Panetta, Portuguese Defense Minister Discuss Common Challenges

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2012 – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta met with Portuguese Defense Minister Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco here today to discuss a range of common challenges, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

 “Secretary Panetta thanked Minister Aguiar-Branco for Portugal's steadfast support in Afghanistan and other NATO missions,” Little added. “He also stressed Portugal's indispensible role as a strategic ally.”

The military leaders discussed enhancing and deepening the U.S.-Portuguese defense relationship, and Panetta confirmed that the United States will remain at Lajes Field in the Azores. The secretary said the United States will consult with Portugal on the modalities of the continued U.S. force posture at Lajes, the Little said.

“Secretary Panetta thanked Minister Aguiar-Branco for the warm hospitality U.S. troops have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy on Portuguese soil,” he added.

Looking forward, he said, Panetta and Aguiar-Branco will work together with other alliance defense leaders to prepare for the NATO Chicago summit in May, building on what was accomplished at the 2010 summit in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.

Panetta and Aguiar-Branco directed their staffs to develop options for enhancing the U.S.-Portuguese defense relationship, Little said, and will follow up in April at a NATO meeting in Brussels. The defense leaders also agreed to have their staffs meet at bilateral political-military talks scheduled here for June, he said.

USS Mitscher Pulls Into Lisbon

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Deven B. King, USS Mitscher Public Affairs

LISBON, Portugal (NNS) -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57) arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, for a regularly scheduled port visit, Nov. 23.

The visit serves as a continuing effort for U.S. 6th Fleet to build global maritime partnerships with European nations and improve maritime safety and security.

"Liberty is a mission for the ship, and we were looking for a good port to visit to strengthen relations and be good ambassadors for the (U.S.) Navy and the United States," said Cmdr. Brian K. Sorenson, USS Mitscher commanding officer.

The port visit comes after almost seven months of deployment, five of which were spent conducting operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR).

During Mitscher's time in port, Sailors will have the opportunity to tour the city and learn about the culture and history that Lisbon has to offer.

"Lisbon was our number one choice, because we know it's a tremendous city with great culture, has a warm demeanor and great hospitality," Sorenson said. "It's a great opportunity for Mitscher to spend time in the 6th Fleet AOR, as we're coming back from our deployment to the 5th Fleet AOR."

The visit also serves as a beginning point for an antisubmarine warfare exercise Mitscher is scheduled to participate in with the Portuguese navy, beginning shortly after the ship departs Lisbon.

Mitscher is deployed as part of the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG) to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations and support missions.

The strike group consists of Carrier Strike Group 2 staff, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, Destroyer Squadron 22 staff, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), guided-missile cruisers USS Gettysburg (CG 64), and USS Anzio (CG 68) and the guided-missile destroyers Mitscher and USS Truxtun (DDG 103).

NAVSEA Participating in Bold Monarch 2011

From Naval Sea Systems Command Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) is participating in Bold Monarch 2011, a NATO submarine rescue exercise, through June 10.

The exercise, held every three years, began May 30, off the coast of Spain near Cartagena.

The United States Navy's contribution to this year's Bold Monarch is the Submarine Rescue Diving and Recompression System's (SRDRS) Pressurized Rescue Module (PRM) Falcon, and the associated topside equipment and systems.

"Preparing for Bold Monarch 2011 has been a multi-month long effort that involved people from my office, NAVSEA's Naval Systems Engineering Directorate, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and the Deep Submergence Unit," said Capt. Gary Dunlap, Advanced Undersea Systems Program Office program manager.

One of the most important efforts during the exercise will be certifying the Russian Federation Navy's Kilo-Class submarine Alrosa (B-781).

"In April, NATO asked NAVSEA to send a team to Sevastopol, Ukraine, to conduct a rescue seat certification on the Russian Federation Navy's submarine Alrosa," said Dunlap. "This marks the first time that we have certified Falcon to mate to, and rescue submariners from, a Russian submarine and the first time that a Russian submarine will take part in a NATO exercise."

