thedrifter
02-12-06, 07:31 AM
Command will give sailors a larger role on the ground
By LOUIS HANSEN, The Virginian-Pilot
© January 14, 2006
Last updated: 12:47 AM
VIRGINIA BEACH — Pick any color water – blue, green or brown – and the Navy wants to be on it.
In a move to bring sailors closer to combat and to assume duties from the fatigued Army and Marines, the Navy formally established the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command at a ceremony Friday at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base.
The new command pulls together Seabees, cargo handlers, ordnance disposal experts and maritime security forces under one structure. It will also create a new riverine force for patrolling inland waterways in countries plagued by terrorists, drug runners and pirates.
“We need a fleet that can operate at the other end of the spectrum,” said Rear Adm. Donald K. Bullard, the commanding officer of the unit.
NECC leaders have already begun planning for a key new initiative – conducting river patrols in Iraq, a task now handled by the Marines. Sailors will train with the Marines and take over patrols next year, Bullard said.
The Navy estimates it has 7,000 sailors on the ground supporting efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Sailors guard Iraq’s two major off shore oil terminals, conduct customs services for vehicles and troops leaving combat, and build roads and buildings.
Despite those efforts, Navy leaders saw the need to enhance their presence on the ground in the Middle East. The roles will be support and force protection and will not include infantry duties.
The unit “is not about a naval infantry,” said Fleet Forces Commander Adm. John B. Nathman. Infantry will continue to be handled by the Marines, with Navy forces following, he said.
The command also marks the comeback of the “brown water Navy.” During Vietnam, sailors regularly patrolled rivers and ports in small, fast boats.
The Cold War priorities focused on large ships and the possibility of global conflicts, and riverine combat dropped in priority. The special operations forces are the Navy’s major combat power along inland waterways.
Bullard said plans for the riverine force are still being drawn up and it will take several years to build a complete and operational patrol fleet. The NECC has about 29,000 sailors and is expected to eventually grow to 40,000.
Lt. Gerald Lowe, executive officer of an underwater construction team based at Little Creek, said new structure will provide uniform training and raise the profile of the dirt sailors.
Lowe’s unit cleared rivers and inlets of sunken boats and other underwater hazards along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. The Seabee unit also cleared submerged dangers and inspected pipelines and piers in Iraq and the Persian Gulf.
Although the command structure will change, he said, “the goal has always been the same.”
Reach Louis Hansen at (757) 446-2322 or louis.hansen@pilotonline.com.
Ellie
By LOUIS HANSEN, The Virginian-Pilot
© January 14, 2006
Last updated: 12:47 AM
VIRGINIA BEACH — Pick any color water – blue, green or brown – and the Navy wants to be on it.
In a move to bring sailors closer to combat and to assume duties from the fatigued Army and Marines, the Navy formally established the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command at a ceremony Friday at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base.
The new command pulls together Seabees, cargo handlers, ordnance disposal experts and maritime security forces under one structure. It will also create a new riverine force for patrolling inland waterways in countries plagued by terrorists, drug runners and pirates.
“We need a fleet that can operate at the other end of the spectrum,” said Rear Adm. Donald K. Bullard, the commanding officer of the unit.
NECC leaders have already begun planning for a key new initiative – conducting river patrols in Iraq, a task now handled by the Marines. Sailors will train with the Marines and take over patrols next year, Bullard said.
The Navy estimates it has 7,000 sailors on the ground supporting efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Sailors guard Iraq’s two major off shore oil terminals, conduct customs services for vehicles and troops leaving combat, and build roads and buildings.
Despite those efforts, Navy leaders saw the need to enhance their presence on the ground in the Middle East. The roles will be support and force protection and will not include infantry duties.
The unit “is not about a naval infantry,” said Fleet Forces Commander Adm. John B. Nathman. Infantry will continue to be handled by the Marines, with Navy forces following, he said.
The command also marks the comeback of the “brown water Navy.” During Vietnam, sailors regularly patrolled rivers and ports in small, fast boats.
The Cold War priorities focused on large ships and the possibility of global conflicts, and riverine combat dropped in priority. The special operations forces are the Navy’s major combat power along inland waterways.
Bullard said plans for the riverine force are still being drawn up and it will take several years to build a complete and operational patrol fleet. The NECC has about 29,000 sailors and is expected to eventually grow to 40,000.
Lt. Gerald Lowe, executive officer of an underwater construction team based at Little Creek, said new structure will provide uniform training and raise the profile of the dirt sailors.
Lowe’s unit cleared rivers and inlets of sunken boats and other underwater hazards along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. The Seabee unit also cleared submerged dangers and inspected pipelines and piers in Iraq and the Persian Gulf.
Although the command structure will change, he said, “the goal has always been the same.”
Reach Louis Hansen at (757) 446-2322 or louis.hansen@pilotonline.com.
Ellie