May 28, 2021

PATFORSWA receives 2 new Sentinel-class U.S. Coast Guard fast response cutters

MANAMA, BAHRAIN — U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class fast response cutters USCGC Charles Moulthrope (WPC 1141) and Robert Goldman (WPC 1142) arrived at their new homeport onboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain, May 25. The FRCs are two of six planned to be attached to Patrol Forces Southwest Asia, forward-deployed to Bahrain with Commander, Task Force 55. They will replace the existing Coast Guard Island-class patrol boats USCGC Aquidneck (WPB 1309) and USCGC Adak (WPB 1333).

May 28, 2021

MASCAL: Unity is strength

ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, Kuwait — Dilapidated ruins in what felt like the middle of nowhere, surrounded by sand, made for the perfect atmosphere for a mass casualty exercise. With heat well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the sun beating down their faces, people slowly filled the scene drenched in sweat and fake blood – passersby would have taken one look and assumed a zombie apocalypse was about to take place. Exercise. Exercise. Exercise. The emergency call was made, and the simulated victims came to life – screaming for help, crying in pain and waiting for first responders to arrive. The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing alongside its coalition partners participated in a mass casualty exercise here, May 19. For this iteration, the wing had volunteers to act as simulated casualties with injuries from a staged bombed observation post.

May 22, 2021

PSAB hosts joint air defense training with RSAF forces

PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA — Airmen from three U.S. Air Forces Central wings joined joint and regional partners for Desert Mirage III --- the third iteration of a bilateral event designed to enhance the interoperability and air defense capabilities between partner nation forces – at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia May 18-19.In addition to members from AFCENT’s 378th Air

May 20, 2021

Task Force Phoenix rises again in the Middle East

CAMP BUEHRING, KUWAIT — After more than two years of preparation and training, the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, as Task Force Phoenix, formally assumed its overseas mission during a Transfer of Authority ceremony here. For the next nine months, the Task Force will provide full-spectrum aviation operations for the U.S. Central Command’s Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Spartan Shield.

May 19, 2021

AUAB’s 540-degree protection system

AL UDEID AIR BASE, QATAR — As technology and warfare changes, so too does the focus for base defense. No longer can the military focus solely on the 360-degree defense of the base perimeter – defending the airspace is also necessary to fight in today’s contested environments. This is where the counter-small unmanned aerial systems, or C-UAS, is an important tool for the future of base protection. By implementing C-UAS, Al Udeid AB is better protected from potential threats via unmanned aircraft – commonly referred to as drones. The system allows operators to identify threats and disable the connection between the controller and the drone, effectively grounding the threat, which allows the appropriate helping agencies to disable the device before it can cause any damage to base assets.

May 17, 2021

Innovation saves 37 work-hours using spreadsheet

ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, Kuwait — In a deployed environment, unit travel representatives (UTR) have to find an extra 40 hours to complete the duties required of them within a five-day span. On top of the typical 12-hour shifts, six days a week they spend on their primary duties, UTRs are responsible for tracking unit members’ travel back home. U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Caleb Jones, 386th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron manpower analyst, created a macro, a recorded series of instructions, with a spreadsheet that cuts the 40 hours of work into three hours or less by automating about 90% of a UTR’s duty when it comes to a data scrub, a process used to determine redeployment dates.

May 10, 2021

Unsafe and Unprofessional Interaction with IRGCN FIAC in Strait of Hormuz

NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN — On May 10, 2021, Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) fast in-shore attack craft (FIAC), a type of speedboat armed with machine guns, conducted unsafe and unprofessional maneuvers and failed to exercise due regard for the safety of U.S. forces as required under international law while operating in close proximity to U.S. naval vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

May 8, 2021

USS Monterey Seizes Illicit Weapons in the North Arabian Sea

NSA BAHRAIN — The guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) seized an illicit shipment of weapons from a stateless dhow in international water of the North Arabian Sea on May 6-7, 2021.

May 6, 2021

NAVCENT, U.S. Fifth Fleet, CMF Change of Command

Vice Adm. Brad Cooper relieved Vice Adm. Samuel Paparo as commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) during a change of command ceremony onboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain, May 5, 2021.

May 3, 2021

Task Force Spartan participates in missile defense exercise

QATAR — The 130th Field Artillery Brigade of Task Force Spartan participated in an Air and Missile Defense Exercise (AMDEX 21), a U.S.-led event that develops tactics against simulated air and missile threats, April 12 - 23, 2021.