SECNAV Announces the Return of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Focus Will be on Russian Threat
By: Megan Eckstein
December 2, 2020 4:06 PM
The Navy plans to rename U.S. Fleet Forces Command to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, harkening back to a time when the Navy was fully focused on maritime operations in the Northern Atlantic rather than the Global War on Terror, the secretary of the Navy told a Senate panel today.
“As the world changes, we must be bold, evolve, and change with it. Instead of perpetuating a structure designed to support yesterday’s Joint Forces Command, we are aligning to today’s threat. To meet the unique maritime challenges of the Atlantic theater, we will rename Fleet Forces Command as the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and we will refocus our naval forces in this important region on their original mission: controlling the maritime approaches to the United States and to those of our allies,†Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite told the Senate Armed Services readiness subcommittee hearing on Wednesday.
“The Atlantic Fleet will confront the reassertive Russian Navy, which has been deployed closer and closer to our East Coast, with a tailored maritime presence capability and lethality.â€
During the hearing, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the subcommittee, reviewed the history of Fleet Forces Command and asked Braithwaite if the move was “to recognize the reality of this increased Russian presence and the fact that great power competition is now sort of the dominant concern of the National Defense Strategy?†Braithwaite confirmed that that was the case.
https://news.usni.org/2020/12/02/secnav-announces-the-return-of-the-u-s-atlantic-fleet-focus-will-be-on-russian-threat
