Secretary of Defense Visits Naval Support Activity Bahrain

29 October 2020

From Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Matthew Riggs, U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs

During his first visit to Bahrain as Secretary of Defense, Dr. Mark T. Esper toured facilities and met with personnel on board U.S. Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Oct. 28.

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NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN – During his first visit to Bahrain as Secretary of Defense, Dr. Mark T. Esper toured facilities and met with personnel on board U.S. Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Oct. 28.

201028-N-IO414-1020 NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN (Oct. 28, 2020) Vice Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, walks with Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper during a visit to the NAVCENT headquarters on board Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Oct. 28 . NAVCENT is the U.S. Navy element of U.S. Central Command in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations and encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse is comprised of 20 countries and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jordan Crouch)

Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper, third from left, tours the coastal patrol ship USS Monsoon (PC 4) during a visit to Naval Support Activity Bahrain.

201028-N-KC128-1114 NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN (Oct. 28, 2020) Capt. Christopher Gilbertson, commander, Task Force (CTF) 55, second from right, speaks to Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper during a visit on board Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Oct. 28. NAVCENT is the U.S. Navy element of U.S. Central Command in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations and encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse is comprised of 20 countries and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Hinton)

201028-N-IO414-1020 NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN (Oct. 28, 2020) Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper visits U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) headquarters on board Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Oct. 28. NAVCENT is the U.S. Navy element of U.S. Central Command in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations and encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse is comprised of 20 countries and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jordan Crouch)

Esper met with Vice Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, to discuss ongoing operations and partnerships in the region. He then visited the headquarter’s maritime operations center (MOC), where watchstanders provide command and control for missions throughout the 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO).

Esper visited with the Navy and Marine Corps team at Commander, Task Force 51/5, where he spoke with Brigadier General Farrell Sullivan, commanding general of CTF 51/5, to discuss naval integration between the maritime services.

He also sat down with a group of junior Officers and Sailors to discuss their experience serving in the military and while stationed in Bahrain.

During his final stop on base, he visited forward deployed naval forces at the waterfront. Sailors aboard the mine countermeasures ship USS Devastator (MCM 6) and the patrol coastal ship USS Monsoon (PC 4) provided the secretary ship tours.

The visit highlighted the role of NAVCENT/5th Fleet’s operations to the U.S. national defense strategy as well as the longstanding partnership between the Kingdom of Bahrain and U.S. Navy.

The U.S. 5th Fleet AOO encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse is comprised of 20 countries and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.

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