Bahrain Desert Times (487) - January 2023

U.S., Bahrain Launch Annual Maritime Security Exercise

From NAVCENT Public Affairs

Military personnel from the United States and the Kingdom of Bahrain began a 10-day naval exercise Jan. 15 in and off the coast of Bahrain.

Exercise Neon Defender is an annual bilateral training event that enhances collaboration and interoperability among the Bahrain Defence Force, Ministry of Interior and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT). NAVCENT is headquartered in Manama, Bahrain.

“We are very excited to begin the new year training side by side with the Kingdom of Bahrain, a longstanding, strategic partner,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of NAVCENT and U.S. 5th Fleet. Cooper also leads the Combined Maritime Forces and the International Maritime Security Construct, two U.S.-led international naval coalitions hosted in Bahrain.

“Each year, our mutual commitment to regional maritime security and stability strengthens and expands, and this year is no different,” said Cooper. “This is a great start to

meaningful bilateral cooperation we will demonstrate together in 2023.”

The exercise will focus on maritime operations, installation defense, expeditionary operations, tactical combat, medical response and search and rescue training.

Approximately 200 personnel from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard are participating in addition to coastal patrol ships USS Monsoon (PC 4) and USS Chinook (PC 9).

“We appreciate the opportunity to sharpen our skills alongside our Bahraini partners,” said Lt. Cmdr. Antoni Wyszynski, the lead exercise planner. “This event brings us together and enables us to learn from each another.”

NAVCENT includes maritime forces stationed in Bahrain and operating in the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Bab al-Mandeb.

U.S. Navy Intercepts More Than 2,000 Assault Rifles Shipped from Iran

From NAVCENT Public Affairs

U.S. naval forces intercepted a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman, Jan. 6, and discovered it smuggling

2,116 AK-47 assault rifles while transiting international waters along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen.

A U.S. Navy boarding team from

patrol coastal ship USS Chinook (PC 9) initially discovered and seized the weapons with support from USS Monsoon (PC 4) and guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68). The intercepted vessel, which was sailing on a route historically used to traffic illicit cargo to the Houthis in Yemen, was crewed by six Yemeni nationals.

The direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons to the Houthis violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216 and international law. The transfer of the vessel and its crew for repatriation is in progress.

“This shipment is part of a continued pattern of destabilizing activity from Iran,” said Vice Adm.

Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces. “These threats have our attention. We remain vigilant in detecting any maritime activity that impedes freedom of navigation or compromises regional security.”

In the past two months, U.S. 5th Fleet has also intercepted two other fishing vessels in the Gulf of Oman smuggling lethal aid from Iran to Yemen.

Forces operating from expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) seized more than 50 tons of ammunition rounds, fuses and propellants for rockets, Dec. 1. Weeks earlier on Nov. 8, The Sullivans, USS Hurricane (PC 3) and U.S. Coast Guard ship USCGC John Scheuerman (WPC 1146) intercepted more than 70 tons of ammonium perchlorate, a powerful oxidizer commonly used to make rocket and missile fuel, as well as 100 tons of urea fertilizer.

The U.S. 5th Fleet operating area includes 21 countries, the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb and Suez Canal.

DOD Aims to Shield Warfighters from Novel Biological Agents

The Department of Defense is modernizing its approach for developing medical countermeasures to protect warfighters from novel biological agents.

This is made clear in a new document, "Approach for Research, Development and Acquisition of Medical Countermeasures and Test Products," which was recently published by the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Chemical and Biological Defense. This office oversees the Department of Defense's Chemical and Biological Defense Program. The CBDP's mission is to anticipate future threats and deliver capabilities that enable the Joint Force to fight and win in CB-contested environments.

The CBDP has always prioritized medical countermeasures, which consist of vaccines, medical tests and drugs. "No matter how good our boots, suits, gloves and masks perform, there's always going to be the risk that our warfighters don't necessarily have their equipment on when they need it. So having medical countermeasures as an added layer for protection makes sense," Dr. Kevin Wingerd, CBDP's medical director, said. What has changed is the nature of the threat.

"The convergence of different sciences and technologies is transforming the biological threat landscape," Wingerd said. "In particular, it has created a nearly

limitless number of potential threats we must defend against."

