HG S2 (Intel Bot)

Reviewed by Rear Admiral Sonny Masso USN (RET) and Mr. Apollo Cobbins

As the Executive Director of the Naval Historical Foundation, I receive scores of wonderful books on a fairly frequent basis to send out to our team of volunteers to read and write book reviews for publication in our Thursday Tidings Naval Historical Foundation weekly post. I generally filter through these books to personally select something with a topic I am highly
interested in to read and review. When I came upon Cats in the Navy by Scot Christenson, I knew this was not just the book for me to read, but also to share with my seven-year-old grandson, Apollo Cobbins.
Apollo is entering the third grade and loves cats, even more than dogs. He has his own cat, Kiwi, who is a warm and friendly companion. When I asked Apollo if he would like to participate in this book review, he jumped at the idea! It took him a few weeks to read Mr. Christenson’s 176-page book, but he read every word and after each chapter, he called me to share what he had learned.
It is important to note that this is not a children’s book, unless your child loves cats. In fact, it is
a well-researched-evidence-based compendium on how cats supported ships and crews
throughout time, in eradicating rats and mice, keeping food stores free of contamination, and
in keeping general morale high for the sailors who sailed the seven seas. Mr. Christenson’s book
is expertly crafted with photos, sea-stories, and historically accurate vignettes that showed just
how important these felines were to so many factors of sea life.
Apollo was interested in the project naturally because of the topic (any topic) of cats, but also
because he comes from a Navy family (both grandfathers and great-grandfather served nearly
68 years of combined service). These were the reasons that drew his attention. Apollo’s
comments spoke to the foundational aspects of cats on ships, and then specific stories shared
by the author. Cats were vacuum cleaners for eradicating unwanted rodents from foodstuffs.
Christenson explains that cats brought extraordinary sanitation to any ship that hosted them.
Apollo spoke to Christenson’s tales of lore regarding cats as good-luck charms, cats as omens,
and cats as general companions. His favorite story was about how the crew of the USS Chicago
trained a pet cat to respond to the playing of the national anthem by sitting on its haunches
and saluting, dispelling the notion that cats could not be properly trained.
In Melville’s White Jacket, or, The world in a man-of-war (1850), he depicts deck sailors as a cut
above savages in their demeanor and how they approached their watch standing and day to
day duties. These tough-as-nails mariners, from Melville’s era, as depicted in Christenson’s book, pocketed left over food to lure a cat or kitten to their bunks to sleep with. Rituals such as
visually clearing gun barrels to ensure a sleeping cat wasn’t resting within, demonstrated
affection and protection for their feline shipmates. Sailors were “softies” toward their feline
shipmates and considered them to be good luck charms.
Scot Christenson has taken an over-looked and underappreciated topic and created a great
book of history about the heritage of our Navy’s “ships of old”. The practice of allowing cats on
Navy ships extended from the age of sail into the 1950’s and beyond. Navy Commander, Neal
Kusumoto, then-Commanding Officer of the USS Vandergrift (FFG-48) was one of the last to
brag about their amazing mascot, named, “Seaman Jenna Vandergrift” (canine vice feline) in
the decade of the 1990’s. Captain Kusumoto wrote a book about her, Seaman Jenna, whom he
took home and raised after his command tenure was completed. His touching obituary when
Seaman Jenna died underscores the attachment that mascot pets had on their human
shipmates.
Apollo’s views about the book are:
 He learned and appreciated the importance of customs and traditions regarding cats
and mascots.
 He loved the stories showing how an entire crew sentimentally embraced these feline
shipmates.
 He was mesmerized by the various stories about cats missing ships movement, having
kittens (one story tells about a cat having kittens onboard a P-2 Neptune Aircraft), and
how they quickly and affectionately warmed the hearts of their crews.
These stories collected and shared by Scot Christenson humanized and softened the hardtack
image of sailors sailing the high seas in the age of sail—while creating a bridge to more modern
times.
In short, my seven-year-old cat-loving grandson, Apollo, read every page, studied every
photograph, and loved the book. I did too.
You will as well.

Scot Christenson is the director of communications for the U.S. Naval Institute. He began his career as a television producer and journalist before going on to develop and manage media strategies for a wide range of organizations, including amusement parks, zoos, think tanks, and lobbying firms. He has written about history and pop culture for several periodicals. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

Cats in the Navy. By Scot Christenson (Annapolis, MD: 2022)

The post Cats in the Navy first appeared on Naval Historical Foundation.

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As we go through today's post, I'd like everyone to keep in mind an intangible that impacts not just our Navy in the eyes of the people we serve, but our government as a whole that our Navy is part of: most of our major naval bases are located in the heart of heavily populated urban areas.

The Tidewater Area around Norfolk, VA;

And on the West Coast, San Diego;

For good and bad, what our Navy does impacts the millions of people who are our neighbors, family, and friends who live cheek-to-jowl with the fleet.

When things go wrong, they are downwind.

There is the former USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) burning two years ago and drenching the San Diego with at least two decades of trial lawyer cases.

Do you see it? See that little boat in the bottom right hand corner? That's the subject of today's post.

As one is getting used to, our friends over at gCaptain are bringing up important issues no one else is.

In this case something many assume the Navy has covered but doesn't; fireboats.

Over the past few decades, the United States Navy has increasingly abandoned the unsexy working ships it once mastered and deployed around the world. Previously, the Navy had a large fleet of salvage tugs, but now they only have two, and only two Hospital Ships, two Submarine Tenders, and two Ocean Tugs. Some ship classes have been scrapped altogether including Fireboats or, as the Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro inaccurately called them in a letter to congress, “fire boats.” 

The Unsexy-but-Important™ strike again. This isn't some fancy, surplus, radical idea that only a military might do.

“Modern fireboats are impressive and so essential to protecting ships that Long Beach purchased them even though the next city north, Los Angeles, already had a state-of-the-art fireboat, and even though the construction cost for the two boats exceeded $50 million,” we wrote in July of last year. “Long Beach is not alone. Nearly every large commercial harbor worldwide now has state-of-the-art fireboats on duty, but the world’s largest US Naval Bases doesn’t own a single one.”

Our Admiralty keeps untold thousands of admin personnel burning countless hours processing North Korean levels of medal citations and inventing a new uniform every other POM cycle ... but ... I guess everyone must have priorities.

In the official report attached to Del Toro’s letter to Congress, the Navy states. “We assess that the lack of dedicated fire boats did not have an appreciable effect on the BHR incident or loss of this ship. And, in fact, waterborne firefighting capability, readily available on Navy tug boats, was brought to bear in this incident and has been formally accepted into Navy installation emergency response plans. The Navy does not intend to request or pursue dedicated fire boats at this time.”

As you may have guessed, John Konrad is about to drop a nuke;

The 600 words are not accurate. It contains blatant lies.

“And, in fact, waterborne firefighting capability,” says the report, “Readily available on Navy tug boats, was brought to bear in this incident.”

But Navy tugboats were neither readily available nor used in the BHR fire. Nothing was “brought to bear” in the critical early stage of the fire. Two hours into the incident, civilian captains aboard commercial tugboats owned by a private company, begged to help fight the fire but instead, the Navy brought in laughably small police boats with tiny water cannons built to fight small fires on recreational boats, not 844′ warships.

Read it all and figure out that when you need 50,000, SECNAV is happy to make you think 900 is adequate.

Either you are being lied to, or people are lying to the SECNAV.

As the Bonnie Dick is cut in to tiny pieces, place your bets.

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Late last week we were saddened to learn of the passing of the Honorable Steve Honigman on July 26, 2022 in his sleep at Mt. Sinai in New York of stomach cancer. He was 74 years old. Mr. Honigman joined the NHF Board of Directors in 2012 and was a very active supporter of the organization’s mission. Upon hearing the news, NHF Chairman Adm. William J. Fallon reflected: “Steve was a strong advocate for the value of sea power who donated many hours of pro bono time on our behalf. His smiling countenance and sage advice will be missed.”
Born on May 14, 1948, Mr. Honigman grew up in Brooklyn and eventually earned a BA at New York University and a JD from Yale. From 1973-1977 he served as a Navy Judge Advocate and
then returned to civilian life to become an associate at the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind,
Wharton & Garrison specializing in civil litigation. From 1982 to 1993, he was a partner at the
law firm of Miller, Singer, Raives & Brandes.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated Mr. Honigman as General Counsel of the Navy, a
position he would retain for five years. During his tenure his tackled several issues of historical
note such as evaluating a request to posthumously restore Adm. Husband Kimmel to the rank of
Admiral (4 stars) that he held when he had command of the Pacific Fleet on December 7, 1941.
Last December, Mr. Honigman discussed his views on accountability for that fateful day in a
NHF Second Saturday webinar titled: “Pearl Harbor and the Kimmel Controversary” See:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z53jMbF6Ue8.

