By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake Last Fall, 2nd Fleet hosted the 2020 version of Black Widow, an Atlantic-focused USW exercise. But to be completely accurate, although the term ASW is most commonly used, what we are discussing is undersea warfare. USW is an integrated fight against all undersea threats,…
The Green Knights pioneered the standup of an operational F-35 squadron. They have been operating from Japan for the past four years. Capt. Anneliese Satz, a pilot assigned to the "Green Knights" of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, is seen working with Japanese Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) service members…
The Viper is the expeditionary strike helicopter flown by the USMC. The US Navy is in the throes of a significant transition to fighting as a fleet, rather than operating around classic carrier task forces. One aspect of the change is reworking how the amphibious fleet can operate within the…
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake The standup of C2F and Allied JFC Norfolk has occurred as allies are significantly reworking their approaches to deterrence and warfighting in the North Atlantic at the same time. It is the blend of the U.S. efforts with those of the allies which is…
The 437th Airlift Squadron participated in Joint Forcible Entry 20B. The JFE is a realistic exercise that simulates air drop and air-land insertion in a hostile environment. The exercise requires integration between AMC and ACC to work together in a multi-domain war-time environment. A JFE is the capstone for the…
By Robbin Laird Recently, the latest large deck carrier was at sea with the ITS Cavour. One could describe this as a large deck carrier at sea with a smaller carrier but that would really miss the point. From the standpoint of what we are seeing with the launch of…
Rear Adm. Scott Robertson, exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2019 Mine Warfare Task Group commander, describes Combined Task Group 162.60 capabilities, pierside at Naval Base Kiel-Tirpitzhafen, Germany. BALTOPS is the premier annual maritime-focused exercise in the Baltic Region, marking the 47th year of one of the largest exercises in Northern Europe…
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake When you visit 2nd Fleet and JFC Norfolk, you are acutely aware of the key role they play in working together to build out 21st century North Atlantic defense. Vice Admiral Lewis is the head of both commands, and the two commands work closely…
