MANILA, Republic of the Philippines (June 15, 2018) Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet personnel
completed a month-long theater security cooperation (TSC) patrol in the Indo-Pacific June 15.
More than 40 members of the 7th Fleet staff, including U.S. 7th Fleet Band members and
Marines from Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Pacific (FASTPAC) had been embarked on
USNS Millinocket (T-EPF 3) visiting ports in Singapore, Malaysia and the Republic of the
Philippines.
Flag officers and senior staff members participated in bilateral staff talks, subject matter
exchanges and receptions for local dignitaries. Embarked Sailors and Marines interacted with
children in orphanages, schools and visited local museums. In addition, the band performed at
several public venues, malls and parks and conducted workshops with local musicians.
“The flagship of the U.S. 7th Fleet USS Blue Ridge has been in extended maintenance since
2016, and this has been our first opportunity to get out and about as a staff, and engage with our
regional partners,” said Capt. Bernie Wang, 7th Fleet Theater Security Cooperation director and
mission commander for the patrol. “For this patrol, we wanted to take a platform, like USNS
Millinocket, that operates regularly in Southeast Asia and has participated in multilateral
exercises like CARAT and put the staff on board to do some extra stuff – key leader
engagements, receptions as well as band performances – that we don’t get to do during exercises.
The people-to-people contact remains extremely important.”
“Everywhere we went we had great outreach, partnerships, friendships and huge responses from
the crowds welcoming the 7 th Fleet team,” said Chief Musician Robert Booker, senior enlisted
leader for the patrol.
“I think this patrol has been very successful,” said Wang. “It’s been really great to see the men
and women embarked on this patrol get out there and help the local communities during
community relations events, as well as build that people-to-people relationship with our partner
nations through subject matter exchanges, staff talks and senior leader engagements. Just hearing
from senior leaders from around the region, our presence being here is very important.”
Seventh Fleet, which celebrated its 75th year in 2018, spans more than 124 million square
kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the
Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. Seventh Fleet's area of operation encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50 percent of the world’s population with between 50-70
U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 Sailors in the 7th Fleet.