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The New York Yankees are Honored to Support the Commissioning of the USS NEW YORK
DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY USS NEW YORK (LPD 21) FPO AE 09579-1721
Dear Friends and Family, It is truly an honor and a privilege to bring this magnificent warship to New York for her commissioning and to “bring her to life.” The commissioning of a naval vessel is traditionally a time of celebration, the welcoming of a new ship and its crew, to the fleet. This ceremony marks the culmination of much hard work and is a symbol of our great national pride and steadfast resolve. Today’s events capture these things, but also encapsulate so much more. Specifically, this commissioning is also a homecoming, a chance for each of us to bring NEW YORK home and introduce her to all New Yorkers. September 11, 2001, will forever be a day that stands in the minds of those who experienced it. On that day, all the citizens of the United States became New Yorkers, and our country was transformed. An act that was meant to tear us apart and show our weakness brought us together as a nation and made us stronger. With 7.5 tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center site and forged into the bow of this ship, the crew of USS NEW YORK will ensure that the world will never forget that day. The spirit of those who have gone before us inspire us each day. We draw strength from their sacrifice and have placed the mantle of their memory upon our shoulders. Today, Mrs. Dotty England will help commission NEW YORK with the words, “Man our ship and bring her to life.” This moment is the product of several years of planning and dedicated effort by many great Americans. The shipbuilders of Northrop Grumman persevered in the aftermaths of Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav to complete this very special ship built to carry the Navy-Marine Corps team well into the 21st century. Many of those shipbuilders, as well as the Navy’s support team, made significant sacrifices to continue production, in order to get us here today. My heartfelt thanks to them, for their hard work and dedication and to so many more, who were vital in completing this effort that we now know as NEW YORK. Additionally, a specific group of people have been relentless in their labors to make this day both a reality and a success. We could not have reached this moment without the personal support of Governor Paterson and Mayor Bloomberg. The Commissioning Committee, led by Mr. Robert “Woody” Johnson and RADM(ret) Robert Ravitz, have strived for years to bring this day to fruition. All of their work and support is humbly appreciated. The Navy specifically selected the members of the crew before you today for the unique responsibilities and challenges of pre-commissioning duty. NEW YORK sailors are smart, hard-working and enthusiastic, and they have done a magnificent job in preparing her for fleet service. Each crew member has their own story as to how they became part of the NEW YORK team. I encourage you to talk to them, to find out why they have joined, why they are here and why they serve. I am incredibly proud of each and every one of them! After commissioning, NEW YORK will take her place in the fleet and serve for 40 years as a roving ambassador and symbol of American technological prowess, industrial might, security personified and dreams fulfilled. Thank you for joining us to celebrate the commissioning of this great warship and to commemorate those who have gone before us. Strength Forged through Sacrifice. Never Forget. F.C. Jones CDR, USN
HHH THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND MARKETS
congratulates COMMANDER CURT JONES, USN AND THE CREW OF THE
USS NEW YORK HHH
New York’s agricultural producers are proud to be part of this historic day. David A. Paterson, Governor, New York State Patrick Hooker, Commissioner, New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets
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TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF AMERICA’S ARMED SERVICES WHOSE DEDICATION AND BRAVERY KEEP OUR NATION SAFE AND PROTECT FREEDOM ABROAD.
THANK YOU.
>>>07((69. INDEPENDENT PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
IPAA Leadership: H.G. “BUDDY” KLEEMEIER | CHAIRMAN BRUCE H. VINCENT | VICE CHAIRMAN DIEMER TRUE | TREASURER BARRY RUSSELL | PRESIDENT AND CEO
The Mission Matters Most
USS NEW YORK STRENGTH FORGED THROUGH SACRIFICE. NEVER FORGET. COMMISSIONING NOVEMBER 7, 2009
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS.............................................................................................................. 22 COMMANDING OFFICER ............................................................................................................... 29 EXECUTIVE OFFICER ....................................................................................................................... 31 COMMAND MASTER CHIEF.......................................................................................................... 33
ENDURING RESOLVE.
DOROTHY HENNLEIN ENGLAND ............................................................................................... 34 USS New York Sponsor OFFICIAL SPONSORS ........................................................................................................................ 36
We honor the many lost in the name of freedom. We remember
USS NEW YORK COMMISSIONING COMMITTEE .............................................................. 39 MARK OF WARRIORS ........................................................................................................................ 41
their sacrifice and congratulate the crew of LPD 21.
By Rear Adm. Joseph F. Callo, USNR (Ret.)
USS NEW YORK: A NEW SHIP, A NEW MISSION, A NEW RESOLVE.............................. 44
Every day, Alion’s maritime
By Arthur Herman
experts help the Navy NEW YORK, NEW YORK ................................................................................................................... 58 By Bob McManus
THE MAIN BATTERY .......................................................................................................................... 60
engineer mission success. Because that’s what matters.
By Col. Gary J. Ohls, USMCR (Ret.) and Lt. Col. David F. Overton, USMC (Ret.)
USS NEW YORK WELL DECK AND FLIGHT DECK OPS .................................................... 68 By Mark D. Faram
BUILDING USS NEW YORK ............................................................................................................. 80 Pride Overcomes Construction Challenges By Edward L. Winter
A SHIP, A STATE, A CITY, AND ITS PEOPLE ........................................................................... 90 By Doug Tsuruoka
www.alionscience.com
For over forty years, ACL has safely transported thousands of shipments across the Atlantic. This particular shipment was one tall order! ACL transported the steel beams that anchor New York City’s FREEDOM TOWER. The first shipment of 99 beams, ranging in length from 31' to 56', was manufactured in Luxembourg. They were secured at the steel mill onto ACL’s unique 42' flatbed trailers and then driven directly onto the ACL vessel in Antwerp. The load presented no problem for the ship’s 420 metric ton capacity stern ramp. Upon arrival in the USA, ACL followed up with the delivery – all the way to the building site at Ground Zero in New York City. The steel columns that ACL transported are being used to anchor the FREEDOM TOWER, rising from approximately 70' below street level. Shipping to/from Europe, West Africa, Mediterranean and the world, ACL is the recognized expert in handling shipments that are too tall, too wide, too long or too heavy for other carriers. We also carry the component parts in our containers, making ACL the ideal carrier for all aspects of project cargo. If your cargo is hard-
(Associated Press Images)
to-handle, remember to call ACL first!
800-ACL-1235 www.ACLcargo.com
The Mission Matters Most
CLEAR VISION. DECISIVE RESULTS. THE WAY AHEAD FOR AMERICA’S SEA SERVICES ........................................................... 98 A Strategy for the 21st Century By Rear Adm. Joseph F. Callo, USNR (Ret.)
EXPEDITIONARY WARFARE COMES OF AGE IN WORLD WAR II............................... 110
Naval Architecture.
By George Daughan
Marine Engineering.
THE LEGACY OF THE SHIPS NEW YORK ..............................................................................124
Program and Acquisition
By James L. Nelson
Management.
THE HISTORY OF THE U.S. NAVY AND MARINE CORPS RELATIONSHIP AND ITS IMPACT ON AMPHIBIOUS WARFARE ...............................................................................132
Production Support.
By Col. Gary J. Ohls, USMCR (Ret.)
With 70 years of innovation THE NAVY AND NEW YORK CITY............................................................................................. 144 By Richard H. Wagner
SILVER WEDDED TO STEEL: A TRADITION CARRIES ON IN USS NEW YORK (LPD 21) ................................................156
and experience, Alion helps you achieve your mission. Because that’s what matters.
