U.S. Southern Command

Chinese Investment in Western Hemisphere Raising Concerns for U.S., Says SOUTHCOM Commander

Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command, delivers remarks at the opening ceremony for the Dominican Republic portion of Continuing Promise 2022, Nov. 30, 2022. US Navy Photo

The United States is facing increased competition in a number of sectors, especially from China in the Western Hemisphere, raising new security concerns, the head of U.S. Southern Command said Thursday.

Army Gen. Lara Richardson, speaking at the Atlantic Council, questioned the People’s Republic of China’s...

Navy Wants Independence LCS in Bahrain for Mine Countermeasure Mission

Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Jackson (LCS-6) pierside in Guam. US Navy Photo

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy could deploy the aluminum hull, Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship to the Middle East as part of a future mine-countermeasures force in U.S. Central Command, service officials said.

Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener, the commander of Naval Surface Forces, said the Navy could send up to two of the Independence-class to Bahrain with a variant of the LCS MCM mission package in the same...

https://news.usni.org/2023/01/11/navy-wants-independence-lcs-in-bahrain-for-mine-countermeasure-mission

SWO Boss Wants 6 Littoral Combat Ships in Western Pacific

Electronics Technician 3rd Class Jerry Brown, from Middletown, Ohio, participates in morning colors on the foc’sle aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS-18) during a port visit to Dili, Timor-Leste on Dec. 8, 2021. US Navy Photo

In the next couple of years the Navy hopes to have six Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships operating in the Western Pacific at a given time, the service’s top surface warfare officer said this week.

“In the Indy class, we continue...

https://news.usni.org/2022/08/22/swo-boss-wants-6-littoral-combat-ships-in-western-pacific

Navy Moving Ahead on Combining Gear Fix on Freedom Littoral Combat Ships Marked for Decommissioning

Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Sioux City (LCS 11), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Jacksonville, Fla., arrives at the Marathi NATO Pier Complex in Souda Bay, Greece, to undergo scheduled preventative maintenance on May 20, 2022. US Navy Photo

Despite plans to decommission Littoral Combat Ship USS Sioux City (LCS-11) next fiscal year, the Navy is preparing funds to repair a latent issue with the ship’s propulsion system, USNI News has learned.

Sioux City, which is currently deployed...

https://news.usni.org/2022/08/15/navy-moving-ahead-on-combining-gear-fix-on-freedom-littoral-combat-ships-marked-for-decommissioning

Littoral Combat Ship USS Sioux City Now Operating in the Middle East

Littoral combat ship USS Sioux City (LCS 11) transits the Suez Canal, May 29. U.S. Navy Photo

In a first for the class, a Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship is now operating in the Persian Gulf.

USS Sioux City (LCS-11) chopped into 5th Fleet on Saturday after operating in U.S. 6th Fleet for nearly a month.

“Sioux City is operating in support of a newly established multinational task force, Combined Task Force (CTF) 153, focused on maritime security and partner capacity building in the Red Sea,...

https://news.usni.org/2022/05/31/littoral-combat-ship-uss-sioux-city-now-operating-in-the-middle-east

Ecuadorian Navy Sailing Ship Interdicts Drug Smugglers in the Pacific

BAE Guayas and low-profile vessel on Oct. 22, 2021. Ecuadorian Navy Photo

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.

“The Guayas School Ship, carrying out its International Instruction Cruise, was able to interdict this vessel for its subsequent...

https://news.usni.org/2021/10/23/ecuadorian-navy-sailing-ship-interdicts-drug-smugglers-in-the-pacific

More U.S. Navy Ships, Marine Aircraft Assist in Haiti Relief

Marines with 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, prepare to board MV-22B Ospreys to deploy to Haiti in support of Joint Task Force-Haiti for a humanitarian-assistance and disaster-relief mission from Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, Aug. 23, 2021. US Navy Photo

Three U.S. Navy ships and more Marine aircraft have joined in the U.S. effort for disaster relief in Haiti, Pentagon officials said on Tuesday.
The military is on station to support the U.S. Agency...

https://news.usni.org/2021/08/24/more-u-s-navy-ships-marine-aircraft-assist-in-haiti-relief

Warship USS Arlington, More Coast Cutters to Join Haiti Relief Operation

USS Arlington (LPD-24) transits the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 14, 2021. US Navy Photo

The Navy is sending the amphibious warship USS Arlington (LPD-24) to assist with the humanitarian aid mission in Haiti in the aftermath of an Aug. 14 earthquake, Pentagon officials said on Tuesday.

The aftermath of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake has killed at least 1,941 and wreaked havoc across the southwestern Tiburon Peninsula. Almost 10,000 people are waiting for medical assistance, according to The Associated...

https://news.usni.org/2021/08/17/warship-uss-arlington-more-coast-cutters-to-join-haiti-relief-operation

U.S. to Send Amphibious Warship to Haiti to Support Earthquake Relief

A deployed Air Station Clearwater Jayhawk helicopter crew medevacs a citizen in Haiti on Aug. 15, 2021. US Coast Guard Photo

The U.S. is preparing to send an amphibious warship to support the ongoing disaster relief efforts in Haiti following a massive earthquake that shook the island nation on Saturday, a defense official told USNI News on Monday.

The amphibious warship will join the ongoing Department of Defense mission in support of U.S. Agency for International Development efforts following...

https://news.usni.org/2021/08/16/u-s-to-send-amphibious-warship-to-haiti-to-support-earthquake-relief

Lawmaker Calls for New U.S. Maritime Strategy with Pacific Focus

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) transits the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 18, 2020. US Navy Photo

To counter threats from China, a top U.S. lawmaker Friday called on the U.S. Navy to develop a new maritime strategy that would rebalance how it deploys and strategically scattered persistent deterrent force in an arc throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

Two decades of focus on the Middle East has strained U.S. naval forces and worn out its fleet of carriers, said U.S. Rep Elaine Luria (D-Va.), a retired...

https://news.usni.org/2021/07/30/lawmaker-calls-for-new-u-s-maritime-strategy-with-pacific-focus

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