|
ADMIN Stuff – some members have
mentioned it might be nice if our ANA web site -
http://www.anahq.org/ - had the capability for
people to:
1.
renew or start memberships; and,
2.
to make donations.
Such a capability could be costly
(estimates are $200 - $300 annual fees). Before making
such an investment, we would like to know what interest
there is in the membership for such an expanded
capability. Please send a note to
svwindmills@erols.com (also found in the ‘from:’
line so all you need do is hit “reply”) and let us know
your druthers.
Many thanks to John for pointing out an error in the
BULLHORN #58 article, “P-3s Join Pirate Patrol In The
Seychelles” which said, “The Seychelles are an
archipelago about 15,000 miles off the coast of
Africa.” In fact, the Seychelles are about 1,500
kilometers from the African coast – somewhat less that
1,000nm. [Once again – USN Maritime Patrol Aircraft
are carrying the fight to the enemy. Check the last
article for better, more accurate figures]
News Inside!!!
News Inside!!! News Inside!!!
VT-6 REUNION
CALENDAR FOR AMERICA (Every Event worth
knowing about!!)
Aircraft Carrier Flexibility
Lockheed Martin F-35
AIR PLAN 7
Electronic Warfare Evolves
Flag Officer Assignments
NAVAL AVIATION IN HAITI
VRC-40
Russia Tests New Stealth Fighter Jet
P-3s Pile On The Pirates
A note from LT Monkey Tanner for all VT-6ers
Good morning, I am LT Joey
Tanner, an instructor pilot at VT-6 at Whiting Field
NAS, FL. We here at VT-6 are one of the three Primary
flight training squadrons located at Whiting. We are
approaching the 50th Anniversary of the squadron and
introducing Junior Officers to Naval/Marine Corps
Aviation. I am contacting you to inquire about placing
a small Flyer in your respective publications in order
to get the word out to as many VT-6/Whiting Field
Alumni as possible. I have attached our flyer, a small
graphic file to this email. Our hope is, that through
your publications, we can reach a large number of
Alumni and direct to them to celebrate a monumental
anniversary of Naval/Marine Corps Aviation. This is not
a profit event, and is backed by our command here at
NAS Whiting Field. I have attached my contact
information to the end of this email and look forward
to speaking to anyone with questions, comments or
concerns. If I have the wrong contact information for
your publication, I ask that you please contact me and
let me know so I may correct the issue. Thank you all
for your time and consideration in helping us reach as
many of our Brothers/Sisters in arms.
Very Respectfully,
LT Joey "Monkey" Tanner
VT-6 Public Affairs Officer
(c)443-822-3711
(w)850-623-7666
joseph.tanner@navy.mil
RETURN TO INDEX
181757Z DEC 09 R CALENDAR FOR AMERICA 2010//
FM CNO WASHINGTON
DC//DNS//
TO NAVADMIN
NAVADMIN 367/09
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO
WASHINGTON DC//DNS/DEC// SUBJ/CALENDAR FOR AMERICA
2010// REF/A/INSTRUCTION/OPNAVINST 5726.8
-- OUTREACH: AMERICA'S NAVY// POC/RICK HAUPT/CDR/DIRECTOR NAVCO/LOC:
MILLINGTON,
TN/TEL: 901-874-5802/EMAIL:RICHARD.HAUPT@NAVY.MIL//
RMKS/1. AS DIRECTED BY
REF A, THIS MESSAGE ANNOUNCES THE 2010 CALENDAR FOR
AMERICA (CFA10), OUTLINING THE NAVY'S LARGE-SCALE CONUS
OUTREACH EVENTS FOR THE COMING YEAR. EVENTS INCLUDE
NAVY WEEKS, FLEET WEEKS, DIVERSITY EVENTS, BLUE ANGELS
AIR SHOWS, SHIP COMMISSIONINGS, AND KEY RECRUITING
EVOLUTIONS, AMONG MANY OTHERS.
2. EDUCATING THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC ABOUT THE CAPABILITY, IMPORTANCE AND
VALUE OF TODAY'S NAVY IS AN ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF
THOSE WHO SERVE. EFFECTIVE OUTREACH IS ALSO KEY TO
CREATING POSITIVE AWARENESS AMONG INFLUENCERS OF YOUTH,
WHICH NOT ONLY TRANSLATES TO GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF
THE NAVY, BUT OFTEN TO INCREASED RECRUITING AND
RETENTION ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY.
3. THE POLICY PROVIDED
REF A, AND THE MANY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
CONTAINED THEREIN, WILL ENHANCE PUBLIC AWARENESS,
ESPECIALLY IN NON- FLEET CONCENTRATION AREAS, OF NAVY
MISSIONS, PERSONNEL AND RECRUITING. CFA10 IS A CRITICAL
COMPONENT OF THIS EFFORT, PROVIDING A COORDINATED AND
FOCUSED DEMONSTRATION OF COMMUNITY OUTREACHEVENTS
ACROSS THE NATION. CFA10 WILL HELP AMERICANS GAIN A
BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THEIR
NAVY, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE EXTRAORDINARY
PROFESSIONALISM, EXCELLENCE, BRAVERY, AND DEDICATION
EMBODIED BY THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE UNITED STATES
NAVY.
4. CFA10 OUTREACH
EVENTS ARE SCHEDULED AS FOLLOWS (READ IN FOUR COLUMNS):
CITY EVENT
DATE NOTES
LOS ANGELES, CA USS LOS ANGELES (SSN 688) JAN
23 (7)
DECOMMISSIONING
MOBILE, AL USS INDEPENDENCE (LCS 2) JAN
23 (7)
COMMISSIONING
BALTIMORE, MD BLACK ENGINEER OF THE FEB
18-20 (6)
YEAR AWARDS (BEYA)
NEWPORT NEWS, VA
USS NEW MEXICO (SSN 779) TBD (7)
COMMISSIONING
SEAL BEACH, CA
USS DEWEY (DDG 105) MAR 6 (7)
COMMISSIONING
NAF EL CENTRO, CA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAR
13 (8)
TAMPA, FL NAVY WEEK MAR
13-21 (1)
MACDILL AFB, FL BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAR
20-21 (8)
PHOENIX, AZ NAVY WEEK MAR
22-29 (1)
PENSACOLA, FL MEDAL OF HONOR DAY MAR
25 (2)
COMMEMORATION
KINGSVILLE,TX BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAR
27-28 (8)
TORONTO, ONTARIO NATIONAL SOCIETY OF MAR 31-APR
4 (6)
BLACK ENGINEERS (NSBE)
KEY WEST, FL BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW APR
10-11 (8)
CHARLESTON, SC NAVY WEEK APR
12-18 (1)
SAN ANTONIO, TX
NAVY WEEK APR 15-25 (1)
CHARLESTON, SC BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW APR
17 (8)
DES MOINES, IA NAVY WEEK APR
19-24 (1)
FT. WORTH AIR POWER EXPO & CONCERT APR
23-25 (2)
VIDALIA, GA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW APR
24-25 (8)
PT EVERGLADES, FL FLEET WEEK APR 26-May
