By Ensign Kevin Heilenday, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/ Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs
USS HOWARD, At Sea (NNS) -- USS Howard (DDG 83) completed conducting maritime security operations (MSO) on Feb. 28 for Combined Task Force 158 in the North Persian Gulf in support of U.S. 5th Fleet.
Howard, along with other coalition ships, guarded Iraq’s Al Basrah Oil Terminal (ABOT) and the Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminal (KAAOT) off the southern coast of Iraq.
As a part of the USS Boxer (LHD 4) Expeditionary Strike Group (BOXESG), Howard was responsible for coordinating MSO around the Al Basrah oil platform.
MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the North Persian Gulf and protect Iraq’s sea-based infrastructure, which provides the Iraqi people the opportunity for self-determination.
Howard’s visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) teams also played a pivotal role in providing security to the region. However, heavy civilian marine traffic, along with strong winds and currents, made the job challenging for Howard and her crew members.
“Our objective was to ensure that every vessel is secure in all respects prior to it arriving at the terminals,” said Howard’s VBSS Boarding Officer Lt. j.g. Reynel Saa.
The teams regularly interacted with the crews of other vessels, particularly small shipping and fishing craft, to promote security and stability.
“This mission is extremely manpower-intensive and demanding on the crew,” said Senior Chief Operations Specialist (SW) Brian Bassett, a Howard Sailor.
U.S. 5th Fleet’s area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles and includes the Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden and parts of the Indian Ocean. It also includes three critical chokepoints at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.
Welcome to the Milcom Monitor Post sponsored by Teak Publishing (Copyright © 2006-2023 Teak Publishing). All rights are reserved. Redistribution of these pages in any format without prior permission is prohibited. Links to individual stories are permitted without permission. The comment section on this blog is closed, but you can pass along material or comments via email MilcomMP at gmail dot com. If you submit material for this blog and want to remain anonymous, indicate that in your message.
Milcom Monitoring Post Profiles
- Home
- What are Emergency Action Messages (EAM)? Updated 20 September 2021
- UFO Milsat Program
- Fleetsatcom System
- UHF 225-380 MHz Milcom Spectrum Holes: Updated 24 July 2019
- Civilian Air Cargo/Airline/Military Call Signs
- Intl HF Aero Civ/Gov/Mil Frequency List
- USN Aircraft Modex Numbers
- University of Twente Wide Band WebSDR Netherlands
- U.S. Military ALE Addresses
- DoD Air Refueling Frequencies - Update 15 Jul 2016
- COTHEN HF Network – Last Update 23 May 2023
- Monitoring the Civil Air Patrol Auxiliary Update 10 Sep 2016
- US Coast Guard Asset Guide - Update 24 May 2023
- The Spectrum Monitor e-Zine Milcom Column Index - Update 17 January 2022
- The Milcom MT Files (1998-2013) Articles Index