Courtesy of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding
By Colin E. Babb
A HISTORY OF THE NEW YORK COUNCIL ............................................................................ 162 Navy League of the United States By Richard H. Wagner
SHIPBUILDER: AN INTERVIEW WITH MIKE PETTERS, PRESIDENT OF NORTHROP GRUMMAN SHIPBUILDING ................................................ 171 By John D. Gresham and Susan L. Kerr
PLANKOWNERS ................................................................................................................................. 177
www.alionscience.com
USS NEW YORK LPD 21
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Colin E. Babb Colin Babb is a senior writer with Naval Air Systems Command, and he previously served for more than six years as an associate editor for U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings and Naval History magazines. He is currently working on his doctorate in military history at the University of Maryland in College Park. email:
[email protected] Rear Adm. Joseph F. Callo, USNR (Ret.) Rear Adm. Callo’s latest book, John Paul Jones: America’s First Sea Warrior, earned the Naval Order’s Samuel Eliot Morison Award. He has also written three books about Adm. Lord Nelson and was U.S. editor for Who’s Who in Naval History. He writes frequently on naval subjects for magazines and newspapers. Callo is a Yale University NROTC graduate, and he earned a Surface Warfare designation during two years of sea duty in the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic Amphibious Force. He was a senior advertising agency executive and a producer for NBC-TV and PBS programs. He earned a Peabody Award as line producer for the NBC-TV prime time program, “Tut: The Boy King,” and a Telly Award for his script “The Second Life of 20 West Ninth,” which aired on the History Channel and PBS. He is a Naval History magazine Author of the Year. email:
[email protected] George Daughan George Daughan holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He spent three years in the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War and was an instructor at the Air Force Academy. Subsequently, he taught at the University of Colorado, the University of New Hampshire, Wesleyan University, and Connecticut College. He is the author most recently of: If By Sea: The Forging of the American Navy From the Revolution to the War of 1812, for which he received the Samuel Eliot Morison Award from the Naval Order of the United States. email:
[email protected] Mark D. Faram Mark Faram is currently the senior staff writer and the Hampton Roads Bureau Chief for the Navy Times. His assignments have taken him on board scores of U.S. Navy operating units, including USS San Antonio, the first of the Amphibious Transport Dock (LPD)-class ships. His interests include researching and writing about the lives and history of those in the Navy and he has published a book entitled Faces of War – The Untold Story of Edward Steichen’s World War II Photographers. Faram served on active duty in the Navy for nine years as a photographer’s mate and as a diver, second class, and he continues to apply his special combination of writing and photographic skills in his work. He is a graduate of the Military Photojournalism Program at Syracuse University. email:
[email protected] John D. Gresham John D. Gresham lives in Fairfax, Va. He is an author, researcher, game designer, photographer, and military commentator with numerous publishing, design, speaking, and television appearance credits in his portfolio. He was the primary researcher and partner to Tom Clancy on his best-selling series of non-fiction “guided tour” books about military units. These include Submarine (1993), Armored Cav (1994), Fighter Wing (1995), Marine (1996), Airborne (1997), Carrier (1999), and Special Forces (2001), all published by Berkley Books. His book DEFCON-2 (with Norman Polmar), a new single-volume history of the Cuban missile crisis, was published in 2006. His latest book, Beyond Hell and Back (October 2007, with Dwight Zimmerman), describes seven key U.S. special operations missions. email:
[email protected] Arthur Herman Arthur Herman has authored five books. His latest, Gandhi and Churchill: The Epic Rivalry That Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age (2008), was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His previous book, Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World (2004), moved him to the forefront of American naval historians and was a U.S. and Canadian best-seller. How the Scots Invented the Modern World (2001), a New York Times best-seller, sold a half-million copies. His military analyses appeared in Commentary, The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, and Wall Street Journal Asia. His Commentary article predicting the success of the Iraq surge circulated at senior Pentagon and White House levels, while his article, “Who Owns The Vietnam War?”, was featured in a public discussion with Henry Kissinger at the New York Historical Society. He has been commentator on military matters on major network television news programs. email:
[email protected] 22
For employment opportunities, visit www.buschjobs.com
LPD 21 USS NEW YORK
Bob McManus Bob McManus has lived in Buffalo, Binghamton, Albany, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. He is editorial page editor of The New York Post and a Cold War veteran of the U.S. Navy’s submarine service. email:
[email protected] James L. Nelson James L. Nelson was born and grew up in Lewiston, Maine, and after working in the television industry for two years he ran away to sea, sailing aboard reproductions of three famous ships of the Age of Sail: Golden Hind, Lady Washington and HMS Rose. In 1994, Nelson finished By Force of Arms, his first book, and married former shipmate Lisa Page. They now live in Harpswell, Me., with their four children. Nelson has written 14 books, both fiction and nonfiction. His novel Glory in the Name was the 2004 winner of the American Library Association/William Young Boyd Award for best Military Fiction and his latest nonfiction work, George Washington’s Secret Navy was selected for the 2009 Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Naval History. He is a graduate of UCLA Film School. Noted author Patrick O’Brian described Nelson as “a master of both his period and the English language.” email:
[email protected] Col. Gary J. Ohls, USMCR (Ret.) Gary Ohls currently serves as associate professor of Joint Maritime Operations in the Naval War College Program at the Naval Post Graduate School. He received a Ph.D. in history from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, holds three master’s degrees, and is a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I. Prior to his current assignment, Professor Ohls served as a member of the Maritime History Department at the Naval War College in Newport. Colonel Ohls served 35 years in the United States Marine Corps, including duty as an enlisted man, regular officer, reserve officer, and reserve officer on active duty. During this service, he performed in both command and staff positions at various locations worldwide and at sea. Additionally, he has worked in management positions with Northrop Grumman Corporation and the Aerospace Corporation. email:
[email protected] Lt. Col. David F. Overton, USMC (Ret.) David F. Overton, MS, is associate professor of Joint Maritime Operations at the U.S. Naval War College in Monterey, Calif., and adjunct faculty for the Marine Corps University Command and Staff College Distance Education Program. He served 26 years in the U.S. Marine Corps; four years as an enlisted electronics technician and 22 years as a Naval Flight Officer in the EA-6B Prowler aircraft. He has more than 2,000 flight hours, with 250 hours logged in air combat operations. He and his wife, Susanne, are both Norwalk, Conn., natives. He is a retired lieutenant colonel and now resides in Monterey with his wife. email:
[email protected] Doug Tsuruoka Doug Tsuruoka is a former foreign correspondent who has worked for Newsweek, the Far Eastern Economic Review, AP-Dow Jones News Service and other publications. He is currently an editor at Investor’s Business Daily. A native New Yorker, Tsuruoka spent his early years editing community papers in Brooklyn. He also worked on the staff of the New York State Assembly and the New York City Board of Correction. He graduated from Harvard College and the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. email:
[email protected] Richard Wagner Richard Wagner is a writer and photographer specializing in ships and history. He is the editor of The Log, the official journal of the Navy League of the United States, New York Council and publishes Beyondships.com, which is devoted to ships and naval history. His articles have also appeared in The Supreme Court Historical Society Quarterly, the World Ship Society Porthole, the Journal of Supreme Court History, and the New York Law Journal Magazine. Mr. Wagner holds degrees from Cornell University, John G. Hagan School of Business and Pace University School of Law. He also studied law at Cambridge University. A member of the New York bar, he was Senior Litigation Counsel for Verizon and appeared regularly before the federal and New York courts. He is an officer and director of the New York Council of the Navy League and a member of the Naval Order of the United States. email:
[email protected] Edward L. Winter Edward Winter, APR, is manager of communications for the Avondale Facility of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding – Gulf Coast. He has worked at the Avondale shipyard in the New Orleans area, where USS New York (LPD 21) was built, for nearly 25 years in various positions in employee relations, public affairs, public relations, and communications. A native of New Orleans and a graduate of the University of New Orleans, Winter is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America and a member of the International Association of Business Communicators and the Press Club of New Orleans. He is also a board member of the Jefferson Parish Chamber of Commerce and Raintree Children Services. He resides in the New Orleans area with his wife of 25 years, Yolanda, and the couple has one daughter, Emily. email:
[email protected] 25
Looking to the future with their strength and spirit in mind. Empire BlueCross BlueShield is proud to support the launch of the USS New York, representing the best of our city and the people we serve.
www.empireblue.com/75years Services provided by Empire HealthChoice HMO, Inc. and/or Empire HealthChoice Assurance, Inc., licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans.