3 (2)
KANSAS CITY, MO
NAVY WEEK APR 26-MAY 2 (1)
ST. JOSEPH, MO BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAY
1-2 (8)
BIRMINGHAM, AL NAVY WEEK MAY
2-9 (1)
NAT'L HARBOR, MD FEDERAL ASIAN/PACIFIC MAY
3-7 (6)
AMERICAN COUNCIL (FAPAC)
NCBC GULFPORT SEABEE DAY MAY
8 (2)
TUSCALOOSA, AL BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAY
8-9 (8)
TORRANCE, CA ARMED FORCES DAY MAY
14-16 (5)
CELEBRATION
SPOKANE, WA NAVY WEEK MAY
8-16 (1)
ANDREWS AFB, MD BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAY
15-16 (8)
CHERRY PT, NC BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAY
22-23 (8)
LITTLE ROCK, AR NAVY WEEK MAY
24-30 (1)
USNA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAY
26 (8)
NEW YORK, NY
FLEET WEEK MAY 26-JUN 2 (3)
PORTLAND, OR ROSE FESTIVAL MAY 28-JUN
12 (4)
JONES BEACH, NY
BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW MAY 29-30 (8)
PASCAGOULA, MS USNS HOWARD O. LORENZEN JUN
TBD (7)
(T-AGM 25) COMMISSIONING
WASHINGTON, DC SEA SERVICES LEADERSHIP JUN
2-3 (6)
ASSOCIATION (SSLA)
EAU CLAIRE, WI
BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUN 5-6 (8)
MILWAUKEE, WI NAVY WEEK JUN
7-13 (1)
MILWAUKEE, WI BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUN
12-13 (8)
CP GIRARDEAU, MO BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUN
19-20 (8)
PEARL HARBOR, HI
RIMPAC 2010 JUN 23-AUG 2 (7)
ST. CLOUD, MN BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUN
26-27 (8)
BOSTON, MA NAVY WEEK JUN 30-JUL
4 (1)
BATH, ME USS DUNHAM (DDG 109) JUL
TBD (7)
COMMISSIONING
TRAVERSE CITY, MI
BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUL 3-4 (8)
PENSACOLA, FL BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUL
10 (8)
DAYTON, OH BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUL
17-18 (8)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN NAVY WEEK JUL
17-25 (1)
IDAHO FALLS, ID
BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUL 24-25 (8)
GROTON, CT USS MISSOURI (SSN 780) JUL
24 (7)
COMMISSIONING
PORTSMOUTH, VA NATIONAL NAVAL OFFICERS JUL
26-30 (6)
ASSOCIATION (NNOA)
PORTSMOUTH, VA ASSOCIATION OF NAVAL JUL
26-30 (6)
SERVICES OFFICERS (ANSO)
SEATTLE, WA SEAFAIR JUL 31-AUG
8 (4)
ANCHORAGE, AK BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW JUL 31?AUG
1 (8)
WASHINGTON, DC HISTORICALLY BLACK AUG-SEP
TBD (6)
COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE
SAN DIEGO, CA
FLEET WEEK AUG 1-OCT 31 (5)
SEATTLE, WA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW AUG
7-8 (8)
CHICAGO, IL NAVY WEEK AUG
7-15 (1)
CHICAGO, IL BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW AUG
14-15 (8)
BOISE, ID NAVY WEEK AUG
20-29 (1)
PORTSMOUTH, NH BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW AUG
28-29 (8)
BALTIMORE, MD NAVY WEEK AUG 28-SEP
6 (1)
PASCAGOULA, MS USS GRAVELY (DDG 107) SEP
TBD (7)
COMMISSIONING
CLEVELAND, OH NAVY WEEK AUG 30-SEP
6 (1)
NCBC GULFPORT VOLKSLAUF SEABEE MUD RUN SEP
4 (2)
CLEVELAND, OH BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW SEP
4-6 (8)
ST LOUIS, MO
NAVY WEEK SEP 6-12 (1)
SALT LK CITY, UT NAVY WEEK SEP
9-19 (1)
SCOTT AFB, IL BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW SEP
11-12 (8)
SAN DIEGO, CA
FLEET WEEK SEP 17-OCT 3 (5)
NAS OCEANA, VA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW SEP
18-19 (8)
MCAS KANE?OHE BAY, BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW SEP
25-26 (8)
HI
EDINBURG, TX HISPANIC ENGINEERING, SEP 26-Oct
2 (6)
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
WEEK (HESTEC)
ANAHEIM, CA SOCIETY OF MEXICAN SEP 29-OCT
3 (6)
AMERICAN ENGINEERS
AND SCIENTISTS (MAES)
MCAS MIRAMAR, CA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW OCT
1-3 (8)
ORLANDO, FL HISPANIC ENGINEER OCT
8-10 (6)
NATIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS
AWARDS CORPORATION
(HENAAC)
SAN FRANCISCO
FLEET WEEK OCT 7-12 (5)
HAMPTON ROADS, VA FLEET WEEK OCT
7-17 (3)
SAN FRANCISCO
BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW OCT 9-10 (8)
ATLANTA, GA NAVY WEEK OCT
11-17 (1)
NCBC GULFPORT SALUTE TO THE MILITARY OCT
12 (2)
NAS JACKSONVILLE NAS JAX 70TH ANNIVERSARY OCT
15 (2)
DOBBINS AFB, GA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW OCT
16-17 (8)
JACKSONVILLE, FL BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW OCT
23-24 (2,8)
DALLAS, TX NAVY WEEK OCT
25-31 (1)
CINCINNATI, OH sOCIETY OF HISPANIC OCT
27-31 (6)
PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS
(SHPE)
DALLAS, TX NATIONAL WOMEN OF COLOR OCT
28-30 (6)
(NWOC)
FT. WORTH, TX
BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW OCT 30-31 (8)
ORLANDO, FL SOCIETY OF WOMEN NOV
4-6 (6)
ENGINEERS (SWE)
ALBUQUERQUE, NM AMERICAN INDIAN SCIENCE NOV
4-6 (6)
AND ENGINEERING SOCIETY
(AISES)
TBD ASIAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER NOV
TBD (6)
AMERICAN SCHOLARSHIP
FUND (APIASF)
HOMESTEAD, FL BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW NOV
6-7 (8)
NAS PENSACOLA BLUE ANGELS AIR SHOW NOV
13 (2,8)
5. NOTES. THE CFA10
SCHEDULE WILL BE MAINTAINED AT WWW.NAVY.MIL/NAVCO ,
WITH CHANGES AND UPDATES THROUGHOUT
THE YEAR. ADDITIONAL STAKEHOLDER LARGE-SCALE EVENTS NOT
YET SCHEDULED AND/OR CONFIRMED (SUCH AS TACDEMO
PERFORMANCES AND LEAP FROGS JUMPS) WILL BE PUBLISHED BY
SPONSORING STAKEHOLDERS SEPCOR. CONTACT COGNIZANT
STAKEHOLDERS FOR SMALLER-SCALE EVENTS AND DETAILS. LEAD
ACTION OFFICES FOR THE EVENTS ABOVE IN PARA (4) ARE AS
FOLLOWS:
(1) NAVY OFFICE OF
COMMUNITY OUTREACH, (901) 874-5800.
(2) COMMANDER, NAVY
REGION SOUTHEAST, (904) 542-2745.
(3) COMMANDER, NAVY
REGION MID-ATLANTIC, (757) 322-2853.
(4) COMMANDER, NAVY
REGION NORTHWEST, (360) 396-1630.
(5) COMMANDER, NAVY
REGION SOUTHWEST, (619) 532-1430.
(6) CNP DIVERSITY
(N134), (703) 695-3856.
(7) COMMANDER, NAVAL
SURFACE FORCES, (619) 437-2735, OR COMMANDER, SUBMARINE
FORCE, U.S. ATLANTIC FLEET,
(757) 836-1650.
(8) BLUE ANGELS, (850)
452-2583.
