Aegis Integration and Wayne E. Meyer
By Rear Adm. Brian Fort Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific On Sept. 13, we welcomed USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) to her new homeport here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. USS Wayne E. Meyer is named for Rear Adm. Meyer, considered the father of Aegis, our Navy’s centralized, …
Forged and Ready: Chung-Hoon Legacy
By Rear Adm. Brian Fort Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific Those who adapt can overcome. Consider the namesake of our Pearl Harbor-homeported USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93), Rear Adm. Gordon Paiea Chung-Hoon. Forged from the sea and seasoned in war, Chung-Hoon was a lieutenant assigned to USS Arizona (BB 39), Dec. …
The Legacy of William P. Lawrence: Toughness
This is the eighth in a series of namesake blogposts by Rear Adm. Brian Fort for all surface ships homeported in Pearl Harbor. By Rear Adm. Brian Fort Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific On June 28, 1967, flying his F-4B Phantom, naval aviator Cmdr. William P. Lawrence, commanding officer of …
Resilience, Freedom Personified: Port Royal
Rear Adm. Brian Fort Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific Our guided-missile cruiser USS Port Royal (CG 73) and its namesake, the Battle of Port Royal – fought in the first year of the American Civil War – are symbols of resilience and freedom. A relatively recent example. When Port Royal …
‘Indomitable Determination’ of John Paul Jones
By Rear Adm. Brian Fort Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific April is a great month to remember the namesake of one of our Pearl Harbor guided-missile destroyers, USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53), named for a founding hero of our Navy and proudly known by the crew and their families …
Hopper: Innovation, Transformation, Inspiration
By Rear Adm. Brian Fort Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific During last month’s historic first visit of the voyaging canoe Hokule‘a to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH), Master Navigator Nainoa Thompson spoke about his father, Myron “Pinky” Thompson, who was 15 years old at the time of the attack on …
Hopper: Innovation, Transformation, Inspiration
By Rear Adm. Brian Fort Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific During last month’s historic first visit of the voyaging canoe Hokule‘a to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH), Master Navigator Nainoa Thompson spoke about his father, Myron “Pinky” Thompson, who was 15 years old at the time of the attack on …
Chafee and the Power of Integrity
By Rear Adm. Brian Fort Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific A modern U.S. Navy destroyer weighs approximately 9,000 tons. The anchor – not including the weight of the chain – which is designed to hold the ship safely in place, weighs only two tons. Amazing! When anchored offshore, Navy commanders depend on …
Warfighting Readiness to Win: Focused and Committed to the Mission
By Rear Adm. Brian Fort Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific This past year was tough for the Surface Navy. I know. In June of 2017, less than a week after I arrived in Pearl Harbor to take over as the new Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific commander, …
Veterans Day Salute to a Navy Chief and His Ship
By Rear Adm. Brian Fort Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific This is a true tale of a Navy chief and his ship – and how one individual can inspire generations of veterans, including all of us who serve today. One year before World War I began in Sarajevo in 1914, …