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Posted on 04/25/2008 4:06:13 AM PDT by Typical_Whitey
MAYPORT, Fla. (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead announced today the reestablishment of U.S. 4th Fleet and assigned Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan, currently serving as Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, as its first commander.
U.S. 4th Fleet will be responsible for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of focus, which encompasses the Caribbean, and Central and South America and the surrounding waters.
Located in Mayport, Fla., and dual-hatted with Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (COMUSNAVSO), U.S. 4th Fleet reestablishment addresses the increased role of maritime forces in the SOUTHCOM area of focus, and demonstrates U.S. commitment to regional partners.
"Reconstituting the Fourth Fleet recognizes the immense importance of maritime security in the southern part of the Western Hemisphere, and sends a strong signal to all the civil and military maritime services in Central and Latin America," said Roughead. "Aligning the Fourth Fleet along with our other numbered fleets and providing the capabilities and personnel are a logical execution of our new Maritime Strategy."
U.S. 4th Fleet was original established in 1943 as one of the original numbered fleets, and was given a specific mission. During World War II, the U.S. needed a command in charge of protecting against raiders, blockade runners and enemy submarines in the South Atlantic. U.S. 4th Fleet was disestablished in 1950 when U.S. 2nd Fleet took over its responsibilities.
Initially, the new 4th Fleet will be headquartered with COMUSNAVSO and take advantage of the existing infrastructure, communications support and personnel already in place in Mayport. As a result, U.S. 4th Fleet will not involve an increase in forces assigned in Mayport.
"This is a significant change and presents us the opportunity to garner the right resources for the missions we run for Southern Command," said Rear Adm. James W. Stevenson Jr., Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO). "As a numbered fleet, we will be in a better position to ensure the Combatant Commander has the right assets available when needed."
U.S. 4th Fleet will retain responsibility as COMUSNAVSO, the Navy component command for SOUTHCOM. Its mission is to direct U.S. naval forces operating in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions and interact with partner nation navies within the maritime environment. Various operations include counter-illicit trafficking, Theater Security Cooperation, military-to-military interaction and bilateral and multinational training.
For more information from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command visit www.cusns.navy.mil.
For more information from U.S. Southern Command visit www.southcom.mil.
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Hey, Hugo! How’s it going?
I wonder how this affects Commander, U.S. Forces Carribean, located in Key West? He had command responsibility for all U.S. Forces on land or sea in the Gulf, Carribean, coastal waters and Central America back in the mid ‘80’s.
I supported that Joint Command in ‘86 - ‘87.
Curious as to whether this move is really in anticipation of the Dems actions as described in this article at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2006473/posts
LOL~ "Candy-Gram for Mr. Chavez!"
Excellent indeed. There’s recently been huge oil discoveries in Brazil and the Falkland Islands..
All your oil belongs to us ;)
Good! The first order of business should be conducting regular carrier cyclic ops and CQ off the coast of Venezuela...
The Navy is seriously considering stationing the USS George H.W. Bush (under construction) at Mayport. If this carrier were assigned to the new Fourth Fleet...
Interesting. Think this is aimed at Chavez?
Yes, but did they give them any assets?
Kernan is the first SEAL to command a numbered fleet. He commanded Platoons at Underwater Demolition Team 12, SEAL
Delivery Vehicle Team 1, and SEAL Team 5. Additionally while
assigned to SEAL Team 5, he served as Detachment Officer-in-Charge
of four deployed SEAL platoons and Deputy Commander, Naval Special Warfare Task Force, Middle East Force.
Impressive guy !!
BTTT
It might be the fact that my caffeine levels haven't reached optimum, yet, but I'm not following you here. Why would assigning CVN 77 to Fourth Fleet be special? I'd assumed they would get a CVN anyway.
It got rolled up under Centcom in the 90's.
Carriers won't be permanently assigned to the 4th Fleet, just like they aren't permanently assigned to the 6th or 5th Fleets. They'll be detached from the 2nd Fleet and deployed to the 4th as necessary.
