Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Randi Brown | GULF OF TADJOURA (May 13, 2021) U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Sean Carothers, Task Group...... read more read more
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CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti (July 26, 2021) Gonna be a hot one out today, better hydrate. This is a common message to those Sailors attached to Task Group 68.6 (CTG 68.6), based at Camp Lemonnier, as they prepare to protect high-value Navy vessels in the Port of Djibouti.
U.S. Navy Engineman 1st Class Edgar Ardon, from Sun Valley, Calif., takes a long drink of his Gatorade and starts dressing out for watch. With his bulletproof vest and helmet on, he adds 40 pounds of gear to his weight. His watch team climbs into armored vehicles and drives in convoy to the port. The team is led by a Navy Chief, who reports to the operations commander, who himself, reports to the task group commander.
The Commander of Task Group 68.6, the one responsible for the 102 Sailors of Maritime Security Squadron 11 and the port security mission as a whole, isn’t just another Sailor. He’s not even in the Navy. He’s U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. Benjamin Lehrfeld.
Lehrfeld, from San Martin, Calif., is the second Coast Guardsman to ever be selected as mission commander of a Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron (MSRON) deployment. Typically, you will see one or two Coast Guardsmen on these deployments, but rarely serving in the mission commander role. Lehrfeld raised his hand and volunteered.
“The Coast Guard Port Security Units are very similar to the MSRONs and also provide port security, harbor defense, and seaward security. We protect sea lines of communication. I come from that community,” explains Lehrfeld. “The Coast Guard Pacific Area and the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) have a Memorandum of Understanding which establishes the expectation of sending Coast Guardsman to MSRONs and Navy Sailors to Port Security Units.”
The goal of training together is so that in the event of armed conflict, a Coast Guard Port Security Unit could fall under a MSRON command, and each could operate at a high level. That is happening now.
Task Group 68.6 is made up of Sailors from MSRON-11, based out of Seal Beach Calif., and deployed to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. The Task Group provides port and harbor security, high-value asset protection and maritime security operations in coastal waterways of the Gulf of Tadjoura. The Task Group includes the MSRON-11 security boat detachment and EOD Platoon 8-2-1, which sweeps port infrastructure for explosives as needed. Navy Expeditionary Combat Command in Little Creek, Virginia supports both units.
Lehrfeld is deployed with fellow Coast Guardsmen Lt. Cmdr. Sean Carothers, from Pendleton, Ore., the antiterrorism officer for the unit.
“The mission for us is largely dictated by 5th Fleet. Anytime 5th Fleet resources come to Djibouti to refuel, transit passengers, pick up supplies, or whatever the case may be, our job is to provide the security for those vessels,” explains Carothers. “And when we’re not providing security, we’re either fixing our stuff or conducting training so we can mold the best crew we can have.”
Carothers continues to explain how there’s more to the command than meets the eye.
“There’s so much more than just the boats in the water,” continues Carothers. “To make any successful mission happen, there’s a communications center that is manned 24/7 while the boats are in the water. There are gun range shoots that have to be conducted to man the patrol boats, there’s guns and ammo that have to be issued. There are so many qualifications you have to get to just be here, and then sustain while here on mission. The equipment has to be maintained as well. There is a ton of hard work behind the scenes. We are constantly training our Sailors and constantly striving to become better at our jobs.”
The United States must defend its interests and values against new threats and new competitors. In order for that to happen, the U.S. must strengthen relationships with existing partners and allies while also building new partnerships. The MSRON team works hard on partnerships and earlier this year it came into play in real-time.
On June 17, CTG 68.6 was at the Djiboutian Navy pier, recognizing Djiboutian service members for joint maritime training completed together. Later that same day, four Somali fisherman were rescued at sea by USNS Paxtuxent (T-AO-201) and needed assistance in getting the fisherman back to land. The fishermen were stranded at sea after a mechanical failure and were without food or water for several days before Patuxent found them. The Djiboutians and Americans were ready and worked together to bring them home safely.
Two CTG 68.6 boats picked up the fishermen from Patuxent and transferred them to the Djiboutian Coast Guard patrol boat, Damerjog, for return to shore. This was the second time in about a week that the oiler's crew rescued stranded sailors in the Gulf of Aden. On June 9, Patuxent steamed at maximum speed to aid the 15-member crew of Falcon Line, a cargo ship registered in Gabon that was taking on water. Patuxent arrived just before Falcon Line sank, saving the Indian and Egyptian crew.
“We work quite a bit with the U.S. Embassy here in Djibouti. One of the Embassy’s lines of effort is to build the relationship with the Djiboutian Coast Guard and Navy,” says Lehrfeld. “We’ve had the chance to work with the Djiboutian Coast Guard on a couple of rescue missions and we’re planning to do even more training with the Djiboutian Navy. Building these partnerships is important to us.”
Both Lehrfeld and Carothers agree that this particular assignment to MSRON-11 has been a great experience.
“It’s been a great experience. I get to see what the Navy has done very well. I do see where they can improve too. We see the similarities and differences between the services and where we both have strengths and weaknesses,” says Carothers. “Cross-pollinating Sailors and Coast Guardsmen only helps to build each other up so we’re mission ready and strengthen each other. We may be in different services, but we’re on the same team with the same types of mission, proudly serving our country.”
The Department of Defense and the U.S. Coast Guard have long been strong partners, and the U.S. Coast Guard has proudly supported the U.S. Navy in nearly every modern maritime conflict. In that regard, both of America's major maritime forces contribute significant energy to ensure their diverse assets and authorities integrate and work together well. These “cross-pollinations” between the services strengthen their unique partnership of shared mission success. Lehrfeld and Carothers embody this partnership every day.
| Date Taken: | 08.03.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 08.03.2021 10:25 |
| Story ID: | 402300 |
| Location: | CAMP LEMONNIER, DJ |
| Hometown: | PENDLETON, OR, US |
| Hometown: | SAN MARTIN, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,347 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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