In Mediterranean, Marines Look At Splitting Up Amphibious Ready Group Deployments

Amid Calls For More Presence In Mediterranean, Marines Look At Splitting Up Amphibious Ready Group Deployments

Sailors man the rails as the amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) departs Souda Bay, Greece Nov. 5, 2015. US Navy photo.

Sailors man the rails as the amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) departs Souda Bay, Greece Nov. 5, 2015. US Navy photo.

ARLINGTON, Va — Increasing challenges in Europe and Northern Africa have sparked a discussion in the Marine Corps and Joint Staff about revamping how to deploy amphibious groups, including the idea of splitting up the three-ship Amphibious Ready Group from the start. Read More

ONR Winter to Congress: Navy Making Progress on Developing High-Energy Laser Weapons

ONR Winter to Congress: Navy Making Progress on Developing High-Energy Laser Weapons

Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce (ASB(I) 15) conducts an operational demonstration of the Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored Laser Weapon System (LaWS). US Navy Photo

Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce (ASB(I) 15) conducts an operational demonstration of the Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored Laser Weapon System (LaWS). US Navy Photo

High-energy laser weapons “are moving forward in marked progress,” the director of the Office of Naval Research told the House Armed Services Emerging Threats and Capabilities subcommittee Wednesday. Read More

Truman Carrier Strike Group Enters U.S. 5th Fleet To Begin Anti-ISIS Operations

Truman Carrier Strike Group Enters U.S. 5th Fleet To Begin Anti-ISIS Operations

Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing 7 perform a formation flyby off the port side of aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) on Dec. 13, just prior to the ship transiting from U.S. 6th Fleet to U.S. 5th Fleet. US Navy photo.

Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing 7 perform a formation flyby off the port side of aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) on Dec. 13, just prior to the ship transiting from U.S. 6th Fleet to U.S. 5th Fleet. US Navy photo.

The U.S. Navy once again has an aircraft carrier in U.S. Central Command, after the Truman Carrier Strike Group passed through the Suez Canal on Monday and became a U.S. 5th Fleet asset. Read More

Expeditionary Mobile Base Chesty Puller May Receive SOF Upgrades Before 5th Fleet Deployment

Expeditionary Mobile Base Chesty Puller May Receive SOF Upgrades Before 5th Fleet Deployment

The mobile landing platform Lewis B. Puller (T-MLP-3/T-AFSB-1) successfully completed launch and float-off at the General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO) shipyard on Nov. 6, 2014. US Navy Photo

The expeditionary mobile base Lewis B. Puller (T-ESB-3) successfully completed launch and float-off at the General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co. (NASSCO) shipyard on Nov. 6, 2014. US Navy Photo

ONBOARD USNS LEWIS B. PULLER – The Navy’s newest Afloat Forward Staging Base may include special operations capabilities when it makes its maiden voyage to the Middle East in late 2016 or early 2017, if the Navy chooses to make the much-desired upgrades to the ship after a year-long test and certification period.

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Gen. Paxton: Some Marine Units Operating at Less Than 1:2 Deployment-to-Dwell Ratio

Gen. Paxton: Some Marine Units Operating at Less Than 1:2 Deployment-to-Dwell Ratio

U.S. Marines with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa board an MV-22 Osprey during an alert force drill on Moron Air Base, Spain, March 13, 2015. US Marine Corps photo.

U.S. Marines with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa board an MV-22 Osprey during an alert force drill on Moron Air Base, Spain, March 13, 2015. US Marine Corps photo.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As much as the Marine Corps wants to increase its deployment-to-dwell ratio from the current 1:2 to the more sustainable 1:3, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. John Paxton said that some high-demand units are operating on an even tighter schedule. Read More

U.S. Navy Allowed to Use Persian Gulf Laser for Defense

U.S. Navy Allowed to Use Persian Gulf Laser for Defense

Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce (ASB(I) 15) conducts an operational demonstration of the Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored Laser Weapon System (LaWS). US Navy Photo

Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce (ASB(I) 15) conducts an operational demonstration of the Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored Laser Weapon System (LaWS). US Navy Photo

PENTAGON — The U.S. Navy has declared an experimental laser weapon on its Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB) in the Persian Gulf an operational asset and U.S. Central Command has given permission for the commander of the ship to defend itself with the weapon, the head of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) told reporters on Wednesday. Read More