For his service to the Navy, Mr. Honigman was awarded the Navy Distinguished Public Service
Medal. In 1998, Honigman joined Thelen Reid as a partner. His primary areas of legal practice
included government affairs and public policy, international business, and financial institution
engagements. Besides supporting the NHF, he also served as Chairman of the Board of W2E
International Corp., served on the board of the EastWest Institute, and was a Director of DRS
Technologies, Inc. and The Wornick Company.
A lover of life, art, history, and food, Mr. Honigman took great pride in his work. He is survived
by his loving wife Dr. Irene Finel-Honigman and their daughter Dr. Ana Finel Honigman.

The post NHF Mourns the Loss of the Honorable Steven S. Honigman first appeared on Naval Historical Foundation.

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Americas

Triumph Gear System won a $24.3 million contract action for the procurement of one item used on the V-22 aircraft. All work will be performed in Park City, Utah, and is expected to be completed by July 2024. Fiscal 2022 working capital (Navy) funds will be used and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The V-22 Osprey is a joint service multirole combat aircraft utilizing tiltrotor technology to combine the vertical performance of a helicopter with the speed and range of a fixed-wing aircraft.  Boeing is responsible for the fuselage, landing gear, avionics, electrical and hydraulic systems, performance and flying qualities. Work will take place in Utah. Expected completion will be by July 2024.

The privately owned Brazilian aerospace company Akaer Engenharia has developed the Albatross family of multimission, multipayload, medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (MALE UAVs), Jane’s reports. The UAV is reportedly made of composite materials and with minimum International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)-controlled items, and maximum use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) systems.

Middle East & Africa

Israel Aerospace Industries unveiled the STAR-X 3D multi-mission naval radar, designed for Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) and other small vessels. The STAR-X 3D naval radar is based on IAI’s ELTA pioneering AESA (Active Electronic Scanned Array) technology. It performs simultaneous air and surface surveillance, and is designed for performing critical missions in Exclusive Economic Zones (EZZ) and beyond.

Europe

General Atomics won a $89.8 million contract action for France contractor logistics support for MQ-9 Block 5 and Block 1 aircraft. This contract provides logistics support activities including depot repair, life cycle sustainment, and software maintenance services for the French Air Force MQ-9 Block 5 and Block 1 aircraft. Work will take place in California. Expected completion date is December 31, 2023.

Asia-Pacific

The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) has officially unveiled the YU-20 aerial refueling tanker during a press conference to announced the Changchun Air Base open house on August 26. Air Force Spokesperson Senior Colonel Shen Jinke said the tanker recently conducted aerial refueling exercises at sea with the J-16.

The US Army contracted General Dynamics with a $10.5 million contract modification to support the production of M1A2T tanks. The M1A2T is a customized model of the M1A2 SEPv2, specifically for Taiwanese Army requirements. The M1A2 SEP (System Enhancement Package) version of the Abrams tank features a new-production turret with a series of improvements for enhanced survivability.

Today’s Video

WATCH: MQ-9 REAPER: The Most Dangerous Military Drone on Earth

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China's military posturing is in the air this Monday, so we'll look west of Wake to start the week out.

Though rough translations can be a challenge to read, if you get a chance to read your main opponent's intellectual work that references how they think - you should make the effort.

Though it would be great to have a more recent copy, thanks to the USAF's Air University you can read the People's Republic of China Science of Military Strategy (2013).

They use a slightly different approach to think about the same issue all militaries do - how to look at the different areas of power and control. In the West, most of us think in "domains." The PRC's 2013 work uses the term "dominances."

As you know, I like words. Words mean things and should not be used carelessly or dismissed.

James Jay Carafano Jr.'s summary in 2018 of "domains" works, so let's start there;

The future focus of jointness will be on ensuring that U.S. armed forces retain the ability to operate effectively in all domains in a theater (land, sea, air, subsurface, cyberspace, and space) and to exploit the ability to use advantages in one domain to operate in another.

What is the definition of the word, "domain?"

domain, noun:​ an area of knowledge or activity; especially one that somebody is responsible for

- Financial matters are her domain.

- Physics used to be very much a male domain.

- things that happen outside the domain of the home

Looking over the PRC offering first linked above and quoted below in length, the Chinese have a more simplified construct in their "dominances" framework.

Let's define what a "dominance" is;

dominance, noun: ​ the fact of being more important, powerful or easy to notice than somebody/something else

- political/economic dominance

- America's rise to global dominance

- dominance over somebody/something to achieve/assert/establish dominance over somebody

That is a distinctively different tone and level of aggression.  

The PRC's emphasis on information operations as well is ... interesting.

Worthy of a read and a ponder.

..the initiative in war is centrally expressed as comprehensive battlefield dominance, with command of the sea, command of the air, [end of page 129] and information dominance as the core. Of these, information dominance is the foundation for seizing battlefield initiative; without information dominance it will be difficult to effectively organize the friendly forces to seize command of the air and command of the sea. 

Also, command of the air and command of the sea are the keys to and key points in the battlefield initiative; without command of the air and command of the sea, information dominance will lose a forceful means of seizure and control, and cannot maintain the battlefield initiative. 

The practice of high-tech local war such as in the Persian Gulf War and Kosovo War yet again demonstrates that war invariably begins with a contention for the “three dominances,” and that whether the “three dominances” can be seized and maintained will directly influence the progress and outcome of war. 

In local war under future informationized conditions, [we] will need to set out from the reality of the PLA’s fairly low quantities of high-tech equipment, and not only must attach importance to using superior equipment for seizing and controlling the “three dominances,” and regarding the “three dominances” as a prerequisite for unfolding the follow-up activities, but also must attach importance to using inferior equipment to contend with the powerful enemy for the “three dominances,” and bring into play the subjective dynamic quality, to ensure the ability to continue unfolding the operational activities when momentarily holding the “three dominances” or even in adverse circumstances without the “three dominances.” 

Seizing and controlling the “three dominances” requires laying stress on preempting the enemy; emphasizing in the preliminary operations phase the careful selection of first-attack targets, the concentration of elite troops and efficient weapons, and the launch of high-intensity strikes in a concealed and surprise fashion; and doing everything possible in the first strike to basically paralyze the enemy operational SoS, and in one stroke seize the “three dominances.” 

Along with the gradual advance of the war’s progress, [we] must exploit information operations [IO] forces for rigorous surveillance of the enemy’s naval and air force movements, and for uninterruptedly carrying out suppression and jamming of enemy information systems, and concentrate the application of Army, Navy, Air Force, and Second Artillery long-range strike forces, to continue strikes at enemy targets which have newly restored functioning after being attacked, as well as at newly detected targets, so as to continually maintain powerful pressure against the enemy, and firmly seize the “three dominances.”

Hat tip Shugart.

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Americas

Boeing won a $57.7 million order, which provides for the procurement of various initial spares and repair equipment in support of the MQ-25A Stingray air vehicle for the Navy. Work will take place in Missouri and Indiana. Expected completion is in July 2025.

Four Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) F-16s have flown for the last time in the United States on July 29. The flights took place at Morris Air National Guard (ANG) Base and it also marks the end of Dutch F-16 training in the United States.

Middle East & Africa

Dyncorp International LLC won a $56 million contract modification for maintenance support services for the Royal Saudi Land Forces Aviation Command Aviation Program. Work will take place in Saudi Arabia. Estimated completion date is January 31, 2024.

The UAE sent one of its C-17 cargo plane, #1228, to Amarillo, Texas on July 26 to help Bahrain bring two of its new AH-1Z attack helicopters home. The jet landed at Rick Husband International Airport and KVII news station was there to report the event. Bell was awarded a $240 million contract to supply 12 Lot 16 AH-1Z attack helicopters to Bahrain in 2019.

Europe

The US State Department has approved a potential sale of over $8 billion worth of F-35 aircraft to Germany, moving closer to providing Berlin with new fighter aircraft for nuclear deterrence missions. The State Department on Thursday announced the approval of a foreign military sale of up to 35 F-35A aircraft, along with munitions and related equipment, for a total estimated cost of $8.4 billion.

Asia-Pacific

Bangladesh is set to be the latest operator of the Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle. Turkey’s Ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Tufan confirmed that an agreement has been signed. In 2021, Mosud Mannan, the Bangladeshi envoy in Turkey, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that his country was considering purchasing Turkish drones.

Two MH-60R naval helicopters ordered by India have reached home after being ferried to Cochin by a US Air Force C-17 aircraft. A third rotorcraft will be delivered in August and 21 more helicopters are expected to arrive home later.