6. FOR MORE INFORMATION
ON CFA10, CONTACT CDR RICK HAUPT AT THE NAVY OFFICE OF
COMMUNITY OUTREACH,
RICHARD.HAUPT@NAVY.MIL, 901-874-5802 (DSN 882)OR VISIT
WWW.NAVY.MIL/NAVCO. ALSO VISIT WWW.NAVYWEEK.ORG.
7. RELEASED BY VICE
ADMIRAL SAM J. LOCKLEAR III, DIRECTOR, NAVY STAFF .//
BT
#0001
NNNN
RETURN TO INDEX
Aircraft Carrier Flexibility - Response
The articles follow that clearly
show the flexibility and response capability of the
U.S. Navy.
In this case, USS CARL VINSON left
Norfolk, VA on Tuesday, 12 JAN 2010, headed for her new
homeport of San Diego.
Then, in response to the earthquake in Haiti, VINSON is
diverted to provide assistance, arriving off
Port-Au-Prince on
15 JAN. Other Naval Aviation capable ships followed
closely –
Remember,
Naval Aviation is THE
link between all these capabilities at sea and those in
need.
Carrier Carl Vinson To Leave
Tuesday For San Diego
(NORFOLK
VIRGINIAN-PILOT 09 JAN 10) ...
Patrick Wilson
NORFOLK--The aircraft carrier Carl
Vinson is to leave Norfolk on Tuesday for its new
homeport of San Diego, the Navy said Friday.
The carrier recently completed a
midlife overhaul and refueling of the ship’s nuclear
reactors at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding in Newport
News. The 43-month overhaul was finished in July.
Aircraft carriers are built to
last 50 years and must undergo such an overhaul
midlife. The Carl Vinson was commissioned in 1982.
Also heading to San Diego with the
carrier strike group are Carrier Air Wing 17, Destroyer
Squadron 1 and the guided missile cruiser Bunker Hill.
The vessels will sail around South
America and will conduct exercises with naval vessels
from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru, the
Navy said.
The ship has a crew of about 3,200
and is commanded by Capt. Bruce H. Lindsey.
100115-N-4774B-506 PORT-AU-PRINCE (Jan 15, 2010) The
crew of a U.S. Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter from
the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) unload
food and supplies from a at the airport in
Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The U.S. military is conducting
humanitarian and disaster relief operations after a 7.0
magnitude earthquake caused severe damage near
Port-au-Prince on Jan 12, 2010.(U.S. Navy photo by Mass
Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel
Barker/Released)
USS Carl
Vinson Arrives in Haiti to Support Humanitarian
Operations
1/15/2010
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jason
Thompson, USS Carl Vinson Public Affairs
USS CARL VINSON, At sea (NNS) --
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN
70) arrived off the coast of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti Jan.
15 to commence humanitarian assistance and disaster
relief operations.
Carl Vinson received orders from U.S. Southern Command
to deliver assistance to the Caribbean nation following
a 7.3 magnitude earthquake which caused catastrophic
damage within the capital city Jan. 12. The aircraft
carrier's speed, flexibility and sustainability make it
an ideal platform to carry out relief operations.
"Our initial focus is to concentrate on saving lives
while providing first responder support to the people
of Haiti. Our assistance here reflects our nation's
compassion and commitment to those impacted by this
tragedy," said
Rear. Adm. Ted Branch, commander of the Carl Vinson
Carrier Strike Group and the U.S. Navy's sea-based
humanitarian support mission of Haiti.
The carrier arrived on station with a robust airlift
capability, picking up extra helicopters while in
transit that will prove essential during the mission.
Carl Vinson commanding officer Capt. Bruce H. Lindsey
said, "When tasked to support humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief operations in Haiti, we
immediately headed to Mayport, Fla., at more than 30
knots and loaded 19 helicopters, personnel and support
equipment from five different East Coast Navy squadrons
in less than eight hours. There is no other platform
that can do all of that so quickly."
(emphasis added)
U.S. Southern Command is well-versed in providing
humanitarian assistance to the region. Since 2005, the
command has led U.S. military support to 14 major
relief missions, including assistance to Haiti in
September 2008. During that mission, U.S. military
forces airlifted 3.3 million pounds of aid to
communities that were devastated by a succession of
major storms.
Marines Embark on Haiti Response Mission
 Release
Date:
1/15/2010
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J.
Carden, American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- About 2,000
North Carolina-based Marines are making final
preparations Jan. 15 to embark to earthquake-ravaged
Haiti Jan. 16 to provide disaster-relief efforts.
The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) will bring a
multi-mission capability to Haiti to provide disaster
relief and, if necessary, security assistance, a
spokesman for the unit said during a telephone news
conference Jan. 15 from Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The Marines expect to provide direct support for the
ongoing relief efforts there, although they haven't
been given a specific mission yet. But they're well
prepared for any number of challenges, said Marine
Corps Capt. Clark Carpenter.
"We foresee this mission as however our assets can best
be applied to the situation," said Carpenter. "We will
be able to support any number of things that will be
asked of us. I think the key is to get down there and
figure out how our assets are going to best support the
mission."
Carpenter said the 22nd MEU is well suited for this
type of operation because of its amphibious capability
- supplies, aid, equipment and manpower can be moved by
sea and air. And while the infrastructure in Haiti
already is under stress, the Marines can base their
operations from the sea, getting their food, water and
shelter from ships rather than tapping into the limited
supplies ashore, he added.
"We don't know if we're going to sea-base or not, [but
it] reduces the strain on an already strained
infrastructure," he explained. "We have a great
flexibility from those ships. We can sea-base, push
people to shore and run operations."
The force is deploying aboard three Navy ships – USS
Bataan (LHD 5), USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) and USS Fort
McHenry (LSD 43) – with CH-35 Chinook and UH-1 Huey
helicopters. They're leaving their tanks and artillery
equipment at home for this deployment, but will bring
additional trucks and earth-moving equipment, the
captain said.
Also, the 22nd MEU will deploy with additional French-
and Creole-speaking interpreters, public affairs
specialists and possibly more medical personnel and
engineers from other Marine units. Carpenter praised
the support the 22nd MEU has been given from fellow
Marine units at Camp Lejeune and throughout the Marine
Corps.
"The great thing about his whole process is that all
the Marines here have bent over backwards to make sure
we get what we need," he said. "It's been fast-paced
organizing and getting ready to get on the ships, but
it's been made a lot simpler by the singular focus of
Marines on this base."
The Marines expect to depart by ship Jan. 16 and arrive
in three to four days. The length of their deployment
is uncertain for now, but the Marines are preparing to
be gone for at least 30 days, he said.
"We're looking at a minimum of 30 days, but we're
prepared to support the mission as long as we're asked
to be down there," he added.
Despite returning in December 2009 from a seven-month
deployment sailing through the U.S. European Command
and U.S. Central Command areas, morale among the
deploying Marines and their families is high, Carpenter
said.
Many of the Marines were on post-deployment leave when
they were recalled, he noted, but they're eager to help
in relieving the Haitian people's suffering.
"We did just get back a month ago, but the morale is
off the charts here," he said. "We are absolutely ready
to go.
The images we've been seeing on the news, it's
catastrophic, and it's very sad.
"Marines are definitely warriors first, and that is
what the world knows the Marines for," he continued,
"[But] we're equally as compassionate when we need to
be, and this is a role that we'd like to show - that
compassionate warrior, reaching out with a helping hand
for those who need it. We are very excited about this."
