Vinson CSG conducting maneuvers with JMSDF Warships

PHILIPPINE SEA (April 28, 2017) Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers JS Ashigara (DDG 178) and JS Samidare (DD 106), the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112), Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) and Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) transit the Philippine Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Z.A. Landers/Released)

US Navy Conducts Simultaneous Bilateral Exercises with JMSDF and ROK

PACIFIC OCEAN (April 30, 2009) The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer JDS Kurama (DDH 144), left, and the guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) take part in Exercise Malabar 2009. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Navy are participating in Exercise Malabar 2009, an annual exercise led by the Indian Navy. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Daniel Viramontes/Released)

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- U.S. Navy ships are conducting simultaneous bilateral maritime exercises with the Republic of Korea Navy and with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force today and tomorrow (April 25-26, local time).

The destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) and ROKN Wang Geon (DDH 978) are conducting combined maritime exercises in waters west of the Korean Peninsula while the destroyers USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) and JMSDF JS Chokai (DDG 176) execute combined maritime exercises in waters west of Japan.

Both exercises demonstrate a shared commitment to security and stability in Northeast Asia as well as the U.S. Navy's inherent flexibility to combine with allied naval forces in response to a broad range of situations.

USS Wayne E. Meyer Arrives in San Diego

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Martin

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, arrived at its new homeport in San Diego Dec. 4, where the ship will be stationed after transiting from the Bath Iron Works Shipyard in Bath, Maine.

"From Bath, Maine to here it took us about two months," said Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class (SW) Matthew Luke Willis. "We left Bath, Maine, on Sept. 25 and arrived here today."

During its transit, the ship stopped in Philadelphia, Rodman, Panama, and Manzanillo, Mexico.

"I am ecstatic right now!" said Kimberly Davis, wife of Gas Turbine System Technician (Mechanical) 3rd Class Brackshea Davis. "I missed him so much and I am so glad they are here!"

Wayne E. Meyer is the 58th destroyer in her class and is named after Rear Adm. Wayne E. Meyer.

The ship also carries the 100th Aegis combat system; an advanced command and control, weapons control system which powerful computers and radars use to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets.

Meyer will provide deterrence, promote peace and security, preserve freedom of the seas and humanitarian /disaster response within 3rd Fleet's 50-million square mile area of responsibility in the Eastern Pacific, as well as supporting the nation's maritime strategy when forward deployed.

USS Wayne E. Meyer to Homeport in San Diego

Crew members man-the-rails during the commissioning ceremony of the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tiffini Jones Vanderwyst/Released)

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, will arrive in San Diego Dec. 4 where the ship will be homeported after transiting from the Bath Iron Works Shipyard in Bath, Maine.

The new destroyer, under the command of Cmdr. Nick A. Sarap, was commissioned in Philadelphia and placed into active service on the Delaware River Oct. 10. The ship is the 58th destroyer in its class carrying the 100th Aegis combat system; an advanced command and control, and weapon control system that uses powerful computers and radars to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets.

Meyer honors retired Navy Rear Adm. Wayne E. Meyer who led the development of the Aegis combat system for the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers.

In 1963, the secretary of the Navy chose Meyer to lead a special Navy Task Force for Surface Missile Systems. Meyer turned down a destroyer command to continue his work with missile, radar and fire control systems, and became the founding chief engineer at the Naval Ship Missile System Engineering Station, Port Hueneme, Calif. In this position, Meyer was promoted to rear admiral in January 1975.

In January 1977, he assumed duties as the founding project manager of the Aegis Shipbuilding Project. This project was ultimately responsible for the construction of all of the Navy's current cruisers and destroyers – with 89 ships built or in construction, and more in planning. This is one of the longest and largest naval shipbuilding programs in history. He retired from active duty in 1985.

Meyer will provide deterrence, promote peace and security, preserve freedom of the sea and humanitarian/disaster response within 3rd Fleet's 50-million square mile area of responsibility in the Eastern Pacific, as well as supporting the nation's Maritime Strategy when forward deployed.