This contrasts to the past, when DOD developed medical countermeasures against a defined list of specific threats, typically ones adversaries had already weaponized. But this "one bug, one drug" approach isn't viable in the face of the exponentially larger number of potential threats, including novel ones.

Nor is the Department solely focused on deliberate biological threats. In his Biodefense Vision Memo published in November 2021, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III directed the Department to be postured against agents that are naturally occurring as well as those that may have been released accidentally, alongside traditional deliberate ones. The new medical countermeasures approach provides a roadmap to address this more challenging problem set.

According to the document, nonspecific medical countermeasures will enable warfighters to remain on the battlefield

after being exposed to an agent. After that agent has been identified, rapid development of medical countermeasures that eliminate the specific threat will be given to all warfighters, including those newly entering the battle.

Nonspecific medical countermeasures are broad-spectrum acting and are designed to target a set of similar agents, diseases or symptoms. Nonspecific medical countermeasures are particularly vital for novel agents that have no medical countermeasures. Administrating nonspecific medical countermeasures could alleviate symptoms, slow down disease progression and reduce transmission of the agent, allowing troops to remain in the battle with little impairment. While the agent may be suppressed for a given period, a medical countermeasure that targets and eliminates the novel agent is still required.

As Wingerd puts it, "Using nonspecific medical countermeasures allows the agent's effects to be mitigated and the warfighter to remain operational and combat ready, while simultaneously allowing for rapid development of specific medical countermeasures that can be used to completely get rid of the agent and protect incoming warfighters."

To rapidly develop narrow-spectrum medical countermeasures, the CBDP will leverage cutting edge technology including artificial intelligence and machine learning and establish partnerships with known

pharmaceutical manufacturers. The CBDP considers manufacturing capacity a strategic challenge, which the new approach addresses as a goal.

"In a response preparedness posture, we need to invest in unique medical infrastructure designed to rapidly produce new vaccines and drugs, and leverage existing medical infrastructure by adapting them to target new agents quickly," Wingerd explained.

"What COVID has certainly taught us is that if that industrial base isn't present, it doesn't matter how good your ideas are, they're just not going to go anywhere," he added, mentioning that partnerships with the interagency, academia and U.S. allies and partners are also critical.

Besides the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is the regulating agency for medical countermeasures, Wingerd mentioned the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy as key CBDP interagency partners. Pointing to the recently updated National Biodefense Strategy, Wingerd said, "This effort is really a whole of government approach, and the CBDP's new approach aligns with and supports the NBS."

He added that he expects new advances in medical countermeasures to bear fruit beginning as early as next year, with more to follow.

Artificial Intelligence Summit at NPS Accelerates Critical Capabilities

From Rose Mena-Werth, Naval Postgraduate School Office of University Communications

The fourth quarterly Naval Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit took place December 5-9 at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). More than 160 participants from the eight Navy AI Task Forces, Warfare and Warfighting Development Centers, the fleet, Fleet Marine Force and DOD engaged in-person and virtually at the summit co-hosted by the U.S. Navy Chief AI Officer (NCAIO) Brett Vaughan and NPS’ Naval Warfare Studies Institute.

Decision Advantage is one of six force design elements and will be enabled by AI as stated in the Chief of Naval Operations’ NAVPLAN 2022. These AI Summits are held to tighten the connections between Naval AI enablers, practitioners and users, as well as grow the Naval AI community into a platform for accelerated AI deployment supporting the Navy’s highest priorities.

“We focused attendees time on planning Naval AI training and education, AI/machine learning (ML) operations deployment pipelines, and AI Fusion, a concept for the operational deployment of AI in service to distributed maritime operations and the hybrid fleet,” said Vaughn. “NPS has been instrumental as a central connector and helping us develop a blueprint for a Naval AI organization and governance structure.”

U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Jack Long, PhD, a Marine Reservist at the Office of Naval Research and Deputy Navy Chief AI Officer, introduced summit attendees to the current state of AI in the Navy and began the discussion of future trends to shape impactful Naval AI development and deployment.

The Navy and its AI Task Forces were joined at the summit by partners from the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Joint Staff and the Chief Digital and AI Office (CDAO).

AI is a tool that becomes ever more applicable as the world becomes more wired, generates more data, and increasingly taps advanced processing power.