USS Bataan Ready
to Help in Haiti
By Christen N. McCluney
Special to American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON,
Jan. 20, 2010 - The USS Bataan is in Haiti as part of
the Bataan Amphibious Relief Mission to participate in
Operation Unified Response.
U.S.
Navy Cmdr. Melanie Merrick, Bataan senior medical
officer; Cmdr. William Wallace, Fleet Surgical Team 8
officer-in-charge; and Lt. Cmdr. Seon Jones, FST 8
surgeon, spoke to bloggers and journalists during a
Jan. 19 "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable.
"The primary goal is getting people on the beach and
getting a site secure," Merrick said. "There is
obviously a lot of demand for the supplies and we are
getting security in place to have a more permanent
residence and be able to distribute supplies."
The Bataan arrived in Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince
yesterday and began unloading supplies such as
beach-clearing equipment, bulldozers and rubble
removers. Bataan's mission is to render aid and take
supplies ashore, Merrick said.
Disaster relief is not new to the Bataan. It was the
first Navy ship on-scene after Hurricane Katrina made
landfall on the Gulf Coast in August 2005. The ship
spent 19 days supporting the relief efforts by moving
more than 1,600 people to safety and delivering more
than 160,000 pounds of supplies.
The ship has a small surgical team with four operating
rooms, 13 intensive care unit beds and 38 ward beds.
The medical team is expecting another 87 medical
personnel to help augment the surgical team, Jones
said, to allow physicians to rotate and provide
constant care.
"We are expecting to receive patients aboard Bataan,"
Wallace said, but the primary goal is getting relief
ashore. It's simply "the biggest thing to enter the
area" from a medical perspective, he said, adding that
everyone is working together as ships arrive to assess
the relief mission so that no one ship is overwhelmed.
"We believe all ships will see Haitian citizens and
U.S. citizens and anyone that can be taken on," Wallace
said.
The USNS Comfort arrived today with 1,000 beds and 600
medical personnel, bringing the total U.S. medical
military support in the area to about 1,500.
The aid will last as long as it's needed, Merrick said.
The medical team is ready for patients and is on
standby. "We want to do the greatest good for the
greatest amount of people," Jones said, "and a lot of
times that includes a lot of moving parts."
(Christen N. McCluney works in the Defense Media
Activity's emerging media directorate.)
USS Carl Vinson
Sailors Support Haiti Mission
By Christen N. McCluney
Special to American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON,
Jan. 24, 2010 - Sailors aboard the USS Carl Vinson are
playing a pivotal role in providing medical services
and humanitarian support during Operation Unified
Response in Haiti, the ship's commander said yesterday.
"The
people that come on here have broken bones and wounds.
You just can't imagine it unless you are here looking
at it the number of people injured, " U.S. Navy Capt.
Bruce H. Lindsey, the ship's commanding officer, told
bloggers during a "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable. "As
long as there are injured people needing our care, we
will stay here as long as it takes."
Before the USNS Comfort hospital ship arrived, the
medical team of the USS Carl Vinson conducted initial
triage of patients prior to providing life-saving
medical and surgical services.
USS Carl Vinson also serves an alternative landing site
when the Comfort's landing spots are full. Patients
with critical needs are brought to the Vinson to
provide immediate assistance.
"We want to mitigate the suffering from the Haitian
people from this earthquake, so we are spread out
trying to help as many people as possible," Lindsey
said. The Carl Vinson also boasts a variety of
helicopters that include 19 CH-53s and SH-60s, that can
be used for a variety of purposes from transporting
cargo and supplies to picking up patients in small
remote areas.
Lindsey described how a group in Michigan emailed the
Carl Vinson and said they had been contacted by
personnel on an island outside of Port-au-Prince that
needed help. The Carl Vinson sent an aircraft to the
island and found an area for the SH-60 to land. The
helicopter transported three casualties from the island
because they had the capability to land in such a small
area.
"We are probably doing 180 to 240 landings a day off of
this ship," he said. "The sailors on the flight deck
and in maintenance are doing the hard work, making sure
they are getting into the country."
One of the main things the ship transports is medical
supplies. Another is water -- the ship has transported
more than 30,000 gallons of water. A group of sailors
on his ship also created a water tree, where they took
piping and created spigots, and use the supply of water
from the ship to fill containers with water for those
in need in Haiti.
Lindsey said sailors volunteered their time to do build
the water tree and fill 5 gallon jugs with water by
hand. Because of their volunteer efforts each
helicopter that leaves the ship has 32 of these jugs on
flight.
Lindsey credits the success of the ship to the crew,
including Creole speakers who he says have been
"enormously helpful" when airlifting patients.
"Having someone speaking their own language has been
critical to our success and has comforted patients," he
said.
"My sailors on board, every one of them wants to go
ashore to help them. I have to tell them I would love
for them to all go there, but I do need a few of them
to stay back on the ship to continue the operations
here," he said. "It's great to see such an outpouring
of volunteerism from today's sailor. America should be
very proud of the sailors that they have. They're great
human beings."
RETURN TO INDEX
 F-35
Ramp-up Slowed?
From AFA
F-35 Ramp-up
Slowed?: 8 JAN 10
Defense Secretary
Robert Gates has directed Pentagon planners to shift
more than $2.8 billion originally earmarked to buy F-35
strike fighters through 2015 back into the aircraft's
development to keep the multibillion-dollar project
from derailing. So reported Bloomberg news wire service
Wednesday (via the Forth Worth Star-Telegram),
citing an internal Pentagon budget document that Gates,
who has made the F-35's success a top priority, signed
Dec. 23. This move, expected to be included in the
Pentagon's Fiscal 2011 budget request that will go to
Congress in February, would reduce the number of F-35s
purchased over that period by 122 airframes, or roughly
one quarter, according to Bloomberg. This includes a
10-aircraft cut in Fiscal 2011. Meanwhile Reuters news
service reported Wednesday that Lockheed Martin
officials say the program is not in trouble and that
such changes would merely shift aircraft purchases to
later years.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From AFA
Thursday January 21, 2010
The "Less Ambitious"
F-35 Program:
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz confirmed
Wednesday at a Washington conference that the Pentagon
would slow F-35 production in the early years, making
adjustments first in the Fiscal 2011 defense budget.
(See F-35 Ramp-up
Slowed? – at bottom of this articles set - Dutch)
However, contrary to some reports, he doesn't "think it
will be years." Scwhartz said simply, "We came to the
conclusion that the path we were on was too
aggressive." Now, he said, the Pentagon plans to reduce
concurrency in development and testing, lengthen the
test period, and produce more test assets. In his
words, early production would be "less ambitious." He
praised new Pentagon acquisition boss Ash Carter for
acting "aggressively" to rein in the program, which
Schwartz said, like all advanced, high-tech programs,
simply takes time. He noted, though, that F-35 software
development actually is beyond that of the F-22 program
at the same time period. (From reporting by John Tirpak)
F-35 Enters STOVL
Flight Test:
From AFA – Monday January 11,
2010
Lockheed Martin officials
announced that the Marine Corps short
takeoff/vertical landing variant of the F-35 had
engaged its STOVL propulsion system for the first time
Jan. 7 during flight tests at NAS Patuxent River, Md.
The flight lasted 14 minutes, during which BAE Systems
test pilot Graham Tomlinson climbed to 5,000 feet,
engaged the shaft-driven LiftFan propulsion system at
210 knots, and then slowed to 180 knots with the system
still engaged before accelerating again to 210 knots
and converting back to conventional-flight mode.
