Current Events in the Americas

From Defence Talk Southern Partnership Station Begins Aboard Swift US Navy | Dec 1, 2008 MORGAN CITY: Military Sealift Command-chartered high speed vessel HSV-2 Swift (HSV 2) along with various embarked Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force units departed Louisiana Nov. 25 for a five-month deployment in support of Southern Partnership Station (SPS). Southern Partnership Station is an annual deployment of various specialty platforms to the U.S. Southern Command area of focus in the Caribbean and Latin America. The mission's primary goal is information sharing with navies, coast guards and civilian services throughout the region. "Southern Partnership Station pr…

From Aviation Week F-35 To Become Electronic Attack Aircraft Nov 30, 2008 By David A. Fulghum After years of debate about the future of tactical, airborne electronic attack for the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps, it appears the F-35 will become the next-generation, digital warfare aircraft for both services. The platform most in demand in combat today is some kind of electronic attack (EA) aircraft, say military operational experts. So the pressure for more aircraft and advanced capabilities is already an operational reality. But the basic question of who does what for whom and to whom remains unanswered. "Who will provide electronic fires to ground tro…

From DefenseNews Russian Ships Arrive in Venezuela for Exercises By BEATRIZ LECUMBERRI, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Published: 25 Nov 12:49 EST (17:49 GMT) LA GUAIRA, Venezuela - Venezuela welcomed Russian warships Nov. 25 at a northern port near Caracas for a week of joint maneuvers with its navy, an activity not seen in the region since the Cold War. The ships, including the nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great and destroyer Admiral Chabankenko, arrived at La Guaira to coincide with a two-day visit by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Venezuela, the strongest U.S. critic in the region. The exercises, dubbed VenRus 2008, would take first take place in do…

From Aviation Week Dogfight Over F-22 Reveals DOD Schisms Nov 18, 2008 By David A. Fulghum The battle over how many F-22 Raptors the U.S. Air Force requires is revealing some nasty infighting as the White House administration change nears. The Defense Secretary staff has told Air Force planners not to talk to congressional staffers and to work only through the offices of Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England and acquisition chief John Young. Insiders on Capitol Hill contend that the Defense Department has been and is continuing to withhold F-22 funds — in defiance of the law and the intent of Congress — in an attempt to punish the Air Force. England…

From DefenseNews Periscope Pursuit New Breed of U.S. Navy Radars Would Reveal Stealthy Subs By Jon W. Glass Published: 17 November 2008 Trying to spot a submarine periscope lurking in cluttered coastal waters is akin to identifying a floating beer can from 60 miles away. That's the challenge the U.S. Navy faces as it tries to track a growing fleet of modern diesel-electric submarines. The Pentagon plans to do this by improving existing radars with new signal processing software and by rotating the radar antennas faster inside their radomes. The Navy is moving forward to develop Automatic Radar Periscope Detection and Discrimination (ARPDD) radars for Nimitz…

From Defense Aerospace Government of Canada Frigate Modernization Contract Benefits Forces and Economy (Source: Public Works and Government Services Canada; issued Nov. 8, 2008) (N.B.: All monetary amounts are in Canadian dollars) GATINEAU --- The Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, the Honourable Christian Paradis, and the Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway, today announced that the Government of Canada awarded two long-term contracts to Lockheed Martin Canada for the Combat Systems Integration (CSI) Design and Build and In-Service Support elements of the modernization of Ca…

From Aviation Week USAF Pilot Critiques Red Flag Action Nov 5, 2008 David A. Fulghum and Graham Warwick Indian pilots flying Su-30MKIs are extremely professional, but they're still learning how to best fight with their new aircraft. That opinion comes from an unidentified, senior F-15 pilot taped while briefing senior retired U.S. Air Force officers about the most recent Red Flag exercise. The video was made available online at YouTube.com. The French pilots flying the new Dassault Rafale appeared to be there to collect electronic intelligence on the Indian aircraft, contends the USAF pilot, who wears an Air Force Weapons School graduate patch. The F…

The big day is here ... but I guess, more important, is what happens next ... From Aviation Week Aerospace, Defense See Tight Electoral Races Nov 4, 2008 John M. Doyle There's more at stake in the Nov. 4 U.S. elections than control of the White House, with a number of top congressional leaders fighting to keep their seats while Democrats seek a veto-proof majority in the Senate and even wider control in the House of Representatives. Some previously safe seats, such as that of Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), have lately come into play. Chambliss, a member of the Armed Services Committee who has been a champion of Lockheed Martin's F-22 stealth fighter - man…

From DefenseNews DDG 1001 Named for MoH Recipient Monsoor By christopher p. cavas and philip ewing Published: 29 Oct 18:06 EDT (22:06 GMT) One of the Navy's largest new surface warships will bear the name of a Navy SEAL who received the nation's highest award for valor. "DDG 1001, the second ship in our newest class of destroyers, will be named after Michael Monsoor," Navy Secretary Donald Winter said remarks prepared for an address to be given Oct. 29 in New York. "Michael Monsoor's name will now be linked with one of our nation's most visible examples of military power - a U.S. Navy warship," Winter said in the address prepared for a Navy SEAL Warrior …

From Navy Times Analyst: DDGs without CIWS vulnerable By Philip Ewing - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Sep 16, 2008 5:55:34 EDT For all the modifications and improvements that have come with each new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the 20 most recent ships have arrived from the shipyard missing something — the distinctive white domes of the Phalanx Close In Weapons System. The first 34 Burkes carry two of the 20mm, six-barrel Gatling guns, known as CIWS, which can find and shoot down air targets that slip through the outer defenses of a ship or task group. But since 2002, destroyers have come from the builders without the guns, as plans called for a new mi…