North American Headquarters 701 North West Shore Blvd. Tampa, FL 33609, USA Tel. (813) 639-1900 • Fax (813) 639-4344
FIRST RESPONDER
USS NEW YORK COMMISSIONING NOVEMBER 7, 2009
Strength Forged Through Sacrifice. Never Forget.
Publishers Ross W. Jobson and Peter M. Antell Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Roberts
[email protected] Vice President, Business Development Robin Jobson
[email protected] Assistant to the Publisher Alexis Vars Project Director Jim Huston
[email protected] Project Lead Ken Meyer
[email protected] Account Executives Stevan Ball John Griffin, Lt. USN (Ret.) Adam Longaker, Jim Pidcock Jay Powers, Gary Radloff Derek Robinson, Adrian Silva Controller Robert John Thorne
[email protected] Director of Information Systems John Madden
[email protected] Contributing Writers Colin E. Babb, Rear Adm. Joseph F. Callo USNR (Ret.), George Daughan Mark D. Faram, John D. Gresham Arthur Herman, Bob McManus James L. Nelson, Col. Gary J. Ohls USMCR (Ret.), Lt. Col. David F. Overton USMC (Ret.), Doug Tsuruoka, Richard H. Wagner, Edward L. Winter Editorial Director Charles Oldham
[email protected] 7+(/$5*(67672&.,1* ',675,%87252) '20(67,&7,7$1,80
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Consulting Editor Rear Adm. Joseph F. Callo USNR (Ret.) Senior Editor Ana E. Lopez Editors Rhonda Carpenter Iwalani Kahikina Assistant Editor Steven Hoarn Art Director Robin K. McDowall Design and Production Rebecca Laborde Daniel Mrgan Lorena Noya Kenia Y. Perez Production Assistant Lindsey Brooks Editorial Intern Stephanie Whitehall
%0:+6%() %0:)0- +6 '4+6%() $33529('6833/,(5 72$//0$-25 0$18)$&785(56,1&/8',1* 35$77 :+,71( GOVERNM ENT SERVI CES > AM & M > S P E C IA L IZ E D P R O D U C T S Photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding.
L-3c om . com
USS NEW YORK Long may she carry the memory of those we lost and love. Gordon M. Aamoth Jr.
Howard G. Gelling Jr.
Debra Paris
Joseph P. Anchundia
Evan H. Gillette
Christopher Quackenbush
Thomas M. Brennan
Thomas Glasser
A. Todd Rancke
Mark J. Bruce
Douglas J. Irgang
David H. Rice
Timothy G. Byrne
Allison Horstmann Jones
John M. Rodak
Kathleen Hunt Casey
Robert A. Lawrence Jr.
Mark H. Rosen
Judson J. Cavalier
John R. Lenoir
Kristin Irvine Ryan
Jeffrey M. Chairnoff
Alan P. Linton Jr.
Frank G. Salvaterra
Thomas R. Clark
Salvatore Lopes
Michael V. San Phillip
Christopher R. Clarke
Stuart S. Louis
Herman S. Sandler
Thomas J. Collins
Garry W. Lozier
Susan Kennedy Schuler
James L. Connor
Vita M. Marino
Davis G. Sezna Jr.
John Cooper
Kevin D. Marlo
Linda J. Sheehan
Frederick J. Cox
Kenneth M. McBrayer
Craig A. Silverstein
Kevin R. Crotty
John F. McDowell Jr.
Bruce E. Simmons
Thomas G. Crotty
Stacey Sennas McGowan
Jeffrey R. Smith
Welles R. Crowther
Daniel W. McNeal
Colleen M. Supinski
David A. DeFeo
Sharon Moore-Mohammed
Richard J. Todisco
Constantine Economos
James D. Munhall
Kevin M. Williams
Michael H. Edwards
Christopher Newton-Carter
Alan L. Wisniewski
John W. Farrell
Diana J. O’Connor
Martin P. Wohlforth
Thomas J. Fitzpatrick
J. Andrew O’Grady
John W. Wright Jr.
Christina Donovan Flannery
Peter J. O’Neill Jr.
Julie Zipper
Christopher T. Orgielewicz
We salute the men and women of USS New York (LPD21) as they sail in defense of freedom.
We will never forget them. Sandler O’Neill + Partners, L.P.
LPD 21 USS NEW YORK
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class John K. Hamilton
An HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the “Tridents” of Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron (HS) 3 takes off from the flight deck of USS San Antonio (LPD 17) during a vertical replenishment with the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199). San Antonio was the flagship of Combined Task Force 151, a multinational task force established to conduct counter-piracy operations in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea. San Antonio’s use as flagship on the deployment confirms the advanced command and control and other capabilities of the San Antonio class, of which New York is a part. This photo also shows the very large flight deck and hangar area of the class.