Today’s Video

WATCH: MH-60R Seahawk Best Anti Submarine Helicopter

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Reviewed by Ens. Sydney M. Willis, USN

Homecomings is a collection of photos of the Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels. This book is primarily comprised of photographs sprinkled with anecdotes, poems, and descriptions providing background for the photos. Laura Bogan is the officially licensed Navy photographer for the Blue Angels and their affiliated association and foundation. In her introduction, Bogan explains her connection to the Blue Angels and how this project began. She describes the intention of the book and the photos it contains as an attempt to portray the feeling of inspiration, awe, and passion the Blue Angels give on their Sunday flights home to NAS Pensacola. The normal schedule for the Blue Angels is to travel to air shows around the country during the week and to return home on the Sunday of each week while giving their hometown of Pensacola, Florida a beautiful flyover the beach. Homecomings is great for any casual fan of naval aviation and the Blue Angels, since it is full of breathtaking photos of their flights and the landscape of the Pensacola coast, and it serves as a great coffee table book.

The book begins with photos of the first Sunday Homecoming flight over the Pensacola coastline on their 70th anniversary and due to the city’s positive response, it became their regular route home. It also includes a letter from the former Blue Angels Commanding Officer, Capt. Ryan Bernacchi, who was a part of that flight in 2016. In the letter, he describes the feeling of flying as a Blue Angel provided him and says of Bogan’s photos, “the images reveal emotions that are elicited when experiencing the Blues– the emotions that lead to inspiration.” Every few photos Bogan includes a description and date of the flight detailing what was special about that particular photo. A touching example of this is her description of the solemn photo of “Fat Albert” and a lone jet flying the fallen Blue Angel, Capt. Jeff Kuss, home for the last time after an accident at a show in 2016. She includes small facts about Pensacola and the Blue Angels throughout, but what makes the book personal to Bogan is her poetry. She includes five short poems inspired by the photos they are displayed with. They are simple free verse poems that do not follow any classical meter or form but express the feelings she felt when capturing the photo. The book concludes with photos of the Blue Angels on the tarmac meeting their families after their time away from home. There is a sense of joy in the photos of children and families running to their dads and husbands with the jets in the background, and it’s a great way to end the book. 

Homecomings is a simple book that succeeds in what it sets out to be, a photo book. There is no historical argument or addition to the discourse on naval aviation, flight demonstration squadrons, or the Blue Angels, but it does have its place. It is a great library addition for a casual fan of aviation and the Blue Angels or would be a great gift to someone who would be inspired by the photos inside. Bogan has an anecdote inside that describes her experience of seeing the Blue Angels as a kid and dreaming of flying with them one day, and I believe that describes the best use of this book. A way to inspire someone who has never seen them fly or cannot get enough of seeing their shows. It’s a great way to remind someone who has had aviation be a huge part of their life of times they may have experienced themselves. It is also simply a pretty book to have sitting in your living room.

Ensign Willis is a graduate of the USNA Class of 2022.

Homecomings. By Laura Bogan (Herndon, VA: 2018).

The post Homecomings first appeared on Naval Historical Foundation.

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Warfare History Network has a great article outlining allied merchant marine sacrifice in WWII to support the Soviet Red Army. The whole thing is worth a read, but let me just pull the story of convoy PQ-17;

In late June 1942, the 37-ship convoy PQ-17, the largest and most valuable convoy to date, formed at Hvalfjord, Iceland, and began to make its run to Murmansk and Archangel. Crammed into the holds of the cargomen were tanks, trucks, aircraft, boxes of ammunition, and other vital supplies destined for the hard-pressed Red Army. The Germans were determined that PQ-17 would not pass and instituted Operation Rösselsprung that would add surface ships—the Tirpitz, Scheer, and Hipper—to the intercepting force.

On July 1, two U-boats attempted to attack the convoy but were chased off by British and American escorts; eight more U-boats began stalking PQ-17, waiting for the right moment to strike. That evening, Norway-based German aircraft swooped down on the ships but were driven away by a fierce storm of antiaircraft fire.

On July 4, with PQ-17 over 400 miles from the nearest Soviet landfall, the battle was again joined. The Luftwaffe pounced on the convoy, which somehow managed to maintain formation and discipline. Then submarines struck, and the brand new Liberty Ship USS Christopher Newport, crippled by aerial torpedoes, was sunk by the U-457.

Focke-Wulf 200 Condor long-range bombers torpedoed four more ships, sinking two. Next, 25 He-111 torpedo bombers pounded the Liberty ship William Hooper, which was abandoned by her crew without orders. In London, fearful that the three German battleships might arrive and sink the entire convoy, First Sea Lord Sir Dudley Pound ordered his armed escorts to withdraw. At 9:23 pm, he also ordered PQ-17 to disperse, without escort. A few minutes later, Pound told the convoy “to scatter” and to proceed to their destinations individually. This order would doom PQ-17.

The naval escort of four cruisers and six destroyers did as ordered, left the freighters, and headed south. The merchant ship captains watched in horrified astonishment as their escorts departed—the military equivalent of a man walking his date home through a dangerous neighborhood, only to abandon her when approached by muggers and rapists. The force was now on its own.

“We hate leaving PQ-17 behind,” wrote the film star Lieutenant Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., who was aboard the cruiser USS Wichita. “It looks so helpless now since the order to disperse has been circulated. The ships are now going around in circles, turning this way and that, like so many frightened chicks. Some can hardly go at all.”

A Soviet tanker sailing with the convoy, the Azerbaijan, was hit and set on fire but managed to maintain power and continue on. At 10:15 pm on the 4th, the convoy was hit again. But PQ-17 could not slip away into the darkness, because there was none at this time of year, and at this latitude, daylight lasts 24 hours day.

With no protection, Convoy PQ-17 was a sitting duck. The Luftwaffe caused the most damage, with the U-boats assisting. Tirpitz and the other German dreadnaughts left their Norwegian anchorage to join in the action, but it was determined they were not needed and they reversed course.

The German victory was nearly complete. Of the 37 PQ-17 ships that had sailed from Iceland, two had turned back earlier, eight were sunk by aerial bombs and torpedoes, nine were sunk by U-boats, and a further seven were sunk by U-boats after having been left dead in the water by air attack—a total of 24 ships lost. Going down with the dying freighters was a large portion of the $700 million worth of equipment—430 tanks, 210 crated aircraft, 3,350 vehicles, and 99,316 tons of general stores—along with 153 merchant seamen. Of the debacle, Churchill said, “PQ-17 was one of the most melancholy episodes of the war.”

Two weeks later, the German Army in Russia launched a successful summer offensive; could the Soviets have held out had those supplies, now lying at the bottom of the Barents Sea, reached them? One will never know. The abandonment of Convoy PQ-17 by its escorts was a disgrace that haunts the Royal Navy to this day.

In September, the Germans set their sights on the next convoy, PQ-18. Thirty-nine merchantmen, three minesweepers, one oiler, and one rescue ship sailed from Loch Ewe on September 2, 1942, under the protection of a huge escort fleet that numbered 57 warships and nine submarines. During a week-long battle, the Germans lost six U-boats and 41 aircraft. All but 13 of the escorted vessels got through to Kola Inlet.

Accurate figures are hard to come by but, by any analysis, 1942 was the U-boats’ most successful year. One source says that 1,664 Allied ships were sunk, 1,097 of them in the North Atlantic. Losses to German assets were minimal. Although Liberty ships were sliding down the ways in shipyards around the country at a rate of three per day, it still was not enough. In 1942, the Allies launched 11 million tons of new ships, eight million built in the United States, but had lost 12 million tons to the enemy. In November alone, the Allies lost more than 800,000 tons of shipping, more than half of which was in the North Atlantic.

It was not a short war.

A quick reminder, today our Navy has no plans to escort the ships we will rely on to resupply our forces to the east or west. John Konrad of gCaptain outlined this well on Midrats a few years ago.

Nothing has changed of substance.

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Americas

Westinghouse Government Services LLC won a $56 million hybrid deal for decommissioning and dismantlement of the SM-1A deactivated nuclear power plant. Bids were solicited via the internet with three received.The nuclear power plant at Fort Greely in Alaska last provided power in 1972. Work will take place in Alaska. Estimated completion date is July 27, 2028.

Lockheed Martin won a 23.2 million deal for engineering services in support of Sentinel A4 Radar and other air and missile defense programs. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of July 23, 2027.

Middle East & Africa

Iraqi Defense Minister Juma Inad revealed on Sunday the “imminent” arrival of French and American radar systems to bolster the country’s air defenses. Without specifying the French system, Iraqi News Agency quoted Inad as saying that the Thales system would be linked with the country’s newly launched Air Defense Command Operations Center in Baghdad.

Jane’s reports that Nigeria has ordered T129 attack helicopters and Chad has ordered Hürku? turboprop aircraft, according to Temel Kotil, general manager of Turkish Aerospace (TUSA?). “We sold two [Hürku?] to Niger and the rest will follow. Currently, pilots from Niger are being trained. We will make deliveries in the coming months. At the same time, it was sold to Chad,” he told CNN Türk during 2022 Farnborough International Airshow on 23 July. He added that T129 helicopters will be exported to Nigeria in the near future.

