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Wing Commanders and Squadron Commanding Officers, One of the various missions of ANA is to, “…stimulate the collection, preservation and display of historical material concerning the history of naval aviation….” Simply put, we work to preserve our history by preserving historical artifacts. And we work to get them back into the light of day – out where people can see them and use them for their historical value. One valuable type of artifact is aircraft operating manuals – called everything from “Pilot’s Notes” to NATOPS, depending on the vintage. Whatever, next time you go into the attic or other treasure trove hidey-hole, please take a look to see if there might be some treasure like that, something that needs to be preserved AND put somewhere that people can see it, use it and appreciate its history. When you find that treasure, please sent to
ANA and we will work to get it to a museum or such that can
properly protect and display it. Send your treasures to: Dutch Rauch, Secretary/Treasurer 1446 Waggaman Circle McLean, VA 22101 Please be sure to include your name and address and any information you might have regarding the treasure. Displays of historical artifacts will usually include the donor’s information in as much as is possible. All treasures will be acknowledged with a receipt. If you have a substantiated value for your donation, and would like that acknowledged, please include that information as well. Please pass this to ALL HANDS – get the word out – Do NOT let those treasures be lost or destroyed! VR, Secretary/Treasurer Association of Naval Aviation, Inc. A 501(C)(3) not-for-profit organization 1446 Waggaman Circle Mclean, VA 22101 svwindmills@erols.com http://www.anahq.org/ “…to educate and encourage an interest among the general public as to the importance of Naval Aviation in the defense of the United States and its allies….”
IN THIS ISSUE
Navy RecruitingUSS Enterprise - The Navy’s First Nuclear-Powered Aircraft CarrierA New, Quieter Mission (3 articles)LCS Flight deck CertificationTRUMAN Faces 6-Month Gap After JTFXGrowler Squadron 'Safe For Flight'Russia Tests Indian Fighter JetsNavy Intelligence ReorganizationHill Negotiators Keep F-35 Engine In DoD BillExecuting the Maritime StrategyNavy Establishes Carrier Strike Group 1First VUAS DEPLOYMENT Next WeekNewest Navy recruiting advertisementhttp://www.navy.com/gffg/#/thecalling
49 Years Ago, The USS Enterprise Became The Navy’s First Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier(THE DAILY SUN (FL) 24 SEP 09) ... Jessica Greene THE VILLAGES — Forty-nine years ago today was a big moment in U.S. naval history. On Sept. 24, 1960, the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) — the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier — was launched. “That changed the whole strategic picture of U.S. naval capability,” said Mike Brody, a retired Navy lieutenant commander who served aboard the ship as a nuclear engineer from 1976 to 1979. “Its significance can’t be overstated. The difference between a nuclear-powered ship and a conventional ship is really that we can operate for an indefinite period of time without needing to refuel,” said Ensign Michael A. Hartford, deputy public affairs officer with the Enterprise. Nuclear propulsion has since become the standard for U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. According to the Naval History Center, the Enterprise left from Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. in Newport News, Va., which still serves as its home port. This Enterprise was the eighth ship to carry that name, and it’s a lineage her past and present crew members are proud to be part of, Hartford said. “It’s not just another ship. It’s like stepping on a piece of history. It’s a legacy ship with an unmatched heritage, so there’s an amount of pride (in serving aboard the Enterprise) that’s hard to express,” said Hartford, who has been a crew member since March. Villager Jack Moore experienced that for himself during the ship’s rise to renown. As a midshipman following his first year at the Naval Academy, Moore was aboard the Enterprise for five weeks during a test and trial period in 1962. Moore’s group spent much of that time touring the ship and learning about its capabilities, he said. And he must have paid attention, because he still rattles off many of the carrier’s specifics without pause. It weighs more than 85,000 tons, has a maximum speed of 30 knots and boasts four propellers that are 21-feet in diameter, he recalled. “That sucker would move,” he said. The Enterprise also holds eight nuclear reactors and houses upward of 5,000 crew members. Villager Alfred Cope Jr., a 25-year Navy veteran, recalls being impressed by the ship’s sheer size. As a helicopter pilot who flew search-and-rescue missions over North Vietnam from 1966 to 1970, the Village of Winifred resident occasionally landed on the Enterprise. “It was great for me compared to some of the other carriers,” Cope said. According to the ship’s Web site, its flight deck spans nearly 4.5 acres. And the 1,123-foot-long vessel offered other perks. “The food was good, laundry got done more often — it was a super ship to be on,” Cope added. Moore recalls the food and favorable dining arrangements, too. “It was available 22 hours a day,” he said. Then there were enhancements that helped keep off-duty crew members from being bored. There were basketball courts, a workout facility and a nice area to watch movies, Moore said. “At the time it was a magnificent ship,” he said. Navy Has A New, Quieter Mission(POLITICO 24 SEP 09) ... Jen Dimascio ABOARD THE USS HARRY S. TRUMAN — For Navy Capt. Andrew Lewis, the commander of a fighter jet fleet stationed on this Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, times have changed. For