Jacksonville lost the Saratoga and JFK and is currently not equipped to support nuclear. The Navy pulled out of Cecil Field in favor of Oceania and then, after thousands of homes were built in the area, and businesses were lured into an economic zone, proposed re-opening the field, which was shot down by the voters.
But this is a navy town and is one of the few places in Florida that will not have difficulty supporting nukes.
Other than dredging the channel and the harbor for the larger ship and deeper draft I'm not aware of anything else they'd have to do. Nuclear carriers require no different support that I'm aware of than conventional ones do. Other than not needing refueling.
There was a recent referendum passed to permit dredging for larger ships coming into Jaxport and Blount Island, and I believe that encompasses Mayport since it's at the mouth of the river.
Hey Hugo! Say Hello to my Li’l friend.
I'm sure he can do the job but it's an interesting selection, none the less.
It says a lot about the importance the Navy is putting on special operations skills.
MAYPORT, Fla. (NNS) — Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead announced today the reestablishment of U.S. 4th Fleet and assigned Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan, currently serving as Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, as its first commander.
“U.S. 4th Fleet will be responsible for U.S. Navy ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of focus, which encompasses the Caribbean, and Central and South America and the surrounding waters.”
Kernan is the first SEAL to command a numbered fleet.
He commanded Platoons at Underwater Demolition Team 12, SEAL
Delivery Vehicle Team 1, and SEAL Team 5. Additionally while
assigned to SEAL Team 5, he served as Detachment Officer-in-Charge
of four deployed SEAL platoons and Deputy Commander, Naval Special Warfare Task Force, Middle East Force.
Impressive guy !!
Makes one wonder what was on the computers of Chavez’s butt boy who got a dirt bath earlier this year, courtesy of Columbia?
This makes one hell of an impressive combo with a Great Seal in command of this mobile fire power and a real understanding of how to use and how not to use Spec Ops.
Candy Gram time for Chavez?
Key West? I was in Key West. Give me a break. That’s the party base. What do they have? 3 or 4 slips? As least when I was there in the 70s.
Mayport is the place you wanna be. Key West is way too small and close enough to Cuba to wave hello to Raul. The waters are incredibly shallow with limited maneuvering for bigger ships. That is no place to be based for anything other than local patrols. If any place was a case study for a littoral navy, that’s it.
Non-Sequitur points out that any carrier in the Atlantic would be assigned to the 2nd Fleet and loaned to the 4th Fleet as needed.
My thought is that assigning the USS Bush to the 4th Fleet and basing it in Mayport (and loaning it elsewhere as needed) would demonstrate that the 4th Fleet is meant to be a serious and permanent projection of power in an increasingly troubled area on our doorstep and not simply a reorganization of top brass.
The Virginia politicians managed to get the jets assigned to NAS Cecil Field moved to NAS Oceana in the BRAC round of the early 90’s. When Cecil closed, the property was turned over to the City of Jacksonville and, not anticipating the possibility of the jets returning, began developing civilian industries. Restrictions on development in the area were also removed, and Oak Leaf Plantation, among others, sprang up.
The most recent BRAC round looked at moving the jets back because of the encroached development at Oceana hindered operations and training. Unfortunately, by then Cecil Commerce Center and surrounding development made that move infeasible. As much as Jacksonville would have liked to have them back, it was really too late in the game to move the to Cecil. The Navy still uses OLF Whitehouse to practice carrier landings, and the city does actively restrict development around it.
I am not aware of any major public protests over making Mayport “nuclear capable” 20 years ago. If there were such protests, they would have been carried out by a few malcontents only and not have been a reflection of the city’s mood.
When the USS Saratoga was decommisioned, the Navy brought in the USS Kennedy. That has since been decommisioned (the USS Kitty Hawk, stationed in Japan, is now the only non-nuclear carrier in the fleet). The Navy completed an EIS for upgrading Mayport to handle nuclear carriers (this work involves dredging and building nuclear maintenence facilities). All local politicans are highly enthusiastic for this and I am not aware of any local opposition.