of success or failure prior to the British landings at Gallipoli in 1915 forced one admiral to resign in a state of nervous collapse. No wonder Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote out a letter of resignation as Allied Supreme Commander the day before the Normandy invasion, just in case the landings failed. And no wonder President Harry S Truman preferred to drop the atomic bomb to force Japan to surrender at the end of World War II, rather than risk the horrendous American casualties that an amphibious invasion of Japan would have cost (Japanese navy planners estimated that kamikazes alone could wipe out 30 to 50 percent of the Allied invasion fleet). Today, the old paradigm is gone, along with Mae West life vests and DUKWs. Contemporary amphibious warfare, known more accurately as expeditionary warfare, is no longer improvised or undersized – or precariously perched between victory and disaster. In fact, the new joint-force, combined arms expeditionary era, of which USS New York (LPD 21) is an essential part, is going to set the new paradigm for all warfare in the 21st century. This marks a sea change in military thinking. For all its risks and costs, the Navy, Army, Marines, and Air Force used to see
the amphibious battlefield as only a transitional phase between their normal modes of engaging the enemy on the land, at sea, or in the air. The beachhead itself was a temporary foothold before men and machines got down to the real business of fighting farther inland, and before ships returned to their normal duties at sea. A globalizing age has forced military strategists to envision a very different scenario. It can be summed up as “continuous forward deployment.” In an era in which dire threats can materialize with dizzying speed at any point on the globe, from piracy and terrorism to natural disasters like the 2003 tsunami in the Indian Ocean, the U.S. Navy will need a steady and strong forward-presence posture in order to be the first responder. Its Expeditionary Strike Groups are the foundation of this capability. The new amphibious transport dock ships like USS New York are the building blocks on which that foundation is built. In the new paradigm of expeditionary warfare, Navy amphibious assault ships enable the Marine Corps to set its “mobility triad” in motion. These are the air-cushioned LCACs, which can transport 24 Marines and 60 tons of their equipment into battle; the EFVs, which can hit the beach with 17 troops on board and
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USS NEW YORK LPD 21
drive inland at speeds up to 45 mph; and the new vertical takeoff, tilt-rotor aircraft known as the Osprey, which has a combat range of more than 400 miles and can put up to 32 Marines into action at a time. The new amphibious transport dock will allow an Amphibious Ready Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit or ARG/MEU to project American power just about anywhere from the sea and then withdraw; or if need be remain on station – over the horizon and out of sight – to watch and wait for a crisis to dissipate; or alternately, to move in to dominate and control events. At the typical ARG/MEU’s core is a cruiser-destroyer squadron consisting of an Aegis cruiser, Aegis destroyer, and a frigate; a submarine; and the ships of the Amphibious Readiness Group proper. These include an amphibious assault ship (LHA) carrying a formidable combination of helicopters and vertical take off aircraft; a landing ship dock (LSD); and one or more LPDs like New York or one of her sister ships, plus the men, tanks, and equipment of a Marine Expeditionary Unit or MEU: some 2,200 Marines in all. These in turn can be augmented by special operations forces, including Navy SEALs and Marine Force Reconnaissance detachments. Once set in motion, the ARG/MEU is a smooth, well-oiled machine geared for forward deployment and force projection. It involves a seamless coordination of ships, Marines, and air
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support into a single integrated battle force, ready to move into action from 200 miles at sea to 150 miles inland. What will be the new face of amphibious operations? While submarines clear the water ahead of the strike group, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) circle overhead providing information on the enemy’s positions and capabilities. Aircraft like the AV-8B Harrier II and AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters provide 360 degree protection from the air as Marines load up in their LCACs, EFVs, and Ospreys some 20 miles from their target – even as special operations teams are flown in by Ospreys or landed covertly in LCACs in order to reconnoiter the situation on the ground, disable enemy defenses, or secure key positions in advance. Within an hour or two the first Marines are landing – not as exposed targets on the beach but snug and secure in their armored EFVs as they move quickly from the shore and drive inland to dominate and control vital strategic points. At the same time, satellite links enable the Navy’s Force Net system to convey images of the assault to, and maintain real-time communications with, the strike group’s commander and his staff in his combat information center (CIC), as well as a multitude of status screens at the Pentagon and the White House. In the new expeditionary warfare, the old beachhead concept is gone, along with many risks and uncertainties. Instead,
U.S. Navy photo by Journalist Seaman Recruit Jeff Hall
Representing two generations of Marine Corps rotary-wing aircraft, a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter completes a landing near a V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft aboard the amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio (LPD 17). San Antonio was conducting several tests in the Atlantic Ocean using the Osprey and Sea Knight to determine what these aircraft are capable of doing with the Navy’s newest class of amphibious transport dock ships.
Edelman is proud to sponsor and support the USS New York. We congratulate the ship’s crew and their families.
USS NEW YORK LPD 21
a coordinated “combined arms warfare” approach enables the Navy and Marines to control the tempo of the operation from start to finish. And since the amphibious fleet may be dozens of miles from the objective, and since there is no prolonged naval bombardment, the enemy have no idea when the Marines are coming or where they will strike. Even when it is operating alone, USS New York will be able to deploy EFVs, LCACs, and Ospreys from sea to shore to points inland with a seamless speed that will surprise and frustrate our foes – just as it reassure friends and neutrals on the ground. In fact, the new expeditionary paradigm dissolves the difference between land and sea fighting, creating a true joint hybrid form of warfare. The same “hybrid effect” can be seen in the new technologies that are vital to it. The EFV is an amphibious assault vehicle like its World War II ancestors the DUKW and amphtrac. But it is also an armed and dangerous light tank free to maneuver many miles inland. The Osprey is a tilt-rotor aircraft that is half a helicopter and half a twin-engine aircraft, able to transport Marines into the combat zone and then carry the wounded, or move civilians, out of harm’s way. Likewise, the new New York will be connected to a joint command and control system that dissolves the old conflict between the different service’s cultures and resources. In fact, the ARG/MEU can be commanded by a Navy admiral or a Marine general, since both will know what the other service’s men and resources can do, and what they can accomplish together.
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Backed by a lean core staff of no more than 12 members, this marks a major breakthrough in joint arms warfare and interservice cooperation. All this is made possible by the Navy’s new communications technology, or Force Net, which has in effect linked every vessel into a single integrated network. It is apparent everywhere you go on USS New York, where 500 miles of electrical cable service the computer systems that make it one of the “smartest” ships afloat. Step into her combat information center, and you are as close to the bridge of the starship Enterprise as you’ll ever be. Computer screens and video displays surround you on all sides, monitoring every aspect of the ship’s position, weaponry, and performance. Force Net also enables commanders half a world away to see what her captain sees in the CIC, and monitor the ship’s progress as she sails into port – or sails into the battle zone. The same internal net system allows New York’s engineers to drive her four supercharged diesels and check their status, not just on the bridge or in the engine room, but from a variety of points in the ship. Damage control officers use the same system to check electrical relays and watch for warning signs of a possible fire outbreak or other threats to the ship. Add in the unceasing round of damage and fire control drills; special antichemical and anti-bio warfare equipment; and anti-terrorist force protection training exercises involving every member of
Courtesy of USMC PEO Land Systems
The Marine Corps’ EFV is several times faster in water than its predecessors, representing a game-changing capability in amphibious tracked vehicles. On land, its speed, agility, networking capabilities, and firepower make it a formidable fighting vehicle.
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LPD 21 USS NEW YORK
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Geronimo Aquino
Sailors aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) launch a Landing Craft Utility (LCU) during training exercises. LCUs are also employed by amphibious transport dock ships like the New York, and can carry three M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks or more than 400 Marines at a time.
the crew, and USS New York is not only a smart but a safe and secure vessel for everyone on board. The weapons, warfare, and technology at this level of sophistication demand a skilled and motivated crew. When you meet the men and women of USS New York, you realize that they are “switched-on” in the best, military sense of the word: alert, focused, and confident even under adverse circumstances. New York’s Executive Officer Cmdr. Erich Schmidt, has guided them through every step of their pre-commissioning training. “I’ve watched this crew come together for almost two years,” he said, “they are truly the best America, and the Navy, have to offer.” The crew comes from a variety of backgrounds and from a spread of states from Hawaii and Kansas to New York. But all share a dedication to their work, to their service, and to the New York Navy tradition. The building and christening of this New York has enabled them to meet and stay in touch with the World War II veterans who served in the old BB 34 battleship, and who wear the same USS New York ball cap with pride. However, there is also a special pride in serving in LPD 21: its direct ties to 9/11 and its legacy for this country. For many, it was 9/11 that got them into the Navy in the first place – or kept them in it. Chief Petty Officer Keenan Gresham, for example, was headed for retirement after 22 years in the Navy when the planes hit the Twin Towers. “I knew then we were at war,” he
recalled. He put off retirement, and swung back into active service with an extra sense of purpose and will. Now, to actually serve on board the “Twin Towers ship” is, Gresham admitted, the highlight of a two-decade-long career. Other sailors and officers feel the same. One said he knows he will have other tours of duty on other ships, after New York. But he’ll always ask himself, “Will they be as good as my first ship, LPD 21?” Others have an even more personal connection. Her skipper, Cmdr. F. Curtis Jones, is a native New Yorker; Yeoman 2nd Class Aaron Palacio was sitting in his high school class in Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001, when his stunned teacher had to tell her students that the World Trade Center had just been attacked. Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Kevin Muse’s high school teacher had a brother who was in the WTC when the planes hit. Both of Muse’s grandfathers had been in the Navy, but the incident galvanized his decision to join. “It gave me a chance to fight back,” he said. Muse originally chose to fight back as part of the Marines, and served a full tour of duty in Iraq. That gave him a chance to see the war on terror up close and personal, and see American courage and resolve in action. “They tried to break our spirit” on 9/11, Muse added, “but it didn’t work.” Now he has a chance to vindicate the sacrifice of 9/11 in an even more direct way. At least two members of New York’s fire and damage control team know that sacrifice, as well. At her firefighting train-
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LPD 21 USS NEW YORK
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jason R. Zalasky
The amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50), the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17), and the guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) transit the Atlantic Ocean. Carter Hall, San Antonio, and Roosevelt were deployed as part of the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group, which was supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. Navy’s 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. Expeditionary Strike Groups can project American combat power from the sea to almost any place on Earth.
