Author Archives: Chuck Hill

SOUTHCOM Change of Command

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GEN Laura J. Richardson, Commander, United States Southern Command

This from “The D Brief” by DefenseOne. Significant because of how much work the Coast Guard does with SOUTHCOM. 

SOUTHCOM gets a new leader. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Mark Milley are in Florida today for a change of command ceremony at U.S. Southern Command, near Miami.
Outgoing: Navy Adm. Craig Faller, who will retire after more than four decades of service.
Incoming: Army Gen. Laura Richardson, who last commanded U.S. Army North. Catch the ceremony’s livestream at 1 p.m. ET on DVIDS, here.
This afternoon in D.C., climate change and the Pentagon will be the focus of a virtual event hosted by New America, and featuring Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl, as well as the Defense Department’s Senior Climate Advisor Joseph Bryan. That gets underway at 1:30 p.m. ET. Details, here.

Task Force 59 Unmanned Surface Vessels Operate With PATFORSWA Cutter

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US Navy TF59 Integrates MANTAS USV with Patrol Vessels

Two MANTAS T-12 unmanned surface vessels (USV), front, operate alongside U.S. Coast Guard patrol boat USCGC Maui (WPB 1304) during exercise New Horizon in the Arabian Gulf, Oct. 26. Exercise New Horizon was U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Task Force 59’s first at-sea evolution since its establishment Sept. 9. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Dawson Roth)

Naval News reports an exercise conducted by Task Force 59, Fifth Fleet’s Unmanned systems development group. As I thought they might, they have been working with Coast Guard Patrol Force South West Asia (PATFORSWA) as well as Navy Cyclone class and allied navies.

“Kongsberg, Raytheon ready to keep up as Naval Strike Missile demand grows” –Defense News

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The U.S. Navy littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) launches a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) during exercise “Pacific Griffin” on 2 October 2019. The NSM is a long-range, precision strike weapon that is designed to find and destroy enemy ships. Pacific Griffin is a biennial exercise conducted in the waters near Guam aimed at enhancing combined proficiency at sea while strengthening relationships between the U.S. and Republic of Singapore navies. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kenneth Rodriguez Santiago

Defense News reports, there is no production bottleneck delaying the rapid deployment of large numbers of Naval Strike Missiles (NSM).

“Demand is not an issue. If they suddenly come out and they say we need 200 a year, 300 a year, 500 a year, we can do that,” Schreiber added.

So, should the Navy and Coast Guard see a need to add NSM to Coast Guard vessels, it could be done relatively quickly. NSM is a relatively small cruise missile, 13 feet long and about 900 pounds.

On the other hand, the Navy has been relatively slow to add them to their own vessels, limiting NSM to LCS as they go through regularly scheduled yard periods.

11 Island Class WPBs have been transferred to foreign partner nations, 15 Continue USCG Service

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COLONIA, Yap (July 4, 2019) The U.S. Coast Guard Island-class patrol boat USCGC Kiska and Mark VI patrol boats assigned to Coastal Riverine Squadron (CRS) 2, Coastal Riverine Group 1, Detachment Guam, moored in the Micronesia port of Yap. CRG 1, Det. Guam’s visit to Yap, and engagement with the People of Federated States of Micronesia underscores the U.S. Navy’s commitment to partners in the region. The Mark VI patrol boat is an integral part of the expeditionary forces support to 7th Fleet, capability of supporting myriad of missions throughout the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jasen Moreno-Garcia/Released)

In the photo above we see the former USCGC Kiska in an earlier life. Foreign military sales and transfer of excess property seem to be a growing Coast Guard mission. This does to some extent justify earlier recapitalization than might otherwise be the case. It is part of our attempt to build capacity in like minded partners’ navies and coast guards.

Coast Guard celebrates completion of training as part of cutter transfer to Ukraine

Oct. 26, 2021 —

Members of the Ukrainian Navy receive congratulations following completion of Coast Guard training to operate and maintain a 110-foot Island Class patrol boat. These crewmembers will serve on Kubrak, the former Coast Guard Cutter Kiska, which will be delivered to Ukraine in early 2022. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

The Coast Guard Office of International Acquisition recognized 16 members of the Ukrainian Navy in a ceremony Oct. 22, 2021, at Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore. The Ukrainian crew just completed a rigorous six-week training program as part of the transfer of a 110-foot Island Class patrol boat to Ukraine.

The Coast Guard Cutter Transition Division Training Team helped the Ukrainian crew master the art of damage control, engineering maintenance, ship handling and watchstanding on Kubrak, which is the former Coast Guard Cutter Kiska. The Coast Guard officially transferred the title of the ex-Kiska Oct. 23, 2020. Since the title transfer, the cutter has been undergoing maintenance and upgrade work at Coast Guard Yard.

