Deputy Commander for Mobilization from Marine Forces Command visits Navy Expeditionary Combat Command

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, UNITED STATES

08.27.2020

Story by Lt.Cmdr. Amber Lewis 

Navy Expeditionary Combat Command

Virginia Beach, Va. -- Brig. Gen. William Souza, Deputy Commander Marine Forces Command (Mobilization) met with Rear Adm. Joseph DiGuardo, incoming Commander of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), to discuss Marine Corps and Navy Expeditionary Combat Force (NECF) Naval integration efforts.

Souza attended the NECC 101 brief at NECC headquarters and then toured the Coastal Riverine Group 2 (CRG 2) facilities. DiGuardo and Souza also toured a Mark VI Patrol Boat and spoke with the Sailors who maintain the boat.

“We are the Navy expeditionary combat force,” said DiGuardo, “and our forces are a key enabler for the Naval service. NECC and the Marines provide greater competitive options to deliver more combat lethality in the littoral spaces. We look for every opportunity for collaboration with the Marines.”

Continued collaboration between MFC and NECC is critical to integrating all Naval forces and builds a force that can persist in an era of great power competition and achieve influence throughout the maritime domain and beyond. Integrated American Naval Power in all domains, is the end state that will ensure the Navy is ready to win across the full range of military operations in competition, crisis, and contingency.

NECC and MFC have several ongoing collaboration events. There are times when NECC forces support MFC forces and there are times when MFC forces support NECC forces.

Souza is leading the Naval integration planning effort for MFC in close coordination with US Fleet Forces (USFF) Command. As part of Naval integration, NECC plays a critical role in both current and future operating concepts. Souza’s visit to NECC demonstrates the Marine Corps’ commitment to working with the NECF to advance integrated forces and leverage complimentary capabilities.

CRG 2 is part of the larger Coastal Riverine Force, which is a core Navy capability that enables the fleet by providing port and harbor security, high value asset security, and maritime security operations in the coastal and inland waterways.

There are 12 Mark VI (MKVI) Patrol Boats in the U.S. Navy; three each in San Diego, Norfolk, Guam, and Bahrain. The MKVI craft provide a core capability to defend designated high value assets throughout the littoral environment by providing port and harbor security, high value asset security, and maritime security operations in the littorals.

NECC is responsible for organizing, manning, training, equipping, and sustaining the NECF to execute combat, combat support, and combat service support missions across the full spectrum of naval, joint, and combined operations which enable access from the sea and freedom of action throughout the sea-to-shore and inland operating environments.

The NECF is comprised of Sailors skilled in a diverse set of specialized capabilities. These expeditionary Sailors support the U.S. Navy while serving as members of Coastal Riverine Force, Naval Construction Force, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, and Diving and Salvage Units; and as part of expeditionary units that provide unique intelligence and logistics capabilities.

• Date Taken: 08.27.2020
• Date Posted: 09.02.2020 13:41
• Story ID: 377327
• Location: VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, US