“We think AI is widely applicable to warfare, so we want to make sure the Naval services and the DoD in general are able to efficiently harness this emergent and disruptive tool. It's important that we are ready to use it for our own purposes, whether in warfighting or corporate functions, and be ready to have it used against us,” said Long.

With discussions held at varied classification levels, a significant part of the summit focused on skills that the Navy and Marine Corps will need to channel this capability. Past innovations like submarines and aviation have reshaped naval warfare, with each invention requiring new doctrine, equipment, and personnel to support it. As the required skills become more specialized, those

personnel have required new career paths to allow them to become masters at their crafts.

The Navy must learn to operate at the speed of AI. As expertise becomes internal, the Navy will need a workforce capable of coding, building models, and harnessing AI in a similar fashion to how Sailors once had to know how to use a sextant. AI application would become part of basic seamanship. Alternatively, the Navy could rely on industry and contractors to bend AI to the Navy’s purposes in much the same way as the service has them build ships.

This summit started the conversation on what the services will need to have about how they define their core competency and what they choose to not do.

“Right now, there's a small cadre of people in the Navy that have thought about this extensively,” said Long. “Before the CNO or CMC sign off on strategic AI decisions, a much wider group must be engaged. Ultimately this is a conversation

about the future identity of the Services in an age of digital warfare.”

During the week-long summit, attendees connected, received informational briefs, and took part in several practical workshops on topics such as Naval AI training and education, practical AI/ML deployment pipeline architecture and operational AI employment at the forward edge of naval operations.

Some of these conversations will inspire projects and partnerships that will be realized through a Naval Innovation Exchange (NIX) led by Dr. Mathias Kolsch at NPS. Kolsch is working to tie the summit, courses and research together.

“I am figuring out the ideal workforce composition for AI/ML involved projects, and the AI Summit also informs me how to do that,” Kolsch explained. “I meet and talk to these people. I see where there are successful projects and begin asking questions. How many are listed here for this? What do they know? Can they code? … What are the skills needed for this project? So, this summit informs the NIX.”

Cooperative planning for the next Naval AI Summit in March 2023 has already begun, and Kolsch plans to offer a version of the popular “AI for Leadership” course specifically designed to support active general officers, flag officers, and Senior Executive Service civilians during the same week.

NPS is currently a center of gravity for advanced AI training and education within the Naval Education Enterprise. If the NCAIO and Long have their way, that role will grow in the near term. At the crux of research and operational experience, NPS is an ideal center for AI advanced education and implementation.

“The vision of accelerated Naval AI training and education, anchored at NPS, closely resembles the role of Top Gun for Naval Aviators. NPS as a center for advanced AI training in much the same way pilots go to flight school and then later in their career go back for advanced training to keep current and learn how to employ the craft at the pace of industry and adversaries,” said Long. “That's the core role that we see NPS playing in the coming years – the central hub for the diffusion of AI knowledge across the Navy and Marine Corps.”

Since inception of the program, the AI Summit continues to grow and evolve. What began as an ambitious effort of less than a dozen practitioners has grown by orders of magnitude. And it’s a number that will surely grow as the Navy and Marine Corps further embrace the widespread applications of AI, and the necessity to evolve and innovate at great speed and scale. NPS will continue to play a leading role in AI education, research and innovation with the next AI Summit scheduled for March 2023.

Royal Saudi Navy Transfers Command of Middle East Task Force to UK Royal Navy

From NAVCENT Public Affairs

During an indoor ceremony at the U.S. Navy base in Bahrain, Jan. 18, United Kingdom’s Royal Navy assumed command of a multinational task force led by the Royal Saudi Naval Forces since July.

Royal Saudi Navy Rear Adm. Abdullah Al-Mutairi turned over command of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 to UK Royal Navy Capt. James Byron. CTF 150 is one of four task forces under Combined Maritime Forces, the largest international naval partnership in the world, consisting of 34 member-nations.

CTF 150 conducts maritime security operations in the Gulf of Oman, North Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden to help ensure freedom of navigation by disrupting and deterring destabilizing maritime activity.

“Six months ago, I was here on this same stage,” Al-Mutairi explained. “We said then, 'Saudi Arabia is always ready.' We came here ready, and this is our achievement.”