much of his career, which began before Desert Storm, more than 20 years ago, success in battle was determined by the number of bombs he dropped. Not anymore. Now, as he prepares for his 10th deployment, the fighter pilots he trains and commands are taught to prize restraint — especially in the valleys of Afghanistan. “If we do not drop any bombs flying over Afghanistan, over Iraq — if we don’t shoot the gun — that’s a good thing,” said Lewis, leaning on a chair in the ready room of the Gunslingers fighter squadron. A quiet mission for him “means the people on the ground doing counterinsurgency work are able to do their work.” The evolution seen by Lewis — whose boyish face is creased with deep lines — dovetails with the emerging strategy of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. McChrystal is aiming to reduce civilian casualties through more discreet, pinpoint operations, hoping that makes Afghans less opposed to a new U.S. troop buildup. Illustrating the change, the USS Ronald Reagan just wrapped up a tour in the Gulf of Oman and dropped half as much ordnance as the carrier group that went before it. The Navy, for its part, is holding up Lewis and his fleet of fighter jets as an example of a contrarian notion — showing that an aircraft carrier strike group not known for its ability to make quick changes can in fact swiftly adapt to the demands of changing warfare. The 97,000-ton Truman carries a fleet, or “wing,” of 44 fighter jets — the size of an entire air force for some nations — surveillance planes and helicopters, cargo planes, guns, large bombs and 4,500 sailors. The strike group sails with a fleet that includes an anti-missile cruiser, several destroyers, a submarine and a frigate. But all those additional ships — multiplied over 11 carrier groups arrayed against opponents from insurgents in Afghanistan to pirates off the coast of Somalia — make the groups vulnerable targets come budget time. And while the carrier groups are a key way to project U.S. power around the globe, Pentagon planners are debating whether — at $10 billion for a new carrier — they need quite so many, prompting the Navy to push back. Adm. Timothy Keating, the commander of Pacific Command, told reporters last week that the United States deploys six carriers to the Pacific and it’s not always enough. Commanders of carrier strike groups described them as the military’s Swiss army knife, with a tool for nearly every contingency. The carrier has advanced fighter jets and ballistic missiles to counter near-peer threats and anti-missile defenses ready to shoot down approaching missiles. To take on pirates off the coast of Africa, the strike group can deploy its destroyers and smaller vessels with surveillance equipment to challenge the smallest boats. It can dispatch surveillance planes to protect the oil fields of Iraq. But perhaps most important, the sight of a 1,096-foot aircraft carrier off a coast inspires sheer awe. “The incredible firepower that this aircraft carrier and air wing and accompanying assets have is a tremendous stabilizing force as it moves around the world,” said Rear Adm. Garry White, the commander of a strike force training in the Atlantic. “You want to have the firepower. It’s best to negotiate from a position of power. Some people just don’t necessarily respect you if you don’t have that power.” But in recent times, being awesome has worked against other programs, particularly when it describes their price tag. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also recently raised the concern that technology might in the future trump brute strength, citing the case of China. “Their investments in cyber- and anti-satellite warfare, anti-air and anti-ship weaponry and ballistic missiles could threaten America’s primary way to project power and help allies in the Pacific — in particular, our forward air bases and carrier strike groups,” Gates said in a speech to the Air Force Association this month. Gates is recommending slowing down the production of aircraft carriers — whose number, because older ones are retiring, will temporarily be reduced to 10. That idea is favored by Robert Work, who recently joined the Navy as its undersecretary. Before his new assignment, Work wrote a paper for the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments analyzing the U.S. Navy’s relative pre-eminence over other navies, particularly with regard to its presence in the skies. Work didn’t recommend stopping the production or deployment of carriers, but he suggested slowing their production. Future carriers will have to operate farther from shore to avoid the types of threats Gates mentioned in his speech, Work wrote, an argument that’s being used to develop long-range, unmanned bombing aircraft that can be launched from a carrier deck. Eliminating one full carrier is being considered as part of the Pentagon’s once-in-four-years review, said Mackenzie Eaglen, a defense analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation. “The reason it’s particularly precarious for the Navy is because it could put the Navy in a single-digit fleet,” she said, adding that because of maintenance schedules, only nine carriers would be available for deployment. “I think it would be significant psychologically,” she said, but it would also put the nation at a higher level of military risk. “At what point is it the straw that breaks the camel’s back?” With defense budgets being squeezed, the carrier community is moving into defense mode, and the Navy is responding by promoting the many uses of a carrier and its importance to global security. More and more often, carrier groups are taking on new roles, supporting counterinsurgencies, conducting anti-piracy missions and providing humanitarian relief and health care. When the Navy’s Strike Group 10 sets sail next year, it