Monday, May 07, 2018

Tanned, Rested, and Ready to Sail

After disappearing in 2011, with little need seen to have to fight our way across the Atlantic Ocean to reach Europe, Second Fleet is reborn:

The United States Navy is re-establishing its Second Fleet, responsible for the northern Atlantic Ocean, nearly seven years after it was disbanded as the Pentagon puts countering Russia at the heart of its military strategy. ...

"Second Fleet will exercise operational and administrative authorities over assigned ships, aircraft and landing forces on the East Coast and northern Atlantic Ocean," [CNO Admiral John] Richardson said.

This is related to America's offer to host the reborn NATO command responsible for getting troops and supplies from North America to Europe:

A NATO official, speaking on background during a meeting of the alliance defense ministers, said America has tentatively agreed to host the new Atlantic Command, created to help track submarines and protect shipping lanes across the ocean.

That tentative agreements was in February. And this month the offer was made:

The U.S. Department of Defense announced today that it has officially offered to host the proposed NATO Joint Force Command for the Atlantic at its naval facilities in Norfolk, Virginia.

The names don't match, but perhaps the earlier name was really a generic term.

So America and NATO will be organized to fight our way across the North Atlantic:

"The return to great power competition and a resurgent Russia demands that NATO refocus on the Atlantic to ensure dedicated reinforcement of the continent and demonstrate a capable and credible deterrence effect," Johnny Michael, a Pentagon spokesman, said on May 4.

Not that there is a Red Storm rising from Russia's tattered blue water fleet. But it is best not to assume a safe passage across the North Atlantic right from the start.

Also, what does 2nd Fleet do to 6th Fleet? Right now 6th Fleet is for all our ships in European waters. Will 6th Fleet go back to being the Mediterranean Sea fleet?