Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis

U.S. Fleet Created to Counter Russian Subs Now Fully Operational

USS Farragut (DDG-99) transits the Arctic Ocean beside Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60) during a live-fire exercise on Sept. 25, 2019. US Navy Photo

The Navy’s fleet created to beef up its Atlantic presence against Russia is now fully operational, according to a Tuesday statement from the service.

Announced in May 2018, Norfolk, Va.-based U.S. 2nd Fleet was stood up after the release of the latest National Security Strategy that named Russia and China as the primary...

https://news.usni.org/2019/12/31/u-s-fleet-created-to-counter-russian-subs-now-fully-operational

Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln Leaves Middle East After 220 Days, Truman in Red Sea

An F/A-18F Super Hornet attached to the ‘Jolly Rogers’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103 launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) on Nov. 22, 2019. US Navy Photo

The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is now in the Indian Ocean after a seven-month stint in the Middle East as part of the U.S. maximum pressure campaign targeting Iran, defense officials confirmed to USNI News on Monday morning.

Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and unspecified...

https://news.usni.org/2019/12/16/carrier-uss-abraham-lincoln-leaves-middle-east-after-220-days-truman-in-red-sea

Truman Escorts Now Supporting Carrier Lincoln on Extended Deployment

USS Mason (DDG-87) moors pierside at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Mason, USS Bainbridge (DDG-96), and USS Nitze (DDG 94), returned to their homeport of Naval Station Norfolk, Va. on Nov. 5, 2019. US Navy Photo

Three guided-missile destroyers escorts returned to their Norfolk, Va. homeport on Wednesday while their carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), remains on station just outside the Persian Gulf, a Navy official confirmed to USNI News on Thursday.

Destroyers USS Bainbridge (DDG-96), USS Mason (D...

https://news.usni.org/2019/11/07/truman-escorts-now-supporting-carrier-lincoln-on-extended-deployment

Admiral: Carrier Lincoln’s Middle East Mission Will Be Extended

An MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter attached to the Nightdippers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 flies by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) during a search and rescue training exercise on Oct. 13, 2019. US Navy Photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Lincoln Carrier Strike Group will remain on station in the Middle East while its relief carrier is still undergoing unexpected repairs on the East Coast, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Robert Burke said.

“She’s just over eight months...

https://news.usni.org/2019/10/25/admiral-carrier-lincolns-middle-east-mission-will-be-extended

Pentagon Hasn’t Extended Carrier Lincoln Deployment as More Troops Headed to Saudi Arabia

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) transits the Arabian Sea on Sept. 22, 2019. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has not extended the deployment of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group even in the midst of what the Pentagon described as a buildup of forces in Saudi Arabia to defend U.S. forces and interests against Iranian aggression, a Defense Department spokesman told USNI News.

Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley briefed reporters Friday...

https://news.usni.org/2019/10/11/pentagon-hasnt-extended-carrier-lincoln-deployment-as-more-troops-headed-to-saudi-arabia

Truman Repairs Will Likely Stretch to November, Putting Pressure on U.S. Middle East Forces

Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group participates in a strait exercise in the Atlantic Ocean on April 7, 2019. US Navy Photo

Aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) continues to face electrical system challenges even as repairs are ongoing, and the ship may not be ready to deploy until mid-November or later, USNI News has learned.

This delay in the deployment has “not a significant impact” on operations in Europe, the head of Naval Forces Europe told USNI News on Tuesday but may present...

https://news.usni.org/2019/10/02/truman-repairs-will-likely-stretch-to-november-putting-pressure-on-u-s-middle-east-forces

U.S. 2nd Fleet Flexes Arctic Operational Muscle

Vice Adm. Andrew Lewis, commander of U.S. 2nd Fleet, speaks to Sailors on the bridge aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60) on Sept. 10, 2018. US Navy Photo

U.S. 2nd Fleet flexed its Arctic operational muscle this week by opening a temporary expeditionary Maritime Operations Center in Keflavik, Iceland as a Surface Action Group enters the North Atlantic.

The MOC embodies a mission Navy leadership has discussed since reestablishing 2nd Fleet more than a year ago — monitoring North...

https://news.usni.org/2019/09/25/u-s-2nd-fleet-flexes-arctic-operational-muscle

Escorts Deploy Without USS Harry S. Truman as East Coast Carrier Shortage Persists

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), front, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60) transit the Atlantic Ocean on July 18, 2019. US Navy Photo

Surface escorts from the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group left their homeports today to kick off an overseas deployment.

Aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) did not.

After the carrier was sidelined at the end of August with a malfunction in the ship’s electrical distribution system, engineers continue to assess the...

https://news.usni.org/2019/09/12/escorts-deploy-without-uss-harry-s-truman-as-east-coast-carrier-shortage-persists

BALTOPS 2019 Focuses on Operationally Relevant, High-End Skills Due to Changing Security Environment

Spanish navy combat rubber raiding crafts (CRRC) approach the Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) as part of exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2019, on June 18, 2019. US Navy photo.

ABOARD USS MOUNT WHITNEY, IN THE BALTIC SEA – As this year’s BALTOPS exercise shaped up to be the largest in years, exercise planners also sought to make the annual event more focused on high-end warfighting than previous iterations, BALTOPS leadership told USNI News.

Vice...

https://news.usni.org/2019/06/20/baltops-2019-focuses-on-operationally-relevant-high-end-skills-due-to-changing-security-environment

U.S., NATO Want Expanded BALTOPS Exercise to Show Commitment to European Security

A Spanish amphibious assault vehicle brought Spanish ground forces ashore during an amphibious demonstration at Palanga, Lithuania, during BALTOPS 2019. USNI News photo.

PALANGA, LITHUANIA – Spanish amphibious assault vehicles swam ashore from an American amphibious dock landing ship, with ground forces filing out with their machine guns and taking a position on the beach. Romanian ground forces spilled out of a Polish PTS tracked vehicle, shortly before seven landing craft from three nations...

https://news.usni.org/2019/06/19/u-s-nato-want-expanded-baltops-exercise-to-show-commitment-to-european-security

+ More