will be able to simultaneously support the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and dispatch smaller ships to the Horn of Africa to pick up counterpiracy missions. Nothing less than the world’s economy is at stake, said Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, the strike group’s commander, from a room overlooking the USS Truman’s 300-foot runway, where a steam-powered catapult launches F-18 Super Hornets into flight. “Ninety percent of the world’s trade goes by sea. Ninety percent of the communications cables go by sea. The petroleum market is critical to how our economy goes, and 40 percent of all that oil goes through the Malacca Strait — one strait that we have to make sure doesn’t get closed,” Driscoll said. “It’s essential that we have strong maritime forces to protect the sea lanes and have a presence forward. If you’re not there, you don’t have a vote.” Oceana Pilots Face New Restrictions In Afghanistan (NORFOLK VIRGINIAN-PILOT 28 SEP 09) ... Jaedda Armstrong On the flight deck of the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman, sailors in brightly colored shirts and protective masks jogged between Navy jets as the hot stench of fuel filled the air. In an orchestra of movement, sailors wiped down jet windows and refueled aircraft while others rapidly waved their hands to signal that a jet was ready to land. Five minutes later, the F/A-18 Super Hornet's tail hook caught the arresting wire and the engine roared as the jet screeched to a halt. This jet's pilot and the 43 others who belong to Carrier Air Wing 3 will head to Afghanistan in March to continue fighting the Taliban. They'll have to deal with tighter restrictions on when and where they can drop bombs. The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, announced the changes in July as part of an effort to reduce civilian casualties, which he said are undermining efforts to defeat the extremists. Some have questioned whether the restrictions are putting troops more at risk. Earlier this month in Afghanistan, a firefight killed nine Afghans and four U.S. troops - including a Chesapeake native. McClatchy News Service, which had a reporter with the troops when they were ambushed, reported that U.S. commanders, citing the new rules, rejected repeated calls for air and artillery support despite being told that they weren't near a village. That incident is still under investigation. But the Truman pilots seem to be taking the change in stride. The rules of engagement change depending on what area of the world pilots are called to, so McChrystal's directive isn't anything new, said Lt. Patrick Bookey, who flies with the Gunslingers of the Strike Fighter Squadron 105 based at Oceana Naval Air Station. No matter where they are, he said, they are generally trained to avoid civilian casualties. Bookey had just landed on the carrier after completing his final mission in a 10-day training exercise that took place earlier this month. He had flown over the coast of Georgia and simulated dropping a bomb. The training is designed to test and evaluate the strike group's reaction to real-world scenarios - from small craft attacks to land-based missile attacks - and is mandatory before a carrier strike group deploys. Rear Adm. Garry White, commander of Strike Force Training Atlantic, said there was no major change to the training because of the new restrictions, but the training is constantly being modified to be as realistic as possible. White said he keeps in contact with commanders in the Middle East to hear about what's going on and incorporate examples in training. "If we go in and kill innocent bystanders, then we have not just turned the people in that immediate vicinity into our enemies, but all their families, all of their friends, and we won't be able to turn that around," he said. Pilots, he said, "understand when they drop that bomb, there's a tremendous amount of responsibility that goes along with that." Cmdr. Rob Mathewson, the executive officer of Strike Fighter Squadron 105, said the rules of engagement generally shift to better support operations on the ground. "When we first went in, the objectives were to take control militarily to stop what was going on at that time," he said. "So our rules of engagement were set up to allow us to more efficiently do that. We don't need to do that anymore because now their self-governance is taking over." Capt. John Rodriguez, the command's strike warfare officer, said training has always included simulating a target near a civilian building to test the pilots' reactions. In most situations, he said, dropping a bomb may not be an option. Instead, a show of force - strafing the ground with the Super Hornet's machine-gun like cannon - may be appropriate. During a deployment to Iraq early last year, Bookey, 29, said that on most of his missions, he was the "eye in the sky," using radar to search for insurgents hiding behind bushes or inside nearby buildings. "Most of the time, we're not really ever dropping anything - we are doing shows of force," he said. "All we're doing is showing people that hey, we're here, maybe you should back down a little bit." Before the decision is made to drop a bomb, he said, a lot of communication must take place. "It's not just a pilot and a guy on the ground that says, 'We're going to drop this.' It goes much higher than that," he said. Pilots can also take the explosive pattern of a particular bomb and overlay that pattern over satellite imagery of the target, White said. That makes it easier to determine what, if any, collateral damage may occur. If the pilots are faced with a situation where it's not clear if civilians are nearby, they are trained to cancel the mission, Bookey said. "That's the general mind-set," he said. "We certainly don't want to hurt people if we don't intend to."
