Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert DeMattia

NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY BAHRAIN A 2008 Bishop Verot High School graduate and Fort Myers native is a part of Naval Forces Central Command keeping watch over one of the world’s most volatile regions at Naval Support Activity, Bahrain.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert DeMattia is a intelligence specialist at the Manama, Bahrain, Navy base, forward-deployed to the Arabian Gulf in the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

The Navy’s 5th Fleet’s area of operation encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse comprises 20 countries, including three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.

“I joined the Navy for more of a career and life,” said DeMattia. “The intelligence community is very important and interesting, but it’s not for everyone.”

DeMattia is receiving firsthand experience working in a foreign country and being part of a team vital to our nation’s defense, keeping the world’s waterways open and safe from hostile forces.

“I’m making the best of this deployment,” said DeMattia. “Bahrain has some American things which helps it feel like home, a little.”

The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command’s mission is to conduct maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts, and strengthen partner nations’ maritime capabilities in order to promote security and stability in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.

DeMattia realizes the significance of serving his country abroad and is very proud of the work he is doing as part of Naval Forces Central Command, Bahrain.

“The Navy has given me a tremendous opportunity for civilian employment,” said DeMattia. “Plus I’ve been able to see the world. Loved Italy and its architecture.”