“Rebrand the Coast Guard Districts” –USNI

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The February edition of US Naval Institute Proceedings has a one page, “No Body Asked Me, But,” article on page 18, by Cdr. Leah Cole, USCG, suggesting that the Coast Guard Districts be given geographic names rather than numbers.

I’ll just list the proposed names without linking them to the existing numbers because, you will find them obvious and intuitive.

  • Forces New England
  • Forces Mid-Atlantic
  • Forces South and Caribbean
  • Forces Heartland and Gulf Coast 
  • Forces California and Southwest Border
  • Forces Pacific Northwest
  • Forces Pacific Islands
  • Forces Alaska and Arctic

I think she pretty much nailed it, though I think Forces Southeast and Caribbean might be more descriptive for D7, and for D11, Forces Pacific Southwest.

Along with these, she would rebrand the Areas Forces Atlantic and Forces Indo-Pacific.  There is a potential glitch here, in that PATFORSWA, which frequently operates in the Indian Ocean, is currently under Atlantic Area. (Both the Combatant Commanders and the Navy’s Fleet structure have the Indian Ocean split up three ways.) Just Forces Pacific should suffice.

She goes on to suggest,

“As an additional step, the Coast Guard could time the renaming to align with a new recruiting initiative for both the active-duty and reserve force that offers candidates the opportunity to serve in their home regions or a region in which they would like to live and serve long-term. This could create a sense of purpose, build belonging, and also reduce barriers to accessions.”

She also suggests how district Reserve programs could be tuned for predicable surge operations–it’s a short read.

As I am sometimes told, this makes too much sense to actually happen, but it is definitely worthy of serious consideration.

“Commander Cole, a permanent cutterman, is executive officer of the USCGC Bertholf (WMSL-750). She is the 2023 recipient of the John G. Witherspoon Award for inspirational leadership.”

“USS Farragut Returns Home Following a Successful SOUTHCOM Deployment” –4th Fleet

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190914-N-KK394-029.MAYPORT, Fla. (Sept. 14, 2019) USS Farragut (DDG 99) (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anderson W. Branch/Released)

Below is a news release from USNAVSOUTH/4TH FLEET PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

We have not seen much recently about Navy support of drug interdiction efforts. The US Naval Institute’s Fleet and Marine Tracker no longer includes tabular information about the number of Navy ships deployed to the various fleets, which used to give us some indication. Hopefully we will be seeing more reports like the one below.

Does seem like an LCS would have been a more appropriate choice for the operation, but perhaps there were other considerations. Farragut was deployed for more than three months. Sounds like they spent their time in the Caribbean rather than the Eastern Pacific. Their Deployment began long before the Venezuela/Guyana flap, but I am sure Guyana and the British felt more comfortable, knowing a DDG and other assets were in the neighborhood.

Feb. 3, 2024

NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla.  –  MAYPORT, Fla. – The Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) returned to U.S. Naval Station Mayport, Fla., Feb. 3, 2024, following the ship’s successful deployment under U.S. 4th Fleet to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility.

Farragut, along with the “Valkyries” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 50 Det 2 deployed in September 2023 to support Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF)-South’s counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean Sea.

During the deployment, Farragut, with her embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET), apprehended or disrupted an estimated 1,770 kilograms of cocaine worth an estimated street value of more than $44 million and the detention of 18 suspected illicit drug runners.

“Every Sailor and Coast Guardsmen had a role in this team effort,” said Farragut Commanding Officer Cmdr. Tom Roberts. “We, alongside allies and partners, seized the opportunity to advance regional and strategic objectives in the area of operations, supporting our nation and our Navy. I could not be more proud of our team and their accomplishments.”

Farragut, the LEDET, and HSM 50 Det 2 conducted operations with the Dominican Navy and British Royal Navy to assist with the apprehension and transfer of personnel and cargo. Farragut also conducted deck landing qualifications with Joint Task Force Bravo (JTF-B) Soldiers, qualifying 18 UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter pilots for maritime operations.