Europe

The first of six new Félix Éboué-class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) on order for the French Navy has started its initial sea trials. First-of-class Auguste Bénébig (P 779) was put to sea for the first time from Socarenam’s facility in Saint-Malo, Brittany, the shipbuilder announced. The six OPVs, also known as the Patrouilleur d’Outre-Mer (POM) class, are being built under a contract awarded to a consortium comprising Socarenam and CNN MCO on 3 December 2019. Construction is taking place at Socarenam’s shipyards in Boulogne-sur-Mer in the north of France and Saint-Malo in Brittany.

Lockheed Martin won a $213.3 million deal, which provides engineering, maintenance, logistics, and material support, in support of Phase 2 upgrade of the Australia Canada United Kingdom Reprogramming Laboratory for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. Additionally, this contract provides a new mission data production and test line to support sovereign reprogramming capabilities for the government of Australia and the United Kingdom’s F-35 air vehicles. Work will take place in Florida and Texas. Estimated completion will be in July 2027.

Asia-Pacific

Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesperson, Col. Maynard Mariano told the Philippine News Agency that research within the service is ongoing to find a replacement for the S.211 jet trainer. “We are planning for a replacement, research is ongoing, and there will be a presentation (of the possible aircraft models) to the senior leadership soon,” Mariano was quoted as saying.

Today’s Video

WATCH: Lockheed Martin supplies first five Sentinel A4 radars to US Army

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I'm not going to go paragraph by paragraph as I want you to read the whole thing. The document is important because the CNO is the boss, and this is the Ref. A everyone needs to align with. It will drive discussions, efforts, focus, and defines the four corners for any argument the Navy will make. As such, read it if you want to understand what everything for the next year or more is going to be built around.

It is just a couple of dozen and change pages. Lots of pictures and side-bars, so it is a quick read. Congrats to the chop chain as there is an economic use of jargon and acronyms with just a few exceptions - but as a whole digestible from E1-O10.

Full disclosure up front - because long-term readers and certified members of the Front Porch may think I had a role in at least the Introduction ... because it is - I will humbly submit - Salamanderesque ... sadly I did not ... but someone here did;

First, the 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS) clarified America’s national security objectives, emphasizing the need to address long-term competition with China and sustain military advantage against Russia. 

Did you catch that? "...competition with China..." and "sustain military advantage against Russia."  That is a clever way of saying the primary effort must be to counter to the People's Republic of China, and the USN's efforts and posture towards Russia will be an economy of force effort. 

Exactly correct. 

Anything we develop to address China will translate well if needed against what remains of the Russian Navy. As long as we keep and advance our ASW edge against the best the Russians can put to sea, the Army and Air Force can handle the rest of the worry with our NATO allies in primary position. That's the subtext.

Third, through a rigorous campaign of learning, we recognized that the Navy needs a more continuous, iterative Force Design process to focus our modernization efforts and accelerate the capabilities we need to maintain our edge in this critical decade and beyond.

The victory of the Anti-Transformationalists is complete. "Transformation" is mentioned nowhere, and "transforming" written only once in a different context. "Third" above is a return to the cornerstone of the great Rear Admiral Wayne Eugene Meyer, USN's "Build a Little, Test a Little, Learn a Lot." For 18-years we've wanted to see the turn towards this correct mindset be complete, and I think we are here. BZ Front Porch. 

Take the "W."

Our Navy team is the most capable in the world. However, we have identified unacceptable variability in our performance—the gap between our best and worst performers is too great. History shows that the navy which adapts, learns, and improves the fastest gains an enduring warfighting advantage. The essential element is fostering a healthy ecosystem—a culture—that assesses, corrects, and innovates better than the opposition. This is the essence of our Get Real, Get Better call to action, 

That is simply so damn good I don't really think I have much more to say than, yes. As for the "Get Real, Get Better," I first scrunched up my nose at it as it has a little of this vibe...

...but it has grown on me. I like it. It underlines a mindset of honesty, humility, and ... a call to action to improve from a sub-optimal position. 

Like I said, the Introduction is superb...but we are not even there yet ... as so far we've only go to the warm-up to the intro and we are already well in to Salamander-101.

The Introduction starts like this;

America has always been a maritime nation. The seas are the lifeblood of our economy, our national security, and our way of life. 

...

This progress and prosperity did not happen by accident. American sea power, combined with the dedication of our allies and partners, guaranteed freedom of navigation, maintained peace, and fostered a rules-based order grounded in fairness for all.

I'm not even going to be grumpy that I wasn't given a footnote.  

Today, for the first time in a generation, we face strategic competitors with the demonstrated intent to unravel the free and open order. 

...

This is a critical decade. As global challengers rise to threaten U.S. interests, America must maintain maritime dominance.

That is the "Long Game" series running 18-yrs in a nutshell.

The CNO could have stopped with the Introduction. That is the core, everything else is commentary ... but as Hillel might suggest, let's continue to read. 

The three trends in Security Environment are spot on;

Today, our Navy operates in a battlespace that is quickly growing in lethality and complexity. We face many challenges across the globe, but they largely stem from three significant trends:

• The erosion of credible military deterrence, particularly due to China’s rapidly increasing military capabilities.

• Increasingly aggressive Chinese and Russian behavior that undermines the international rules-based order.

• The accelerating pace of technological change and the expanding impact of the information environment.

It nicely boils down China's goal;

China designs its force for one purpose: to reshape the security environment to its advantage by denying the United States military access to the western Pacific and beyond. 

I wish this thread was pulled a little more, as the Russo-Ukraine War is giving a strong affirmation of this;

Artificial intelligence, ubiquitous sensors, unmanned systems, and long-range precision weapons are proliferating globally, making contested spaces more transparent and more lethal, and transforming how navies will fight in the future. 

The CNO ends the argument about if presence is a mission. Solid.

America cannot cede the competition for influence. This is a uniquely naval mission. A combat-credible U.S. Navy—forward-deployed and integrated with all elements of national power—remains our Nation’s most potent, flexible, and versatile instrument of military influence.

While not worthy of being included in the errata sheet, what looks like a last minute bone thrown to the SSBNs mafia is an awkward construct around the problematic and questionable concept of "Integrated Deterrence" ... but I think it looks forced because it was forced...maybe.

The ultimate backstop of integrated deterrence is a secure and reliable strategic nuclear deterrent. 

A little high and right methinks. We need to find a better way to hook in the strategic deterrence imperative as the SSBN force is the most effective of the triad.

Leaving that stumble behind, this is much better;

Every day, the Navy operates forward alongside allies and partners through combined operations, theater security cooperation, and capacity building initiatives. These activities strengthen our strategic partnerships, increasing interoperability, information sharing, and capacity for resilient, integrated logistics. Working together, we strengthen our ability to prevail in conflict and further bolster integrated deterrence by demonstrating a united front against potential adversaries. 

All allies and friends are one of our primary comparative advantages. That paragraph was solid...but the following one a little, "meh."

The Navy is also uniquely equipped to contest gray-zone incrementalism and malign influence by our adversaries. Many gray-zone activities occur in the global commons—particularly in the maritime domain and cyberspace. Gray-zone aggression thrives on non-attribution. The best way to oppose these activities is to deny our adversaries anonymity with persistent domain awareness, the effective leveraging of intelligence, and the agile application of sea power. Together with whole-of-government partners, the Navy denies the obscurity that our rivals exploit. Contesting, exposing, and attributing malign behavior imposes reputational costs, diminishes the effectiveness of propaganda, and galvanizes international resistance.

That would not have survived my chop.

I like lists as they are easy to remember and frame arguments around. The six "Force Design Imperatives" get a Salamander endorsement letter in the affirmative;

• Expand Distance
• Leverage Deception
• Harden Defense
• Increase Distribution
• Ensure Delivery
• Generate Decision Advantage

Get Real requires Navy leaders to ruthlessly self-assess; be honest, humble, and transparent about their capabilities and limitations; challenge their beliefs using data, facts, and diverse input; and “embrace the red”—acknowledge shortcomings—by being curious and taking pride in finding and fixing problems.

Get Better requires Navy leaders to deliberately self-correct; find and fix small problems before they become larger, systemic issues; fix the root causes, not just symptoms; apply critical problem-solving tools and best practices to shift from more activity to better outcomes; set clear accountability; work collaboratively; and quickly identify and remove barriers to progress, elevating problems to higher leadership, if necessary.

The substance from there has a good workmanlike feel to it for its genre. 