Under Al-Mutairi’s leadership, CTF 150 ships logged more than 10,000 hours on regional patrols and intercepted six shipments of illegal drugs that

included opium, heroin, hashish and amphetamines. The combined estimated value of the seized drugs totaled more than $250 million.

Al-Mutairi’s headquarters staff included personnel from Bahrain, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia.

CTF 150’s new commander, Byron, has completed multiple command tours, including in the Middle East region. He served as the staff operations officer and later deputy commander of the Bahrain-based United Kingdom Maritime Component Command until August 2020.

“I am delighted to be taking command of Combined Task Force 150 and look forward to following the huge successes achieved by Rear Adm. Al-Mutairi and his team from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over the last six months,” Byron said. “My Royal Navy staff, supported by personnel from both the Royal Navy of New Zealand and the Italian Marina Militare, will work tirelessly to keep a watchful eye over the region.”

Combined Maritime Forces is headquartered in Bahrain with U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet.

Don't Call It a Logo: The Heraldry Behind U.S. Military, Government Insignia

service members love to collect (although the insignia stamped onto the coin might be their work).

Based at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, The Institute of Heraldry has been under the purview of the Army since 1918 when President Woodrow Wilson directed the secretary of the Army to establish a means to oversee the design of Army insignia, which had not been standardized until that point. Nowadays, the institute is the designer of insignia for various U.S. government agencies and the armed forces. It's also the only producer of presidential and vice presidential seals and coats of arms.

From Katie Lange, DOD News

If you're a service member or a federal worker, there's a good chance that you come across meaningful insignia daily. From presidential seals, medals and flags to chevrons, unit badges and other decorations, each of these items includes emblems with colors and symbols that tell a story, giving an identity to the people and institutions they represent.

Heraldry, as it's known, is an art form that was derived in combat, so its military attachment is fitting. Heraldry was first created in the 12th century in northern Europe to essentially identify combatants on the battlefield. Today, that still rings true. In the U.S. military and within the federal government, many seals and insignia can be traced to the aptly named Institute of Heraldry, a small office of 19 civilian employees within the Department of the Army who are best described as the guardians of the nation's symbolic heritage.

Just, whatever you do, don't call the institute's products logos — that's a term used for branding, not organizational identity, officials said. And no, they're not responsible for those challenge coins that

So, what about that chevron on your uniform, badge on your cap, or the seal that adorns the building you walk into every day? Over the past 100 years, someone at The Institute of Heraldry was likely responsible for it. The office's designers create the various insignia by studying the mission and requirements behind the organization that asked for it. Then the designers work their magic. But, according to Institute Director Charles Mugno, it's not something just any artist or graphic designer could do.

"There's really no art school that specializes in teaching the heraldic conventions associated with true heraldic symbolism," he said, calling those conventions complex. "We look for people who have an interest in wanting to create visual organizational identity using symbols. Then, when they come here, it takes about a year or two to be able to reach a level of expertise where they can sit down and, on their own, do creative heraldry."

One such expert, Mike Craghead, has been hand painting presidential seals for 21 years. The seals, which are molded from epoxy, fiberglass and resin, can be seen throughout the White House and on Air Force One. The presidential design has

remained the same since it was codified into law in 1945. In fact, once heraldic insignia and seals are created, they're rarely changed.

"What you want is every past, present or future member of that command or agency to be able to share in the historical legacy of that seal and that symbol," said Mugno, a former Marine Corps colonel. "It allows for cohesiveness and unit morale common to all members that is particularly important in the military."

That may make you think there can't be much more for the institute to do, since so much has already been established in the military. But you would be wrong. There are always new seals and insignia to be created, such as badges for unmanned aircraft systems or new campaign medals. During fiscal year 2022, Mugno said the institute completed more than 600 projects, including the creation of coats of arms and seals for the fleet oiler USNS John Lewis, the cutter USCG William Chadwick and other new vessels.

"We created a law-enforcement decoration for the attorney general to recognize community-oriented policing," Mugno said of the more recent work they've done. The institute also worked closely with the Director of National Intelligence, a cabinet position that was created after Sept. 11, 2001, to develop that office's heraldic program.

And oh yeah — there's the Space Force. That has given these heraldic experts lots to do. Since 2019, when the branch was created, the institute has worked to outfit the service with everything it needs, including seals, flags, badges and other uniform accessories.