U.S. Pilots' Role Adapts To Changing Afghan Mission (REUTERS 29 SEP 09) ... Frederik Richter ABOARD USS NIMITZ, Gulf of Oman - "A jet has dropped," a commander tells an officer in a quick exchange, both pressed against the wall as sailors hurried by in a corridor below the deck of the aircraft carrier Nimitz. Word of the air strike travelled fast on the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. It was the first bombing raid by an aircraft off the Nimitz since it launched its first flight sortie on Sept. 18 in support of foreign forces in Afghanistan. Its pilots will be in the spotlight after General Stanley McChrystal, commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, in July issued new guidelines supposed to limit civilian casualties by requiring troops to take extra steps before opening fire. McChrystal says he wants to change the focus of his 100,000-strong force, from hunting insurgents to protecting Afghan civilians. Within weeks of taking command, he issued new combat orders, tightening the rules for ordering air strikes. But while the Nimitz was transiting to its area of operations, an air strike called in on Sept. 4 by a German commander on two fuel trucks hijacked by Taliban fighters killed 30 civilians, according to the Afghan government. NATO is investigating whether the attack violated McChrystal's rules. NATO troops say they have killed far fewer civilians in air strikes this summer than last summer, despite taking more casualties of their own. McChrystal says that extra short term risk is necessary to reduce the risk over the long term by escalating casualties. As the situation on the ground in Afghanistan has become more complex, the pilots' role has changed. While during the first operations in 2001 they hardly communicated with ground troops and merely pulled the trigger, they now provide information to ground forces from their sensors to ensure rules of engagement are being followed. "Back then it was a traditional military setting, it was small tactical victories passed down to the Navy, but now it's different because everyone is involved in strategic-level decisions," said Lieutenant Commander John Kelly who has flown missions into Afghanistan since 2001. AIR CREWS HAVE GREATER SAY He said that in 2007 air crews and ground troops started to share the same video pictures in making decisions on which weapons to use in an air strike or to apply other means instead. "Hopefully a show of force just by us coming down, flying by fast and low is enough to solve whatever they were taking fire from," he said. Pilots said they still depended to a large extent on the assessment of ground troops. "Those are the ones that have to decide whether the threat against them is in line with the strategic thinking...of the new tactical directives 'Do you need that combat power to solve that situation you're in right now'," said Lieutenant Commander Michael Kampfe. But part of the new directives is that air crews have a greater say in whether or not air strikes should be carried out. "We can stop the kill chain, too, if it doesn't look right to us. We're trained to have a very questioning attitude," Kampfe said. Rear Admiral John W. Miller, commander of the Nimitz strike group, told Reuters that at about the same time when the German commander called in the strike on the hijacked fuel trucks, an air crew did not follow ground troops' demand for air support in a separate incident. "The air crew concluded that that particular air strike didn't meet the guidelines, because they're looking at it from different vantage points, so they do come to different conclusions", he said. "(The ground troops said) 'We think we need a bomb', the air crew said 'We don't and here's why', so that ground crew did find a different solution," he said.
LCS Flight deck Certification
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 28, 2009) The littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) conducts flight deck certification with an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Sea Knights of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan Laird)
Carrier Faces 6-Month Gap After JTFX(NAVY TMES 29 SEP 09) ... Andrew Tilghman ABOARD THE CARRIER HARRY S. TRUMAN — Sailors from the carrier Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group expect to be “surge ready” for a six-month gap between the end of their capstone exercise in September and their extended deployment, scheduled for March. That gap between their Joint Task Force Exercise and deployment is significantly longer than the typical two to three months for most strike groups. The change will likely require additional training beyond the JTFX, the Navy’s largest and most complex training exercise. “We won’t call it a JTFX. The Navy loves acronyms, so we’ll probably call it ‘sustain-ex’ or something like that,” said Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, the strike group’s commander. The strike group had been expected to deploy this fall. But the Navy recently shifted strike group schedules after recognizing that the 48-year-old carrier Enterprise will have to remain in the shipyard four months longer than expected. The schedule changes extended the Truman and Nimitz strike groups’ deployment from six months to eight months to cover the Enterprise gap. Nimitz deployed in July. Rear Adm. Garry White, the commander of Strike Force Training Atlantic, agreed that additional training time will be needed. “We’ll just plug in an at-sea time or a synthetic event to make sure they’re ready to deploy,” White said. Pilots will have to fly more often in order to maintain their “surge ready” capability. Aviators will have to practice carrier landings at sea later this year, and also spend some time at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., for additional training, said Capt. Andrew Lewis, commander of Carrier Air Wing 3. Some sailors were disappointed to hear about the schedule changes. “I was ready to go on the cruise. I was ready to make some money and get it done,” said Aviation Electrician’s Mate 3rd Class Ryan Cuppernall. Aviation Structural Mechanic 2nd Class Nathan Ackerman lamented the schedule change that would leave him out at sea during the summer months. “I enjoy my summers. Missing Christmas is not all that big a deal, but I like my summers.”