I agree. Carriers do post yard work ups down there anyway plus pre-deployment training. There usually one underway in the area I'd guess most of the time. Typical time down off GITMO alone used to be 30-45 days straight. They could and should open Rosie Roads NAS back up though for support and a staging area.
So this is why those 2 Essex class carriers and 3 dozen coal fired four-stackers were pulled out of mouthballs last month.
Bingo.
The Navy estimates it would cost $50 million to dredge 5.7 million cubic yards of sediment and up to $370 million to build the shore and pier infrastructure.
We don't need every undeployed carrier sitting in NORVA. Mayport used to be one of our liberty ports. KENNEDY was homeported there in the 1970's IIRC and in 1980 we got orders for a homeport change to Mayport that I think Cap Weinberger later rescinded. Not sure about that I was off ship by then.
OK, makes sense to me. Coming out of the blue as it were and my low caffeine state it didn’t click.
Especially with that name. Steaming around spewing sulfur fumes. I know it’s the wrong Bush, but would Hugo?
This is a little bit of a misnomer. CVN's are still very much a part of the logistics chain as they regularly take on fuel for their CAGs - and that fuel is sometimes used to refuel the carrier escorts during exercises (meaning I don't think they've ever had to do this as part of an actual deployment).
A carrier that didn't regularly replenish her fuel stores would shortly become a glorified aircraft transport.
And since Mayport has hosted carriers for decades, an infrastruction for loading aviation fuel will already be in place. The requirements for loading it on nuclear carriers will not be any different than loading it on a conventional one.
A “Fleet” Commanded by a Rear Admiral?
He’s obviously a warrior of note, but until they let me know what assets he’s going to have available, this is pretty much a paper move.
Most CTGs were run by RADMs if I recall. A Fleet was a Vice Admiral slot.
Oh, Hugooooooooooooooooooooo
And yet we don’t have the money for the aircraft that we need on carriers... but we can still at another level of bureaucracy.
Once it was clear that no more diesel boats would be built most of the commands moved out. NAS stays open now to in most part, to train fighter pilots
Depends on the number of dependents that he has. If married and kids its harder to get a coast change due to the cost of House Hold Goods moves. In the past there was also the option of taking a 1 year unaccompanied tour in Diego Garcia that would make him part of the West Coast and from there follow on orders to San Diego for him and dependents. OTOH if he is single coast changes should not be too much of a problem depending on his rate and the billet availability i.e., if there is an open slot in San Diego and he is single he should talk to his chief and have his chief call the detailer on his behalf ...
Hope this helped.
Friday I posted this comment re the recovered laptop:
“Makes one wonder what was on the computers of Chavez’s butt boy who got a dirt bath earlier this year, courtesy of Columbia?”
Now we have this:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2007601/posts
Official: Laptop reveals ties to Ecuador (FARC)
Miami Herald ^ | Apr. 27, 2008
Posted on Sunday, April 27, 2008 6:08:49 AM by nuconvert
Official: Laptop reveals ties to Ecuador
By ALEJANDRA LABANCA
New documents a Colombian government official says were retrieved from the computer of slain guerrilla leader Raúl Reyes show FARC’s ties in Latin America may be more widespread than previously reported. Some of the documents, obtained by The Miami Herald, indicate that a leading member of Ecuador’s constitutional assembly, charged with reshaping that country’s political landscape, may have been a longtime supporter of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
María Augusta Calle — also the head of Venezuela’s Telesur TV network in Ecuador and a supporter of President Hugo Chávez — let the rebels use her bank account for at least one transaction and helped promote their ideas through another news agency she directs, the Colombian offical said.
In two e-mails dated June and July 2006, a woman who signs as ‘’Alicia’’ corresponds with someone she calls ‘’friend’’ in one of her e-mails and ‘’Darío’’ in the other. She talks about personal matters, current affairs and media strategies.
I agree. (I live in Orange Park and get to NAS JAX weekly.)
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