ing school, Damage Controlman 3rd Class Christina Gallegos worked with civilian firefighters who knew 9/11 firsthand. Firefighters from as far away as Norfolk, Va., and Washington, D.C., had been summoned to help to fight the conflagration. Many had colleagues who had died there. These civilian firefighters were, she said, a constant source of awe and inspiration to her. For Gallegos, serving in the ship made from steel from those Twin Towers is a matter of supreme pride. Damage Controlman 1st Class (SW/AW) Bershers has watched firefighters working with steel from the Twin Towers: men from his grandfather’s fire station in Long Island making crosses at the request of victims’ families, after they themselves fought the horrific blaze in vain. Bershers is a career Navy man as well as a New York native; USS New York is going to be his seventh ship. Bershers had planned to be in lower Manhattan on that fateful September 11, on leave with friends: “I would have been seven blocks away,” he remembers, when the planes hit. Instead, his leave was canceled and he remembers the wave of emotion that swept over him when he heard the news back in Norfolk. He tried desperately to go to New York City to help in the volunteer effort, but he was ordered to stay: “The whole base [Norfolk Naval Station] was in lockdown at the time.” However, like many on the crew he fought long and hard to get a
berth in LPD 21. At his own expense, he drove down to New Orleans to attend the ship’s christening. Serving in USS New York is more than the culmination of 18 years in the Navy; for Bershers, it is a personal mission. Finally, there is Personnelman Specialist Seaman Dupree. She’s from Kansas, but comes from a Kenyan family. She had heard the news of 9/11 on the radio, when it “really hit home” what this country meant to her. “I had to give back to the society that has changed so many people’s lives for the better,” including her own family, she said with quiet pride. “I knew I needed to join the military.” Like the rest of the crew of USS New York, Dupree knows the terrorists hate us for not for what America has done wrong, but for what it has done right as a haven of prosperity, freedom, and liberty for all peoples of all races and religions. Serving in this ship is her way of thanking America for extending a helping hand to her, “a legacy for my children and family,” and a way to remember the thousands who unexpectedly paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom on 9/11. The motto is: “Strength Forged through Sacrifice. Never forget.” As New York’s skipper Jones said: “The men and women of USS New York will never forget.” Nor will we. And we will always feel grateful for these men and women’s brave dedicated service – and the ship that proudly carries them across the seas.
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USS NEW YORK LPD 21
NEW YORK, NEW YORK By Bob McManus
He sought easy passage to the Orient. What he found was something quite different: Passage to the interior of a vast wilderness that time and toil would transform into an American state of the first rank – by some standards, a great nation in its own right. New York, in its 50-million-square-mile entirety, is a study in physical contrast, cultural conflict and hopeful aspiration. Its history parallels America’s – indeed, in some ways American history begins in New York. Hudson could push Halve Maen, scarcely 85 feet long, only to present-day Albany, 150 miles upriver from the great bay to the south. Beyond that, travel along the Hudson – all the way to its wellspring, Lake Tear of the Clouds, deep in the Adirondack high peaks – was by Iroquois canoe, or by foot. That would change. The first Europeans – most of them mapmakers – had quickly grasped the strategic character of the Hudson River-Lake George-Lake Champlain corridor. Armies – French, English, American – moved up and down its length for decades. And so it was not by happenstance that in the autumn of 1777, a British invasion force under Gen. John Burgoyne was southbound along the Hudson, intent on bisecting the fledgling American revolution. Battle was joined at Freeman’s Farm, and concluded at Bemis Heights, both overlooking the widening river at present-day Schuylerville. When the Battle of Saratoga was over, George Washington’s ragtag army had gained international credibility and an independent United States of America had become a very real possibility. And so it came to pass. Soon Robert Fulton’s steam boats were plying the Hudson to Albany, and railroads were running along its banks. A grand canal was dug, linking the river to the Great Lakes, transporting the Industrial Revolution first into the Mohawk Valley and then to the vast interior of America – transforming the entire continent in the process. New York, especially. Tangible wealth, personal freedom and seemingly limitless opportunity worked as magnets among the restless poor of Europe and beyond. Waves of immigration broke over the state: first came the Irish, Germans and Italians; then Eastern Europeans, Jews and African-Americans – and, most recently, newcomers from Central and South America, Southwest Asia, the Caribbean Basin and Africa. This was – and remains – a fractious mix. But therein resides the magic – the genius – of New York. Its politics are contentious, and often corrosive – but four of its governors have gone on to the White House, including
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the transformative Roosevelt cousins, and that’s more than any other state can claim. Its economics can bewilder – vast wealth arrayed conspicuously alongside crippling poverty. But appearances deceive: New Yorkers care for their own, and penniless new arrivals – through hard work, entrepreneurial spirit and an occasional touch of good fortune – are soon on their way to the economic and cultural mainstream. And nowhere more quickly than in New York City, where The Bronx is still up, the Battery’s still down, and the people still ride in a hole in the ground. After all these years, still a helluva town. There is friction; how could there not be. And there’s been wrack and riot across the decades because of it. But friction generates energy, too, vast pools of it – an essential raw material for material success and cultural cohesion. In that respect, New York is peerless. The city can seem forbidding to newcomers. And in fact it is not for everybody. Yet those who arrive and linger find it intoxicating, compelling. Broadway. Museum Mile. Ruth and Mantle and Maris. The Giants. The Jets. The ’69 Mets. It may not be true that if you hang out in Times Square long enough, you’ll run into everybody you know – but it seems as if it could be. Then there are the landmarks: The statue in the harbor, the iconic bridge, the ballpark in The Bronx – and the skyline recognized ‘round the world, now missing two tall buildings. This also speaks to the singularity of New York. Those who declared war on America in the fall of 2001 wanted the world to take note – so where better to begin than at the intersection of Wall Street and the loudest media megaphones on the planet. The World Trade Center fell and the city shuddered – but it survived and recovered. This is nothing new. Ground Zero is only a cannon-shot from where Henry Hudson made landfall those four centuries ago. Then came the Dutch, and the English. There was revolution, civil war, domestic insurrection, financial panic and social unrest well into recent times. Through it all, New York City coped. It evolved. It became the economic, cultural and social locus of America – envied, a little, by civilized people around the world for its brash good humor, its studied nonchalance and its unflappable attitude. It’s not always easy to love New York. But who would want to live anywhere else? Not I.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Public Affairs 2nd Class Mike Hvozda
It was fully 400 years ago when Henry Hudson – an Englishman under hire to the Dutch – turned the bow of Halve Maen into the mouth of the river that today bears his name.
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USS NEW YORK LPD 21
THE MAIN BATTERY By Col. Gary J. Ohls, USMCR (Ret.) and Lt. Col. David F. Overton, USMC (Ret.)