First Operational Growler Squadron 'Safe For Flight'(NAVY.MIL 29 SEP 09) NAVAL AIR STATION WHIDBEY ISLAND, Wash. (NNS) -- Electronic Attack (VAQ) 132 received the official notification in a Sept. 22 Navy message from Capt. Tom Slais, Commander Electronic Attack Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet, that the squadron was certified "safe for flight operations in the EA-18G." "Your hard work and dedication is exemplary, and I am confident you will continue to display the same pride and professionalism as you execute safe operations and maintain your aircraft," said Slais. The first operational Growler squadron to attain "safe for flight" status since the first EA-18G arrived Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in June 2008 recently returned from a successful carrier qualification detachment on board USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) with a 100 percent qualification rate. Operating out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Va., each pilot in the Fleet's first EA-18G "Growler" squadron completed a series of day and night arrested landings to become officially qualified to fly the newest fleet aircraft aboard Navy aircraft carriers. "Carrier Qualification is a huge milestone in VAQ-132's transition to the Growler," said Bunnay, who was happy with the results of the detachment. "Squadrons build their reputations operating around the carrier, and I feel like we conducted ourselves with a high level of professionalism." Since February of this year, VAQ-132 has been in the process of transitioning to the EA-18G under the guidance of VAQ-129, the Fleet Replacement Squadron responsible for training transition aircrew. Along with the Scorpion aircrew, the maintenance personnel in VAQ-132 have been working non-stop to complete their requirements for the squadron's "safe for flight" qualification, which will allow them to operate airplanes autonomously. Recently the maintenance department underwent a series of rigorous inspections conducted by Electronic Attack Wing, U.S. Pacific Fleet and performed above and beyond expectations.
Russia Tests Indian Fighter Jets On Board Its Aircraft Carrier(RIA NOVOSTI 30 SEP 09) MOSCOW,-- Russia's MiG aircraft maker said on Tuesday it has successfully tested on board the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier four MiG-29 carrier-based fighter jets due to be delivered to India. Russia and India signed a contract on January 20, 2004, stipulating the supply of 12 single-seat MiG-29Ks and four two-seat MiG-29KUBs to India as part of a $1.5 billion deal to deliver the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, currently being retrofitted in Russia for the Indian navy. "During the tests on September 28-29, the MiG-29K and MiG-29KUB fighters conducted several take offs and landings on the deck of the [Admiral Kuznetsov] aircraft carrier in the Barents Sea," the company said in a statement. Admiral Kuznetsov is the only aircraft carrier in the Russian Navy. The two MiG-29Ks and two MiG-29KUBs were officially transferred to India earlier this year. They were inspected by Indian technical experts and used in a five-month flight training course for the Indian pilots. The aircrafts are expected to be delivered to India in mid-October. Meanwhile, Russia and India are still negotiating a new deal on the completion of the Admiral Gorshkov overhaul. Russia has pledged to finish the Admiral Gorshkov's overhaul as soon as possible and deliver it to India in 2012 if the additional $1.2 bln funding is provided by New Delhi. After modernization, the carrier will join the Indian Navy as INS Vikramaditya, and is expected to be seaworthy for 30 years.