Mullen Praises 'Powerful Legacy' During Ship Commissioning

By Samantha L. Quigley, American Forces Press Service

PHILADELPHIA (NNS) -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff praised the man for whom USS Wayne E. Meyer guided-missile destroyer was named during the ship's commissioning into the U.S. Pacific Fleet here Oct. 10.

"I can think of no finer name for a warship than USS Wayne E. Meyer," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said during the 58th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer's commissioning here today. "For it is the name of the chief visionary of the Navy's surface fleet."

The ship's motto is "One Powerful Legacy," and the late retired Rear Adm. Wayne E. Meyer can be said to have left exactly that in the Navy. Meyer is described as "the father of Aegis," for his role in leading the development of the Aegis Weapons System now used aboard 100 Navy ships.

Meyer abhorred mediocrity as much as he cared for the Navy, and he attended the commissioning of every ship using the Aegis platform in since that of USS Bunker Hill in 1986, Mullen said.

"It is sad, but almost fitting, in a way, that the first commissioning muster Wayne Meyer misses is that of his namesake," he added.

Meyer was 83 when he passed away Sept. 1, 2009.

Originally conceived as a match for the Soviet blue-water navy, Aegis ships have become invaluable for uses beyond deterring Cold War foes.

It was an Aegis ship that recently patrolled at the ready off the coast of North Korea. Another supplied humanitarian aid to the citizens of the former Soviet republic of Georgia during military strife last year, and Aegis ships will continue to provide air defense for expeditionary and carrier strike groups around the world, Mullen said.

"Admiral Wayne Meyer's brainchild has become an enduring staple of our fleet because the system has been able to evolve, to flex to our defense needs as they change over time," Mullen said. "Underpinned by solid systems engineering, … its enduring capabilities are speed agility and adaptability."

The U.S. shares the Aegis weapons system with the Japanese, Spanish, Norwegian, South Korean and Australian navies.

Mullen said he sees this as immense progress to what he used to call the "1,000-ship Navy." This is "a global maritime coalition of good neighbors who use the sea to unite instead of divide," he said.

"Because confronting and overcoming the challenges we face today -- whether piracy, narco-trafficking, weapons of mass destruction or terrorism -- will take all of us: all hands, all services, and all partner nations," the admiral said.

The Aegis ships surely have their virtues, but their true worth always will be in their crews, Mullen said.

"The way that Aegis ships have been conceived, built, tested, and deployed is as much a testament to an engineer's mastery of technology as it is to our Sailor's versatility," he said. "The Aegis ships are made to see, control, and defend. Aegis sailors are made to multitask."

Stopping short of offering the Meyer's crew career advice, Mullen chose to share a anecdote from his own career.

"Let me just say that every time we'd meet, Admiral Meyer was fond of telling me that my career peaked, as a captain, the day I left command of [USS] Yorktown," He said. "Now, Yorktown is down the Delaware a bit, in the process of being scrapped.

"[Wayne Meyer's] career, however, is still going strong as we commission this ship today," he added. "Each and every one of you in Meyer's crew has the great honor of getting the chance to live up that name. May you discover and employ the leadership, determination, ingenuity, and perhaps the stubbornness that goes along with it."

Navy Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, also attended the commissioning. He reinforced the importance this crew would have as the USS Wayne E. Meyer's first.

"You will man the most capable warship in the world," Roughead said. "You will sail under the name Wayne E. Meyer. No naval officer in recent history has distinguished himself as a visionary, as an innovator, and as a leader, as did Wayne Meyer.

"Even though he only left us a short time ago, his spirit will live on in this ship and in the spirit of the officers and sailors who will serve for generations to come," Roughead added.

Meyer's wife, Anna Mae, is the ship's sponsor and a Philadelphia native. She christened her husband's namesake from Bath Ironworks Shipyard in Bath, Maine, on Oct. 18, 2008.

Navy Cmdr. Nick A. Sarap will command the ship, which will call San Diego home. It carries a crew of 370, and measures in at 509-feet, 5-inches in length. It carries the 100th Aegis weapons system built and delivered by Lockheed Martin.