Of course the weapons, equipment, and tactics of Marines have changed since that exceedingly tough amphibious fight at Iwo Jima. But the determination, mission orientation, and agility of the individual Marine remains constant. Today’s Marines have many specialties – just as those of World War II – yet the idea that all Marines are primarily riflemen remains fundamental to Marine Corps training and thinking.ii Each Marine learns basic infantry skills upon entering the Corps, and receives refresher training throughout his career, be that one enlistment or many. The phrase “every Marine a rifleman” essentially
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means, “Every Marine – regardless of military occupation specialty – is first and foremost a disciplined warrior.”iii The essential rite of passage for a U.S. Marine is the Corps’ legendary boot camp, which introduces young American civilians into the demanding world of the United States Marine Corps. Marine Corps boot camp has traditionally been tough and, if anything, has become more so over the years. During the late 1990s, Marine leaders introduced a capstone event called “The Crucible,” which tests the physical and mental stamina of recruits before they graduate and earn the title of
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Alvin D. Parson
The main battery of the new and highly capable USS New York remains the same as for all amphibious ships in the American fleet – the embarked U.S. Marine. The standing of that Marine in the American military ethos was perhaps most eloquently expressed by Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz. Reflecting on the Marines who fought the battle of Iwo Jima during World War II, Nimitz avowed that “Uncommon valor was a common virtue.” The granite base of the U.S. Marine Memorial at Arlington, Va., now bears these words.i In the tradition of the Corps, today’s Marines constantly strive to be worthy successors to those who have gone before.
U.S. Marine Corps photo Staff Sgt. Jennie Ivey, USAF
LPD 21 USS NEW YORK
Opposite page: U.S. Marine Corps Gen. James F. Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, poses with Marines with Personal Security Detail, Regimental Combat Team 6 at Camp Ramadi, Iraq, Feb. 7, 2009. Marines comprise the “main battery” of the Gator Navy. Above: New U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) recruits from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) Parris Island, S.C., finish the final phase of basic training. “The Crucible” is a final three-day field exercise where recruits participate in day and night operations along with food and sleep deprivation to test their endurance.
Marine. The Crucible lasts 54 hours and includes food and sleep deprivation, more than 45 miles of marching, combat courses, problem solving reaction courses, and team-building Warrior Stations, to name only some of the events.iv Although an important culminating experience, the Crucible is only part of the boot camp experience. Numerous other timetested activities fill the crowded days of this demanding curriculum, including confidence courses, rappelling, combat water survival, marksmanship training, tactical movement, pugil stick fighting, close order drill, physical training, and academic study on essential subjects from administration to warfighting tactics. The ultimate goal of all this effort is to create a basic Marine of high character and moral strength who embodies the core values of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.v After graduation from boot camp, the new Marine receives orders to the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton, Calif., or Camp Lejeune, N.C., for further training in basic infantry skills. Those who specialize in the infantry occupational field report to the Infantry Training Battalion for advanced training in that military occupational specialty. Those designated to serve in non-infantry specialties report to Marine Combat Training Battalion (MCTB) to enhance the fighting skills they learned in boot camp.vi Upon completion of the MCTB program, these Marines attend a follow-on school for their military specialty. Throughout their time in the Corps, all Marines, regardless of their area of specialty, continue to maintain basic fighting skills, including physical fitness, weapons training and
requalification, and essential subjects training and testing. The oft repeated phrase “Every Marine a rifleman” is clearly not an empty slogan, but a cultural imperative of the Corps.vii And although New York will hold Marines possessing many different specialties, they will all be Marine riflemen first and foremost. Another unique program that contributes to the individual Marine’s fighting skill is the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP). Initiated in the year 2000, the MCMAP augments Marine Corps capability by “providing a systematic training regimen for the mental, character, and physical development of Marines.”viii The MCMAP applies to all Marines regardless of rank or specialty as they progress through their careers. The program involves a ranking system consisting of five levels of belts, with the highest – Black Belt – having six degrees. Advancing through these ratings not only includes the three basic elements of the program (mental, character, and physical development), but also involves completing certain rank-appropriate professional military education requirements.ix The MCMAP is an innovative program that has made an already good Marine even better. The typical Marine warrior today carries a combat load that is simultaneously similar and dissimilar from that of his World War II equivalent. Both had the best protective system available for their time and carried a state-of-the-art combat rifle. But the protection available to today’s Marine is far greater than during the 1940s. In addition to an improved and lighter
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A m e r i c a n Fi g h t i n g S p i r i t S a i l s o n
WE HONOR ALL THOSE WHO PERISHED IN THE DEADLY ATTACKS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001. WE ALSO SALUTE THE COURAGE AND COMPASSION OF COUNTLESS AMERICANS IN THE WAKE OF THESE ATTACKS. THE USS NEW YORK IS A PROUD SHIP WHOSE BOW IS FORGED FROM THE STEEL OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. SHE TAKES AMERICA’S FIGHTING SPIRIT WITH HER WHEREVER SHE SAILS IN THE WORLD.
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U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Sean P. McGinty
LPD 21 USS NEW YORK
U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist David Rush
Above: Sgt. Maj. Larock W. Benford, I Marine Expeditionary Force’s Ground Combat Element’s 47-year-old sergeant major, demonstrates wrestling techniques to the service members of I MEF Headquarter Group (Forward)’s most recent martial arts instructor course. Benford was one of many guest instructors who took his time to teach the 95 service members who attended the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program MAI class on Camp Fallujah. Left: Marine Corps Sgt. Edward Mertz of Combat Service Support Group Three (CSS-3), Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, conducts Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) Tan Belt training to fellow Marine Corps cadre on board Naval Station Pearl Harbor. The training is conducted in order to prepare the Marines for various security taskings.
helmet, the Marines who serve on board New York will possess personal protective equipment (body armor and other protective devices), which they can tailor to the tactical needs of their mission.x As opposed to the sturdy M-1 Garand rifle of World War II, today’s Marine carries the lighter yet more rapid firing M16A4 assault rifle with an optical scope and illuminator.xi Arguably, both the M-1 Garand and the M16A4 represent the premier combat rifle of their time. Another item newly available to commanders is the individual communications system based on the PRC-153 radio. When utilized, this system will, for the first time, permit squad leaders to talk by radio to every Marine within the unit.xii Other items of individual equipment such as
cartridge belts, canteens, load bearing devices (packs), and field uniforms have substantially improved over the years, yet provide a similar function to all generations of Marines. The same is true for their various supporting units, including artillery, close air support, logistical systems, and naval support. But regardless of differences or similarities, the Marines deployed on board New York – like those who fought at Iwo Jima – can have full confidence that their country will provide the best equipment, support, and preparation available at the time. Today’s Marine is more likely to operate in a joint environment than in times past, even though the Navy and Marine Corps team remains the key context for deployment and op-
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USS NEW YORK LPD 21
erations. xiii Although the Navy and Marine Corps team is technically a joint force, it is actually something much more. For more than 200 years, the Navy and Marine Corps have worked together, building a common institutional culture in the field of amphibious and expeditionary warfare. xiv The Marines embarked on New York, along with their sailor counterparts, are the clear beneficiaries of this rich tradition and symbiotic relationship. In a broader sense, the concept of team effort suffuses all aspects of the professional environment in which Marines operate – past or present. Regardless of how much individual training is included in the various Marine Corps programs, it is
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always within a framework of team effort and the dependence of one Marine upon another. Whereas it is crucial that Marines have faith in their country’s support, it is even more critical that they trust in the fidelity of fellow Marines once committed to action. This concept permeates Marine Corps training and provides the key ingredient for success across the entire range of military operations. Individual Marines fight and operate as a tightly knit team within well exercised units, always ready to live up to their tradition of being the “first to fight.”xv A notable aspect of the Marines who will serve on board New York is their youth. Today’s Marines are not only younger than those who served at Iwo Jima, but are considerably
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Robert M. Storm
Lance Cpl. Ryan R. Irving (left), infantryman, from Elburn, Ill. and Lance Cpl. Curtis D. Land, infantryman, from Cedar Falls, Iowa, take security posts during a meeting between Marines and villagers. In preparation for elections, Marines conducted a preemptive attack on known areas of anti-coalition militia activity. The hybrid battlefields of today demand more leadership and decision-making capability from within the ranks.
