Reserve Sailors Develop, Maintain Critical Skills in Mako Storm 23
28 August 2023
NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. - More than 60 Reserve Sailors from U.S. 5th Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet and U.S. Fleet Forces Command completed a four-day exercise July 16 to enhance their planning and operational capabilities.
Mako Storm 23 took place July 13-16 in a specially configured maritime operations center (MOC) at the Navy Warfare Development Center at Naval Station Norfolk. Sailors stood watches, provided mentorship, and planned exercise events.
“Mako Storm allows Reserve Sailors to familiarize themselves with the MOC and to help them develop and maintain skills that are essential for their work over at 5th Fleet,” said Cmdr. Sean Marvin, the Mako series lead planner. “This is an opportunity for them to ask important questions and gain insight from experienced mentors in a training environment.”
Rear Adm. Robert Nowakowski, vice commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet, said the exercise is an important building block in meeting the Navy Reserve Fighting Instructions (NRFI) lines of effort to design, train, mobilize, and develop the force.
Sailors received more than 830 man-hours of training, which he said was, “a force multiplier and aligns with the NRFI lines of effort of warfighting training to ensure our Sailors are ready day one.”
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command is responsible for an approximately 2.5 million-square-mile area including the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, North Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea. Its mission is to conduct maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts and strengthen partner nations’ maritime capabilities to promote security and stability in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.