The United States Second Fleet will be officially reactivated on Aug. 24 in ceremonies to be presided over by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson.
Based at the port city of Norfolk, Virginia, the Second Fleet will oversee naval forces on the U.S. East Coast and North Atlantic. Adm. Richardson said the National Defense Strategy justifies the reactivation of the Second Fleet on account of the twin threats posed by the Russian Navy and the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
The Second Fleet's main mission will be to secure the ocean beyond the U.S. East Coast in the event of any conflict with either Russia or China.
Adm. Richardson said the National Defense Strategy confirms the U.S. has returned to the era of great power competition that existed during the Cold War. Today's security environment, however, is more challenging and complex, said Adm. Richardson. That's why the Navy issued the orders reactivating the Second Fleet on May 4.
The Second Fleet will also be responsible for training, certifying and providing maritime forces to respond to global contingencies. The Commander of the Second Fleet will report to United States Fleet Forces Command. His appointment is forthcoming.
The Second Fleet's historic area of responsibility extends from the North Pole to the Caribbean and from the shores of the United States to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It covers more than 17 million square kilometers of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Second Fleet consisted of 126 ships, 4,500 aircraft, and 90,000 personnel home-ported at U.S. Navy installations along the East Coast prior to the 2011 disestablishment. It was deactivated because the U.S. Navy needed money for more weapons systems.
The commander of the Second Fleet will head NATO's Joint Forces Command in Norfolk. Adm. Richardson said the dual command structure permits the U.S. and NATO to deal with any Russian naval threat, especially from its submarines.
Adm. Richardson revealed that Russian Navy submarines are now traveling in North Atlantic waters at a tempo not seen since the end of the Cold War in 1991. He also said the PLAN is competing with the U.S. Navy and is ready and capable of operating anywhere.
"Even five years ago, we wouldn't have seen anything like this," he noted.