Kiska is the fifth patrol boat to be transferred to Ukraine under the Coast Guard Excess Defense Articles Program. Two cutters (ex-Drummond and ex-Cushing) were delivered to Ukraine in 2019, and two cutters (ex-Ocracoke and ex-Washington) will be transported to Ukraine later this month. Delivery of Kubrak to Ukraine is anticipated in early January 2022.

During its service as a Coast Guard cutter, the ex-Kiska was homeported in Hilo, Hawaii, and Apra Harbor, Guam, with primary missions of search and rescue, counter-drug activities and homeland security in addition to patrolling international and territorial waters as a humanitarian, law enforcement and Department of Homeland Security asset.

The ex-Kiska is the 11th 110-foot patrol boat transferred to a foreign partner nation; other patrol boats have been transferred to Pakistan, Georgia and Costa Rica. Congress has authorized transfer of two additional boats to Ukraine in fiscal year 2022. Recipients of former Coast Guard assets are determined by an interagency committee, led by the State Department.

Each 110-foot patrol boat transfer saves the Coast Guard money in remediation and disposal costs and helps build and sustain international maritime partnerships that foster greater global maritime security. One of the United States’ goals in this transfer is to help equip Ukraine with the means to project national sovereignty.

Coast Guard 110-foot patrol boats entered service in the mid-1980s; 15 of the 49 cutters originally in the class remain in service. The ships are being replaced with 64 154-foot fast response cutters, 45 of which are in service.

“Coast Guard Cutter Kimball returns to homeport after patrol in Bering Sea and Arctic” –D14

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The crews of the Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756) and the USS Tulsa (LCS 16) conduct a passing exercise in the Pacific, April 3, 2021. The Kimball was underway conducting an expeditionary patrol which covered approximately 20,000 nautical miles. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Cutter Kimball)

USCGC Kimball seems to have had an unusual ALPAT (Alaska Patrol). They got up into the Chukchi Sea North of the Bering Strait that separates Alaska from Russian Siberia, interacted with vessels of our Canadian and Japanese allies, and shadowed Chinese warships transiting in the US EEZ off the Aleutians.

It may seem odd sending a Hawaii based cutter to Alaska, but Oahu is almost exactly due South of Kodiak. It is only about 520 nautical miles further away than Alameda, the only other Pacific base for Bertholf class cutters.

united states coast guard

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 14th District Hawaii and the Pacific
Contact: 14th District Public Affairs
Office: (808) 535-3230

Coast Guard Cutter Kimball returns to homeport after patrol in Bering Sea and Arctic

Kimball

Editors’ Note: Click on stock image to download a high-resolution version.

JUNEAU, Alaska – The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Kimball returned to homeport in Honolulu, Hawaii Thursday following a 66-day patrol in the Bering and Chukchi Seas.

The crew traveled nearly 13,000 nautical miles since departing Honolulu Aug. 21, including through the Bering Strait and into the Arctic Ocean. With Arctic sea ice melting, these distant travels are important in helping the U.S. Coast Guard conduct a range of operations in the high latitudes as fish stocks and maritime traffic moves north.

The Kimball crew conducted 18 targeted living marine resources boardings; the most a national security cutter has completed during a single patrol in the 17th District area of responsibility.

“These law enforcement boardings maximized our presence in the Bering Sea,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Samuel Cintron, Kimball lead law enforcement petty officer. “Each boarding team member was instrumental to the success of the operation and reinforced the Coast Guard’s position on protecting national security and domestic fisheries.”

More than 65 percent of fish caught in the United States is harvested from Alaskan waters, generating more than $13.9 billion annually.

The Kimball crew conducted at-sea drills with key maritime partners including the Royal Canadian Naval Ship Harry DeWolf and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force training vessel Kashima. In each instance, the ships operated alongside one another and exchanged visual communications, followed by honors. This display of maritime cooperation and mutual respect emphasizes the United States’, Canada’s, and Japan’s continued commitment to one another and to partnership at sea.

During the deployment, Kimball crew observed four ships from the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) operating as close as 46 miles off the Aleutian Island coast. While the PLAN ships were within the U.S. exclusive economic zone, they followed international laws and norms and at no point entered U.S. territorial waters. All interactions between the Kimball and PLAN were in accordance with international standards set forth in the Western Pacific Naval Symposium’s Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea and Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.

The Kimball crew conducted astern refueling at sea with Coast Guard Cutter Oliver Berry, a fast response cutter also homeported in Honolulu. This capability significantly extends the operational range of FRCs.