The ship incorporates a helicopter hangar facility into the original design and can carry two SH-60B/R Light Airborne Multipurpose System MK III helicopters. Guided-missile destroyers operate independently and in conjunction with carrier battle groups, surface action groups, amphibious groups and replenishment groups.

Crew members render honors during the commissioning ceremony of the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tiffini Jones Vanderwyst/Released)

Mullen Praises 'Powerful Legacy' During Ship Commissioning

By Samantha L. Quigley, American Forces Press Service

PHILADELPHIA - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff praised the man for whom USS Wayne E. Meyer guided-missile destroyer was named during the ship's commissioning into the U.S. Pacific Fleet here today.

"I can think of no finer name for a warship than USS Wayne E. Meyer," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said during the 58th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer's commissioning here today. "For it is the name of the chief visionary of the Navy's surface fleet."

The ship's motto is "One Powerful Legacy," and the late retired Rear Adm. Wayne E. Meyer can be said to have left exactly that in the Navy. Meyer is described as "the father of Aegis," for his role in leading the development of the Aegis Weapons System now used aboard 100 Navy ships.

Meyer abhorred mediocrity as much as he cared for the Navy, and he attended the commissioning of every ship using the Aegis platform in since that of USS Bunker Hill in 1986, Mullen said.

"It is sad, but almost fitting, in a way, that the first commissioning muster Wayne Meyer misses is that of his namesake," he added.

Meyer was 83 when he passed away Sept. 1, 2009.

Originally conceived as a match for the Soviet blue-water navy, Aegis ships have become invaluable for uses beyond deterring Cold War foes.

It was an Aegis ship that recently patrolled at the ready off the coast of North Korea. Another supplied humanitarian aid to the citizens of the former Soviet republic of Georgia during military strife last year, and Aegis ships will continue to provide air defense for expeditionary and carrier strike groups around the world, Mullen said.

"Admiral Wayne Meyer's brainchild has become an enduring staple of our fleet because the system has been able to evolve, to flex to our defense needs as they change over time," Mullen said. "Underpinned by solid systems engineering, ... its enduring capabilities are speed agility and adaptability."

The U.S. shares the Aegis weapons system with the Japanese, Spanish, Norwegian, South Korean and Australian navies.

Mullen said he sees this as immense progress to what he used to call the "1,000-ship navy." This is "a global maritime coalition of good neighbors who use the sea to unite instead of divide," he said.

"Because confronting and overcoming the challenges we face today -- whether piracy, narco-trafficking, weapons of mass destruction or terrorism -- will take all of us: all hands, all services, and all partner nations," the admiral said.

The Aegis ships surely have their virtues, but their true worth always will be in their crews, Mullen said.

"The way that Aegis ships have been conceived, built, tested, and deployed is as much a testament to an engineer's mastery of technology as it is to our sailor's versatility," he said. "The Aegis ships are made to see, control, and defend. Aegis sailors are made to multitask."

Stopping short of offering the Meyer's crew career advice, Mullen chose to share a anecdote from his own career.

"Let me just say that every time we'd meet, Admiral Meyer was fond of telling me that my career peaked, as a captain, the day I left command of [USS] Yorktown," He said. "Now, Yorktown is down the Delaware a bit, in the process of being scrapped.

"[Wayne Meyer's] career, however, is still going strong as we commission this ship today," he added. "Each and every one of you in Meyer's crew has the great honor of getting the chance to live up that name. May you discover and employ the leadership, determination, ingenuity, and perhaps the stubbornness that goes along with it."

Navy Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, also attended the commissioning. He reinforced the importance this crew would have as the USS Wayne E. Meyer's first.

"You will man the most capable warship in the world," Roughead said. "You will sail under the name Wayne E. Meyer. No naval officer in recent history has distinguished himself as a visionary, as an innovator, and as a leader, as did Wayne Meyer.

"Even though he only left us a short time ago, his spirit will live on in this ship and in the spirit of the officers and sailors who will serve for generations to come," Roughead added.

Meyer's wife, Anna Mae, is the ship's sponsor and a Philadelphia native. She christened her husband's namesake from Bath Ironworks Shipyard in Bath, Maine, on Oct. 18, 2008.

