Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Daniel Heaton | U.S. Navy personnel from Task Force 57 pause for a group photo at Al Dhafra Air Base,...... read more read more
Subscribe
Teamwork between the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy is a force multiplier in the U.S. Central Command region.
At Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, the Navy maintains a relatively small footprint, but upholds strong mission readiness thanks to joint partnership with the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing and other partner assets at the base.
“In this region, our missions are inherently joint,” explained Navy Capt. James Johnston, commander of Task Force 57, which provides maritime surveillance and reconnaissance operations throughout the U.S. CENTCOM region.
While most Air Force personnel assigned to bases in the CENTCOM region may not often interact with their Navy peers, few would be surprised to hear of Johnston’s summary of the Navy’s overarching mission in the region: “to help maintain security and stability in the region and to strengthen our strategic partnerships with many of the nations in the region.” While the Navy’s focus is obviously keyed largely to maritime operations in the region, it works alongside the 380th and other U.S. Air Force and Joint Partners as part of a comprehensive approach.
“We work with the U.S. Air Force at ADAB on a daily basis, including in the areas of (aircraft) movements, medical support, technical support with maintenance equipment and quality assurance,” Johnston said.
In 2021, the U.S. Navy in CENTCOM had a busy year. In combination with Joint and International partners, the U.S. Navy seized more illegal drugs during counter-narcotics operations at sea last year than the previous four years combined. The Navy also seized 8,700 illicit weapons in regional waters last year, three times more than in 2020.
At Al Dhafra, the Navy’s mission utilizes an Unmanned Aerial System to support operations in the region.
“Providing support to the Navy is part of the underlying mission at ADAB,” explained Col. Matthew Coleman, vice wing commander of the 380th AEW.
U.S. leaders from both the Air Force and the Navy meet on a regular basis to stay in sync and coordinate efforts to meet mission objectives.
“At ADAB, one of our key missions is to provide the underlying infrastructure support necessary that allows the Navy, the Army and other Joint Partners to conduct their individual missions. It may not come with a lot of fanfare, but it is important to the larger framework of our support to the overall Dept. of Defense mission,” Coleman said.
Johnston said that 2022 is already shaping up to be a busy year for naval operations in the region.
“International maritime forces are at their best when working by, with and through one another to address common challenges. That is why in the coming weeks, months and years we will continue to strengthen and expand our alliances and strategic partnerships to bolster regional deterrence,” he said.
“We are also pursuing opportunities to have greater visibility above, on and below the water by integrating new unmanned systems and artificial intelligence. U.S. 5th Fleet launched a new task force last fall to accelerate innovation in this area,” Johnston said.
| Date Taken: | 03.24.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.30.2022 08:45 |
| Story ID: | 417065 |
| Location: | AE |
| Web Views: | 219 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, U.S. Air Force, Navy Work in Partnership at Al Dhafra Air Base, by SMSgt Daniel Heaton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
