By Chief Mass Communication Specialist Rhonda Burke
U.S. Naval Forces, 5th Fleet PAO
MANAMA, Bahrain - Ocean 6, the Navy's newest Afloat Forward Staging Base, sailed from the Mina Salman piers here, Oct. 16, enroute to the Northern Arabian Gulf (NAG).
Ocean 6, a chartered barge that features the information and coordination capabilities of a coalition warship's Combat Information Center, will act as a command and control platform in support of personnel assigned to protect the Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminal (KAAOT) and Al Basrah Oil Terminal (ABOT).
Manned by coalition forces, the command and control platform will provide its operators better awareness and connectivity in the NAG and assist with Maritime Security Operations (MSO).
MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the NAG and protect Iraq's sea-based infrastructure, which provides the Iraqi people the opportunity for self-determination.
"I think the key point of this forward staging base is its potential," said Capt. Jeffrey Harbeson, commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 50. "A lot of that will be determined once we get up there and are working with our coalition partners."
"We have seen new and developing ways to reach and sustain expeditionary warfare in a non-traditional sense in our Navy," said Chief of Naval Operations-Directed Master Chief Kelly Schneider, master chief for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (COMUSNAVCENT)/U.S. Fifth Fleet. "We can enhance our capability to command and communicate, while providing quality of service and quality of life for our Sailors who are forward deployed."
Ocean 6 features, in addition to berthing areas to house expeditionary forces, a galley to rival many warships and even a helicopter landing pad.
Additionally, the barge will meet the quality of life goals of the Navy by providing Sailors and Marines serving arduous security assignments on the oil platforms in the NAG, wireless internet, flat screen televisions and crew lounges.