Lockheed executive Dan Crowley said that extended
ground testing had proved that the STOVL propulsion
"performs well." He continued, "Now we are seeing early
proof that the system operates in flight as our team
predicted." Meanwhile, Pentagon officials are
poised to slow the buy rate to put more money into
the strike fighter's reportedly shaky development
program.
Lockheed Martin F-35
Flew 10% Of Planned 2009 Tests
(BLOOMBERG NEWS 19 JAN 10) ...
Tony Capaccio
Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 jet
flew only about 10 percent of its planned test flights
last year because of delays in delivering aircraft.
Sixteen of 168 planned flights
were completed in fiscal 2009, the second year of
flight testing, according to Michael Gilmore, the
Pentagon’s director of weapons testing. The program
calls for 5,000 sorties to prove the aircraft’s flying
capabilities, electronics and software.
The testing backlog is one reason
Defense Secretary Robert Gates has delayed the program,
cutting planned purchases of the plane by 122 in fiscal
years 2011 through 2015. More than $2.8 billion that
was budgeted to buy the military’s next-generation
fighter would instead be used to continue its
development, according to a 2011 budget document.
The development phase must now be
extended by at least one year, to October 2015,
according to Gilmore, the former head of the
Congressional Budget Office’s defense unit.
The F-35 assessment is in the
annual report of testing of major weapons systems sent
to Congress Jan. 15 and scheduled for release later
this week.
The program entered fiscal 2009 at
“significant risk” of not meeting its goals, and that
risk will increase through 2012 because flight testing
hasn’t kept pace “ due to the failure to deliver test
aircraft,” Gilmore wrote in the report.
‘Minimum Schedule Addition’
“Even assuming all the success
that management plans” in the remaining roughly 4,970
flight tests, Lockheed will need a “minimum schedule
addition” of one year to complete development, Gilmore
wrote. The plane flew 14 of 20 planned test flights in
fiscal 2008.
Pentagon weapons buyer Ashton
Carter is reviewing the schedule and how long it should
be extended.
Lockheed F-35 program manager Dan
Crowley said 2009 “was a challenging year.’
“No, we didn’t complete all the
sorties we planned, but the sorties we did have were
significant” because the aircraft landed with only
minor problems, Crowley said in a telephone interview.
The flights “are allowing us to prove the technologies
we have developed for the F-35 work as designed,” he
said.
“Now we are looking forward to
every month some key event,” including delivery of
aircraft to flight test sites in Maryland and
California and continued flights of the short- takeoff
and vertical-landing models for the Marine Corps, the
program’s most complex model, he said.
There are plans to complete 500
test sorties in 2010 after all 13 flight test aircraft
are delivered, Crowley said.
Nine planes have been built and
three are currently in flight testing, according to
Lockheed spokesman John Kent.
Cheryl Limrick, a spokeswoman for
the Pentagon’s F-35 program, said its manager had no
comment on the test report.
Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed
plans to build 2,456 of the fighters in three variants
for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. The
current estimated cost is $298 billion.
Defense News
(Monday, January 25, 2010) has article on the Naval
Air Systems Command’s briefing: “Joint Programs TOC
(Total Operating Costs) Affordability” that predicts
significant cost increases per flight hour for the F-35
as opposed to earlier-generation fighters.
Excerpt:
the biggest customer for
the plane, the U.S. Air Force, isn’t buying the Navy’s
analysis, which includes long-term operating costs for
the Air Force version of the plane.
“We’re certainly looking at the
study, but I don’t accept its findings at face value,”
said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz
during a briefing with reporters last week.
“I have not yet had an
opportunity to validate for myself the accuracy of
that analysis,” Schwartz added. Still, he acknowledged
that operating costs are a serious issue, and that he
would be troubled if the analysis turns out to be
accurate.
“If there are issues related to
cost of operations, we’ll find remedies and
mitigations; we have to,” Schwartz said.
=============================================================================================================================================================
USN’s
F-35 Cost Forecast Stirs Debate Over Program
By JOHN REED And ANDREW TILGHMAN
A projection by U.S. naval
aviation officials that operating the Joint Strike
Fighter could cost $700 billion over two decades —
seen by some as an effort to
undermine the program — is merely part of a Navy drive
to better predict its future expenses, according to
service and defense sources.
“We have more programs than we
have money to execute,” one Navy official said. “If the
Navy and Marine Corps had $10 or $20 billion more per
year, we could spend it. But we don’t, and that’s why
Adm. [Gary] Roughead [CNO] wants us to look so closely
at total ownership costs. This isn’t just about
developing and buying stuff, but making sure we can
operate and maintain it over time.” The NavAir
briefing, entitled “Joint Programs TOC [Total
Operating Costs] Affordability,” was delivered Jan. 4
and leaked to aviation bloggers the following week.
It predicts that each flight hour
flown by Navy and Marine Corps versions of the F-35
will cost about $31,000 in 2029, compared with about
$19,000 per flight hour for the services’ current
F/A-18 Hornets and AV-8B Harriers.
The week the slides surfaced,
Roughead told an audience at the Surface Navy
Association’s annual symposium in Arlington, Va., “We
must ensure that we do not deliver an unaffordable
fleet to the next generation of leaders, lest they burn
us in effigy at this dinner 20 years from now.” The
admiral went on to say that total ownership costs are
part of his requirements and acquisition decisions.
“We will not buy a ship if it is
unaffordable today and we will not buy it if it will
be unaffordable over its lifetime,” said Roughead. But
the biggest customer for the plane, the U.S. Air Force,
isn’t buying the Navy’s analysis, which includes
long-term operating costs for the Air Force version of
the plane.
“We’re certainly looking at the
study, but I don’t accept its findings at face value,”
said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz
during a briefing with reporters last week.
“I have not yet had an
opportunity to validate for myself the accuracy of
that analysis,” Schwartz added. Still, he acknowledged
that operating costs are a serious issue, and that he
would be troubled if the analysis turns out to be
accurate.
“If there are issues related to
cost of operations, we’ll find remedies and
mitigations; we have to,” Schwartz said.
Some analysts, who note that the
leak from the typically tight-lipped NavAir came on the
eve of the 2010 budget negotiation season, see the
briefing as the latest at tempt by a faction inside
the Navy to further reduce the number of F35s to be
bought. In 2002, the service cut its planned JSF order
from 1,089 to 680.
“They cooked their study to
accentuate the negative,” said Winslow Wheeler, a
defense analyst with the Center for Defense.
LOCKHEED MARTIN PHOTO
Soaring Cost:
A NavAir briefing predicts that each flight hour flown
by Navy and Marine Corps versions of the F-35 will cost
about $31,000 in 2029.
RETURN TO INDEX
AIR PLAN #7
NOV09
RETURN TO INDEX
Electronic Warfare Evolves
(AVIATION WEEK 25 JAN
10) ... David A. Fulghum
Washington -- Attack, not defense, will reshape
electronic warfare. A magazine filled with electron
pulses, information scrambling data streams and
invasive algorithms may arm the Next-Generation Jammer
(NGJ).
By
2018, variants of the U.S. Navy’s NGJ likely will be
carried by a half-dozen manned and unmanned
aircraft—perhaps more.
The
service’s EP-X signals and communications intelligence
aircraft—still without a final design or completed
requirements—will be replacing the long-serving EP-3E.
“EP-X
is going to be the eyes and ears that find the signals”
that NGJ will jam and manipulate, says Christopher
Carlson, director of U.S. business development for
ITT’s integrated EW systems. “Precisely identifying and
locating the signals is key to making [jamming] work.
The
Navy’s EA-18G Growler is the lead platform for NGJ.