Farragut’s port visits included Willemstad, Curacao, where the ship hosted local students and military personnel to showcase the capabilities of Farragut and discuss the daily lives of Sailors onboard a U.S. naval warship.

“The crew of USS Farragut demonstrated tremendous proficiency and professionalism while executing theater security cooperation events and counter illicit trafficking operations throughout their extended 4-month deployment.” said Capt. Bryan Gallo, Commodore of Task Force FOUR FIVE.

CTF 45 is the U.S. 4th Fleet surface task force charged with executing combined naval operations, building and strengthening regional maritime partnerships, and acting as a DoD-ready service provider to JIATF-South in support of counter-illicit trafficking operations in Central and South American waters.

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet is the trusted maritime partner for Caribbean, Central and South America maritime forces leading to improved unity, security and stability.

“U.S. Approves Potential $3.9B MQ-9B UAV Sale to India” –USNI

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An MQ-9 Sea Guardian unmanned maritime surveillance aircraft system flies over the Pacific Ocean during U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Unmanned Systems Integrated Battle Problem (UxS IBP) 21, April 21. UxS IBP 21 integrates manned and unmanned capabilities into challenging operational scenarios to generate warfighting advantages. US Navy Photo

The US Naval Institute News Service reports,

The State Department greenlit a potential $3.9 billion deal of General Atomics MQ-9B drones to India today…The proposed package for the Indian military includes 31 SkyGuardian unmanned aerial vehicles, 310 Small Diameter Bombs and 170 Hellfire missiles. Associated radars and anti-submarine equipment for the maritime-focused SeaGuardian variant, a derivative of the SkyGuardian, were also included.

It appears, India will join Allies Australia, Belgium, Canada, Italy, Japan (Coast Guard and Maritime Self Defense Force), the Netherlands, and the UK as operators of the MQ-9 for Maritime Domain Awareness.

$3.9B is a scary number if you are the Coast Guard, but this is a large, comprehensive, and probably multi-year procurement, probably including training and support. This is also a joint service procurement with the Indian Air Force getting eight aircraft, the Indian Army eight, and the Indian Navy sixteen.

This is what the US Coast Guard Acquistions Directorate (CG-9) says about Land-based UAS,

“The Coast Guard has validated a mission need for land-based UAS to significantly enhance ocean surveillance in support of the service’s operations. Coast Guard land-based UAS flight crews are jointly operating maritime-variant Predator UAS (Guardian) on maritime missions with Customs and Border Protection to enhance the Coast Guard’s understanding of potential land-based UAS solutions and support the development of a land-based UAS requirements package.”

That sounds suspiciously like, we are doing the same thing we have been doing for what, the last two decades? I can understand the hesitance to get into land based UAS before Sense and Avoid systems, allowing Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) to operate in the national airspace, were developed, but they are available now. Time to move on this.

We don’t have to jump in with both feet. We can do what we are still doing with Scan Eagle and use contractor owned and operated systems, but let’s at least see what the latest systems can do for us.

Maybe a detachment of land based UAS like the MQ-9B Sea Guardians in Florida or Puerto Rico, where they can support the 20 Webber class District 7 FRCs that do not have organic air assets.

USCGC Steadfast (WMEC-623) Decommissioned

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The crew of USCGC Steadfast holds a decommissioning ceremony for the cutter in Astoria, Oregon, Feb. 1, 2024. Steadfast was commissioned in 1968 and spent nearly 30 years in Astoria.

From the Coast Guard Pacific Area Facebook page.

Yesterday, the commissioning pennant was lowered for the final time, as U.S Coast Guard Cutter Steadfast (WMEC 623) conducted her decommissioning ceremony in Astoria, Ore.
–
The Steadfast proudly served the people of the United States for over five decades. Since commissioning in 1968, she has completed over 340 Search and Rescue cases, interdicted over 1.276 million pounds of marijuana and 209, 470 pounds of cocaine, and conducted 251 living marine resource boardings. Steadfast was the first, and one of only two cutters, awarded the gold marijuana leaf, symbolizing one million pounds of marijuana seized.
–
We are now down to 12 WMEC210s of the original 16.

