U.S. Pacific Fleet

Experts Criticize ATF, Navy Finding on Cause of Bonhomme Richard Fire; Case Against Sailor Pending U.S. 3rd Fleet Decision

A San Diego Federal Fire firefighter rests after combating a fire aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) on July 12, 2020. US Navy Photo

SAN DIEGO – An expert in electrical engineering told a Navy court that an electrical short in a forklift or some faulty batteries could have sparked the fire that ultimately scuttled the former USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6), countering the Navy’s acceptance from a federal fire investigation that a disgruntled sailor deliberately set it.

A...

Marine Colonel Changes Plea, Admits to Taking $67K in Bribes in ‘Fat Leonard’ Case

Undated photo of Leonard Francis

A Marine Corps officer once assigned to U.S. 7th Fleet headquarters has admitted he accepted $67,000 in bribes and helped recruit others into a “cabal” of Navy officials who helped steer and inflate contracts to a Singapore-based defense firm, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Col. Enrico “Rick” DeGuzman, 63, of Las Vegas, Nev., appeared in federal court in San Diego, Calif., on Friday and agreed to plead guilty to bribery of a public official, federal charges...

https://news.usni.org/2021/09/03/marine-colonel-changes-plea-admits-to-taking-67k-in-bribes-in-fat-leonard-case

Retired CWO Admits Taking $45K in Bribes, Pleads Guilty in Feds’ ‘Fat Leonard’ Investigation

Undated photo of Leonard Francis

Nearly four-and-a-half years after his indictment, a former U.S. 7th Fleet official on Tuesday admitted he traded classified ship schedules in exchange for luxury hotel stays, meals and entertainment while helping a Singapore-based company secure inflated Navy ship husbanding contracts.

Former Chief Warrant Officer Robert Gorsuch, 54, of Mississippi, agreed to plead guilty to one count of bribery of a public official, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego,...

https://news.usni.org/2021/08/31/retired-cwo-admits-taking-45k-in-bribes-pleads-guilty-in-feds-fat-leonard-investigation

U.S. 3rd Fleet Shifts Command Hub to Hawaii as Vinson CSG, Air Wing Join Global Large-Scale Exercises 

Operations Specialist 2nd Class Vincent Hernandez stands watch at U.S. 3rd Fleet’s expeditionary maritime operations center (EMOC), forward-based at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, during Large-Scale Exercise (LSE) 2021. US Navy Photo

San Diego-based U.S. 3rd Fleet relocated its command-and-control hub to Hawaii to support the Navy’s Large Scale Exercise 2021 and join a globally-integrated exercise that’s combining live ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), and new...

https://news.usni.org/2021/08/10/u-s-3rd-fleet-shifts-command-hub-to-hawaii-as-vinson-csg-air-wing-join-global-large-scale-exercises

Paparo Takes Command of U.S. Pacific Fleet, Cooper Now Leading U.S. 5th Fleet

Vice Adm. Sam Paparo, left, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), is relieved by Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, right, during a change of command ceremony presided over by Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, onboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain, on May 5, 2021. US NAvy Photo

The former commander of U.S. naval forces in the Middle East is now leading the U.S. Pacific Fleet, according to the Navy.

Adm. Samuel Paparo...

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/06/paparo-takes-command-of-u-s-pacific-fleet-cooper-now-leading-u-s-5th-fleet

Unmanned Systems, Passive Sensors Help USS John Finn Bullseye Target With SM-6

A Raytheon SM-6 launched from an Aegis guided-missile destroyer. US Navy Photo

Using a blend of information from unmanned and manned ships and aircraft, a guided-missile destroyer launched an anti-surface missile from over-the-horizon to hit a target more than 250 miles away without using active sensors as part of the Unmanned Integrated Battle Problem 21, Navy officials said on Monday.

The target was equipped with a small radar reflector and a repeater that put out an electromagnetic signal. The...

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/26/unmanned-systems-passive-sensors-help-uss-john-finn-bullseye-target-with-sm-6

Senate Confirms Aquilino to Serve as Next INDO-PACOM Commander

Adm. John Aquilino, U.S. Pacific Fleet commander, speaks with 13 other heads of navies or their representatives from allied and partner nations throughout the Indo-Pacific region during a virtual key leader engagement to discuss outlooks and perspectives in this COVID-19 environment on Sept. 23, 2020. US Navy Photo

The Senate today voted to confirm Adm. John Aquilino as the new head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

Aquilino, who has served as the Navy’s U.S. Pacific Fleet commander since May 2018,...

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/21/senate-confirms-aquilino-to-serve-as-next-indo-pacom-commander

Fleet Exercise Includes Live Missile Shoot as Navy Pairs Crews With Unmanned Systems 

USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) cruises under the Coronado Bridge in San Diego Bay, Dec. 7, 2018. US Navy Photo

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Off the southern California coast this week, the Navy has amassed a small fleet to help figure how its operational forces can use aerial drones, autonomous surface and subsurface vehicles in an integrated fight at sea and in the air to support the manned fleet.

That’s the overarching goal of “Unmanned Integrated Battle Problem 21,” a U.S. Pacific Fleet-led exercise to...

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/20/fleet-exercise-includes-live-missile-shoot-as-navy-pairs-crews-with-unmanned-systems

Navy Kicks Off First Fleet Exercise Focused On Role of Unmanned Systems

U.S. Navy leaders observe a demonstration in the combat information center aboard Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) on Naval Base San Diego, April 16 during the Unmanned Integrated Battle Problem 21 (UxS IBP 21) Distinguished Visitor Day. U.S. Pacific Fleet’s UxS IBP 21, April 19-26, integrates manned and unmanned capabilities into the most challenging operational scenarios to generate warfighting advantages. US Navy photo.

The Navy today kicked off its...

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/19/navy-kicks-off-first-fleet-exercise-focused-on-role-of-unmanned-systems

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