Sailors unable to take leave due to COVID-19 restrictions now have extra time to use their leave.

SAN DIEGO - Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) announced the launch of the Navy’s first secret, commercial, cloud-enabled, development, security and operations (DevSecOps) pipeline, transforming how the Navy protects and manages access to data and applications across all mission areas.

SOUTH CHINA SEA – Comprised of ships and personnel from three U.S. 7th Fleet task forces, Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100), and a detachment from Commander, Task Group (CTG) 75.1/Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5 joined together to form a Surface Action Group (SAG) while underway in the South China Sea.

PORT LOUIS, Seychelles - Rear Adm. Jeffrey Spivey, director, Maritime Partnership Program, U.S Naval Forces Europe-Africa, vice commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet, attended the official signing of the bilateral agreement between the United States and Seychellois Governments on Countering Illicit Transnational Maritime Activity Operations in conjunction with exercise Cutlass Express 21 on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at the Independence House Annex in Seychelles.

ARLINGTON, Va. - To better protect Sailors from steam leaks on nuclear-powered submarines, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) recently delivered new steam suits to crews of the USS Vermont and USS Indiana at Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut.

GAETA, Italy - USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) and embarked Sixth Fleet staff sailed from Gaeta to prepare for Large Scale Exercise (LSE) 2021, July 27.

MOMBASA, Kenya - Maritime forces from East Africa, West Indian Ocean nations, Europe, North America, and several international organizations began the multinational maritime exercise Cutlass Express 2021 (CE21) with an opening ceremony held at the Bandari Maritime Academy in Mombasa, Kenya, July 26, 2021.

ROTA, Spain - The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) departed Naval Station Rota, Spain, on its tenth Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) patrol in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, July 26.

CARIBBEAN SEA - The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Sioux City (LCS 11) and the Dominican Republic Navy conducted a bilateral maritime interdiction exercise off the coast of Santo Domingo, July 22.

ROTA, Spain - The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) returned to Naval Station Rota, Spain, following completion of its 11th Forward-Deployed Naval Forces (FDNF) patrol in the U.S. Sixth Fleet area of operations, July 26, 2021.

WASHINGTON - Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener, Commander, Naval Surface Forces, discussed the state of the surface force and his four priorities for the next year during a media roundtable at the Pentagon, July 22, 2021. 

CORONADO, Calif. – Capt. Bartley Randall, commodore, Naval Special Warfare Center (NSWCEN), was relieved by Capt. Brian Drechsler in a change of command ceremony onboard Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, July 23.

VICTORIA, Seychelles - Maritime forces from East Africa, West Indian Ocean nations, Europe, North America, and several international organizations began the multinational maritime exercise Cutlass Express 2021 (CE21) with an opening ceremony held at the Seychelles Coast Guard Academy in Victoria, Seychelles, July 26, 2021.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - On Tuesday, July 20, 2021, Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to induct B226, a new engineering and logistics building, as the latest addition to the Capt. Christopher J. Roum Engineering and Logistics Complex aboard Naval Air Station (NAS), Jacksonville.

Long before either of them arrived at Recruit Training Command (RTC), Capt. Jeffry Sandin helped make it possible for Hull Maintenance Technician 1st Class Ali Tolinos to earn advancement and extend his Navy career. Tolinos, a Recruit Division Commander (RDC), is now helping Navy recruits begin their careers at RTC, where Sandin recently became the commanding officer. Tolinos’ gateway to RTC, the Navy’s only boot camp, was through the Active Duty Enlisted Advancement-to-Position (A2P) program.

Exercise Cutlass Express 2021, sponsored by U.S. Africa Command and conducted by U.S. Naval Forces Africa, will take place July 26 to August 6, 2021, in the vicinity of Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar and Seychelles.

NORFOLK, Va. - The Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72), an element of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKE CSG), returned to its homeport in Naval Station Norfolk, July 23 following a four-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation.

CORAL SEA - USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) and USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3) participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre 21 (TS21), a large-scale, bilateral military exercise between Australia and the United States, which began July 18 off the northeast coast of Australia.

SINGAPORE - Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck relieved Rear Adm. Joey Tynch as commander of Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 (COMLOG WESTPAC/CTF 73) during an official change of command at the Sembawang wharves, July 26.

ATLANTIC OCEAN - Capt. David Gray was relieved as commanding officer of USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4) by Capt. Chad Graham during a ceremony held in the ship’s hanger bay July 25, 2021.