Parts of the "Where we are Going" section hit some high points regulars here and over at Midrats will like. Here are my top-6 from the list;

- Ship/Submarine/Aviation Maintenance: Continue to drive maintenance delays down to zero. Work with naval shipyards and industry partners to improve performance. Accelerate gains made in aviation readiness to reinvest in other areas of the Naval Aviation Enterprise.

- Terminal Defense: Pursue a fully-integrated combat capability that employs lethal and sustainable effects to defend naval forces against complex raid scenarios.

- Contested Logistics: Recapitalize our logistics fleet through used sealift buys in 2022, achieving T-AO 205 Initial Operational Capability by 2023, delivering Next-Generation Logistics Ship by 2030, and recapitalizing C-130s by 2030. Continue war-gaming and experimentation to inform how a survivable Navy logistics construct supports the sustainment of military operations in a contested environment. 

- Long Range Fires: Develop and integrate joint, all domain capabilities to project power at increasing ranges through contested maritime environments. Pursue a mix of weapons with required enablers, including CPS development and all-up-round testing. 

-  Unmanned Systems: Accelerate innovation efforts by aligning the acquisition, requirements, financial management, and operational communities supporting unmanned technology. Strengthen a culture of accountability and measurable progress. Focus on adopting enabling technologies that both provide near-term capability and help lay the foundation for the future hybrid fleet.

- Affordable Force Structure: Improve budget, requirements, and acquisition processes with a cost estimating dashboard to better project risk in cost, schedule, and performance.

I was going to do a top-5, but that last bit was a nice nod to, "Yeah...we screwed the pooch on CG(X)" and as such needed to be folded in.

We are running out of time and have not yet won the battle for money, so this is where I would prioritize what push we have. Faster.

I think the most fair critique of the document is the section on "Sailors" that in part I will cover in the errata section. If Sailors are our greatest asset, then why are they tagged on as an afterthought at the end and only get less than 10% of the effort in the document? It signals again the very DC nature of our Navy where much of our leadership has spent too much time - and our naval nomenklatura never leave. 

In DC, it is all about money and the programs that move it around ... and that can focus the mind for leaders that soak too long in it. Sailors can become an abstract. If this is an external messaging document - which it is - with a secondary internal role, if you consider Sailors an "internal" challenge, then I can understand its placement at the end and underemphasized. 

The substance seems a bit copy and paste, which is OK, some of the rest of the document is to a lesser effect - as you would expect - is. That is OK. I'm a firm believer that you have to repeat the essentials until you are sick of doing it. Only then will you finally be heard.

However, the "Sailors" section just isn't written as well as the rest of the document. It even starts with this vein on the forehead throbbing line;

The Navy’s enduring asymmetric advantage is our workforce—both uniformed and civilian—across our active and reserve components. 

Praise Buddha that this reads so clunky and out of place that most readers will see it was clearly included as a, "We have to address this..." to check the block.

I'm less irritated then humored. 

Errata B: The Least Important Aspects of our Sailors are What we Worry About the Most: Next to Gaia worship, the other secular religion of the senior leadership of the US Navy is to first judge Sailors by the color of their skin, to hell with the content of their character or performance. 

I did a quick wholesale word count of the document. It is 7,469 words. The "Sailor" section is just 694 words, 9.3%. Of those 694 words, 142 are dedicated to "Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity" discussion. 20.5%.

We only dedicate less than 10% of our "Navigation Plan" to our greatest comparative advantage, and of that we dedicate almost a fifth of that time on something that does not bring Sailors together, but drives them apart. Something that does not reward performance, but gives special treatment based on something so incredibly meaningless to winning our nations wars - the self-identified race, creed, color or national origin of our Sailors (something they cannot do anything about).

Heck, I'll go ahead and quote that section - but first as a reminder - let's go back to basics; words mean things. "Equity" does not mean "equality."

Let's use Ellen Gutoskey's efficient definition from 2020;

Equality has to do with giving everyone the exact same resources.

Equity involves distributing resources based on the needs of the recipients.

Remember, the US Navy does not have a "needs" metric it tracks. No, it uses the brain-stem simplistic metrics of tribalism; race, creed, color, and just to divide us more, sex and probably soon sexual orientation. All, including sex, self-identified and subject to self-identification. When the Navy says "equity" it is talking about special treatment based on tribalistic markers. Don't forget that great shame.

So, now that you understand what "equity" means in your Navy;

Launched 48 Task Force One Navy initiatives, which remain on track for full implementation, with further Navy Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts underway.

What We Have Learned

• Progress toward a more diverse, inclusive, equitable, and stronger Navy is difficult and requires sustained commitment. Given how diverse each community is within the Navy, tailored approaches are more successful than one-size-fits-all, prescriptive measures. We are developing a Navy methodology to measure diversity of representation and equity of opportunity to make progress toward essential Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals across the Total Force.

...

Inclusive and Diverse Force: Through the Navy Leader Development Framework, continue to measure the results of initiatives to ensure the Navy is becoming a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable force, making stronger teams and stronger warfighters.

Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Manpower, Personnel, Training, and Education/Chief of Naval Personnel (OPNAV N1)

History will no look back kindly on this posturing ... and change is coming.

Again, on balance this is a good publication and especially the opening five pages - exactly what we need.

Don't rely on my pull-quotes above, read the whole thing and let me know your thoughts in comment.

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Americas

Raytheon Technologies won a $14.9 million contract modification, which adds scope to provide for the planning, implementation, management, and reporting of sustainment affordability in support of initiatives that reduce future F-35 propulsion sustainment cost for the F-35 Joint Program Office. Work will take place in Connecticut and Oklahoma. Expected completion will be in September 2024.

Boeing won an $8.5 million modification for Option 3 of the Hunter Phase 2 program. Work will take place in Huntington Beach, California. Estimated completion date will be in March 2023.

Middle East & Africa

Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary ELTA Systems will receive cutting-edge Identification-Friend-or-Foe (IFF) technology from HENSOLDT as part of a $10.2 million deal to develop MSSR 2000 ID and MSR1000I radars. Also known as secondary surveillance radars, the IFF models have the capability to scan and identify aircraft within a certain vicinity and automatically send interrogation signals for confirmation.

Europe

Recently, Stormer HVM anti-aircraft missile systems came into service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Six units of the Stormer HVM air defense system came to the Ukraine from the UK. On April 25, Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced his intention to provide British means of air defense to Ukraine. Hundreds of Starstreak missiles for these air defense systems have been shipped along with the systems.

General Atomics won a $16.4 million deal for the Spanish Air Force. This contract provides sustainment support of MQ-9A and Mission Ground Control Station (MCGS) to the Spanish Air Force, to include launch and recovery aircrew, field service representatives, transportation and depot repair/return. Work will be performed in an international location, and is expected to be completed March 31, 2025.

Asia-Pacific

The State Department has approved Singapore’s request to purchase F-15 munitions, follow-on training and sustainment support and associated equipment from the US government under a potential $630 million foreign military sales agreement. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Monday that no principal contractor is involved in the possible FMS transaction and the US government could determine a manpower support provider for defense articles via a competition.

Today’s Video

WATCH: F-15 Eagle – the American hunter

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Americas

Rockwell Collins won a $16.3 million contract modification, which adds scope to provide for the adoption and application of updated security classification requirements, as well as to provide a preliminary design analysis and solution trade studies for an updated Very Low Frequency receiver solution in support of the developmental design and obsolescence mitigation engineering efforts for the airborne VLF system modernization in order to meet program capability requirements. The modernization effort is required to provide a compatible and producible VLF system to be integrated into a C-130 aircraft. Work will take place in Texas and Iowa. Estimated completion date will be February 2024.

Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission System won an $11.6 million order, which provides non-recurring engineering for implementation of retrofit upgrades into Block 1 MH-60S aircraft to add additional capabilities to reach parity with Block 3 aircraft. These efforts include the design and develop of retrofit kits, preparation and delivery of associated technical directives, and validation/verification (Val/Ver) of the installations and instructions. Additionally, this order procures two Val/Ver kits, installation of the first kit, and support for Navy-led Val/Ver efforts. Work will take place in New York. Expected completion will be by July 2024.

Middle East & Africa

The Israeli Air Force is leading the international Lightning Shield exercise, which began yesterday in Southern Israel, together with the Italian Air Force. IAF’s F-35I “Adir” aircrafts are leading the exercise, alongside four Italian F-35 planes. “This exercise is a major milestone in the continuous collaboration between our militaries, while strengthening the unique bond between our nations,” the IDF tweeted. “This exercise will contribute towards the operational competence of the “Adir” array and will assist in expanding its capabilities.”

Europe

Korea Aerospace Industries is expected to clinch a contract from Poland to supply 48 of its FA-50 light fighter. The deal is expected to be worth $2.9 billion. The Block 15 variant with air refueling probe is expected to be ordered by Poland. Of note, a RoKAF C-130 supporting the Black Eagles aerobatic team flew in from the UK to Poland on July 25. The team is expected to make a stopover in Poland after finishing their airshow tour in Britain.

The Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) has signed a three-year framework agreement with Saab for military training and simulation systems. As part of the agreement, the FMV has placed a preliminary order for simulation equipment from Saab worth $32.6 million, the company announced on July 14.

Asia-Pacific

The Biden administration has cleared the sale of 150 AIM-120C-7/C-8 air-to-air missiles to Japan. The sale is worth up to $293 million and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress on July 25 on the potential Foreign Military Sale.

Today’s Video

WATCH: T-50 / FA-50 Golden Eagle | A good trainer and combat jet

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We are facing of something our nation has not had to seriously consider in well over three decades; we do not have free and unfettered access to the sea.

Even when Soviet submarines roamed the world’s oceans at will – though closely watched – and the Red Banner Fleet could send battle groups on cruises through the Gulf of Mexico, we had fair confidence in one thing – the Pacific was an American lake.

No more.

Even when the Soviet Union’s navy gave the US Navy and her allies pause to consider how to deal with her, we always had more and better combatants.

No more.

Depending on how you measure things – globally or regionally – we are on the cusp or just past the cusp of being the world’s second largest blue water navy.

As there is a lot of ruin in a nation, there is a long-dwell nature to apparent power – an inertia of power. In certain areas such as naval aviation and submarines, we maintain a substantial qualitative and capabilities edge, but that gap in narrowing. When you take into consideration sheer numbers, the gap is even narrower. When you take into consideration interior vs. exterior lines of operation and the required length and width of the logistics tail for the US Navy to sustain operations west of Wake … it’s OK to get a bit of flop sweat. You aren’t the only one to see it. You have good company.

Or do you?

At this moment in time when, for the first time in over two decades, the security environment and clear requirements to meet the most pressing national security challenge – the People’s Republic of China – are in bold relief, you would think the rising tide would lift the maritime argument and a nice following wind fill the sails of the navalist position … but it isn’t.

Why?

The answer is fairly straightforward, hard to correct, and multi-causal; our institutions have failed us.

In a nation as large as ours, individuals must combine their efforts and hopes in institutions to effect change for those things which are important to them. One person can only do so much. Organizations representing tens to hundreds of thousands get attention. 

With government entities, those organizations and institutions provide supporting fires for the uniformed and civilian leadership given a charter by the American people via the Constitution and the laws enacted by their elected representatives to take responsibility for a specific area.

In all times these organizations are expected to advocate – aggressively – for the position and interests they were founded to support and serve. We have an adversarial system where ambition checks ambition; agenda checks agenda; ideas check ideas. Argument, creative friction, and debate are essential for a healthy and effective system.

In rough times when the seas and wind are counter to your desired station, one suffers a holding action against others who are stronger. You struggle, compromise, give some ground, but you don’t stop. Others will take all you are willing to give. That is a feature, not a bug. It is how, when led and executed properly, weak ideas are worked out of the system regardless of the ebb and flow of the POM cycle.

When the environment demands more from your areas of interest and responsibility, and the table is set such that you have the easiest argument, it is expected that you will take advantage of the moment. Not just because it will make it easier for you to advance your argument – which it will – but in the big picture, the nation you support needs you to do this. “The moment” is a manifestation of a real-world problem,

Nothing is granted. You are not entitled to anything. As Papa Salamander told me all the time growing up, “No one owes you a living.”

You have to earn it. If you feel the Navy needs a larger share of the budget to meet the challenge of China, then you need to advocate for it. You need to fight for it…and when I say “you” I mean “we” and the most important and powerful parts of that “we” are our institutions; our maritime power institutions dedicated to seeing the USA remain the premier seapower.

Let’s start with the most obvious. Our uniformed Navy is itself an institution. It reports to its civilian leadership in the Executive Branch with oversight from the Legislative Branch. There are your big pixel maritime governmental institutions; the uniformed and civilian leaders in the Department of the Navy.

As reviewed yesterday, the CNO is engaged in a rather low-energy talking point about 500-ships, but in 2022 that is not even remotely achievable. He knows it, you know it, Congress knows it as well. A number is not an argument, and yet he is investing personal and institutional capital on this line that is almost immediately ignored if it is heard at all. Why?

In the last year one of his highest profile public appearances was when he shoveled heaping piles of personal and institutional capital in a fight defending a red in tooth and claw racial essentialist Ibram X. Kendi  against who would normally be the US Navy’s natural allies in Congress. Ultimately he lost that battle and removed Kendi’s racist book and others from his reading list, but in the face of everything else going on in the maritime world, why?

What about the Vice CNO, Admiral William K. Lescher, USN? Maybe he could throw some sharp elbows for the maritime cause? Sadly, not. Just look at his exchange with Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) back in March. He seems to be the “Vice Chief of Joint Force Operations” more than anything else. He is focused on something, but advocating for sea power is not it.

With the night orders from the CNO and VCNO as they are, if you expect any significant advocacy from the uniformed Navy leadership who report to them for --- checks notes --- the Navy, you are going to have to wait for a long time, time we don’t have. It isn’t going to happen.

What about the civilian leadership of the Navy, the SECNAV and the Under? Will they lead the charge? 

First of all, again I would refer you to yesterday’s post. If you have not read it yet, give it a read and come back. 

SECNAV Del Toro is first of all a political appointee who, though a former naval officer, is mostly known as a political fundraiser for the Democrats and as such you need to understand that is his reference point; he is a party man. A party man can do a lot at a certain moment in time where history calls, but I don’t think that is going to happen here with the SECNAV. He will follow the signal from above. Nothing more.

Take a moment and ponder – when was the last time you heard the SECNAV or Under out front on The Hill or to the greater public about our maritime requirements? Yes, I fully understand what goes on behind closed doors, but that slow roll in an ever-slower bureaucracy infested with scoliotic nomenklatura is well past being of use. The American people must be provided the information and motivation to understand how their entire standard of living – and to a great extent their freedoms – is guaranteed by our mastery of the seas. Is even a rudimentary effort being made in this regard? 

Just look at the USN’s YouTube feed – a primary communication device for the American people. What has the SECNAV talked about there this year?  LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Juneteenth, Army birthday, Asian-Pacific Islander Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, Women’s History Month, carrier air birthday, and Black History Month. 

There you go. There’s your communication. Dig harder if you want … but if you read CDRSalamander and you are not readily aware, then imagine the general population’s situational awareness of the dragon just over the horizon.

To raise the profile of what our nation needs to get the maritime services ready for the fight in WESTPAC,  the civilian leadership will be less help than the uniformed leadership.

They both are both smart people in hard jobs doing their best – but they are not acting like they know what time it is. 

What about the Naval War College? Good questions, what about it? Love the place, has some great people there, but it is mostly internally focused … and talking amongst ourselves is not going to impact all that much – especially when in recent years a lot of institutional capital has been going towards things not all that related to sea power.

That leaves concerned navalists to look outside government.

If you are looking for influence operations inside the beltway, then you have to address think tanks. Quick, without going to google, tell me what DC think tanks have been pounding the drum about sea power?  

Not that easy, is it? In 2020 Craig Hooper looked at this challenge and the situation has not improved all that much. There are good places with good people, but outside of a commute of DC, who is hearing and reading? How many people in Congress know them outside a usual-suspects handful?

They are there, but they are not upping their game, have the ability to reach outside their bubble, or influence people already sold.

Outside government, who do navalists rely on or defer to in order to pursue their goals? There are two old stalwarts that at first blush seem to be natural fits.

First the Navy League of the Unites States. Here you see a budding of what may help in the Center for Maritime Strategy … but boy-howdy it is having trouble getting in gear. It isn’t easy to find on NLUS’s website and its Dean, Admiral Foggo, USN (Ret.) recent comment signals that sadly it does not know what time it is. 

The Navy is not broken, and the acknowledged challenges it faces won’t be helped by yet another layer of bureaucracy. What the Navy needs is more support and more focused missions.

There is still an opportunity for a mindset change and to find its footing, but time is short. The CMS is not there to “support” the official Navy position, but to promote sea power. Not to reinforce what the Executive Branch puts out, but to encourage the nation’s leaders and people to support the navy it needs. Those two items, as is in stark relief this year, may not be the same thing.

Then you have the United States Naval Institute. On its homepage it says it is, “The home of influential debate since 1873.” – but is it still? What have they done so far this year outside their publishing house?

They started off the year with the regular “Maritime Security Dialogue” where usually someone on USNI’s staff sits down and chats with a guest. In essence, a closely controlled, inhouse podcast co-produced with the think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies and sponsored by Huntington Ingalls Industries, the USA's largest shipbuilder. 

