Current Events in the Americas

Collection of photos of US Navy radar ships over the years, including the newest, USNS Howard O. Lorenzen, here.

From Aviation Week [excerpt]

From Air Force Times July 07, 2006 JSF named ‘Lightning II’ By Laura M. Colarusso Times staff writer With a nod to Air Force history, the service’s chief of staff has dubbed the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter “Lightning II.” Gen. T. Michael Moseley announced the decision Friday at the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas, where the stealthy multi-role fighter is made. He based the decision on input received from airmen as well as the other services and coalition partners involved in the JSF program, said Maj. Glen Roberts, a spokesman for the general. The P-38 Lightning, the JSF’s namesake, was designed in the late 1930s and was used during World W…

From Defense Aerospace

Disclosed new Gray Wolf swarm missile: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5216007/Lockheed-Martin-reveals-Gray-Wolf-networked-cruise-missile.html

From Defense Aerospace Submarine Force Announces Operational Stand Down (Source: US Navy; issued Jan. 11, 2007) NORFOLK, Va. --- The U.S. Submarine Force announced Jan. 11, that it will conduct an Operational Stand Down in the wake of recent submarine incidents. In a message to the submarine force, Vice Adm. Chuck Munns, U.S. Submarine Force commander, directed the immediate “stand down” to focus energy and intellect on the basics of submarine operations. Submarines provide continued excellence in the accomplishment of national and theater tasking, but recent problems in routine operations need attention. “It is clear that a common thread through rece…

Marine Corps TV - JSF Update Bah, link apparently crapped out. If you want to view, go to usmc.mil, then "News", then "MarinesTV"

GAO: Air Force Needs More Information Before Divesting A-10 (DefenseNews) Link to GAO report (pdf)

From Flight International DATE:26/08/08 SOURCE:Flight International Northrop declines to rule out platform switch for new KC-X bid By Stephen Trimble As Boeing reportedly considers alternate platforms or withdrawal from the US Air Force's KC-X tanker competition, the Northrop Grumman/EADS North America team may also consider upgrading its tanker offer. The US Department of Defense plans to release a final request for proposals during the last week of August, in defiance of Boeing's public requests for an extension period. Boeing's chosen 767-200ERX platform is likely to be too small to compete against the KC-30B version of the A330-200 if fuel offload c…

From Navy Times San Francisco heads to yard By Christopher Munsey Times staff writer The attack submarine San Francisco, damaged during a collision with an undersea mountain earlier this year, departed Guam Aug. 17 for a surface transit across the Pacific for permanent repairs at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington. San Francisco will make a stop in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii during its voyage back to Washington, said Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, spokesman for Commander, Submarine Force Pacific. Including the time spent in Hawaii, the transit is expected to take “a few weeks”, Davis said. San Francisco will not submerge during the transit, but will make the …

Mattis proposed revolution on surprise carrier battle groups deployments: https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2018/05/02/is-secretary-of-defense-mattis-planning-radical-changes-to-how-the-navy-deploys/

From Navy Times Sub skipper fired after collision Attack boat Newport News surfaced beneath Japanese tanker By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer Posted : Tuesday Jan 30, 2007 11:35:42 EST The skipper of the attack submarine Newport News was relieved of command Monday in Bahrain following a Jan. 8 collision with a Japanese oil tanker in the chokepoint of the Persian Gulf known as the Strait of Hormuz. Cmdr. Matthew A. Weingart was relieved of command by Rear Adm. Douglas J. McAneny, commander of Combined Task Force 54, “due to lack of confidence in his ability to command,” according to a statement from Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain. Capt. Norman A. …

Sub Snoops for the Future DefenseTech This month’s issue of the Navy League’s Seapower Magazine has a special report on an autonomous web of underwater robots that the Navy hopes will be operational by 2015. The Office of Naval Research-led project will imbue “underwater vehicles with the ability to sense and independently adapt to everything from ocean currents to hostile enemy subs.” ONR chief Rear Admiral William Landay said, “If we can sense that, get the vehicles to understand that, get the vehicles to adapt to that, then they are in the position where they really are starting to dominate the battlespace.” This net has been labeled “PLUSNet” and, the art…

From Defense Aerospace P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft Homebasing Announced (Source: US Department of Defense; issued Jan. 02, 2009) The Department of the Navy announced today its decision to provide facilities and functions to base five fleet squadrons of the P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) with a fleet replacement squadron (FRS) at Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Fla., four fleet squadrons at NAS Whidbey Island, Wash., and three fleet squadrons at Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, with periodic squadron detachment operations at NAS North Island. This decision implements the preferred homebasing alternative 5 identified in t…

From Aviation Now Hunter Suggests NATO Take Over JFK Flattop By Michael Bruno 05/15/2006 10:25:52 AM The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is suggesting NATO take over the USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier, which the U.S. Navy and the Bush administration want to retire early for budget reasons. The move would keep the flattop active to some degree while providing an incentive for NATO allies to further fund and develop their own defense capabilities, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) told Capitol Hill reporters May 11. "We want the administration to talk to NATO about the John F. Kennedy being a NATO ship," Hunter said. "Typically the United …

From Defence Aerospace LPD 17 Successfully Completes Builder's Sea Trials (Source: US Naval Sea Systems Command; issued May 11, 2005) PASCAGOULA, Miss. --- San Antonio, first ship of the LPD 17 Class, returned to Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (NGSS) Pascagoula facility after successfully demonstrating performance during Builder's Sea Trials. Having accomplished significant pier-side systems testing and dock trials, this underway testing was a critical milestone on the path to ship delivery. NGSS conducted a complete range of tests including ship maneuvering and steering, propulsion and propulsion controls, mission systems, auxiliary systems, and combat syst…

From Defense Aerospace Lockheed Martin Delivers First C-5M Super Galaxy (Source: Lockheed Martin; issued December 9, 2008) MARIETTA, Ga. --- Lockheed Martin today delivered the first fully modernized C-5M Super Galaxy to the U.S. Air Force at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins AFB, Ga. The aircraft is the first of three developmental test C-5M aircraft to be delivered, with the other two to be delivered to Dover AFB, Del., in February 2009. All three aircraft successfully completed developmental testing in August 2008. Current Air Force plans call for Lockheed Martin to deliver 52 modernized C-5Ms. "The C-5 fleet is now beginning to realize its fu…

DARPA seeks supercavitation submarine UPI WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is looking for a really fast, really small submarine. It's also seeking a major breakthrough in physics: making supercavitation actually work on a large scale. Supercavitation refers to a process of displacing water around a submerged vessel so that it travels in a gaseous or vaporous cavity. Theoretically, that can be done either by propelling a blunt-nosed vessel at a very high speed -- its nose forces the water out of the way -- or by injecting gas into a partially developed cavity, according to DARPA. The U.S. Navy has experimented with…

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

San Diego Union-Tribune December 15, 2005 Marines Focus On Replacing Amphibious Troop Carrier Technical glitches have led to delays By Otto Kreisher, Copley News Service WOODBRIDGE, VA. – With the MV-22 Osprey apparently past its long struggle to become operational, the Marine Corps' top priority has become a replacement for its 30-year-old amphibious troop carriers. The proposed replacement, the expeditionary fighting vehicle (EFV), is a technological marvel that is motorboat fast in the water and can keep up with the jet-powered M1 tank on land. It also gives Marine infantrymen better protection and tremendous fire support from a high-tech weapon s…