Some variant of the Marine Corps F-35 Joint Strike
Fighter (JSF) is expected to be the second. The Air
Force’s F-35A may be third, although the technology
could quickly shift into larger, faster unmanned
aircraft designs.
“An
electronic attack version of the JSF has been planned
since Day One by both the Marine Corps and the Air
Force,” says a senior Air Force official. Lockheed
Martin officials say there is no plan to use a power-pulloff
shaft from the main engine to provide auxiliary power
to an electronic attack system. However, “there are
solutions to the electrical power challenge,” the Air
Force official says, that do not involve ram-air
turbines.
From
the Navy’s perspective, “it’s highly likely that the
program will be incremental to plug up the [largest
electronic attack shortcomings,” says a service
official. “Advanced [surface-to-air missiles] with
integrated networks need more complex waveforms. The
capability the Navy wants is a low-power jamming
solution to affect physical coherency in enemy
[integrated air defense system] responses. The idea is
to break down the networking, not to manipulate the
network.”
The
Navy’s priorities are to improve the existing ALQ-99
jammer pod’s capabilities, put the advanced NGJ
capability on the EA-18G, add new capabilities to NGJ
and integrate NGJ into the F-35As. “The Air Force needs
a standoff capability, but the B-52 [concept] isn’t
going anywhere,” says a senior aerospace industry
official. But while the B-52 standoff jammer is dead,
“the Air Force is watching NGJ very closely,” he says.
“Some of their needs are not covered by its design.
Their frequency coverage is slightly different, but the
basic technology could be put on an Air Force platform
whenever they decide what that will be.” That refers to
the service’s operation of a large and growing,
unmanned aircraft force.
“The
Air Force recently released a request for information
to come up with a limited capability by 2012,” says Jim
Bailey, Raytheon’s NGJ capture director. “Raytheon’s
Communications Electronic Attack with Surveillance and
Reconnaissance pod is being used as the basis for that
offering. They’ve asked for a pod. We have advanced
receiver-exciter technology called the Advanced
Receiver Integrated Exciter System that can form the
basis of future airborne electronic attack
capabilities. We also have trades going on to explore
the most effective employment of modern, scalable,
phased-array transmitter technology. But balancing
structure, radar cross section and good
[radio-frequency] performance is very difficult.”
Desired
ranges for standoff jamming are classified, but there
are hints that the Navy expects something around 200
mi. so that the curvature of the Earth will not create
line-of-sight problems. That is less than the proposed
B-52 standoff jammer concepts offered, but more than
EA-6B Prowlers were able to provide the F-117 that was
shot down in Serbia in 1999 [and later transferred to
the Russian air defense industry]. The EA-6B community
warned that their effective standoff jamming range was
limited to about 80 mi. (based on pre-war experiments)
for first-generation stealth aircraft, but this
information was ignored by operational planners.
“In the
‘black world,’ there is ongoing work involving UAVs,”
the industry official says. “Everybody acknowledges the
fact that there’s not going to be a single EA platform.
It will be a system of systems. The Air Force is
already investing in MALD-J [Raytheon’s miniature
air-launched decoy-jammer] and UAVs are natural for
other parts of the [penetrating, close-range] mission.”
“There
are realities and desires,” says Carlson. “The desire
is that every F-35 could be turned into an EF-35. Most
people who look at the problem say you will have to add
extra-peripheral hardware that you won’t carry on every
mission. You will probably add a very strange-looking
pod because of the stealth requirements or a conformal
pod with hardware in the weapons bay.”
New
ideas are beginning to emerge.
“Within
some constraints, the Air Force can assemble a
best-of-breed solution,” the Air Force official says.
“The real challenge will be the integration task, since
that has never been a competency of the services.”
“It
doesn’t look as hard as it did six months ago,” says
Bailey. “If there is a RAT [ram-air turbine for
generating electrical power], it will limit how we
package the system [for the Growler]. The Navy wants
NGJ pods for the EA-18G [which require] minimal
interface changes. The F-35 can use the same scalable
technology once it is repackaged for that platform
requirement.”
One
approach under consideration is to use the weapons bay
and redesign the doors to include an aperture. But that
space is more favored to carry larger electronic attack
payloads.
However, the cannon bay is big enough for NGJ, and it
has a frangible covering for the gun barrel that has
been faired into the stealth design. Lockheed Martin
has discussed repackaging NGJ for F-35 in what it calls
a gun pod. The gun port blister on the left side of the
aircraft’s nose would become the aperture.
RETURN TO INDEX
Flag Officer Assignments
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary
Roughead announced today the following assignments:
Rear Adm. (lower half) Robert P. Wright
will be assigned as reserve deputy commander, U.S.
Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Va. Wright is currently
serving as deputy commander, Second Fleet, Norfolk, Va.
Hide US Navy Today Menu
About the Navy:
Rear Admiral Robert P. Wright
Deputy Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet 
Rear Adm. Robert P. Wright, a native of Boston, was
awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Science
from Framingham State College, and a master’s degree in
Space Systems Operations from the Naval Post Graduate
School, Monterey, Calif. He was commissioned at
Pensacola, Fla., in February 1978 and designated a
naval aviator in September 1979.
Wright reported directly to his squadron VFP-63, Naval
Air Station (NAS) Miramar, Calif. for RF-8G fleet
training and deployment to the Persian Gulf aboard USS
Independence (CV-62). He attended Naval Post
Graduate School from June 1982 to June 1984, and upon
graduation reported for F-14 Fleet Training to VF-101,
NAS Oceana, Va. In March 1985 he reported to VF-102 for
deployments aboard USS America (CV-66) to the
North Atlantic and Mediterranean. He reported back to
VF-101 in March 1987 for F-14 instructor duty and
program development as the F-14A operational model
manager. During his program development tour he
established the F-14A+ syllabus and directed fleet
introduction of this new aircraft. Wright left active
service in March 1990 and affiliated with reserve
fighter squadron VF-1486 based at NAS Oceana.
Wright began his affiliation with the Space & Network
Warfare Program (SNWP) in April 1992 where he served as
Naval Space Command 0166 operations and executive
officer, and assumed command of Naval Space Command
0266 in October 1996. Wright reported to USSPACECOM
0188 in September 1998 and assumed command June 2000.
He served in every regional theater as a USSPACECOM
liaison officer (LNO) and covered the active duty LNO
position at USSOUTHCOM for the last 14 months of his
assignment.
In October 2002, Wright reported as chief of staff for
Naval Network Operations Command 0166, and was
nominated as director SNWP in October 2003. As
director, he guided reserve component mergers
transforming SNWP from a primary mission focus of
Space/ISR towards the sole Navy Reserve entity
representing a broad Network-Centric Warfare focus. He
left a program comprising 750+ reservists and 26
reserve units supporting USSTRATCOM, NETWARCOM and
SPAWAR.
In October 2005, Wright assumed command of U.S. Fleet
Forces Command (USFF) JTF DET 100 and provided key
oversight for a broad mission realignment of four USFF
JTF units providing support in emerging operational
roles as JFMCC NORTH, NAVSTRAT and JFCOM JTF support
roles. Wright mobilized as director, Strategic
Communication, Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of
Africa (CJTF-HOA) in September 2006. He was promoted to
the rank of rear admiral in October 2008.
