Task Force 70 conducts change of command aboard USS Ronald Reagan in the South China Sea

ByPettyOfficer2ndClassAskiaCollins

Commander Task Force 70 / Carrier Strike Group 5

SOUTHCHINASEA Commander, Task Force 70 held a change of command ceremony while underway aboardtheU.S.Navy’sonlyforward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), in the South China Sea, June 23

RearAdm.PatHannifinrelievedRear

Adm. Buzz Donnelly as Commander Task Force (CTF) 70/Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5. Hannifin becomes the 78th commander of Task Force 70, after serving as Joint Staff J5 Deputy Director for Political-Military Affairs Asia.

As CTF70/CSG5 Donnelly led the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group (RRNCSG) through two patrols in U.S. 7th Fleet, conducting numerous joint/ multilateral exercises and operations with Australia, Canada, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

“I am proud of the work we accomplished as a staff and strike group team, effectively demonstrating the flexibility and capability of our force while integrating closely with a wide-range of allies and partners in pursuit of the same goals in this dynamic region,” said Donnelly “Your professionalism

NAVCENT completes latest Central Partnership Station event in Bahrain

ByNAVCENTPublicAffairs

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.SS 5th Fleet MANAMA, Bahrain U.S. Naval Forces CentralCommand(NAVCENT)completed thethirditerationofatrainingandcollaborationeventJune22attheU.S.Navybasein Bahrainthatincludedrepresentativesfrom sevenregionalnations

The three-day event, dubbed “Central Partnership Station 3.0,” included lectures, expert exchanges and an interactive trainingscenariofocusedonmultinationaldisaster response, medical planning, logistics support and civil-military relations Representatives from Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab EmiratesandtheUnitedStatesparticipated.

“We learn from collectively sharing our experiences,” said Lt Christen Carpenter NAVCENT’s lead planner for the event. “Central Partnership Station 3.0 acknowledgesthecomplexityofmultinationaldisaster response and demonstrates our strong commitmenttoregionalcollaboration.”

In January, NAVCENT completed as a combined and joint force team are acriticalpieceofthoseefforts andseta legacy I am extremely honored to have been a part of.”

Both Donnelly and Hannifin previously served as commanding officer of RonaldReagan,withHannifinrelieving Donnelly in 2018

“It is a privilege to return to this critical theater with a familiar team,” said Hannifin. “I look forward to strengthening relationships with our allies and partners,protectinginternationalrules andourcommoninterestsinaFreeand Open Indo-Pacific.”

Hannifin is a San Diego native, and commissioned in 1991 after earning degrees in Engineering and International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and University of San Diego.

Donnelly’s next assignment is Director,AirWarfareDivision,N98inWashington, D.C. TaskForce70isforward-deployedto the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet and routinely interacts and operateswithalliesandpartnersinpreservingafreeandopenIndo-Pacificregion.

SOUTH CHINASEA(June 23,2023) RearAdm.BuzzDonnellyreads his neworders and addresses the crowd priorto being relieved ofcommand during a change ofcommand ceremonyin the forecastle ofthe U.S.Navy’s onlyforward-deployed aircraft carrierUSS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in the South China Sea,June 23.RearAdm.Pat Hannifin relieved RearAdm.BuzzDonnellyas Commander Task Force (CTF) 70/Commander CarrierStrike Group (CSG) 5.CTF70/CSG 5 is forward-deployed to the U.S.7th Fleet area ofoperation in support ofa free and open Indo-Pacific.(U.S.NAVYPHOTOBYMASS COMMUNICATIONSPECIALIST2NDCLASSASKIACOLLINS)

MANAMA,Bahrain (June 22,2023) Personnel from partnernations participate in Central Partnership Station 3.0 in Manama,Bahrain,June 22, 2023.(U.S.ARMYPHOTOBYCPL JENSENGUILLORY) a Central Partnership Station mission in Mombasa, Kenya. Medical-related topics were a major focus as U.S. personnel conducted relationship-building and community engagement activities with the KenyaNavyandotherregionalpartners.

NAVCENT conducted the first-ever

CentralPartnershipStationmissioninLebanonin2021. Headquartered in Bahrain, NAVCENT’s area of operations encompasses nearly 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The region is comprised of 21 countries and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab-al-Mandeb at the southern tip ofYemen.