Checking in with Riverine

The old guard from the Front Porch knows our wee role in Riverine ... so, let's check back in with the kids and see what they're up to.

It's been a year since this shift;

... the Coastal Riverine Force, will activate June 1 with the merger of Riverine Group 1 and the Maritime Expeditionary Security Force.
...
Capable of conducting 24-hour operations, CORIVFOR will provide port and harbor security, offshore protection for maritime infrastructure and Military Sealift Command ships operating in coastal waterways. When necessary, some elements will provide offensive combat capabilities.

CORIVFOR will be comprised of two Echelon IV groups. Coastal Riverine Group 1 will be homeported in Imperial Beach, Calif. with squadrons located in San Diego at the Naval Amphibious Base.

CORIVGRU 2 will be homeported in Portsmouth with active squadrons located at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Va, Beach, a forward deployed detachment in Bahrain, and reserve squadrons located in Newport, R.I. and Jacksonville, Fla.

The force should reach initial operations in October and reach full operational capability in October 2014.

I would like to see a few things; an expanded presence in the USNR ... and ongoing support to keep this capability ready for when we will need it again ... which we will ... and hopefully we won't have to re-invent the wheel again.

It is exceptionally good that we are putting some in the USNR, so I shouldn't get greedy. They are doing some very important work.

Each time a black attack submarine travels the Thames River, Coast Guard boats are close by, protecting the valuable asset and its crew.

It has been this way since Sept. 11, 2001, when the Coast Guard offered to escort submarines because the Navy was busy preparing for combat in Afghanistan and later, in Iraq. Coast Guard crews were armed and trained to protect the submarines against attacks by terrorists or saboteurs.

Five years ago, the two services began discussing whether the Navy could resume escorting its own submarines nationwide so Coast Guard ships and personnel could be used for other missions.

Beginning this fall, instead of the distinctive metal boats with Coast Guard orange coloring, the Navy's Coastal Riverine Force will protect submarines on the Thames River. The Navy has already taken on most of the security missions for submarine transits in Alaska.

After Groton, the transition will begin in other ports along both coasts.
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The Coastal Riverine Force is a new command that is responsible for conducting maritime security operations to defend high-value assets, critical maritime infrastructure and ports and harbors. The Navy's Riverine and Maritime Expeditionary Security Forces merged in 2012.

Coastal Riverine Squadron 8, headquartered in Newport, R.I., has a platoon that operates out of Groton. Twenty-two sailors will escort the submarines using four boats, said Lt. Cmdr. Charity Hardison, spokeswoman for the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, which oversees the Coastal Riverine Force.

The Navy also is looking at using its forces for submarine escorts in Norfolk, Va., Bremerton and Bangor, Wash., Mayport and Cape Canaveral, Fla., Kings Bay, Ga., and San Diego, Calif., said Lt. Cmdr. Brian Badura, spokesman for U.S. Fleet Forces Command.

Smart, smart, smart.

Oh, and the duty can even have a little fun with it too. OK, "fun" can also be jackassery ... but no paint exchanged, so .... consider it a retention exercise. (NB: none of the units mentioned that I am aware of were harmed in the making of this video)