Raw Intel

According to this source (in French), the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is deploying for 4 months to the Indian Ocean to support operations in Afghanistan. "Agapanthus 10," as the mission is called, was presented at a press briefing of the Ministry of Defense by Admiral Jean-Louis Kerignard. The carrier battlegroup will consist of the aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle (R91), FS Forbin (D620), FS Tourville (D610), the naval auxiliary vessel FS Meuse (A 607), and the submarine FS Amethyst (S605). The air group on board the aircraft carrier will have 12 upgraded Super Etendard, 10 Rafale, 2 Hawkeyes, and helicopters. The operation is expected to begin in …

First of all, I was hit with a huge surprise yesterday morning when I saw pictures of the 5th 054A from HP shipyard. Normally, we see a nice progression of photos of the ship being built, but this one was almost ready to be launched by the time we got the first photos. On top of that, I had expected PLAN to stop producing 054 ships for a while after the 2nd batch of 4 were completed. After more extended look and checking my sources, it does appear to be authentically the 5th 054A from HP shipyard. They did a really good job of hiding this ship behind a civilian ship, so we did not know it was being built all along. By the time this ship was in plain sight, it was alr…

Learn and adapt ... learn and adapt. Using attack helicopters from the sea appears to be in vogue, again. The concept appeared dormant, but gained new attention in Europe when the French and U.K. moved to deploy on ships the Tiger and Apache helicopters in support of military operations in Libya. Australia also has plans to deploy its Tiger ARHs from ships. Now Russia is joining the mix. The country's military is conducting trials to clear the Ka-52 for ship-borne operations, with the Northern Fleet using the Vice Adm. Kulakov for at-sea trials. When I saw that pick, my puzzl'r started tingl'n and I said, "Ah, ha! I've seen that…

Pirates from Somalia have struck in the Somali basin. Pirates hijacked a Spanish trawler with a 36-member crew Friday in the Indian Ocean, an official said. The boat, called the Alakrana, sent out distress signals advising of a pirate attack and since then the company has not been able to communicate with Alakrana, said Echebastar Fleet, the company that owns the ship. Two planes from Luxembourg, taking part in an EU anti-piracy flotilla, flew over the ship and saw armed people aboard, said Pilar Unzalu, the Basque region's fisheries and agriculture minister. The Alakrana is based in the Basque port of Bermeo. The ship was 415 miles (670 kilometers)…

Heard about the conversation about Naval History at the United States Naval Academy? The original post was very interesting. The follow up was very compelling. An outside observation by a civilian was very encouraging. But I think in the end what I appreciated most was seeing someone in Navy public affairs address the issue professionally and directly in a blog comment. Well done. This week I found myself reading about the value of naval wargaming as it was discussed over email and reading about the value of naval history as it was debated in the blogosphere; and both of these conversations served as a fresh reminder that my hobbies are neither as unique nor as tr…

An interesting discussion going on at AskReddit about the comparisons.... Let's say we go back in time with a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), since the numbers of members and equipment is listed for our convenience in this Wikipedia article , could we destroy all 30 of Augustus' legions? We'd be up against nearly 330,000 men since each legion was comprised of 11,000 men. These men are typically equipped with limb and torso armor made of metal, and for weaponry they carry swords, spears, bows and other stabbing implements. We'd also encounter siege weapons like catapults and crude incendiary weapons. We'd be made up of about 2000 members, of which abou…

It's kinda funny that just as the shrieking socialist, chicken littles are wrapping up their complete waste of time in Hopenchangen, huge snow storms hit there and DC. The one here is pretty awesome. We are 12 hours and about 12 inches into it and it is picking up steam if anything. Heh. View the full article

First, if you don't read Day By Day by the most excellent Chris Muir, you should. It is also that time of year when he raises the money that lets him keep going. Second, if you don't read Delta Bravo Sierra, by the most excellent Damon Shackelford, you should. For there is Strange, and then there's Army Strange. And, if you want to get a bit of the background, along with some outstanding art by some other military artists/cartoonists, you need to check out The Best of Military Cartoons, Volume 1. I've seen an advance copy, it is a great introduction to today's military cartoons, and it is now up for pre-order. LW View the full article

SSG Sal Giunta was awarded the Medal of Honor today. It has been since Vietnam that the medal has gone to a living recipient, and Sal Giunta was a perfect choice. He has been nothing but humble and self-effacing, pointing out that he was just one of many brave paratroopers that day. He is absolutely correct, but he is the one who charged the enemy and stopped them from capturing one of his compatriots. There was a reception held by the Bravo Bulls who represent the same company (Bravo/Battle) of the 2nd of the 503rd, 173rd Airborne since the Second World War. This unit has always been called on when we need to break glass in case of war and has always delivered. SSG Giu…