Navy Chief Sets Intelligence Reorganization(GOV EXEC.COM 02 OCT 09) ... Otto Kreisher The Navy is combining the functions, personnel and resources of the currently separate intelligence and communications network operations into a large "information dominance" unit to improve the capabilities needed to prevail in the information age, according to the Navy's top officer. The dramatic changes also will involve creation of a Navy Cyber Command, with the designation of 10th Fleet as the naval component of the emerging U.S. Cyber Command, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead said. Roughead told a forum sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Thursday evening that the reorganization will allow the Navy to "better equip, man and train" to meet the challenges of the information-centric world. Vice Adm. David (Jack) Dorsett, the current director of naval intelligence, will take over the new organization, with the title of deputy CNO for Information Dominance, which will be known as N2/N6 for the Navy staff numbers for his position and the deputy CNO for Communications Networks. The new office will be responsible for the "end-to-end planning, programming and resourcing" of the Navy's information capabilities. Dorsett told reporters the combined organization will expand from the 44,000 Navy and civilian personnel in the separate units to about 45,000. Because the Navy is not adding personnel, that increase will come from other units and career fields, he said. Dorsett said the funding for the new organization will be double the amount now going to the separate communities. The information dominance unit also will receive some of the funding now going to the Deputy CNO for Integration of Capabilities and Resources. Although Dorsett could not give figures, that would be in the tens of billions of dollars. The shift and boost in funding is expected to be completed in fiscal 2012, he said.
Roughead Unveils New Navy Directorate For ‘Information Dominance’ Fleet Cyber Command established in parallel (INSIDE THE NAVY 05 OCT 09) ... Zachary M. Peterson Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead officially announced last week the formation of a new “information dominance” directorate within his office at the Pentagon, which he argues will give “greater visibility” to assets like unmanned systems. Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert revealed the merger of the Navy’s intelligence (N2) and communications (N6) directorates within the office of the chief of naval operations, dubbed “information dominance” (N2/N6), in an Aug. 19 memorandum (Inside the Navy, Aug. 31, p1). Roughead said Oct. 1 that the move would combine the service’s intelligence efforts with its sensors and computer networks to better integrate the sharing of information throughout the Navy. Further, the move includes the transfer of resource sponsorship of a myriad of assets from the sea service’s capabilities directorate, known as N8, to the new organization. The most prominent of the resources to move are unmanned systems -- including aircraft, surface and underwater assets. “They will have clearly greater visibility,” Roughead told reporters following a speech at a Washington hotel. “Because unmanned systems are extraordinarily dependent on the flow of data, either for their control or for mission value, that to have them embedded in the organization that’s responsible for networks and sensors is a better fit. To be able to look at it from that one perspective, I think it’s a better integration of the systems that are key to their operation.” Included in the list of resources transferred from N8 to N2/N6 are EP-3 spy aircraft; all unmanned aviation programs including Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS), the MQ-8 Fire Scout, the Marine Corps Tactical UAV, the Navy Unmanned Combat System (UCAS) and small tactical unmanned aerial system (STUAS); the Next-Generation Jammer; the E-2D Hawkeye; oceanographic ships; and space and electronic warfare systems, among other programs and initiatives. The platforms that were transferred from N8 have ISR as a primary mission, while those platforms that conduct ISR missions as a secondary objective -- such as the P-3 maritime surveillance aircraft -- were retained, according to Navy spokeswoman Lt. j.g. Jenn Womble. Vice Adm. Jack Dorsett, the director of Navy intelligence, has been tasked to lead the new directorate. Dorsett said additional resources not listed in Greenert’s August memo could transfer from N8 to the new directorate as well. The three-star admiral met with reporters following Roughead’s presentation. The new directorate will begin setting its budget priorities as part of the Navy’s program objective memorandum 2012, Dorsett noted. In parallel with the directorate merger at the Pentagon, the Navy formed Fleet Cyber Command/10th Fleet. Fleet Cyber Command will be the operational component of U.S. Cyber Command, while the commander of 10th Fleet will have administrative control under Roughead’s office. The new command will be based at Ft. Meade, MD, the Navy chief said. Roughead sees Fleet Cyber Command growing to about 44,000 sailors managed as the “information dominance corps,” he said. The personnel would include sailors and officers from various commands with military occupational specialties that match the command’s needs.
