4th Fleet could return to Central, South America

[unhappycamper]

4th Fleet could return to Central, South America
By Mark D. Faram - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jan 3, 2008 22:47:52 EST

U.S. 4th Fleet, which hunted submarines in the South Atlantic during World War II until it was dissolved almost six decades ago, is on its way back.

The new 4th Fleet would cover a similar area, with plans to operate from Naval Station Mayport, Fla., and oversee operations in Central and South America. The commander of Naval Forces Southern Command would also be the head of 4th Fleet, Navy officials said.

The fleet would not own any ships. Instead, it would operate in the same way Navy forces do in the Persian Gulf region. In U.S. Central Command, one admiral serves as head of both Naval Forces Central Command and 5th Fleet. Therefore, the dual-hatted admiral in charge of 4th Fleet and NavSouth would be under the commander of Southern Command.

The NavSouth commander has a seat at the operational planning table through Southern Command. The creation of a numbered fleet gives the same commander an official role in allocating training and resources, letting him help tailor the forces for his missions.

The decision to stand up the fleet, Navy officials said, is within the scope of the chief of naval operations, as changing ship home ports are. But a final go-ahead is still a ways off, though sources say the Navy’s leadership is actively working the issue and strongly in favor of the idea.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/01/navy_fourthfleet_080103w/



uhc comment: Expect to see many more articles coming out in the next few weeks lamenting the state of the Navy. How we 'need' more ships to replace the aging inventory. How the LCS program should be revived.

[Sherman A1]

1. Just reading my copy of Proceedings

and noted a caption to one photo..... The US Navy = the next 17 navies combined. We certainly will need to keep up with replacements and such as ships age, but just like the USAF F-22 and F-35 programs we are unilaterally disarming ourselves through the every increasing costs of weapon systems. No one can touch our current stuff such as F-15's and F-16's and while they are aging and getting tired, we could easily and more cheaply build more of them with electronics upgrades with less impact on the budget.