By Chief Mass Communication Specialist Erica R. Gardner, Navy Office of Community Outreach
Photo By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Brown
NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN – Petty Officer 1st Class Aroon Indarjit, a Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, native wanted to be the change he wanted to see in the world.
Now, seven years later and half a world away at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, Indarjit serves as the leading-edge of the Navy the Nation Needs.
“This is my first time in Bahrain which is exciting because I have always been in stateside commands but I am enjoying this opportunity to support the fleet with my skills,” said Indarjit.
Indarjit, a 2009 graduate of Northeast High School, is a engineman at NSA Bahrain, forward-deployed to the Arabian Gulf region in the Navy’s U.S. 5th Fleet.
“My job is to fix ships and I am soley responsible for diesel ships,” said Indarjit. “In this command we will work on our equipment and do whatever the job entails to complete the mission.”
Indarjit credits success in Bahrain, and in the Navy, to many of the lessons learned in Ft Lauderdale.
“I learned early that hard work always pays off,” said Indarjit. “By applying these lessons to my careet path, it has most definitly helped me in being qualifed and successful.”
U.S. 5th Fleet directs naval operations to ensure maritime security and stability in the Central Region, which connects the Mediterranean Sea and Pacific Ocean through the western Indian Ocean. They work with partner nations to ensure freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in international waterways.
“I’m incredibly proud to serve with each of our Sailors, Coastguardsmen and Marines forward-deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations,” said Rear Admiral Paul Schlise, deputy commander for NAVCENT/ U.S. 5th Fleet. “They represent the very best of our country and serve as volunteers in a complex and dynamic region that’s vital to our security. I am honored to work alongside these warriors.”
NSA Bahrain enables the forward operations and responsiveness of U.S. 5th Fleet and allied forces in support of Navy Region Europe, Africa and Southwest Asia’s mission to provide services to the fleet, warfighter and family.
“If the ships are not working, the mission cannot go on,” said Indarjit.
The Navy’s U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of ocean, and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. This expanse, comprised of 20 countries, includes three critical choke points; the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.
“This is a new experience all together because I have never served in this capacity,” said Indarjit.
Serving in the Navy means Indarjit is part of a world that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.
A key element of the Navy the nation needs is tied to the fact that America is a maritime nation, and that the nation’s prosperity is tied to the ability to operate freely on the world’s oceans. More than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water; 80 percent of the world’s population lives close to a coast; and 90 percent of all global trade by volume travels by sea.
“Our priorities center on people, capabilities and processes, and will be achieved by our focus on speed, value, results and partnerships,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer. “Readiness, lethality and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”
Though there are many ways for sailors to earn distinction in their command, community, and career, Indarjit is most proud of the abiity to effectively commuicate with all different cultures and diversities of personnel.
“Growing up in Trinidad I was in a small community and since I joined the Navy, I now have a network of friends all over the world that I can rely on,” said Indarjit.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied upon assets, Indarjit and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes contributing the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the Navy makes me feel secure and means the world to me because I am happy with my decision,” said Indarjit.
