Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan, the Navy's former top SEAL and current commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, has been tapped by the Pentagon to head the reestablished 4th Fleet.
Adm. Gary Roughead, the chief of Naval Operations, announced Kernan's appointment today to head the fleet which will be responsible for naval forces operating in the Caribbean and Central and South America.
"Re-establishing the 4th Fleet recognizes the immense importance of maritime security in the southern part of the Western Hemisphere," Roughead said in a statement this afternoon, "and signals our support and interest in the civil and military maritime services in Central and South America."
Roughead said U.S. naval strategy relies on having a good working relationship with international partners "as the basis for global maritime security."
He said the new fleet will show a commitment to the region and will serve "to build confidence and trust among nations" in the region "through collective maritime security efforts that focus on common threats and mutual interests."
The new fleet, to be headquartered in Mayport, Fla., will become operational July 1, the Pentagon said. But its establishment will not involve any increase in forces assigned to Mayport.
Kernan will be the first Navy SEAL to serve as a numbered fleet commander.
The 4th Fleet, first established in 1943, was a major U.S. Navy command in the South Atlantic during World War II. Its mission was to protect the U.S. against raiders, blockade runners and enemy submarines.
The fleet was disestablished in 1950 and its responsibilities shifted to the 2nd Fleet.
The other U.S. naval fleets and their areas of operation are:
• Second Fleet, in the Atlantic.
• Third Fleet, in the Eastern Pacific.
• Fifth Fleet, in the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean.
• Sixth Fleet, in the Mediterranean.
• Seventh Fleet, in the Western Pacific.
During World War II, there also were an 8th, 10th and 12th fleet.
Steve Stone, (757) 446-2319/2309, steve.stone@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Upload Your Video
iTunes Podcast
Video Feeds
Watch The Dot
Here's the value of this...
... at least a simple take on it. 1)Any country, in order to grow an create opportunity for its people (and its leaders to remain in power) must expend energy. I've heard that when an economist wants to measure the growth of a country's economy, he doesn't add up receipts, he just calculates how much energy the country burned. That, for the most part means hydrocarbons: How much oil did they burn? So China needs oil. And a lot of it. So much that they tried to acquire UnoCal (or was it someone else), and the U.S. blocked the deal. 2) Brazil just discovered a HUGE oil deposit of its coast that would put Brazil up there with the likes of Venezuela (rumored to have happened the day before the 4th fleet announcement). So, we've got China needing oil, and Brazil and Venezuela having it. My take is that this development is a strategic move to signal to China that the Monroe Doctrine is still in effect, and we're Carrier Group serious about it. I think it's less about Hugo Chavez than it is about Hu Jintao.
What is the value of this?
2nd Fleet has been doing the job. Drug ops, UNITAS etc. No new ships. The mission is the same, just more beuracracy. Good call, Navy.
On paper, look we have this brand new Fleet. It can do all this good stuff. Will it actually be empowered to do anything? Probably not.
Does this mean that Congress acknowledges that there is a threat to our southern border? That we should be beefing up protection? Maybe actually putting up the fence and manning it to keep harmful people out of the country?
Will the 4th Fleet have jurisdiction over the southern boarder with Mexico? Probably not.