USS Oscar Austin crew accepts combat award for Red Sea deployment
Sailors and other personnel aboard the vessel were awarded Unit Combat Action Ribbons after completing Austin's first forward-deployed Naval Forces-Europe patrol in the U.S. Sixth Fleet and Fifth Fleet, which operate out of Europe and Africa, and the Middle East, respectively.
'I'm honored to have assumed command of Oscar Austin during her first patrol as a forward deployed warship,' said Oscar Austin Cmdr. David Nicolas. 'Having served previously as the ship's executive officer, I feel immense pride in witnessing the growth and development of the crew in their preparation for and completion of Patrol One.'
The vessel briefly visited the Mediterranean before joining the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group as it battled missile and drone attacks from Yemen's Houthi rebels — an Iran-backed terrorist group — over several months.
President Donald Trump's administration began conducting large-scale bombings against Houthi sites in Yemen on March 15, a shelling that ended in May after the U.S. claimed to have hit more than 800 targets.
US strikes dozens of Houthi sites in Yemen as broader campaign begins
Oscar Austin left its home base of Naval Station Rota, Spain on Dec. 11, 2024, to join the Republic of Cyprus National Guard and conduct signaling and maneuvering exercises alongside the Cyprus patrol vessel Commodore Andreas Ioannides.
In April 2025, the Oscar Austin jointed Fifth Fleet operations, offering air and missile defense reinforcements to the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and serving alongside the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers Jason Dunham and Stout, as well as the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser Gettysburg.
Austin's efforts to defend the strike group while under fire from airborne threats notched the vessel's personnel Unit Combat Action Ribbons, which sailors proudly donned upon their return to Spain on June 10.
The award is given to service members who participated in surface combat.
Capt. Alexander Mamikonian, commodore of Destroyer Squadron 60, presented the crew with their ribbons.
'It was a pleasure watching them perform on patrol, but we're glad they're back home in Rota reunited with their loved ones,' Mamikonian said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
30 minutes ago
- UPI
U.S. envoy airs plan as protesters demand return of hostages
1 of 3 | U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visit Gaza on Friday as part of a fact-finding mission to see firsthand the operations of the U.S.-Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Photo via U.S. Ambassador to Israel/UPI | License Photo Aug. 2 (UPI) -- The United States is demanding the release of 50 remaining hostages Hamas has held in Gaza since 2023, as protesters held a rally in Tel Aviv's "Hostage Square" on Saturday. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff announced the United States has formulated a plan to return all of the remaining hostages, The Washington Post reported. President Donald Trump "now believes that everybody should come home at once, no piecemeal deals," Witkoff said during the meeting that was recorded and televised in Israel. He told the families that prior cease-fire agreements required exchanges of some hostages for Hamas prisoners being held in Israeli jails. "That doesn't work, and we've tried everything," Witkoff said about U.S. efforts to release hostages who were captured when the U.S.-designated terror organizations Hamas and Islamic Jihad attacked Israeli civilians without provocation on Oct. 7, 2023. The attackers killed about 1,200 Israelis and others, and kidnapped about 250 more. An estimated 30 of the remaining 50 hostages likely are dead, and Witkoff said U.S. officials want half of the remaining 20 hostages released on the first day of a cease-fire, followed by the rest shortly thereafter. Witkoff also said Hamas is ready to disarm and release hostages, but many of the families' representatives are concerned several of the living hostages would not be released if they are not among the first group to return to Israel. Hamas denied it is willing to lay down its arms and said it only would do so upon recognition of a Palestinian state, the BBC reported. Several officials in Arab states during the past week have called on Hamas to lay down its arms and end its control of Gaza. Witkoff met with representatives of about 40 of the hostages' families for two hours after attending a protest in Hostage Square earlier Saturday. The protest occurred after Hamas and Islamic Jihad earlier this week released video footage of hostages Rom Braslavski and Evyator David, along with images of starving Palestinian children, according to a CNN report. International pressure to end the war in Gaza has increased amid reports of Gazans being killed while seeking food at aid sites run by the U.S.-and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The United Nations says at least 1,373 Gazans have been killed while trying to get food and other humanitarian aid since the GHF began distributing meals in late May. Hamas and others blame Israel for the deaths, but Israeli and GHF officials say Hamas is attacking aid workers and killing Gazans who seek aid that it cannot control.