Some goob who I assume thinks he knows what he's talking about has decided, based on something he read in the Wall Street Journal, that the Medal of Honor has become "feminized". That's right - "feminized". We all know what that particular little code word means, don’t we? He couldn't just say, on the day Sal Giunta was awarded our nation's highest honor, "well done and well deserved". Oh, no. He had to make a point to try to cheapen the award by qualifying it somehow. Here's what he said: The Medal of Honor will be awarded this afternoon to Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta for his heroism in Afghanistan, and deservedly so. He took a bullet in his protec…

Ark Royal moves on: The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal has sailed into Scotland for the last time, as part of a farewell tour. The fleet flagship of the Royal Navy, which is being decommissioned after 25 years service, sailed down the Firth of Clyde. It is due to dock at Glen Mallan Jetty on Loch Long to unload its ammunition. The ship will stay in Loch Long for five days before sailing around the north of Scotland and on to Newcastle, close to where she was built. The Ark Royal left its Portsmouth base for a farewell tour of the UK on Tuesday. The aircraft carrier is being retired three years early as part of cost-cutting measures announced by the UK …

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona and her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, attend a ceremony at the Pentagon, Feb. 10, 2012. Mabus announced the naming of the U.S. Navy's newest next variant littoral combat ship, USS Gabrielle Giffords, at the ceremony. Giffords was critically wounded in 2011 by a gunman in Tucson, Ariz. DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley --------------------------------------------------------------------- While I'm glad that Congresswoman Giffords is doing better than expected, I'm not sure why the Navy would name a ship after her. She seems like a great l…

DigitalGlobe Inc., a commercial satellite company, said Wednesday that it took a photograph of China’s first aircraft carrier during a sea trial in the Yellow Sea, off the Chinese coast. View the full article

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Theory, meet reality. In theory's corner - Train to Qualify: Commander, Naval Surface Forces, is overseeing the development of a revolutionary training process for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) called Train to Qualify (T2Q) that will enable LCS’s hybrid Sailors to be fully trained before reporting to the ship. ... Once a Sailor has been chosen to fill the LCS billet, their individual training track will then be made up for them and train them on the skills they are lacking. This will be completed by a combination of online, classroom and simulator training since they will be required to step aboard LCS ready to stand watch. Every qualification will be …

The following letter is being circulated and is for members of the United States Naval Institute. I can guarantee that I intend to discuss this topic quite a bit over the next month. All, I am writing to you--fellow members of the U.S. Naval Institute--to urge that you vote against the proposed change of the USNI mission statement that is being mailed out with the March issue of the Proceedings magazine. The current statement is refined from the original, 1873 mission written at the establishment of the USNI (see below). I believe that USNI members who believe in the principles of our 138-year-old professional organization should strongly object to three wo…

Reuters Photo A U.S. Army cadet reads a book entitled "Kill Bin Laden" as he waits with other cadets for U.S. President Barack Obama to deliver an address on U.S. policy and the war in Afghanistan at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York December 1, 2009. View the full article

The Associated Press has confirmed when the Iranians will cross the Suez Canal. Suez Canal officials say two Iranian naval vessels are expected to start their passage through the strategic waterway early Tuesday. Canal officials say the ships are expected to pay a fee of $290,000 for the crossing. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren't authorized to speak publicly about the matter. If the ships make the passage, it would mark the first time in three decades that Iranian military ships have traveled the canal that links the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. It seems pretty clear that from the Iranian point of view, this is a communic…

General Dynamics Electric Boat receives $1.2 billion to begin construction of the 14th Virginia-class submarine, SSN-787, part of Block III with a revised bow design. Russia lays out its vision of European missile defense. Saab sees potential Gripen jet fighter orders in Brazil, Romania, Croatia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Pentagon looks to place military payloads on commercial satellites in order to reduce costs. Wyle gets $14 million contract to provide IT services to support DARPA’s relocation in Arlington, VA. Atlas Air to begin providing passenger service for US military personn…

A South Korean politician has provided a small intel dump regarding the situation just prior to the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan. The Navy corvette Cheonan was warned on the morning it sank on March 26 that a salmon-class North Korean submarine and support ships had disappeared from their bases the day before, a lawmaker claims. Democratic Party lawmaker Shin Hak-yong on Monday said on the morning of the North's attack on the Cheonan, "warnings were given by the Second Fleet Command that a salmon-class North Korean submarine and support ships had been out to sea for unknown operations. Right before the Cheonan was attacked, all artillery guns on the nea…