The Navy is Looking for Counter Drone Systems

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Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD). The sensors and remote weapon system used here looks like it might be a contender.

The Navy is looking for mature counter Unmanned Air Systems (c-UAS) that can be rapidly deployed. They have issued a Request For Information (FRI). Responses are due today, so we are talking near term if it happens. 

Looks like it might be something the Coast Guard could use,

Marine Air Defense Remote Weapon Station. Use of this Remote Weapons Station would require an interface with cueing sensors.

Below is SECTION 3: [Requirements Overview]

PEO IWS 11.0 is looking for respondents to submit feasibility and capability information on innovative, mature solutions to counter Group 3-5 UAS from surface ships.  System requirements include:

  1. Mature systems that are in production and can be deployed in 1-6 months (preferred), or 6-12 months at the latest.
  2. Demonstrated performance against Groups 3 to 5 UAS, with demonstrated capability against other classes of UAS’s being of interest.
  3. Minimal integration requirements with Naval combat systems; with independent, self-contained capability highly desirable.

If the system is capable against Group 5 UAS (the largest UASs, over 1320 pounds (600 kg) and with no limit on their maximum speed) it’s likely the system will also have a capability against at least subsonic cruise missiles and manned aircraft and perhaps against winged smart bombs. After all, a Naval Strike missile fits the definition of a Group 4 UAS. Surface launched Harpoon or Tomahawk would be Group 5 UAS.

The War Zone has a fairly long post about this including discussion of alternatives. They seem to think these systems are destined for DDGs, but I think the need to equip other types, that do not have robust AAW capabilities, may be more urgent. If a C-UAS has an anti-surface capability, I could see such a system replacing Mk38 mounts. Alternately a 30mm Mk38 Mod4 mount that also mounts AAW missiles (like Stinger) might meet the requirement.

Martlet Light Multirole Missile launchers mounted on MSI 30mm gun mount that will be used in US Navy service as the 30mm Mk38 Mod4.

Mine Countermeasures Ships and MSC ships are currently essentially unarmed. They might be recipients.

“Minimal integration requirements with Naval combat systems; with independent, self-contained capability highly desirable” would certainly mean it should not be too difficult to add to a cutter.

“Ukraine Sinks Russian Navy Missile Corvette In Drone Boat Attack” –The War Zone

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The War Zone reports,

“A dramatic new view released by the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) shows several of its uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) strike and sink the Russian Tarantul-III class missile corvette Ivanovets. The attack took place Wednesday night local time on the Black Sea near Lake Donuzlav in western Crimea, the GUR said on its Telegram channel.

“A 128-second video posted on Twitter shows what appears to be a complex attack on the Ivanovets by what Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, commander of GUR, told us were Maritime Autonomous Guard Unmanned Robotic Apparatus (MAGURA V5) USVs operated by the GUR’s Group 13 drone unit.”

Tarantul-class corvette

The vessel in the video is a Tarantul class missile corvette. These vessels are powered by four engines totaling 32,000 HP making them very fast (42 knots). The hot gas turbine exhausts on either side of the transom glow brightly early in the video.

They have a pair of 30mm gatling guns on the aft superstructure with a clear field of fire aft.

This ship appears well equipped to defeat an unmanned surface vessel (USV) attack.

The Drive post analyses the attack, but I would point out that I don’t see as many splashes as I would have expected, if the 30mm guns were functioning. I don’t see muzzle flashes. What I did see appeared to be from heavy machine guns (12.7 or 14.5mm) rather than 30mm.

Many USVs were involved in this attack. The Ukrainians claimed six USVs hit the little corvette. Still other USVs filmed the ultimate explosion and sinking.

Perhaps the 30mm guns had run out of ammunition engaging other USVs by the time the drone in the first video recorded attack gets as close as seen in the video.