Commissioned in 2019, Kimball is the Coast Guard’s seventh national security cutter.  These assets are 418-feet-long, 54-feet-wide and have a displacement of 4,600 long-tons. With a range of 13,000 nautical miles, the advanced technologies of this class are designed to support the national objective to maintain the security of America’s maritime boundaries and provide long range search and rescue capabilities.

For breaking news follow us on twitter @USCGHawaiiPac

“Autonomous vessels can help the Coast Guard safeguard our waters” –Work Boat

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S&T, USCG, Ocean Aero, CNSP, NRL, ARL, HSSEDI, and USM’s evaluation team monitors a Triton autonomous vessel during performance testing. DHS photo. Note here the mast is folded down. 

Work Boat has a short report from DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate about experiments with an unmanned system.

First, its good to see the Department supporting R&D efforts on behalf of the Coast Guard, because the Coast Guard R&D budget is miniscule.

Second, this unmanned surface system is a bit unique, in that it is submersible, unlike the SeaDrones that the Coast Guard had previously experimented with. It is not primarily expected to operate underwater, because it is powered by wind and solar, but it does have the capability to submerge.

There are already several autonomous vessels in the field utilized for both commercial and military applications. However, the Tritons are a unique technology. At 14 feet long, they are the size of a small rowboat—making them easy to deploy from any port or USCG vessel. They are environmentally friendly and rely solely on wind and solar power at sea. The Tritons’ solar arrays are positioned atop their hulls, along with retractable 8-foot wind sails—both designed to charge the Tritons’ batteries whenever they are on the surface of the ocean. The Tritons also perform surface and underwater surveillance activities; navigate while submerged; dive to about 100 feet; and accommodate state-of-the-art sensor packages that utilize electro-optical and infrared cameras, sonar, and other specialized sensors. All of these characteristics and abilities make them useful for long-term USCG maritime protection and law enforcement operations at sea.

The ability to submerge opens up some interesting options. This might be used to avoid collision. It might be used to sample the water column. It might be used to put acoustic sensors below the surface layer. Or it might be used to take a closer look at mine-like objects below the surface.

Thanks to Paul for bring this to my attention. 

“Ecuadorian Navy Sailing Ship Interdicts Drug Smugglers in the Pacific” –USNI

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Ecuadorian Navy Sailing Ship Interdicts Drug Smugglers in the Pacific

The US Naval Institute news service reports,

A three-masted training ship interdicted a drug-laden high-speed smuggling vessel off the coast of Colombia on Friday, the Ecuadorian Navy announced.

Sailing ship BAE Guayas caught the low-profile vessel within the 200-nautical miles of the Colombian exclusive economic zone, the service announced.

Maybe we should put Eagle to work.

“Ukraine to receive 3 more Island-class patrol boats from the U.S.” –Naval Post

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180201-N-TB177-0211
U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS (Feb. 1, 2018) Island-class patrol boats USCGC Wrangell (WPB 1332), left, USCGC Aquidneck (WPB 1309), middle, and coastal patrol ship USS Firebolt (PC 10) patrol the open seas. Wrangell, Aquidneck and Firebolt are forward deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of maritime security operations to reassure allies and partners and preserve the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kevin J. Steinberg/Released)

Naval Post reports,

According to Ukraine’s Washington Ambassador’s statements on Friday, the U.S. will hand over three Island-class patrol boats to Ukraine in November.

Thanks to Nicky for bringing this to my attention. 

“NIGERIA RECORDS LOWEST LEVEL OF PIRACY SINCE 1994” –Baird Maritime

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The Nigerian Navy frigate NNS Thunder, former USCGC Chase (Photo: International Chamber of Shipping)

Baird Maritime gives us some good news out of Nigeria,

The trend of reduction in piracy and armed robbery in Nigerian waters has continued, with the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reporting in its third quarter 2021 account a 77 per cent decrease in the first nine months of the year, compared to the same period last year.

Nigeria reported four incidents in the first nine months of 2021, in comparison to 17 in 2020 and 41 in 2018. This represents a 77 per cent decrease in incidents between 2021 and 2020, and a 95 per cent reduction from 2018. The IMB also reported a 39 per cent reduction in piracy and armed robbery incidents in the Gulf of Guinea.

I think perhaps the US Coast Guard may have had something to do with this. They now have two former USCG WHECs, Chase and Gallatin, transferred in 2011 and 2014 respectively. USCGC Thetis was there in 2019 for Exercise Obangame Express. Coast Guard teams also operated from Navy vessels.