Updated: 17 November 2008
CNO
Announces Flag Officer Assignments
Story Number: NNS100128-11
1/28/2010
From Department of Defense
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary
Roughead announced Jan. 28 the following assignments:
Rear Adm. (lower half) Douglass T. Biesel will be
assigned as commander, Navy Region Northwest,
Silverdale, Wash. Biesel is currently serving as
commander, Navy Region Marianas/U.S. Pacific Command
representative Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia,
Republic of Palau/Commander, U.S. Naval Forces,
Marianas. (SS)
Rear Adm. (lower half) Paul J. Bushong will be assigned
as commander, Navy Region Marianas/U.S. Pacific Command
representative Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia,
Republic of Palau/commander, U.S. Naval Forces,
Marianas. Bushong is currently serving as commander,
Submarine Group 2, Groton, Conn. (SS)
Rear Adm. (lower half) Michael E. McLaughlin will be
assigned as commander, Submarine Group 2, Groton, Conn.
McLaughlin is currently serving as deputy director,
National Military Command Center Operations Team Five
J3, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. (SS)
Rear Adm. John W. Miller will be assigned as commander,
Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center, Fallon, Nev.
Miller is currently serving as commander, Carrier
Strike Group 11, San Diego, Calif.
Rear Admiral John W. Miller
Commander, Carrier Strike Group 11 
Rear Admiral John W. Miller was commissioned an ensign
upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy in
1979. He was designated a Naval flight officer in June
1980 and received orders to VF-101 for replacement
training in the F-14A Tomcat.
Miller’s sea tours include VF-31 as a division officer,
VF-84 as maintenance officer, and command of VF-142,
VF-101, USS Dubuque (LPD 8), USS Juneau (LPD
10), USS Constellation (CV 64) and USS John
F. Kennedy (CV 67).
His shore tours include VF-101 as an instructor, the
United States Naval Academy as leadership section head,
White House Fellowship as special assistant to the
administrator of NASA, aviation commander assignment
officer at the Bureau of Naval Personnel, deputy
commander of the United States 5th Fleet, deputy
director, Strategy, Plans and Policy (J5) and chief of
staff, U.S. Central Command.
Miller is a distinguished graduate of the Naval War
College and holds a master’s degree in International
Relations from Salve Regina University.
He assumed his current position as the commander,
Carrier Strike Group 11 in September 2008.
Miller has accumulated over 3,500 flight hours and
1,000 arrested landings in the F-14 Tomcat flying off
of USS John F. Kennedy, USS Nimitz (CVN
68), USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), USS
George Washington (CVN 73), USS Kitty Hawk
(CV 63) and USS Constellation.
His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal
(2), Legion of Merit (3), Bronze Star, Meritorious
Service Medal (3), Strike Flight Air Medal (2), Navy
Commendation Medal (5), Navy Achievement Medal and
numerous unit and campaign awards.
Updated: 25 September 2008
Rear Adm. (lower half) Frank A. Morneau will be
assigned as deputy director, expeditionary warfare,
N85B, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations,
Washington, D.C. Morneau is currently serving as deputy
director, CJ3, Multi-National Force-Iraq, Baghdad,
Iraq. (not listed )
Rear Adm. (lower half) David M. Thomas Jr., who has
been selected for promotion to Rear Adm., will be
assigned as commander, Naval Surface Force,
Atlantic/deputy commander, Naval Surface Forces,
Norfolk, Va. Thomas is currently serving as commander,
Carrier Strike Group 2, Norfolk, Va. (SWO)
Rear Adm. (lower half) Nora W. Tyson will be assigned
as commander, Carrier Strike Group 2, Norfolk, Va.
Tyson is currently serving as commander, Logistics
Group, Western Pacific/commander, Task Force
73/Commander, Navy Region Singapore.
Rear Admiral Nora W. Tyson
Commander, Logistics Group, Western Pacific
(COMLOGWESTPAC)
A
native of Memphis, Tenn., Rear Adm. Tyson graduated
from Vanderbilt University in 1979 with a bachelor’s
degree in English. She attended Officer Candidate
School in Newport, R.I., receiving her commission as an
Ensign in the U.S. Navy in December of that year.
Rear Adm. Tyson reported for flight training in
Pensacola, Fla. after serving a brief tour ashore in
Washington. She earned her wings as a Naval Flight
Officer in 1983.
She served three tours in Fleet Air Reconnaissance
Squadron (VQ) 4 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent
River, Md. and Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma,
including one as Commanding Officer. She also commanded
the amphibious assault ship, USS Bataan (LHD 5),
leading the ship’s contributions to disaster relief
efforts on the U.S. Gulf Coast in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina and deploying twice to the Persian
Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom I and
II.
Other tours at sea included duty as Assistant
Operations Officer aboard the training aircraft
carrier, USS Lexington (AVT 16), and as
Navigator aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier,
USS Enterprise (CVN 65).
Ashore, she served as Airborne Communications Officer
Course Instructor and Officer-In-Charge at Naval Air
Maintenance Training Detachment 1079, NAS Patuxent
River, Md. She has also completed tours on the Joint
Staff as a Political-Military Planner in the
Asia-Pacific Division of the Strategic Plans and Policy
Directorate; as Executive Assistant for the Assistant
to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; as
Director of Staff for Commander, Naval Forces
Europe/Commander 6th Fleet, and, most recently, as
Executive Assistant for the Chief of Naval Operations.
Rear Adm. Tyson earned a Master of Arts in National
Security and Strategic Affairs from U.S. Naval War
College in 1995.
Rear Adm. Tyson is currently serving as CTF-73,
Commander, Logistics Group, Western Pacific.
RETURN TO INDEX
NAVAL AVIATION IN HAITI
VAW 125
Provides Support For Operation Unified Response
(NAVY
NEWS SERVICE 27 JAN 10) ... Mass Communication
Specialist 2nd Class Zachary Harris
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba -- The "Tiger Tails" of Carrier
Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125 are
conducting airspace management during Operation Unified
Response operating out of U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo
Bay, Jan. 22.
VAW 125
is working to ensure airspace and mission safety over
Port-au-Prince.
U.S.
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay holds a strategic location
near Haiti and allows the VAW to conduct critical
airspace management during the humanitarian assistance
efforts in Haiti. Food, personnel and medical supplies
arrive daily and the airspace over Haiti is crowded
with aircraft from various agencies.
The
crew of VAW-125 provides an information conduit for
aircraft operating over Haiti, making the orchestration
of humanitarian assistance more manageable.
"We
maximize the efficiency of the efforts," said Cmdr.
Wesley Bannister, commanding officer, VAW-125.
The
squadron operates the E-2C Hawkeye, an aircraft
designed for all-weather, carrier-based tactical battle
management and airborne early warning. The Hawkeye acts
as a communication link to provide the big picture of
what's happening in the air and on the ground.
"The
aircraft was designed to go up and provide the eyes and
ears in the sky," said Lt. Cmdr. Kenyon Kellogg,
VAW-125 personnel officer.
According to Bannister, the E-2C and its crew help
maintain control of U.S. Navy helicopters moving relief
supplies, including medicine and personnel. They also
coordinate with personnel on the ground and aboard the
aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) to direct air
asset tasking.
Within
96 hours of being activated, the crew of VAW-125 had
gone from their homeport in Norfolk, Va., to fully
operational over Haiti, providing command and control
of airborne assets as well as those on the ground.
Bannister believes the entire effort has been a
positive and successful undertaking.
"We
have a long history with Haiti," he said. "We should do
everything we can to help."
For
more news from Joint Task Force Guantanamo, visit
www.navy.mil/local/jtfgtmo/.
RETURN TO INDEX
VRC-40
Supporting Operation
Unified Response
(NAVY
NEWS SERVICE 27 JAN 10) .. Army Sgt. Michael Baltz
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba -- Service members from Fleet
Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 arrived at U.S.
