VOLUME 19, NUMBER 511
NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN
December 27, 2023
USS DEVASTATOR COMPLETES 7-MONTH MAINTENANCE PERIOD 18 DAYS EARLY By Ashleigh Whitney, Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center Public Affairs Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC) Detachment Bahrain completed the docking selected restricted availability (DSRA) for Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Devastator (MCM 6) 18 days early on Dec. 18, 2023. Devastator is forward deployed to U.S. 5th Fleet to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region. “The FDRMC Bahrain team worked tireless with our industry partner and ship’s force to execute an early completion on USS Devastator,” said Capt. Brian
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Karosich, FDRMC commanding officer. “With the ship back to the fleet more than two weeks early, it can return to national tasking and other operations alongside our Allies and partners, fully mission-ready for whatever is required.” DSRAs are routine, planned maintenance periods providing necessary repairs, ma i nt e na nc e a nd modernization for the ship to operate at full technical capacity and mission capability. The DSRA required extensive planning and proactive project management to execute significant work on propulsion systems, electrical systems and structural areas as well as hull inspection and preservation on the 33-yearold wooden-hulled ship. Completing significant depot-level maintenance like DSRAs early in a forwarddeployed environment occurs
only due to successful partnerships with the ship’s crew and industry partners. The technical expertise and maintenance workforce at Bahrain Ship Repairing and Engineering Company provided robust support with significant capability including docking the ship safely and partnering with FDRMC and the ship’s crew on fire safety and prevention. The combined team executed the 7-month DSRA successfully, completing all key events on time or early. FDRMC provides emergent, intermediate and depot-level ma i nt e na nc e a nd modernization for transient and Forward Deployed Naval Forces in U.S. Fifth and Sixth Fleets through fleet technical assistance, voyage repair, contract management oversight, assessments, and diving and salvage.
Photos By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class MacAdam Weissman, NSA Bahrain Public Affairs
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Congress Passes Fiscal 2024 Defense Spending Bill, Pay Raise for Service Members By C. Todd Lopez, DOD News Both the House and Senate have passed the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, which is expected to be signed by the president. Among other things, the bill authorizes a pay raise for both service members and civilian defense employees. "This important legislation not only authorizes a 5.2% pay increase for service members and civilian employees ... but directly invests in America's national security and military power projection to meet the challenges of the 21st century," said Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder during a briefing today.
The most recent National Defense Authorization Act supports $841.4 billion in funding for the Defense Department. Included in the bill are provisions related to service members and their families. For instance, the bill increases family separation allowance to $400 per month. Also included is language that excludes basic allowance for housing from the calculation of gross household income used to determine eligibility for the Basic Needs Allowance. That allowance is provided to service members with dependents who have a gross household income less than or equal to 150% of the federal poverty guidelines.
The FY24 NDAA also authorizes the Navy to enter into multiyear procurement contracts for up to 13 Virginia class submarines and authorizes the department to enter into multiyear procurement contracts for rare earth elements. Rare earth elements are used to manufacture the permanent magnets used in major U.S. military weapons systems and in the manufacture of rechargeable batteries. While Ryder said the department applauds passage of the FY24 NDAA, it also urges congress to pass its supplemental budget request as well, which funds continued support to American partner nations and funds needed investments in the U.S. defense industrial base.