"It was a rare and exciting opportunity," Mugno said of the process, which is still in the works. "We are probably 90% completed in their heraldic program. We have three or four designs … that we are awaiting approval. Then we'll begin the development

phase of actually creating the insignia."

Once the designs are created and approved for any client, the institute works with 18 partnering U.S. manufacturers that they certify to bulk-produce various items displaying the insignia. Before the manufacturers can start the process, though, the institute's quality assurance experts make sure their equipment, such as the stamp-like dies that make medals, is up to par. Some of those items are sent to the institute to undergo rigorous testing before production begins. Additional testing on the finished products includes scrutinizing everything from textile thread color to the depth that an insignia is cut into a medal, as well as what mix of metals were used for it.

A small team of the institute's experts also goes to the certified manufacturer facilities and military clothing sales stores the products are sold in, such as the ArmyAir Force Exchange System and other base exchanges. While there, they review each piece of metal or textile that's created to ensure compliance with official specifications.

In their spare time — which isn't much — the institute's artists are digitizing Defense Department awards and insignias that were created prior to the late 1990s. Back then, all of the artwork was created by hand, which took much longer than the current processes that use computer-aided design.

"Because our origins go back to 1918, we have a tremendous amount of files in that 80-plus year time frame that were painted by hand," Mugno said. "Slowly but surely, we'll bring those files into the digitized world."

So, if you've ever wondered what the "cap of liberty" on the Army seal means, or what the differences are among the Army, Navy and Air Force Medals of Honor, rest assured that someone at The Institute of Heraldry knows the answer!

439-4520

www.cnic.navy.mil/bahrain

Commanding Officer

Naval Support Activity Bahrain

Capt. William Lane

NSA Bahrain Executive Officer

Cmdr. Ernesto Rivera

Public Affairs Officer

Chief Editor

Mark C. Mosher

Mass Communication Specialist

1st Class Sean Gallagher

Host Nation Public Affairs Director

Ameera Al-Kooheji

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CNREURAFCENT CREDO BAHRAIN

3-DAY

RETREAT SCHEDULE FOR 2023

Registration is now open for all CREDO retreats. The next Personal Resiliency Retreat for NSA Bahrain and Tenant Commands is from February 16-February 18 2023. All ranks welcome, no cost to Service Member.

CREDO is offering three Personal Resiliency Retreats (PRR): 16-18 February, 25-27 May; 27-29 July and two Marriage Enrichment Retreats (MER): 2-4 March and 22-24 June.

Goals for the retreats include helping individuals/couples handle stress more effectively, limiting destructive behavior, developing better communication patterns, understanding safe and unsafe relationship dynamics, and being intentional about expectations and actions in seeking successful relationships with others/spouse.

Only one person from a family may attend the PRR, and only legally married couples may attend the MER. Childcare is not provided at any of the retreats.

CNREURAFCENT CREDO will provide room, lodging and bus transportation for U.S. Active Duty or U.S. Reservist on Active Duty and their immediate family members. U.S. civilians/contractors are welcome but must pay for their expenses.

For registration email CREDO@EU.NAVY.MIL or call DSN 314-626-5255 or Comm. 081-568 5255. For details, contact the CREDO DET Bahrain office at 318-439-6393.

New MOVIES at the MWR Cinema

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (PG)

– 90 mins

Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: he has burnt through eight of his nine lives. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives. | Cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Florence Pugh, Harvey Guillen

Violent Night (R) – 112 mins

An elite team of mercenaries breaks into a family compound on Christmas Eve, taking everyone hostage inside. However, they aren't prepared for a surprise combatant: Santa Claus is on the grounds, and he's about to show why this Nick is no saint. | Cast: David Harbour, John Leguizamo, Beverly D'Angelo, Alex Hassell

Avatar: The Way of Water (PG-13)

– 192 mins

Jake Sully and Ney'tiri have formed a family and are doing everything to stay together. However, they must leave their home and explore the regions of Pandora. When an ancient threat resurfaces, Jake must fight a difficult war against the humans. | Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (PG-13)

– 146 mins

Discovered by record executive Clive Davis, Whitney Houston rises from obscurity to international fame in the 1980s to become one of the greatest singers of her generation. | Cast: Naomi Ackie, Clive Davis, Ashton Sanders, Stanley Tucci

The Bahrain Desert Times

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