Plans are currently being drawn up to return the personal belongings of US Navy personnel and their families who have left Bahrain for service reasons and in the wake of Iranian aggression in the region.
The US Navy’s Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Daryl Caudle, said they were looking at different options, including a ‘surrogate’ initiative to help return personal belongings left behind by sailors deployed at the Fifth Fleet in Juffair and their dependents.
He was addressing a worldwide townhall from the War Media Activity (WMA) studios in Fort George G Meade, Maryland, alongside Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON), John Perryman.
They addressed a wide range of topics including extended deployments of US ships in support of the ongoing US operations against Iran.
Seaman Zavala, among those transferred from Bahrain, asked a question regarding the status of her household goods left in Manama, to which Adm Caudle replied: “Well, you know, what a timely question. I just was in conversation with our acting secretary of the Navy, the Honourable Hung Cao, on this very question, and it’s so near and dear to both of our hearts.
“There is nothing more frustrating than basically not having your stuff ... and we get that and understand that very well.”
He said he was working hand-in-hand with Fifth Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Crenshaw on trying to develop a mechanism or plan to return household items to their owners.
“You know, is this something that the member needs to be there for? Can we do this through perhaps a ‘surrogate’? We’re working real hard to develop a scheme in order for you to get your things.”
Bahrain has been home to close to 8,500 US military members and their dependents and while the unrest continues there has been no return date specified.
The top US Navy admiral also responded to a question from Mitchelman 2nd Class Anderson regarding a prolonged deployment of the US aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East, before the soon-to-be deployed USS Theodore Roosevelt comes into theatre to replace it.
The carrier did not make a port call in more than 200 days, setting a modern day record for consecutive days at sea. Several reports also merged related to mental health concerns and deteriorating conditions aboard.
He praised the crews for rising to the occasion during the extended sea deployment. “Our entire model is predicated on getting to a port – enjoy that port call, relax, take a knee, rejuvenate, get the ship back up to speed again, repair anything necessary – and get back in that fight. So we’re working hard on what port calls in the Arabian Gulf theatre can look like because it is a big body of water, and so that transit between where they need to be on station and these port calls, we’re looking at that very hard.”
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