Naval officer earns award for leadership in foreign ship liaison office

 “Every foreign ship visit is consequential,” said Lux. “These are the partners and allies we fight alongside, should there be a conflict in the Pacific. No matter the purpose of the visit—whether for goodwill, exercise participation, or training—the FSLO team worked across a myriad of stakeholders to set the foundation for the success of that visit. It was deeply rewarding when everything came together after weeks of planning.”

Lux facilitated 57 foreign warship visits from 15 countries, which, according to the Meritorious Service Medal citation, is the most foreign ship visits in CNRH’s history. The ships also stayed in port for the longest durations to date.

This year’s Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) highlights the demands of Lux’s former role at the foreign ship liaison office. (Lux left CNRH in late June for a position with the Chief of Naval Personnel in Arlington, Virginia)

Twenty-nine nations, 40 surface ships, and three submarines are participating in this year’s RIMPAC, according to Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet.

So far this year, Hawaii has had 31 foreign ship visits, according to Chief Aviation Electrician’s Mate Emily Pagan, assistant FSLO.

“We’re here to support the foreign ships when they pull in to make sure they have everything they need … We’re here to make sure that when they have questions, we find answers for them,” explained Pagan.

The foreign ship liaison team coordinates base access and organizes a team to assist with arrival needs, facilitate the sponsorship of foreign vessels by host ships, and explain port processes. The foreign liaison team also facilitates the planning of special events like office calls, receptions, wreath laying events, linguist requests, official visits to the USS Arizona Memorial, gun salutes, flight operations in port, religious services, a musical greeting by the U.S Pacific Fleet Band, or gift exchanges and provides resources about local area attractions and rental cars. Tiger Cruises, guest cruises for relatives and civilian guests of Navy crew members, are also coordinated through the foreign liaison office.

Lt. Kevin Park, current officer in charge of the foreign ship liaison office, expressed gratitude for the well-maintained organizational system that Lux maintained and streamlined.

“When you’re dealing with 25 foreign ships, when you’re addressing all the requests from every single ship, it becomes very hard to keep track of what people are requesting and what you’ve done about it unless you have a very meticulous system in place,” said Park.
One of the system’s Lux maintained is the intake process, the steps foreign visitors must take to receive assistance from the foreign ship liaison office.

The assistance provided begins months before foreign ships arrive in port, explains Pagan. First, ships must gain diplomatic clearance from the Department of State through the Diplomatic Clearance Application System, which will provide notice to the foreign ship liaison office about 90-60 days prior to arrival. Afterwards, the foreign ship liaison office sends an aloha email that provides port operations contact information along with key information about Pearl Harbor and a request form for the foreign ship to fill out. Once those incoming requests are received and processed, the foreign ships are sent a privilege letter, which authorizes access to certain beach areas, the Navy Exchange and the Commissary. The privilege letter is also sent to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. If a ship is damaged while arriving, the foreign ship liaison office will send out a repair message on the foreign ship’s behalf, so the repairs get authorized and completed.

Lux left CNRH before RIMPAC 2024, but he remembers the crucial linguist support from selected reserve soldiers during RIMPAC 2022.

“These sailors never ceased to amaze me with their talent. They brought incredible language skills and cultural understanding that facilitated world class shore support for visiting partner nation warships,” he recalled.

Lux and Pagan also describe the thrilling Mexican tall ship visit in June.
“The Mexican tall ship that visited had this big reception over at Aloha Tower in the evening, and it was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen,” said Lux. “They had cultural dancers, and an amazing array of food. I really felt connected to that country through that event.”

Pagan and Lux recalled a visit to the captain’s stateroom on an Australian ship when the captain gave them Tim Tams, Australian cookies.

“The hospitality of being in this special place with the person who has command of this warship from a different country and just sitting there and talking story about some things to do in Hawaii and trying to get a little more in-depth information was a very genuine and heartwarming experience,” said Lux.

Beside the cookies and camaraderie, the real treat for Lux is his ongoing and dedicated service to the Navy.

Lux is a surface warfare officer and a training and administration of the reserve) officer with 21 years of service in the Navy. Before he worked as a FSLO, he worked as a reserve program director for Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Pacific). Lux currently works as the head of reserve and retired compensation policy for the Chief of Naval Personnel in Arlington, Virginia.

The inspiration to join the Navy came from his family, said Lux whose grandfathers both served in the Pacific during World War II. George Lux served as a Gunner’s Mate and William Stillwell as a Boatswain’s Mate. Lux’s father, Robert Lux, served in the Vietnam War as an Aviation Machinist’s Mate. Lux’s father did a combat deployment on the USS Kittyhawk and served in the Navy’s Attack Squadron 37 (VA-37) as a plank owner, a member of a ship’s crew when it is first commissioned.

Lux appreciates the outstanding support from members within and outside of CNRH and credits team members for his success including Chief Cryptologic Technician Technical Sheena Davis and Chief Boatswain’s Mate Andrew Martin along with Pagan and Park.

“The award is a reflection of all the talented folks I worked with, across a range of commands, to coordinate foreign ship visits. I would not have been successful without their support,” he said.