Bold Monarch 2011 brings together submarines and rescue capabilities from around the globe. During the exercise, submarines from Russia, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey, will bottom themselves on the ocean floor to allow rescue assets from the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, Sweden, France, Greece, the Netherlands, and Norway, to conduct rescue operations.

"With the addition of the Russian Navy to Bold Monarch, we are taking a great step in making submarine rescue truly international," said Capt. David Duryea, deputy commander, Undersea Warfare.

The SRDRS provides one of the most responsive and capable systems in the world for submarine rescue. Based at the Deep Submergence Unit located at the Naval Air Station in San Diego, Calif., the system is designed to be rapidly deployable and able to mate with a disabled submarine anywhere in the world in 72 hours.

The SRDRS consists of the Atmospheric Dive Suit 2000 (ADS2000) – manned, one-atmosphere dive suit that is used to inspect bottomed submarines and clear away debris that could cover an escape hatch, associated topside equipment and systems, and the PRM Falcon. Falcon is a tethered, remotely-operated submersible that is launched and controlled from the deck of a surface ship and transfers up to 16 submariners from a disabled submarine per dive.

This Day in Naval History - May 27

By Navy News Service

1813 - American joint operations against Fort George, Canada.

1919 - Navy NC-4 completes trans-Atlantic flight from Newfoundland to Lisbon, Portugal.

USS Enterprise Arrives in Lisbon

From Enterprise Carrier Strike Group Public Affairs

LISBON, Portugal (NNS) -- USS Enterprise (CVN 65) arrived in Lisbon, Portugal, Jan. 26, to conduct its first port-of-call in Europe.

The U.S. ambassador to Portugal will host a reception aboard the ship for local officials, and the crew will participate in three community relations projects and visit the capital city of one of America's strongest partners.

Enterprise Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is transiting toward the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, where theater security cooperation efforts and maritime security operations increasingly rely on strong bonds between partner nations.

"We have been conducting exercises with our Portuguese allies and have been very impressed by our longstanding military-to-military connectivity and integration," said Rear Adm. Terry B. Kraft, Enterprise CSG commander. "Our ability to seamlessly work together at both tactical and strategic levels is necessary, and has been very successful."

Portugal, a member of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, was recently praised by President Barack Obama during his November visit to Lisbon, for being "a key partner in Afghanistan" during the president's remarks at the NATO summit.

Portugal currently has 250 troops in Afghanistan deployed to ISAF headquarters, Kabul International Airport and the Regional Command Capital, and is a founding member of NATO.

Enterprise has more than 5,000 Sailors and Marines embarked aboard and is underway on its first deployment since 2007.

"The crew is very excited to be visiting this beautiful and historic city," said Capt. Dee L. Mewbourne, USS Enterprise commanding officer. "Many Sailors join the Navy to see the world, and for nearly half of the crew, Lisbon will be their first overseas liberty port visit. We have lots of tours scheduled and are looking forward to seeing everything that Portugal has to offer."

USS Enterprise is currently on its 21st deployment.

Enterprise Strike Group consists of Enterprise, the guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), the guided-missile destroyers USS Bulkeley (DDG 84), USS Barry (DDG 52) and USS Mason (DDG 87); USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8), Carrier Air Wing 1 and Destroyer Squadron 2.

For news regarding Enterprise Strike Group's deployment, visit the USS Enterprise Facebook page at www.facebook.com/USS.Enterprise.CVN.65.

For more news from USS Enterprise (CVN 65), visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn65/.

Lynn Assesses NATO’s Cybersecurity Progress

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Jan. 25, 2011 – NATO is moving ahead with plans to protect the alliance’s cyberspace domain, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said here today.

In an interview at the European Defense Agency, Lynn said NATO leaders are taking concrete steps to defend cyberspace.