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LPD 21 USS NEW YORK
U.S. Marines assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit assist U.S. citizens departing from the American Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. At the request of the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon and at the direction of the secretary of defense, the United States Central Command and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24 MEU) assisted with the departure of U.S. citizens from Lebanon. Forward presence of naval assets greatly speeds the reaction time required for such operations.
In a letter of invitation to one local session that was part of the “conversation,” Morgan pointed out, “Exactly how these forces (Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard) should be employed to support national policy objectives in this new and complex security environment is the subject of an ongoing discussion.” He went on to describe the civilian outreach he was leading: “We are seeking the ideas and opinions of distinguished men and women from all walks of life, which will help to inform the analyses we are conducting through more traditional means.”
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jeffrey A. Cosola
The Product One of the most noteworthy features of the strategy that resulted was the greater degree to which it commits the three maritime services to cooperation among themselves. Interservice cooperation has been a rallying cry among the military services since World War II, but the new strategy moves significantly beyond commitment; it’s a call to assertive action. In addition, the new strategy requires seriously increased cooperation with U.S. economic, political, and military partners around the world. In this respect, it reflects a global view of maritime defense based on the strong links between maritime
power and the ongoing trends toward a steadily increasing global interdependence among the world’s nations. Those interservice and international aspects of the strategy recognize a need to preserve peace and prosperity as well as win wars. Finally, the new strategy puts increased emphasis on the inherent flexibility of naval power to meet the expanding and shifting challenges of an asymmetrical war in which indiscriminate terror is the main weapon. It also recognizes the need to meet a conceptually and geographically wide variety of future contingencies. At its heart, the new “Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower” identifies six core capabilities that must be maintained for it to work successfully: forward presence, deterrence, sea control, power projection, maritime security, and finally, humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
Forward Presence Forward presence of naval forces increases the efficiency of the strategy. In particular, reacting to an emergency immediately and on scene often resolves or mitigates a problem at a reduced cost of money, materiel,
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USS NEW YORK LPD 21
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Deterrence The Cooperative Strategy states: “Preventing war is preferable to fighting wars,” and this involves the proactive use of maritime forces to raise the negative potential of war for potential enemies. This capability encourages the resolution of disputes through diplomacy. This capability is, however, inescapably linked to a credible national will that naval force will be used – as a last resort – when the safety of the United States and its people is threatened. This is an important point that is often missed: there must be the will for the presence of the way to be a credible deterrent.
Sea Control Free access to the seas is a prerequisite to the use of naval power. If those who would do us harm control ocean choke
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mark Logico
and lives than would be expended after the emergency had expanded with time. Evacuating U.S. citizens trapped in a combat zone, as has happened in the Middle East, or delivering humanitarian aid in a natural disaster, as is done regularly after hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and other natural catastrophes, are examples. In a military context, reacting to Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait before he had time to consolidate his conquest contributed to the ability to oust him without a prolonged military campaign and greater loss of life. Forward deployment of naval forces also provides visible evidence of the U.S. commitment to its partners around the world, as well as the ability to join with them quickly to meet mutual threats. The U.S. 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean and the U.S. 7th Fleet in the Western Pacific have been highly visible examples of this capability, as is the homeporting of an aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan.
LPD 21 USS NEW YORK
Opposite page: The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) is anchored off the island coast of Weno, part of Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia, during Pacific Partnership 2008. Mercy is the primary platform for Pacific Partnership, a four-month humanitarian mission providing engineering, civic, medical, and dental assistance to Southeast Asia and Oceania. Humanitarian assistance is a central element of the seapower strategy. Right: A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point C-130 crew flies over USS Crommelin (FFG 37), homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the FSS Independence, a patrol boat from the Federated States of Micronesia, patrolling in the Western Pacific Ocean. Both the Coast Guard and Navy have shared goals of protecting the fragile ecosystems of Oceania as well as enforcing maritime laws throughout mutual areas of responsibility.
points, if local law contravenes long-standing international custom by denying access to ocean areas traditionally open to all nations, if an enemy is capable of denying U.S. use of an ocean area through the use of submarines, or if modern-day pirates are able to threaten commercial sea lanes, execution of a credible maritime strategy becomes increasingly difficult.
Power Projection
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Michael De Nyse
This element of the strategy emphasizes the ability of such elements of U.S. naval power as carrier battle groups, embarked Navy-Marine Corps expeditionary forces, submarines, or special warfare units to apply national power where and when needed and at times and places that are inconvenient for our enemies. Advanced technology aircraft, large-deck aircraft carriers, flexible and hard-hitting expeditionary warfare forces, technologically advanced submarines, and adaptable littoral combat ships are among the elements of this maritime capability. As was the case with deterrence, this is a strategic element that is closely linked to the national will to employ naval forces in something more than a purely defensive posture. It requires a national consensus that offensive capability is an ongoing part of a sound seapower strategy.
Maritime Security
Ethos
The ability of all nations to use the oceans for non-aggressive purposes is a strategic companion to the U.S. ability to use the oceans for its defense. This element of the strategy is closely connected with the need for increased interoperability with other navies and coast guards around the world. Realistic and ongoing training with allies and potential allies is basic to this element of the strategy.
In November 2008, the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughhead published a description of the Navy Ethos. In many ways it is the necessary companion of “A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower.” It defines the most basic Navy values that sustain the strategy’s core capabilities. It adds the people factor to the equation by identifying, in the Chief of Naval Operation’s words: “our service’s overarching set of beliefs, embracing Navy core values.” To characterize the Navy Ethos in 21st century terms, the Chief of Naval Operations reached out for input from active duty and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees of the Navy throughout the world. The articulation that emerged reflects how the members of today’s Navy define themselves, and it reads: “We are the United States Navy, our nation’s seapower – ready guardians at peace, victorious at war. We are professional sailors and civilians – a diverse and agile force exemplifying the highest standards of service to our nation, at home and abroad, at sea and ashore. Integrity is the
Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response This component of the strategy is an extension of all of the other elements of the strategy and it involves the move of humanitarian assistance from a corollary of naval activity to a central element in a seapower strategy. The rapidly transportable technical capabilities of Navy ships and squadrons, the skills of Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel, and the underlying goodwill of Americans are all part of this core capability.
