Littoral Combat Ships Conduct Joint Oceania Maritime Support Initiative

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Ian Zagrocki | Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Oakland (LCS 24) stations behind a fishing vessel while Tactical Law Enforcement Team Pacific Coast Guardsmen conduct an Oceania Maritime Support Initiative (OMSI) vessel compliance boarding, Aug. 19, 2022. Oakland is deployed in support of the Oceania Maritime Support Initiative, a secretary of defense program leveraging Department of Defense assets transiting the region to increase the Coast Guard’s maritime domain awareness, and law enforcement operations in Oceania. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ian Zagrocki)  

PACIFIC OCEAN

09.06.2022

Courtesy Story

Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet           

Independence-variant littoral combat ships USS Jackson (LCS 6) and USS Oakland (LCS 24) deployed to the Oceania region with embarked U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team detachments to conduct maritime law enforcement operations in support of U.S. and Pacific Island nations fisheries laws, August 2022.

The Oceania Maritime Support Initiative (OMSI) is a Secretary of Defense program that leverages Department of Defense assets transiting the region to improve maritime security and maritime domain awareness, ultimately supporting regional stability and partnerships in Oceania.

"The joint Navy and Coast Guard OMSI mission capitalizes on the agility and mission adaptability LCS was designed for," said Cmdr. Derek Jaskowiak, commanding officer of Oakland. "It is our privilege to support our partner nations through presence in Oceania and to ensure continued security, stability, and prosperity throughout the region."
Finishing up their OMSI patrol in late August, Oakland operated alongside the U.S. Coast Guard, a detachment from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 35, and partners throughout the region to suppress illicit maritime activities like illegal, unregulated, unreported fishing and transnational crime.

"Partnering with the U.S. Navy in support of the OMSI mission enables the Coast Guard to extend our reach into and throughout Oceania as the tyranny of distance when operating in the Pacific is exceptionally vast," said Lt. C.K. Williams, chief intelligence officer of USCG Sector Honolulu.

Jackson will continue the OMSI mission through September 2022.

An integral part of U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet operates naval forces in the Indo-Pacific in addition to providing realistic and relevant training across the full spectrum of military operations – from combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. U.S. 3rd Fleet works in close coordination with other numbered Fleets to provide commanders with capable, ready forces to deploy forward and win in day-to-day competition, in crisis, and in conflict.

For more information, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/COM-US3rdFleet

• Date Taken: 09.06.2022
• Date Posted: 09.07.2022 12:20
• Story ID: 428684
• Location: PACIFIC OCEAN