In January it was with the 4-star commander of USCENTCOM. In April, the 4-star CNO. In May, a 3-star Marine. In July a gaggle of USN 2-stars from the aviation side of the house, and then with a 4-star Marine. In essence, General and Flag Officers talking about themselves and their jobs underwritten by a primary player in the naval side of the military industrial complex our guest on Midrats Sunday is concerned about.

Again, internally focused.

Of course there was the annual “West” events in San Diego which is effectively a trade show for the military industrial complex with nice little side events sponsored this year by L3Harris and USAA. 

There was a discussion about cyber with an Army 4-star at the USCG Academy in New London, CT, sponsored by the William M. Wood Foundation – the same foundation who sponsored the annual meeting at the Jack C. Taylor Conference Center in Annapolis that you read about in almost every mailing you receive from USNI or the USNI Foundation.

DC. Annapolis. New London. San Diego.

Again, internally focused.

Are we really “getting the message out” or are we simply talking to each other about what we put on our FITREP and CV?

We are not selling sea power. We are not telling out story. We are not evangelizing to the heathen masses. We are selling each other to each other. Telling personal stories about each other. Evangelizing ourselves to each other’s institutions.

Does this promote sea power at the national level, or just the people responsible for it?

None of our institutions – outside a few people hidden in corners and speaking out of turn – are acting like they understand where we are in time and place.

Inertia. Entitlement … and in some cases base self-interest.

The institutions are not turning in to the coming storm. They are not even running away. They are just staying on PIM set out years ago and hoping if something does happen, it will blow up on some else’s watch.

Where does a nation turn? Good question. I don’t have a good answer. 

These times do not come up very often, but we are in one. Where is today’s OP-23, Admiral Denfield and Vice Admiral Brogan of Revolt of the Admirals fame? Where is Vice Admiral Tom Connolly of F-111B renown? I don’t know who they are or even if we have such people in the shadows. So far, silence.

We need to tell a story, but all the higher institutions we would rely on are failing their moment. It isn’t that they won’t tell our story, they are actively avoiding it in favor of other priorities while hoping for the best.

Our institutions are failing the nation at a critical juncture. From both the uniformed and civilian side of the house, the established, comfortable, well-funded, and large navalist institutions are letting our nation down.

As a result, it isn’t jobs, income, sponsorship, or friendships that are at stake – but the strategic position of the United States and the international order we underwrote since the end of WWII. 

Those are the stakes of the battle over providing and maintaining a navy to meet the challenge of China’s rise.

Our present leadership and institutions are failing us. They either need to change – and change quickly – or we need to promote and support new leaders and new institutions to do the job that must be done.

The only entity that seems to be rising to the challenge happens to be the one with the lowest national approval rate; Congress.

The Legislative Branch’s House of Representatives and Senate, from both parties and independents, are starting to produce Members who desire to dust off their oversight responsibilities and are growing more comfortable being confrontational with underperforming uniformed and civilian leaders from the Executive Branch.

Unless something changes soon, there is the navalists' best friend; Congress.

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Reviewed by Jeff Schultz

Leo Marriott’s Naval Battles of the Second World War: The Atlantic and Mediterranean offers a brief glimpse of select naval engagements involving the Royal Navy engaged against their major European foes, the Italian and German fleets.  

Marriott is an established author with multiple books about a range of military, naval, and aviation topics covering mostly World War II and the Cold War. This 160-page book consists of nineteen brief sections divided into two larger segments as “Part I” which focuses on the Atlantic Ocean and NW Europe beginning with the Battle of the River Plate and “Part II,” which focuses on the Mediterranean ending with the Naval Battle of Casablanca, along with an introduction, glossary and abbreviations, warships appendix, select bibliography, and photo credits. The text uses a rough template for each of the nineteen sub-sections; providing a simple and standardized format as follows: location, date, list of opposing forces and leaders, background, specific events, photos and perhaps a map.

Marriott argues in this first of two volumes covering naval battles in World War II that, “this book is intended as a basic guide to the main naval engagements in each theatre of operations covered” while also establishing that amphibious operations are not the focus of the work; which should temper expectations regarding depth of coverage going forward.

To give an idea of the work, three of the nineteen engagement sections will be briefly discussed. An example from Marriott’s “Part I” is the infamous PQ-17 Arctic convoy battle of June-July 1942, which ranks up there as perhaps the worst example of a failed Allied coalition convoy effort in World War II in terms of losses to enemy action, particularly when the surface threat never materialized, accompanied by six photos and a map. The role of the German battleship Tirpitz does not escape mention, in particular the mere existence of the warship had a devastating impact on the convoy, along with the failed reconnaissance efforts which could not pinpoint the looming threat and the decisions made in reaction by British senior leadership. Sir Dudley Pound, First Sea Lord, and his staff set into motion a disastrous cascade of decisions which would eventually result in the loss of twenty-four of the thirty-three largely American merchant ships to a mixture of submarine and air attacks, the German surface forces that might have struck the convoy, including the Tirpitz, never actually got involved. The aftermath of the Allied defeat rippled outwards as another example of the worsening relationship between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union which would eventually culminate in the Cold War. This may be “one of the greatest disasters of the war” but it is not the only Allied embarrassment examined, as he also covers Narvik (1940), the sinking of HMS Glorious (1940) and Operation Cerberus (1942), etc.

A second example from “Part I” is the Battle of the Atlantic, which could easily occupy a much larger work than the mere five pages of text it gains, along with ten photos and a map, the longest treatment of any of the topics. Marriott provides a brief overview which quickly progresses from 1939 to 1945, critical not only for the survival of Great Britain but also “the longest battle, it was also the one that Britain and its allies could not afford to lose.” Even in such a short treatment of the subject, he does cover technological advances, Allied cryptographic successes, relevant statistics and other important elements of a colossal story. That said, it remains a scant look at a seminal battle that spans the entire war.

A third example, now in the Mediterranean, sees Marriott delve into the critical August 1942 attempt to resupply Malta during Rommel’s heyday, Operation Pedestal, supported by eight photos and a map. The beleaguered Allied convoy ran a vicious gauntlet of Axis air, surface and subsurface attacks which steadily reduced the valiant ships and escorts, yet the damaged tanker Ohio and four other vessels reached Valetta to discharge their vital cargoes allowing the island bastion to survive. 

Finally, Marriott also includes Operation Judgement, the 1940 raid on Taranto, and Operation Catapult, the 1940 raid on Mers-el-Kébir, which are one-sided attacks on enemy anchorages, not battles in the classical sense. These are quizzical inclusions, given the other topics but he justifies Taranto as, “[it] materially altered the balance of power in the Mediterranean.” Another of his “main engagements” is the 1940 British morale-building sinking of a single Italian cruiser, the Bartolomeo Colleoni, which falls short considering the scale of the encounter, other potential battle inclusions and when compared with the likes of Operation Cerberus or Pedestal.

Leo Marriott’s Naval Battles of the Second World War: The Atlantic and Mediterranean is a brief monograph that acts as a perfunctory primer highlighting a number of clashes between the Royal Navy and the major European Axis fleets. Although this book does not go into great depth, it should be considered a launching point for learning about the war at sea during World War II but as an attempt to cover nearly twenty battles it can only really scratch the surface for those seeking a deeper assessment.

A past contributor, Schultz teaches history at a community college in Pennsylvania. 

Naval Battles of the Second World War: The Atlantic and Mediterranean. By Leo Marriott (Barnsley, UK: Pen and Sword Maritime, 2022).

The post Naval Battles of the Second World War: The Atlantic and Mediterranean first appeared on Naval Historical Foundation.

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Americas

AV Inc. won an $11.3 million contract modification for RQ-20B Puma 3 AE systems. Work will be performed in Simi Valley, California, with an estimated completion date of July 31, 2023. Puma is a third-generation tactical UAS that provides precise intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance utilizing an enhanced digital data link to transmit real-time imagery.

Raytheon won a $17 million contract modification, which adds scope to procure 40 learn to build AIM-9X Systems Improvement Program (SIP) III configured guidance units (GUs), and associated nonrecurring tooling and test equipment to support build and checkout of the SIP III GUs in a production factory environment for the Navy and Air Force. Work will take place in Arizona, Utah, Vermont, Maryland, California, Germany, Michigan, Minnesota and Canada. Expected completion date is in July 2024.

Middle East & Africa

Thales says it will supply Iraq with four GM403 air defense radars under a contract that will include a command and operations center. A company representative made the disclosure during the groundbreaking ceremony for the operations center. The second phase of the contract will involve the supply of 14 GM200 radars.

Sallyport Global Holdings won a $127 million undefinitized contract action to provide base operations support, base life support, and security services in the support of the Iraq F-16 program. Work will be performed at Martyr Brigadier General Ali Flaih Air Base, Iraq, and is expected to be completed by January 30, 2023. This contract was the result of a sole-source acquisition and involves Foreign Military Sales to Iraq.