The report included this statement,

““The Ivanovets MRK sank while repelling a night attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Sevastopol,” the Russian VoenkorKotenok Telegram channel wrote.”

The Russians have historically stationed a “guard ship” off their ports to prevent surprise attack. Ivanovets may have been stationed off Sevastopol specifically as a counter to a drone attack.

“A Houthi missile got so close to a US destroyer the warship had to turn to a last resort gun system to shoot it down: report” –Business insider

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A Phalanx Close-In Weapons system on the US destroyer Gravely downed an incoming Houthi cruise missile on Tuesday. This image shows the CIWS during a live-fire practice by a guided-missile cruiser in November 2023. MC2 Malachi Lakey/US Navy

Business Insider reports,

“A Houthi anti-ship cruise missile fired into the Red Sea came within a mile of a US Navy destroyer (USS Gravely. DDG-107) on Tuesday, close enough that the American warship had to turn to its Close-In Weapon System (Phalanx)— a last line of defense.”

Nice to know it worked but bet the pucker factor was high. Gravely is not one of those Burke class destroyers that traded one of its Phalanx for SeaRAM.

“Indian Navy Repels 3 Somali Pirate Hijackings” –USNI

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INS Sumitra during her trials, 27 August 2014, Indian Navy photo.

The US Naval Institute News Service reports.

The Indian Navy thwarted three hijackings by Somalian pirates in a two-day period from Sunday to Monday, with one warship rescuing separately two hijacked ships off the east coast of Somalia, while a second ship participated in a multinational operation with Sri Lanka and the Seychelles to rescue a hijacked ship, according to releases by the service.

So, what was this hero warship? — An Indian Navy counterpart of a USCG medium endurance cutter, like a WMEC 270 but a little larger, faster. and a lot newer.

INS Sumitra (P-60) is one of six Saryu class offshore patrol vessel, four for the Indian Navy and two for the Sri Lanka Navy.

(It is not the Indian Navy OPV pictured in the X report included in the USNI report. That is INS Sharda (P-55) commissioned in 1991, which participated in the third rescue. Also much like a WMEC270, only slightly larger, faster, and newer.)

Ships of the Saryu class displace 2,230 tons full load, are 344′ (105 m) in length, with a beam of 42′ (12.9 m), a draft of 16′ (4.9 m). They have two engines producing 21,428 HP (15,979 kW) (1,908 HP more than the OPC) for a speed of 25 knots. They have an endurance of 6,000 nmi at 16 knots, with a crew of 118. They are armed with a 76mm gun and two 30mm guns.

We seem to be seeing a reemergence of Somali pirates. When Somali piracy was at its height, the US Navy was using Burke class destroyers, about four times larger, to do the same sort of thing INS Sumitra did. Even the National Security Cutters and OPCs are twice as large.

I suspect that the new Fleet Mix Study, which has not been made public (why?) would show that the Coast Guard needs more patrol cutters with aviation facilities and more endurance than the FRCs. Currently, we have 38 large patrol cutters, 1000 tons and larger. The program of record will leave the Coast Guard with 36, all 4,500 tons or larger.

This is, I believe, the smallest number of large patrol cutters the Coast Guard has had since at least 1948. Yes, we might build more than 25 OPCs, but we might do well to trade off some of the out year OPC construction for more numerous smaller vessels about the size of INS Sumitra. It would be especially useful if we could start getting them ASAP, at least before 2038 when the last OPC is due. We might be able to build one OPC and two MECs annually for about the same cost as two OPCs. Of course, total operating costs would probably be higher.

Naval Deployments, 29 January, 2024

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The chart above and the comments below are from Schizointel on X (Twitter). Note proliferation of Iranian drone carriers, and as noted earlier, the strength of the Indian Navy deployment.

29JAN2024 Updated map of warships operating in Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea.

Updates:

IKE CSG and HMS Diamond (D-34)

IRIS Alborz (72) and MV Behshad spotted on imagery ~70km E of Djibouti.