Lynn called his visit a “a bookend trip.” He had visited the alliance headquarters two months before NATO’s November summit in Lisbon, Portugal, to propose and coordinate U.S. ideas for defending cyberspace. His meeting today was part of the High Level Meeting of National Policy Advisors on NATO Cyber Defense. Coming two months after the summit, it was a chance for Lynn to assess progress.

“The first step for NATO is to protect its own networks,” the deputy secretary said. “We need concrete steps. We need to move to full operational capability of the NATO Cyber Incident Response Center, and make good on the promise of Lisbon to pull it forward from 2015 to 2012.”

Strong support exists in the alliance for this step, Lynn said, and while finances always are a concern, he said he sees that happening.

Lynn said the alliance also is putting centralized governance mechanisms in place to protect its networks.

“You have to have configuration control. You have to have a single management structure,” he said. “One of the outputs of the agency reform effort that NATO is undertaking will be to get that centralized governance structure.”

Lynn also participated in a public- and private-sector cybersecurity roundtable sponsored by Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe. The roundtable included representatives from private companies, colleges and think tanks.

“It reflects the mutual interdependence of economic and security factors,” Lynn said. “It reflects the fact that [cybersecurity] is not a problem like air defense, where you would look to the government alone to provide the solution.”

Cybersecurity has to include private and nongovernmental entities, Lynn said, and the private-sector representatives didn’t really argue.

“The overall thrust [during the roundtable] is that companies believe this needs to be a partnership,” he said.

Lynn emphasized the word “partnership,” saying he believes the issue needs government resources and support, but not necessarily government orders. “I got the same message here as I did in the States,” he said.

The private sector has enormous technologies to share, and governments have resources to invest in those technologies. Still, Lynn said, it is a learning experience for both sides.

In the United States, the Defense Department works closely with firms making up the Defense industrial base to protect networks and data on those nets. At first, the firms were worried about sharing proprietary information, but now they see the value, Lynn said.

“Many of their fears have fallen away, and we have a very good two-way street with them,” Lynn said. The fears are not completely gone, he acknowledged, but they have relaxed to the point that they see their data is being protected. And they “are gaining a much better understanding of what the threat is, where it is coming from and how other people are dealing with it,” he added. “Essentially, the rising tide is lifting all boats in its ability to protect.”

The Defense Department has learned important lessons in protecting U.S. military networks, Lynn said, and he reached out to the European Union and the European Defense Agency to share those lessons.

Lynn Discusses Cybersecurity with NATO, U.S. Leaders

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

BRUSSELS, Belgium, Jan. 24, 2011 – Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III met with NATO and U.S. leaders at the alliance headquarters here today to discuss the way forward in cybersecurity.

At the alliance’s November summit in Lisbon, Portugal, NATO’s heads of state and leaders of government agreed that the threats in cyberspace have grown and that the alliance must confront them.

The threats are more frequent, more organized and more costly, a joint statement released at the summit said, and “they can reach a threshold that threatens national and Euro-Atlantic prosperity, security and stability.”

The threats, the statement added, can come from foreign militaries and intelligence services, organized crime, terrorist and extremist groups, or even individuals.

In Lisbon, NATO leaders called on the alliance to develop the ability to prevent, detect, defend against and recover from cyber attacks. The alliance must protect critical networks and put in place processes to leverage national cyber defense capabilities, the alliance’s leaders added.

Partnerships between the public and private sectors are essential, as government and military networks routinely use private networks to communicate. Lynn furthered the public-private partnership concept during a roundtable at NATO this morning. Accompanied by Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe, the deputy secretary stressed the need for public and private entities to work together to find a balance between openness and security, according to defense officials present at the meeting.

Tomorrow, Lynn continues the cybersecurity conversation by taking part in a high-level meeting of national policy advisors on NATO cyber defense at the alliance’s headquarters. He also will meet with European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton and the newly appointed chief executive of the European Defense Agency, Claude-France Arnould.