Navy Cmdr. Nick A. Sarap will command the ship, which will call San Diego home. It carries a crew of 370, and measures in at 509-feet, 5-inches in length. It carries the 100th Aegis weapons system built and delivered by Lockheed Martin.

The ship incorporates a helicopter hangar facility into the original design and can carry two SH-60B/R Light Airborne Multipurpose System MK III helicopters. Guided-missile destroyers operate independently and in conjunction with carrier battle groups, surface action groups, amphibious groups and replenishment groups.

Navy to Commission Guided Missile Destroyer Wayne E. Meyer

Sailors prepare to present colors during the christening ceremony for the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108). The newest destroyer honors retired Rear Adm. Wayne E. Meyer, "The Father of Aegis," who led the development of the Aegis combat system. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tiffini M. Jones/Released)

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy will commission the newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, Wayne E. Meyer, during a 1 p.m. EDT ceremony Oct. 10 at Penn's Landing, Philadelphia.

Designated DDG 108, the new destroyer honors the late Navy rear admiral who led the development of Aegis, the first fully integrated combat system built to defend against air, surface and subsurface threats. Meyer was regarded as the father of the Navy's Aegis Weapons System.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will deliver the ceremony's principal address. Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations and the first officer to have commanded both an Aegis cruiser and destroyer, will also deliver remarks. Anna Mae Meyer will serve as sponsor of the ship named for her late husband. The ceremony will be highlighted by a time-honored Navy tradition when she gives the first order to "man our ship and bring her to life!"

Wayne E. Meyer is the 58th of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and carries the 100th Aegis Combat System built. The ship will be able to conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection. Wayne E. Meyer will be capable of fighting air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously and contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime warfare in keeping with "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower," the maritime strategy that postures the sea services to apply maritime power to protect U.S. vital interests in an increasingly interconnected and uncertain world.

Cmdr. Nick A. Sarap Jr., born in Richmond, Va., and raised in Zanesville, Ohio, will become the first commanding officer of the ship and lead the crew of 276 officers and enlisted personnel. The 9,200-ton Wayne E. Meyer was built by Bath Iron Works, a General Dynamics company. The ship is 509 feet in length, has a waterline beam of 59 feet and a navigational draft of 31 feet. Four gas turbine engines will power the ship to speeds in excess of 30 knots.

CNO Speaks at DDG 108 Christening

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Rebekah Blowers, Chief of Naval Operations Public Affairs

BATH, Maine (NNS) -- The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) spoke at the christening ceremony for the Arleigh-Burke class destroyer, USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) on Oct. 18.

Adm. Gary Roughead, CNO, highlighted that this ship is named after the man who is known as the father of Aegis, a highly advanced integrated combat system that is used on all U.S. Navy Arleigh-Burke class destroyers and Ticonderoga class cruisers. Roughead was the first officer to have commanded both classes of Aegis-capable ships.

"Admiral Meyer delivered a great leap in defense technology, one that has given us the flexibility to adjust to emerging threats over several decades, and as we have seen recently, it will be able to adjust to emerging threats for decades to come," Roughead said. "To me the fact that one officer had the vision, the drive, and the passion to ensure that the Navy has the best fleet in the world, is exactly the point when it comes to naming this ship."

Roughead also said he couldn't be more pleased to have Anna Mae Meyer, Adm. Meyer's wife, as the ship's sponsor. He said she has been an equal and a partner in Wayne's endeavors.

"She's worked with the engineers; she's worked with the military; she's worked with our civil servants to help bring the AEGIS weapons program to life. Her energy, her drive and her intellect will be the spirit of this ship," Roughead said.

CNO said that like Adm. Meyer, every Sailor has the unique opportunity to make incredible contributions to fields that will benefit the Navy. He also thanked the Bath Iron Works shipbuilders for all the hard work, innovation and dedication they put in to making the ship complete.

"You are going to provide, as this ship is christened and launched, a capability and the capacity we need to protect our interests; to provide the security that is vital to our prosperity; to prevent conflict; and when necessary, and as has always been the case in the United States Navy, to win in war," the CNO said.