Hill Negotiators Keep F-35 Engine In DoD Bill; Levin Sees No Veto(DEFENSE DAILY 07 OCT 09) ... Emelie Rutherford House and Senate negotiators plan to announce today authorization for continuing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's second engine is in their compromise Pentagon authorization bill, a move a senior lawmaker predicts will not lead to a presidential veto. President Obama's White House has raised objections to Congress continuing the General Electric [GE]-Rolls-Royce effort, a backup to the F-35's primary engine. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on three occasions said advisers would recommend Obama veto legislation that "would seriously disrupt" the overall F-35 aircraft effort. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) told Defense Daily yesterday that the carefully worded OMB warning, which has been interpreted in varying ways, "was not a veto threat." Levin pointed to how the final conference committee report on the fiscal year 2010 defense authorization bill coming out today fully authorizes the Pentagon's request for the overall F-35 effort, while also adding the $560 million for the alternate engine. "Instead of taking money from the (F-35) program to pay for the second engine, which is what they did in the House, the final conference report does not," Levin said at the Capitol. "It does not disrupt the program." Congressional sources said the final House-Senate agreement includes $560 million for the alternate engine, without restrictions and certification requirements in previous versions of the bill. The final legislation also fully approves the Pentagon's $6 billion F-35 request for buying 16 aircraft for the Marine Corps, 10 for the Air Force, and four for the Navy. An official House-Senate conference committee on the Pentagon policy bill is slated to meet this morning and send a final version on to both chambers for final approval, starting with a House vote on Thursday. Defense Secretary Gates has made strong statements against the F-35 alternate engine. At An Aug. 31 briefing at aircraft builder Lockheed Martin's [LMT] Fort Worth, Texas, facility he said: "We feel strongly about the fact that there is not a need for a second engine ... and president's advisers would recommend a veto if that's in the bill." Levin said yesterday he is not concerned about Gates prodding Obama to veto the legislation. "I think they'll be very happy with this bill," the senator said. Levin personally supported the engine effort, though the version of the defense authorization bill that passed the Senate did not include it, as the House-passed measure did. "The House took a very strong position" in informal conference-committee negotiations, Levin said. "I happened to on the Senate floor agree with them. But we stuck with the Senate position as long as we could. It's a major issue for the House. And I would say if anything it was their No. 1 issue. So we have to get a bill." Congress continued the second engine effort over White House objections during the Bush administration as well. The primary engine for the multi-service, multi-nation F-35 is built by Pratt & Whitney [UTX]. The alternate engine has not secured funding in the FY '10 defense appropriations bill, which holds strong sway over the Pentagon's budget. The House-passed defense appropriations measure funds the second engine, while the version that neared Senate passage late yesterday includes no monies for it. Still, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) has told Defense Daily he wants the engine effort included in the final House-Senate appropriations measure.
A product of... Navy Office of Information www.navy.mil October 5, 2009
"In executing our Maritime Strategy, 3rd Fleet provides highly-trained, combat-ready forces able to deter aggression, promote regional peace and security, and protect the homeland. Through close relationships with U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Northern Command, we ensure our naval forces and Sailors are prepared to execute any mission across the broad spectrum of maritime operations." – Vice Adm. Richard W. Hunt, Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet Around the world, the Navy is executing the six core capabilities of the Maritime Strategy – forward presence, deterrence, sea control, power projection, maritime security and humanitarian assistance/disaster response. Forward Presence • The George Washington Carrier Strike Group completed their summer deployment Sept. 3, returning to their forward-deployed home of Yokosuka, Japan. While underway, the Navy’s only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier traveled 4,552 nautical miles. Power Projection • The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group, after three months of operating in the 5th Fleet area of operations, began their transit home. USS Ronald Reagan's embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing 14 flew more than 1,600 sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. On Sept. 18, the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group relieved the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group and launched its first sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Sea Control • The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, joined by 13 foreign ships from nine nations, participated in Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 09-4. The exercise marked the first ever inclusion of the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 1. Maritime Security • Combined Task Force 151, an anti-piracy coalition is comprised of roughly 30 ships from 17 nations, is coordinating and deconflicting the efforts of coalition and non-coalition ships and aircraft to effectively deter, disrupt and suppress pirate activity. • Maritime Expeditionary Security Detachment 622 completed regular force protection training onboard the Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminal and Al Basrah Oil Terminal with the Iraqi Marines.
Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response • Pacific Partnership 2009 (PP09) completed its five-country, three-month humanitarian civic assistance mission when the team departed the Republic of the Marshall Islands aboard dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Richard E. Byrd (T-AKE 4) Sept. 18. PP09 delivered a variety of medical, dental, veterinary, preventative health and engineering programs. • USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3) and two MH-60S helicopters from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 arrived September 17 to provide humanitarian support to residents of Alamagan and Agrihan in the Commonwealth of Northern Marianas Islands following the aftermath of the Super Typhoon Choi-Wan. Status of the Navy (as of 1 October)
Navy Establishes Carrier Strike Group 1October 02, 2009 Navy News SAN DIEGO, Ca. - The Navy formally established Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1 in San Diego. The flagship for CSG 1 will be the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), currently homeported in Newport News, Va. Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 1, USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) and USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) will round out the strike group. Commanded by Rear Adm. Ted "Twig" Branch, CSG 1 will be a San Diego-based operational command and will report to Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet. "We are excited by the opportunity to establish this new command and bring the power of the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group online in support of our nation's defense," said Branch. "I'm also very happy to bring this capability, along with the men and women who make it possible, to the great city of San Diego." Carrier Strike Group 1's first mission is expected to be a transit around South America in the spring of 2010 as Vinson relocates to its new homeport of San Diego. In support of the nation's maritime strategy, CSG-1 will help promote regional partnerships, deter crisis, project power, promote maritime security, and provide humanitarian assistance or disaster relief within the U.S. Pacific Fleet's 100 million square-mile area of operations. The Navy took redelivery of Vinson July 11, 2009, following the successful completion of the ship's midlife refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH). USS Carl Vinson is the third Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to complete RCOH at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Newport News and is undergoing a four-month post-refueling shipyard maintenance period to prepare for its transit to San Diego.