Newsweek
3 hours ago
- Newsweek
France Launches Airdrop of 40 Tons of Humanitarian Aid Into Gaza
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. France began a large-scale airdrop of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip on Friday, deploying four flights from Jordan to deliver 40 tons of food and supplies as the international posture towards the spiraling humanitarian crisis shifted in the face of imminent famine. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the move as part of a plea for Israel to permit full humanitarian access, Reuters reported. The effort is the result of a multinational coalition including Jordan, Germany and the United Arab Emirates. Newsweek reached out to the foreign ministries of France and Israel outside of normal business hours on Saturday afternoon for comment. Why It Matters The French aid initiative comes amid escalating warnings from international organizations of severe malnutrition and starvation among Gaza's 2 million residents. Humanitarian corridors into Gaza remain largely restricted by Israel, with widespread reports of children dying from hunger-related causes. Efforts like France's airdrop highlight the international community's struggle to address what is widely described as a man-made famine, with much of the world's attention focused on blocked or limited ground aid routes. The airdrops follow France's announcement that it intends to formally recognize a Palestinian state, which drew condemnation from some U.S. officials, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio. However, other European nations have discussed or announced intention to recognize a Palestinian state as well as a means of pressuring Israel to act. Israel, however, has repeatedly rejected claims of forced starvation in Gaza. In May, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied people are starving, saying Israel takes "thousands of prisoners" from Gaza and photographs them, and you "don't see one, not one, emaciated." Israel has repeatedly said that aid deliveries must be delivered in a "safe framework" that does not give supplies to Hamas and notes that the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) is bringing food into Gaza. Israel has used aid restrictions as a pressure tactic to bring Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, to negotiate the release of hostages that were taken in its October 7, 2023, attack on the country. A picture taken in northern Gaza's Jabalia shows aid parcels parachuted down following an airdrop above the Israel-besieged Palestinian territory on August 1. A picture taken in northern Gaza's Jabalia shows aid parcels parachuted down following an airdrop above the Israel-besieged Palestinian territory on August 1. Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images What To Know Macron confirmed the start of the operation on Friday, writing in a post on X: "Faced with an urgent humanitarian crisis, we just conducted a food airdrop over Gaza. I thank our Jordanian, Emirati, and German partners for their support, as well as our armed forces for their dedication. But airdrops are not enough. Israel must grant full humanitarian access to address the risk of famine." France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot added in an interview with a local French broadcaster that four flights, each carrying 10 tons of humanitarian supplies, were dispatched from Jordan. France previously participated in European humanitarian airlifts in October 2023 to provide aid to Gaza through Jordan and Egypt at the start of the conflict that erupted after Hamas launched an attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people. Israel retaliated with strikes on the enclave and then sent troops into the region as officials sought to eliminate Hamas. Many nations backed Israel's right to respond to Hamas' attack, but in recent months the growing humanitarian crisis has shifted opinion and prompted outcry over the deteriorating conditions facing civilians. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has simultaneously begun instituting a daily "tactical pause in military activity" for "humanitarian purposes" in the areas of Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Musawi. The practice, first declared last week, was said "to enable the safe passage of UN and humanitarian aid organization convoys delivering and distributing food and medicine to the population across the Gaza Strip." The IDF also said it would begin conducting aid airdrops into Gaza. Faced with an urgent humanitarian crisis, we just conducted a food airdrop over Gaza. I thank our Jordanian, Emirati, and German partners for their support, as well as our armed forces for their dedication. But airdrops are not enough.… — Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 1, 2025 What People Are Saying President Donald Trump recently told reporters: "It's terrible what's occurring there. It's a terrible thing. People are very hungry. The United States gave $60 million for food and it's a shame, because I don't see the results of it. And we gave it to people that in theory are watching over it fairly closely. We wanted Israel to watch over it." A U.S. State Department spokesperson previously told Newsweek: "President Trump and Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio want a better life for the people of Gaza and are acutely aware of the dire humanitarian situation. We are supportive of creative efforts to relieve the humanitarian situation in Gaza." Israel's consul general in New York, Ofir Akunis, previously told Newsweek: "There is no deliberate starvation in Gaza, only a deliberate disinformation campaign orchestrated by Hamas and amplified by those who fail to act. Hamas doesn't care about the suffering of children, only about weaponizing their pain to spread hatred against Israel." What Happens Next? The French government and other European partners have signaled they will continue humanitarian airlifts and pressure Israel to open land routes. Macron and other Western leaders called for comprehensive humanitarian access beyond airdrops, which the French leader described as inadequate to alleviate famine risk.
Bloomberg
7 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Iran Says It's Close to Resolving Gas Export Issues With Iraq
Iran and Iraq are close to resolving a dispute over disruptions to Iranian gas supplies and Baghdad's unpaid dues for the exports, Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said Saturday. 'We will soon witness the resolution of both issues,' the state-run IRIB News cited Paknejad as saying after meeting with Iraq's Electricity Minister Ziad Ali Fadhil in Tehran.