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LPD 21 USS NEW YORK
U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Eric L. Beauregard
Members of a visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) team from the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) and U.S. Coast Tactical Law Enforcement Team South Detachment 409 capture suspected pirates after responding to a merchant vessel distress signal while operating in the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) area of responsibility as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151. CTF 151 is a multinational task force established to conduct counter-piracy operations under a mission-based mandate throughout the CMF area of responsibility to actively deter, disrupt, and suppress piracy in order to protect global maritime security and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations.
foundation of our conduct; respect for others is fundamental to our character; decisive leadership is crucial to our success. We are a team, disciplined and well-prepared, committed to mission accomplishment. We do not waver in our dedication and accountability to our shipmates and families. We are patriots, forged by the Navy’s core values of honor, courage and commitment; in times of war and peace, our actions reflect our proud heritage and tradition. We defend our nation and prevail in the face of adversity with strength, determination and dignity. We are the United States Navy.” At a U.S. Naval Institute conference in February 2009, a junior Marine Corps officer commented on his career motivation in a panel discussion. He talked of seeing the events of 9/11 unfold on television and why he and others have enlisted in the Marine Corps. In summing up, he said: “Simply put, it’s because we want to win.” In blunt Marine Corps style, he managed to express the basic rationale for a maritime strategy within an ethos supporting its execution, and he did it in eight words.
On Any Given Day “A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower” is a real-time guide for Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard support of national policy, but in the end, it must be defined by actions, the specifics that add up to the future safety and prosperity of ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren. Following are a few typical examples of the everyday execution of the Cooperative Strategy at a variety of locations. The items provide representative “snapshots” of what the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard were doing on any given day during 2008: ;ZW#'%ÄJHHHarry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group departed Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, for ongoing combat support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the maintenance of maritime theater security in its area of operations. ;ZW#'%ÄJHHSan Jacinto conducted operations in the Black Sea with NATO and Partnership-for-Peace units from Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine.
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proud to support the
USS New York Commissioning
Phoenix Constructors a Joint Venture of Fluor, Granite, Skanska and Bovis Lend Lease 115 Broadway, 18th floor New York, NY 10006 Tel: 646 467 7101 Fax: 212 566 2350 www.phoenixconstructors.com
LPD 21 USS NEW YORK
U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Don Bray
The guided-missile destroyer USS O’Kane (DDG 77), the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force destroyer Setogiri (DD 156), and the guided-missile frigate USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG 60) steam in formation during a photo exercise for the Rim of the Pacific 2008 exercise.
BVgX]&Äi]Z[jijgZJHHNew York AE9'& lVh X]g^hiZcZYWn9diin=ZccaZ^c:c\aVcYViCdgi]gde i Vahd gZZbe]Vh^oZhi]ZXdaaVWdgVi^kZbVccZg^cl]^X]i]ZhigViZ\n bjhiWZXVgg^ZYdji#>ihÒcVahiViZbZcigZÓZXihVaad[i]Z[ZV" ijgZhd[VYjgVWaZhigViZ\n!dcZi]Vi^hldg`^c\!VcYdcZi]Vi ]VhZVgcZYi]Zdc\d^c\hjeedgid[i]ZJ#H#X^i^oZch^i^hegd" iZXi^c\/ ÆJc^iZYHiViZhhZVedlZg^hV[dgXZ[dg\ddY!egdiZXi^c\i]^h cVi^dcZkZcVh^i_d^chl^i]di]ZghidegdbdiZhZXjg^inVcYegdh" eZg^inVgdjcYi]Z\adWZ#Ç
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USS NEW YORK LPD 21
EXPEDITIONARY WARFARE COMES OF AGE IN WORLD WAR II By George Daughan
The United States entered World War II 27 months after it began officially with Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Poland in September 1939. It took a direct Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941, and a German declaration of war four days later to get us fully engaged. While we slept, Hitler extended his dominion over most of Europe and invaded Russia, with excellent prospects for success. In the east, Japan extended her empire to Manchuria, eastern China, Indo-China, Burma, the Malay Peninsula and Singapore, the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, and Thailand. Italy, the third Axis power, proved more of a burden than a help to her allies. Germany and Japan alone, however, were powerful enough to create a new totalitarian order in the world. But they had to move quickly, before the United States became aroused, since neither had the industrial capacity to defeat us. Fortunately, their hubris blinded them to this fundamental reality, and they awakened the sleeping giant in the nick of time. Once in the war, the United States became the leader of a tripartite alliance with the British and Russian empires − a strange coalition that Hitler, until the very end, thought would fall apart. The first job of the Allies was to stop German and Japanese advances. This happened quicker than anyone expected. The Nazi invasion of Russia in 1941 failed to reach Leningrad, Moscow, or the Caucasus before the onset of winter, and once the fighting resumed in May 1942, Hitler was defeated at Stalingrad in a few months. Japanese expansion was halted even sooner − at the Battle of the Coral Sea the first week of May 1942, and a month later at the Battle of Midway.
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Having stopped the Axis advances, the Allies then had to roll them back − a daunting task. The United States was required to mount expeditionary assaults in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Pacific on a scale never before imagined. Misguided disarmament policies after World War I had left us militarily unprepared, forcing our armed forces to pay dearly while we got fully geared up to fight. By the middle of 1943, however, America’s industrial strength was totally engaged, and our superb political and military leadership, supported by the indomitable patriotism of our fighting men and women, doomed our enemies. Even though ultimate victory was never in doubt, the Axis fought with a tenacity that tried our soul. Germany’s relative
U.S. Marine Corps Historical Center
U.S. Marines in Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel (LCVPs) head for the beach at Iwo Jima on Feb. 19, 1945, during the initial landings. Mount Suribachi looms in the background, and to its left is USS New York (BB 34), bombarding Japanese positions.
strength led Roosevelt and Churchill in 1941 to give the European Theater priority, but because of Pearl Harbor, America was not about to ignore the Pacific. Thus, we fought a gigantic, two-ocean war simultaneously, carrying nearly the entire burden against Japan. America’s Army chief, Gen. George Marshall, recommended a cross-channel invasion in 1942 aimed directly at the heart of Germany, taking advantage of Hitler’s preoccupation with Russia. Churchill and Roosevelt, however, decided they were not yet ready and opted instead for a landing in North Africa in November 1942. With Hitler still distracted in Russia, a combined AmericanBritish expeditionary force under Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower made a remarkable crossing of the Atlantic, avoiding German U-boats, and began landing in Morocco and Algeria on Nov. 8, 1942. Because Vichy Adm. Jean-Francois Darlan decided to
change sides, the Allied landings at Oran, Algiers, and Casablanca met minimal resistance. Eisenhower pressed on toward Tunis to meet British Gen. Bernard Montgomery’s Eighth Army − fresh from its triumph at Alamein in early September. They planned to trap German Gen. Erwin Rommel in Tunis, thus reclaiming all of North Africa. Hitler, however, despite being bogged down in Russia, reinforced Rommel, igniting a long battle that did not end until May 13, 1943. Even before Eisenhower’s landing, an American expeditionary force on Aug. 7, 1942, landed on Guadalcanal, one of the Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific, to start rolling back Japanese conquests. Only 2,200 Japanese guarded the island and its unfinished airbase, making the initial amphibious landing relatively easy for the U.S. Marines. But the Japanese high command, realizing this was just the beginning, made a mighty effort to defeat us. As Tokyo committed more
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Florence & Robert A. Rosen Family Foundation
THE FLORENCE AND ROBERT A. ROSEN FAMILY FOUNDATION WELCOMES THE USS NEW YORK (LPD 21) TO NEW YORK CITY AND TO OUR GREAT U.S. NAVY FLEET YOUR CRITICAL MISSION IS ESSENTIAL TO MAINTAINING PEACE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
Congratulations to the officers and crew of USS New York. Rolls-Royce is behind you all the way.
“STRENGTH FORGED THROUGH SACRIFICE. NEVER FORGET.” REAR ADMIRAL & MRS. ROBERT A. ROSEN, NYNM (RET.) AND FAMILY
33 So. Service Road, Jericho, New York 11753-1006 WHOID[
www.rolls-royce.com
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