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to help support Operation
Unified Response after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in
Haiti Jan. 12.
The
squadron, based out of Norfolk, Va., has been providing
critical logistical support by transporting more than
300 tons of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief
cargo to the people of Haiti.
"We
feel like we are making a difference," said Lt. Cmdr.
Mike Zaniko, the operations officer for VRC-40. "In a
routine six-month deployment, a squad like ours would
normally transport about 500 tons of cargo. We have
done more than half that in our first week."
The
VRC-40's mission is to facilitate the movement of high
priority cargo, mail and passengers to and from
Atlantic fleet carriers. Additionally, they also train
top-notch pilots, aircrew and maintainers. They are
equipped with six C-2A Greyhounds, which are conducting
three to four missions nightly while deployed to
Guantanamo.
"We fly
during the night to limit the air traffic during the
day," Zaniko said. "This works out well because, when
everyone wakes-up, they have their supplies, and we
continue to move forward."
Greyhounds can carry up to 10,000 pounds of cargo,
which could include personnel.
"We are
currently flying cargo to Haiti and to the USS Carl
Vinson (CVN 70)," said Naval Air Crewman 2nd Class
Nicholas Ingram. "We also fly doctors and search and
rescue teams to help support the mission."
Ingram
and naval Air Crewman 2nd Class Casey Marshall, have
been on more than 15 logistical missions in just their
first week.
"The
most challenging part of the job is maintaining
flexibility and being adaptable in every situation,"
Marshall said. "We have long days and long nights, but
we do it with a smile on our face. Knowing that we are
helping the people in Haiti, our sacrifices are minimal
compared to theirs, and I enjoy having the ability to
help them out."
"Everyone in our unit is working hard," Ingram chimed
in. "The faster we get everything going, the faster we
can help them."
"We are
all excited to be here and to be able to help," Zaniko
said. "I am very proud of everyone working so hard to
accomplish the mission."
For
more news from Joint Task Force Guantanamo, visit
www.navy.mil/local/jtfgtmo/.
RETURN TO INDEX
Russia Tests
New Stealth Fighter Jet
Friday , January 29, 2010
MOSCOW —
A
stealth jet fighter intended to match the latest U.S.
design made its maiden flight in Russia on Friday, an
important step in the country's efforts to modernize
its aging Soviet-era arsenals.
The
Sukhoi T-50 prototype took to the skies for a 45-minute
flight from an airfield at the company's production
plant in the Far Eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur on
Friday, Sukhoi spokesman Alexei Paveshchenko told The
Associated Press.
Russian officials have spent two decades trying to
build the so-called fifth-generation fighter and hope
the T-50 can challenge the U.S. F-22 Raptor, which
first flew in 1997. The Russian project has been veiled
in secrecy and no pictures of it had been released
before the maiden flight.
If
the prototype bearing a close resemblance to the Raptor
goes into production, it will be the first major new
aircraft design built in post-Soviet Russia. Officials
have expressed hope that the T-50 will enter service in
2015.
A
Sukhoi statement quoted test pilot Sergei Bogdan as
saying the craft was "easy and comfortable to pilot."
Friday's successful test of the plane, developed in
partnership with India, comes as a relief to Russian
government officials. A series of failures on
high-profile weapons projects has blighted Russia's
attempts to modernize its rusting arsenals.
But
observers said it was early to celebrate.
Alexander Golts, an independent military analyst, said
the T-50 is running on old engines, and the only major
technological breakthrough was designing the airframe
making the jet more difficult for radars to spot, in
keeping with its U.S. counterpart.
The
specifications and design of Russia's new fighter have
keep secret, and Friday's statement offered few
details.
Aviation officials have said the new craft will meet
the fifth-generation requirements, including a
supersonic cruising speed.
Sukhoi said in a statement that the plane has advanced
stealth capabilities.
"This allows a significant increase in military
effectiveness," the company's statement said. Advanced
control systems help fly the aircraft and "allow the
pilot to concentrate on tactical tasks," it added.
Russian news agencies reported the highly maneuverable
plane has a 3,400-mile range. The Raptor has a range of
about 2,960 kilometers 1,850 miles, according to
official U.S. data.
RETURN TO INDEX
P-3s Pile On The Pirates
January 5, 2010: Three more American P-3 maritime
reconnaissance aircraft have been sent to the
Seychelles islands, to search for pirates. Beginning
last Summer, the United States has had one P-3 and at
least one Reaper UAVs operating from the Seychelles
islands, to search for Somali pirates operating far
from their bases. One of these Reapers has been seen
carrying a large pod under one wing. This appears to be
a reconnaissance camera pod, that can take digital
photos of large areas of water, over a hundred
kilometers from the aircraft. Ideally, you want a
maritime reconnaissance aircraft to carry a surface
search radar, but this pod does not appear to be a
radar. Moreover, a surface search radar would require
much more electricity than a camera pod.
Since late last year, Somali pirates have been
operating as far east as the Seychelles, which are a
group of 115 islands 1,500 kilometers from the east
African coast. The islands have a total
population
of 85,000 and no military power to speak of. Except for
a small coast guard, they are defenseless against
pirates. So are many of the ships moving north and
south off the East Coast of Africa. While ships making
the Gulf of
Aden
run know they must take measures to deal with pirate
attacks (posting lookouts 24/7, training the crew to
use fire hoses and other measures to repel boarders,
hanging barbed wire on the railings and over the side
to deter boarders), this is not so common for ships
operating a thousand kilometers or more off the east
coast of Africa. Ships in this area were warned late
last year that they were at risk. Now, the pirates are
out in force, demonstrating that the risk is real.
An increasing number of mother ships, usually captured
fishing trawlers (able to stay out for weeks at a time,
and carry speed boats for attacks) are traveling
farther from the coast in the search of victims. The
P-3s can search large areas of the high seas in search
of these mother ships, which warships are now hunting
down. There are also several non-U.S. P-3s operating
from Djibouti, which is one of Somalia's western
neighbors.
But there are some problems. The American built P-3C
maritime reconnaissance aircraft is getting old. The
average age of the U.S. P-3Cs is 28 years. The P-3
entered service in 1962. The current version has a
cruise speed of 610 kilometers per hour, endurance of
up to 13 hours and a crew of eleven. The 116 foot long,
propeller driven aircraft has a wingspan of nearly 100
feet. The P-3C can carry about ten tons of weapons
(torpedoes, mines, or missiles like Harpoon and
Maverick).
The 63 ton P-3 is based on the 1950s era Lockheed
Electra airliner. The last P-3 was built in 1990. A
more likely replacement for these elderly search
planes, are UAVs (Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles),
like Global Hawk or smaller aircraft like Predator and
Reaper. These UAVs typically stay in the air for 24
hours, or more, at a time. What maritime reconnaissance
aircraft need, more than anything else, is endurance
or, as the professionals like to put it, "persistence."
A
fully equipped, for maritime patrol, Reaper costs over
$20 million each. Such a reaper can spot ships below
night and day, and has cameras that can zoom in on any
ship or speedboat for a detailed video close up. A P-3
aircraft can only stay in the air for half as long as a
Reaper, but carriers more sensors and weapons. A P-3
also requires a larger ground crew, and more
maintenance after each flight.
Nevertheless, the demand for Reapers in Afghanistan,
and the skill and experience of the P-3 crews, makes
the P-3 the most effective, and available, maritime
recon aircraft for the anti-piracy patrol.
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