FS Languedoc (D-653) relieved by FS Alsace (D-656)

PLAN 45th Naval Escort Taskforce continues to conduct naval escorts. China is now considering joining Operation Prosperity Guardian with the 45th Naval Escort Task Force this comes following recent indications from Chinese defense officials in Djibouti that they are Increasingly nervous about “spillover” from this Houthi Attacks.

New Zealand has Joined Operation Prosperity Guardian and will deploy 6 Defense Officials/Staff Officers.

INS Visakhapatnam (D-66) FS Alsace (D-656) USS Carney (DDG-64) Responded to a distress call of M/V Marlin Luanda in the Gulf of Aden, after being struck by ASBM and critical damage control, firefighting material and assistance to the civilian crew, who had depleted their organic firefighting capability. Thanks to this rapid response by the U.S., Indian and French navies, the fire is now extinguished. There were no casualties in the attack, the ship remains seaworthy, and has returned to its previous course.

INS Kochi (D-64) has returned to port.

IRIN 97th Flotilla is preparing for deployment to the Gulf of Aden to relieve the IRIN 94th Flotilla which composed of the Alborz (72) which has been deployed for 80 days. (Unknown which ships are part of 97th Flotilla at this time.

Unnamed IRIN Flotilla Composed of IRIS Bushehr (422) IRIS Tonb (513) another Iranian Drone Carrier Deployed 8 days ago have not been able to locate accurate position yet since it left Bandar Abbas 20JAN2024. Iranian Media listed this deployment as “new combat and training flotilla” and “deployed on a heavy and multidimensional mission and would be trained in the mission to prepare them to take on delicate tasks in the future, detailing that Iranian forces maintained a presence on the high seas and oceans despite the plans of their enemies.”

IRGCN Shahid Mahdavi (110-3) one of Irans Drone carriers is underway in the Gulf of Oman.

Former IRIN 86th Flotilla composed of IRIS Dena (75) IRIS Makran (441) IRIN forward base ship Currently in Bandar Abbas

Does not include all ships under Combined Maritime Force such as CTF 150, CTF 151, CTF 152, CTF 153,

Thanks to Tom Wade for bringing this to my attention. 

“Colombia Joins Combined Maritime Forces in Middle East as 41st Member” –CMF / Another Small Step Toward International Law

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MANAMA, Bahrain – Graphic illustration of the flag of Colombia and the Combined Maritime Forces logo. CMF welcomed Colombia, Jan. 21th, as the 41th member of the world’s largest maritime security partnership. 240127-N-NO146-1001.JPG, Photo By: NAVCENT Public Affairs

Below is a news release from Combined Maritime Forces / US 5th Fleet.

I would not normally make a separate post about this, but recently I saw someone remark that International Law has no enforcement mechanism.

Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) is an international law enforcement mechanism.

It is, after all, not a military alliance, it is a law enforcement alliance, and while its police powers are limited, they are nevertheless real. Its power extends beyond national territorial seas and is derived from the concurrence of its members that certain behaviors are unacceptable.

It is not yet effective against nation states, but it does operate against the gray zone agents of nation states.

This is a remarkable development and overtime, hopefully, it will be extended to other geographic areas and broadened in scope.

Colombia Joins Combined Maritime Forces in Middle East as 41st Member

By Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs | January 27, 2024

MANAMA, Bahrain —Combined Maritime Forces welcomed Colombia as the 41st member of the world’s largest maritime security partnership, Jan 21.

“It is a privilege to have Colombia as an official part of CMF,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, CMF commander. “We welcome the Colombians in the largest international naval coalition, dedicated to maritime security and stability in the Middle East, and protecting some of the world’s most important waterways. I look forward to sharing our experiences and being ‘Ready Together’ with our new partners.”

CMF is comprised of a headquarters staff and five combined task forces focusing on defeating terrorism, preventing piracy, encouraging regional cooperation, and promoting a safe maritime environment. The naval partnership upholds the international rules-based order by supporting security and stability across 3.2 million square miles of water encompassing some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.