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The Pacific Fleet can also provide logistic support such as helicopter support lifts and surface transportation via amphibious craft and ships. This type of support, in addition to the engineering and medical services, is valuable not only in areas such as East Timor, but also during the relief operations following typhoons, earthquakes and other natural disasters.
The U.S. Navy’s operations in Asia are not only supported by the Fleet Activities installations at Yokosuka and Sasebo mentioned earlier; they are also supported by facilities in Okinawa; Chinhae, Korea; Guam; Diego Garcia; and a U.S. Navy staff in Singapore. They are among the best of the U.S. Navy facilities throughout the world and Pacific Fleet personnel assigned there have a high level of professional and personal satisfaction in serving in these areas.
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The commander of Singapore’s Navy, Col. Ronnie Tay, exits the U.S. Navy Submarine Rescue Chamber after a dive to the Singapore Navy's submarine RSS Conquerer during exercise PACifiC REACH 2000.
Photo by PHCS(SW) Terry Cosgrove, USN |
Innovation
The Commander, Third Fleet, who is embarked aboard the USS Coronado in San Diego, oversees operations in the Eastern and Middle Pacific. He also fulfills an integral role in the Pacific Fleet’s theater engagement strategy and may be designated a commander of a joint task force, if necessary.
The Third Fleet commander has the principal role in preparing the U.S.-based naval forces for deployment to Asia and the Middle East. The training of carrier battle groups and surface action groups is a constant process. Generally, one of each group is on deployment, while another is en route to relieve the deployed group or returning from deployment, while a third is in its training process. The Navy’s Tailored Ship Training Assessment process takes ships from the very basic phase of unit level training and progresses those units up through battle group exercises.
Third Fleet also has the lead role for warfighting experimentation in the Pacific Fleet. Both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets conduct Fleet Battle Experiments (FBE) that test new innovations across the spectrum of joint and naval warfighting. One such experiment, with applications to both fleets, tested the future capabilities of United States and Allied forces in Europe to receive enhanced early warning of missile launches. This warning would enable the United States and its allies to better track and implement active and passive defensive measures against theater ballistic missiles. Some results from this experiment will be followed up in the Pacific Theater during a subsequent FBE.
We also advance fleet technologies through innovative use of the Internet. For example, web-based scheduling and fuel management tools are revolutionizing operational planning. For example, a scheduling tool called WebSked will permit schedulers throughout the Navy to develop schedules and propose schedule changes via secure Internet. Schedule-approving authorities will be able to review and approve schedules in real time, nearly instantaneously upon submission. Once schedule changes are approved, the master schedule is automatically updated.
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A U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman examines a patient’s eyes during a Medical Civic Action Program in East Timor.
Photo by PH2 Rose Andrade, USN |
Other Internet-based initiatives also support the management of fuel, supply parts and other logistics requirements, thereby improving the timeliness and accuracy of reporting, reducing man-hours spent in data processing, and providing easier data entry and retrieval.
Shore Support
Even as the requirements for forward naval presence and contingency operations in support of the U.S. national strategy remain high, operational force structure has been reduced. Subsequently, the Pacific Fleet shore establishment has undergone sweeping changes to improve efficiency and reduce costs, allowing resources to be shifted from infrastructure to recapitalize the fleet. Though heavily engaged in current operations, the Pacific Fleet remains firmly committed to planning for the future. New planning methodologies such as the regional shore infrastructure planning tool (RSIP) enable us to optimize shore infrastructure planning in support of the operating forces. Crucial to these efforts is the ability to assimilate advances in technology, enabling us to improve efficiency and effectiveness across the full spectrum of operations, assets and activities.
Our regional commanders are the agents for streamlining our shore infrastructure. These commanders are:
1) Navy Region Southwest (based in San Diego, California)
2) Navy Region Northwest (based in Bangor, Washington)
3) Navy Region Hawaii (based at Pearl Harbor)
4) Naval Forces Japan (based in Yokosuka, Japan)
5) Naval Forces Korea (based in Seoul, Korea)
6) Naval Forces Marianas (based in Guam)
These commanders coordinate Navy support activities ashore, and the overseas regional commanders also serve as Pacific Fleet military liaison with host governments to facilitate combined exercises, and enhance force coordination. In an effort to get the most effective use of the resources available, regional commanders are aggressively pursuing consolidation and strategic sourcing efforts to streamline infrastructure and generate efficiencies demanded by a fixed defense budget. The consolidation of ship and submarine maintenance and the elimination of redundant training facilities have, for example, produced tangible results while still maintaining overall readiness.
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