Navy To Deploy First VUAS Next Week From USS McInerney(DEFENSE DAILY 09 OCT 09) ... Geoff Fein The Navy will deploy the MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Unmanned Aircraft System (VUAS), the first time a large, automated unmanned aerial system (UAS) has been delivered for shipboard operation by sailors, according to the service. The Navy had been planning to first use Fire Scout from the USS McInerney (FFG-8), after successfully completing a series of landings and approaches aboard the frigate earlier this year (Defense Daily, May 6). Those tests also demonstrated the Unmanned Common Automatic Recovery System (UCAR) Northrop Grumman's [NOC] Fire Scout departed with the 4th Fleet to assist during a counter-narcotics trafficking deployment, according to the Navy. The aircraft will provide unprecedented situational awareness as the fleet employs its Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capabilities, Capt. Tim Dunigan, Fire Scout program manager, said. "This is a landmark event for the development of Fire Scout. Deploying the Fire Scout will allow the Navy to learn the operational strengths of the system. The McInerney will be critical in developing the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) for the fleet to best exploit the war fighting capabilities of the Fire Scout system," he added. Developmental testing to date demonstrated the aircraft's readiness for deployment with the McInerney, leading to an Operational Evaluation during deployment and full integration in the fleet. Fire Scout has completed more than 600 hours of flight testing, with110 take-off and landings from the frigate, the Navy said. In August, Northrop Grumman was awarded a contract by ABS Group, a Systems Engineering Technical Assistance (SETA) contractor for the U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center, to conduct a maritime airborne sensor demonstration (Defense Daily, Aug. 12). The Coast Guard has said it needs to see how a maritime airborne sensor would work on the VUAS' before deciding whether to acquire the platforms for the National Security Cutter. The test, scheduled to occur in fall 2009, will take place from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., Webster Outlying Field, according to Northrop Grumman. The company has also been investing its own funds to line up partner companies to "come play' with the Fire Scout VTUAS, John VanBrabant, manager V-UAS business development, told Defense Daily earlier this year at AUVSI. The company has formed a strategy council to look at payloads for Fire Scout, he added (Defense Daily, Aug. 17). "In early '10 we hope to conduct a weapons demonstration," VanBrabant said. Northrop Grumman now wants do to guided weapon tests, he added. The company will use its Navy variant, P-6, for testing out payload concepts, VanBrabant said. "P-7 will be dedicated to doing other things for the Army." A lot of folks are developing payloads, VanBrabant noted. Other ideas include using Fire Scout as a communications relay. "A wideband relay is envisioned in the future," he added. The Navy is planning to demonstrate the Automatic Identification System (AIS) on Fire Scout some time in the future, he added. Fire Scout will eventually make its home aboard the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) as a key component of both the anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasures mission packages. Continued flight tests and OPEVAL on the McInerney will prepare the aircraft for future missions on LCS. The aircraft will be integrated on both variants of LCS. The concept for employment on the LCS is to embark a manned H-60 helicopter with the MQ-8B in support of surface warfare, mine counter measures and anti-submarine warfare missions. The Navy does have a growth plan for future Fire Scout payloads, but for the time being, the VTUAV will carry FLIR's [FLIR] BRITE Star II electro optical infrared sensor and Northrop Grumman's Coastal Battlefield Reconnaissance and Analysis (COBRA) multispectral camera for mine detection, Dunigan noted in an interview earlier this spring. Fire Scout also has three Rockwell Collins [COL] ARC-210 radios that enable Fire Scout to act as a communications relay.
FLAG OFFICER ASSIGNMENT - Vice Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr.Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced today that the President has nominated Navy Vice Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr. for reappointment to the grade of vice admiral and assignment as commander, Sixth Fleet/commander, Striking and Support Forces NATO/ deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa/Joint Force Maritime Component Commander Europe, Naples, Italy. Harris is currently serving as deputy chief of Naval Operations for Communication Networks, N6, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
Vice Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr.
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