From a NavWarGames post : If you live close enough, I'm sure all the Pooners would love some ceremony pictures More info on the Virginia class SSN (aka NSSN-Centurion) : http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/nssn.htm http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/docs/990100-nssn.htm Image courtesy of Wikipedia :

From DefenseNews U.S. Navy Drafting 'Naval Operational Concept' By christopher p. cavas Published: 21 Oct 19:34 EDT (23:34 GMT) Deploying U.S. naval forces must be more flexible, able to split up and re-form in different combinations as situations require. The fleet still needs 11 aircraft carriers to meet its missions but more amphibious ships are required to support new missions. The number of formal and informal maritime partnerships will continue to grow. Even when mine-hunting Littoral Combat Ships come into service, a gap will remain in the Navy's ability to combat the undersea threat. Ballistic missile defense is increasingly seen as a basic naval capabil…

From DefenseNews Pentagon Cancels Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter By GINA CAVALLARO Published: 16 Oct 19:39 EDT (23:39 GMT) The Defense Department late today scrapped the $6.2 billion program to replace the aging OH-58D Kiowa Warrior with the Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter, citing cost overruns. The Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter was to replace the Kiowa Warrior, pictured. (M. Scott Mahaskey / Staff) The Army announced in July that the contract with Bell-Textron was then more than 40 percent over cost, triggering a program reviewunder legislation know as the Nunn-McCurdy statute. John Young, undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and lo…

From Defense Aerospace Bush Signs Fiscal 2009 Defense Budget Into Law (Source: U.S Department of Defense; issued October 14, 2008) WASHINGTON --- President Bush signed the fiscal 2009 defense budget into law today, authorizing a $512 billion base to support military readiness, as well as $66 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The law also authorizes a 3.9 percent pay raise for service-members, to take effect Jan. 1. This represents a one-half-percent increase over Bush’s initial request. Bush signed the bill into law this morning without issuing a public statement, before leaving the White House to meet with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates …

From Defense Talk Stennis First with New ESSM US Navy | Oct 10, 2008 USS JOHN C. STENNIS, At Sea: USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) claimed the first successful hit and kill with the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) during a Combat System Ship's Qualification Trials (CSSQT) off the coast of Southern California Oct. 7. Stennis' Tactical Action Officer Ens. Clay Cunningham said, "This is the first successful ESSM kill from an aircraft carrier." Combat systems department launched the new missiles, the RIM-162 D-1, during a live-fire exercise by engaging drones inbound to Stennis. "The evaluation team from Port Hueneme [California] said Stennis' combat syste…

From Defense Aerospace Air Force Command Pre-Selects Candidates for F-X2 Project (Source: Brazilian Ministry of Defence; issued Oct. 1, 2008) (Issued in Portuguese; unofficial translation by defense-aerospace.com) The Air Force Command has announced that, as specified in the plan for the renewal of the combat aircraft fleet of the Força Aérea Brasileira (FAB), it has completed an initial step in the selection process of new multirole fighters. The Management Committee of the Project F-X2 (CGPF-X2), instituted on May 15, 2008, led the evaluation studies of the preselected aircraft (Boeing F-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed Ma…

From Air Force Times Final mission for venerable MH-53 By Michael Hoffman - Staff writer Posted : Wednesday Oct 1, 2008 15:54:37 EDT Born from a helicopter designed to pluck aircrews out of the jungles of Vietnam, the MH-53 Pave Low will die just like it was born — in combat. The storied heavy-lift helicopter was to fly its last mission Sept. 30 in Iraq. Details on when and where the last flight happened are minimal since it likely carried special operators to assault an enemy target, said Maj. Derrick Stamos, 20th Special Operations Squadron assistant director of operations. The Air Force has gradually phased out the Pave Low after service leaders d…

From Defense Aerospace Coast Guard to Award of the Contract for Design and Construction of Fast Response Cutter/Sentinel Class Patrol Boat (Source: US Coast Guard; issued Sept. 26, 2008) WASHINGTON --- Coast Guard Commandant, Adm. Thad W. Allen, and other Coast Guard senior leaders will host a [sept. 29] media round table to announce the award of an $88 million contract to Bollinger Shipyards, Inc., for the design and construction of the Fast Response Cutter, Sentinel-Class patrol boat. The 153-foot cutter, which will be capable of speeds of more than 28 knots, will be built at Bollinger's shipyard in Lockport, La. This is a firm, fixed-price contract with an…

From Aviation Week Fire Scout Test Aimed At Coast Guard Sep 25, 2008 By Graham Warwick/Aerospace Daily & Defense Report The first flight of an MQ-8B Fire Scout with multimode maritime radar has removed a major obstacle to U.S. Coast Guard interest in the shipborne vertical-takeoff-and-landing unmanned air vehicle (VUAV), manufacturer Northrop Grumman believes. The off-the-shelf Telephonics RDR-1700B imaging surveillance radar completed a functional check flight on Northrop’s company-owned Fire Scout, aircraft P6, on Sept. 19 at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona (Aerospace DAILY, Sept. 23). The radar has since been removed to allow testing of another payload…

George Friedman at Stratfor is writing a four part commentary on the US Presidential campaign in the context of US foreign policy. It might make for interesting reading for some of you, and I thought I'd post the links here as each part of the series becomes available. Part 1: The New President and the Global Landscape Part 2: Obama's Foreign Policy Stance Part 3: McCain's Foreign Policy Stance