Europe

The US Department of Defense is donating 580 Phoenix Ghost kamikaze drones to Ukraine as part of an additional security assistance package valued at $270 million. The Phoenix Ghost is speculated to have capabilities similar to AeroVironment’s Switschblade drone, but its full potential is still undisclosed, according, to Air Force Magazine.

Asia-Pacific

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) says it carried out the country’s first scramjet flight-test on July 24 using a S-520-RD1 rocket. The experiment focuses on gathering data on the fuel combustion so that the information can be compared with test points that were gathered in the wind tunnel. The S-520-RD1 rocket was equipped with a test device for a scramjet engine, which is planned for use in hypersonic aircraft that travel at five times the speed of sound, or Mach 1 and faster.

Today’s Video

WATCH: AeroVironment Puma LE Unmanned Aircraft System

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When you see such dysfunction, it is easy to blame individuals or this political party or that, but this dog’s breakfast stewardship of our nation’s maritime legacy is a symptom, not a cause of failures such as this;

The Navy of the future needs 316 ships. Actually, make that 327. No, more like 367. You know what? Let’s make it 373, or maybe even 500.

At different points this year, the Pentagon and Navy leaders have floated all five numbers as the desired size of the Navy, the result of a high-stakes — and still raging — internal battle among top Navy, Marine Corps and Pentagon leaders.

And the discord at the top has real-world consequences for America’s sea service, denying lawmakers a number to shoot for as they figure out how many ships to buy in the fiscal year that starts in October, and beyond.

That, along with what follows down-post, are red and amber lights on our maritime security dashboard. The structure, machinery, bureaucracy, habits, and procedures are stuttering, smoking, pinging, and swaying under the Rube Goldberg accretions that have grown around the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols/Joint framework that everyone is trying to work around. Good people are producing bad product because they are using worn out and antiquated tools.

It does not work, and everyone trying to force-mode all of DOD around it continues to ill-serve the nation. It works even less well when parts of it are simply mothballed while others are left distracted and dithering in irrelevance;

On one end is Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks, who is spearheading an effort to cut the number of traditional, large-deck amphibs and invest in uncrewed ships and other lighter vessels, the people said. But Hicks’ vision is at odds with plans put forth by Navy and Marine Corps leaders, who want to keep dozens of the ships they say are a key component to moving Marines and aircraft around the Indo-Pacific as the U.S. seeks to deter an aggressive China.

DEPSECDEF Hicks is not a bad person, she is just wrong. A smart DC player, she not only is fully leveraging her assigned position, but she also quickly saw the weaknesses and capability gaps of the SECDEF and in the case our Navy the SECNAV, to step in and gain additional power and influence for her priorities through sheer force of will, drive, and relative competence.

This has left those with alternative views relatively helpless;

But Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, a Biden appointee and retired naval officer, has been a proponent of keeping the number of amphibs around its current strength of 31, a vision shared by Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger who won support in Congress this year to block Pentagon plans to have the fleet shrink to 25 ships in the coming years.

Yet Marine and Navy leaders are at odds with each other over another issue: Berger also wants to add 35 new light amphibious warships to allow his Marines to move through island chains more quickly while presenting less of a target. That’s a vision Navy leadership has never fully supported.

Differing opinions at the top of the Pentagon and Navy leadership chains is nothing new. Given the huge costs involved in designing and building new ships, the overall size and shape of the fleet has always been a politically fraught issue. And the constantly shifting global security dynamic often leads to clashes between the admirals and civilians at the Pentagon and Capitol Hill.

That last part falls right in the lap of the SECDEF and his staff. The Navy cannot even hope to mitigate the power of Hicks divided and squabbling as it is. It needs a firm, united, and confrontational stance as opposed to what appears to be; trying to stay within 80% of a self-imposed red-line to not get in trouble.

We are well past the time where we need leaders willing to get in trouble. This is serious business, and as I asked years ago, where is today’s VADM Connelly when you need him?

During the Trump administration, national security adviser Robert O’Brien and Defense Secretary Mark Esper seized on the 355 figure — as Trump did in his presidential campaign — but then oversaw successive budgets that actually cut shipbuilding funding by billions of dollars. At one point in early 2020, Esper rejected the Navy’s annual shipbuilding plan, taking control over the process and holding up its release for almost a year, only to release it in December 2020 — a month before Joe Biden moved into the White House, all but ensuring they would be scrapped immediately by the new team.

The plan was also likely impossible to implement, calling for a fleet of over 500 ships by 2045, a dramatic increase from the 298 ships in service today. To get there, it proposed building 82 new ships by 2026, doubling the Navy’s previous plan to manufacture 44 new ships by 2025, a pace of building that would likely be unachievable for the U.S. shipbuilding industry.

I remember the day Trump surprisingly won in 2016. I dropped a note to a few equally-surprised navalists saying something to the effect, “Hey, he called for a big Navy, here’s an opportunity…” … and that didn’t quite work out all that well. 

Again, it is easy to say, “wrong people” and that has something to do with it, but they were trying to move inside an ossified, accretion hobbled machine that is hard to move, fully of rent seeking obstacles, and is mostly focused on one thing; self-preservation. Delay in forming your team only makes it worse.

In April of this year, the Navy released its latest 30-year shipbuilding plan that contained three options: 316 ships, 327 ships, and 367 ships, all with different assumptions over budget and what kinds of ships were purchased. Then in June, the Navy sent Congress a classified report saying its plans called for 373 ships, USNI News reported. But a Navy official told POLITICO that the new report focused only on operational needs, and ignored budgets and shipyard capacity, giving it no real connection to the realities of budgets or the industrial base. The Navy plans to send an update of that report to the Hill this year.

...

“The mismatch on where the Biden Pentagon team and the Navy-Marine Corps [stand], that’s the source of that tension,” said one person with knowledge of the internal discussions, who, like others, asked for anonymity to speak candidly about the debate. “[Hicks’] thesis and where she thinks the department needs to go does not necessarily involve a Navy with larger numbers.”

The effort in Congress for a more intrusive oversight is way overdue. The uniformed leadership is down to cringe pleading, the civilian leadership is generally hobbled by conflicting incentives … and as I will flesh out in tomorrow’s post, everything else is letting maritime security requirements of our nation down.

If you were conspiracy minded, you might think that the Executive Branch wants to make the Navy as dysfunctional and rudderless as possible;

Instead, Ross was relocated to the acquisition job where he does not have authority to sign off on major deals, the two people said.

Ross is more aligned with Hicks’ vision for the fleet, the people said.

“There is tension between Carlos and Tommy Ross and by extension between Del Toro and Kath Hicks,” said one former Pentagon official familiar with the discussions. “Del Toro wants to go a different direction and he feels like he’s being constrained by Kath Hicks.”

…but wait, how does the phrase go, “You’re not being paranoid if someone is actually trying to get you.”

I refer you back to the top of the article; Hicks wants the Navy’s money for her priorities. The wrong priorities.

We have a system for checks and balances for a reason, now is the time. We cannot wait for a new Executive Branch national security team. Congress – regardless of party – has its prerogatives and responsibilities. It is time for navalists of all persuasions to reach for the oversight banner and wave it high.

If we do that right, I know one byproduct will come out clear as day – we cannot continue to provide for our nation’s defense requirements using a structure built in the mid-1980s. That can only be fixed by Congress.

We are running out of time.

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Americas

The integration of the Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survivability System for the first two F-15Es has begun at Boeing’s San Antonio facility, according to a Boeing press release. A total of 43 F-15Es are slated to receive the EPAWSS enhancement, which is developed by a joint team of Boeing and BAE Systems. EPAWSS is also being developed for F-15EXs, the new generation of F-15 aircraft built by Boeing. The system was initially tested with the delivery of the first two F-15EXs that participated in Northern Edge exercises in 2021, the release says.

The US Air Force has established the P6 combat training system (P6 CTS) as its next-generation air combat training programme of record, Collins Aerospace announced at the Farnborough International Air Show 2022. The system will replace the air combat manoeuvring instrumentation (ACMI) at an estimated 55 USAF training ranges. The USAF’s priority is to integrate P6 CTS on fighter aircraft, followed by trainer, bomber, cargo, and other platforms, according to Collins.

Middle East & Africa

The State Department has cleared a potential $397 million purchase request from the government of Kuwait for missiles, bombs, tail kits and other equipment in support of its Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft fleet. The potential foreign military sales transaction will include 60 AIM-120 C-7/8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, several hundred MK-84/84 General Purpose 2000LB bombs, 350 KMU-556 Joint Direct Attack Munition tail kits and other munitions, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Thursday.

Europe

The US Department of State cleared a possible foreign military sale of 96 Raytheon-made Patriot surface-to-air missiles to the Netherlands in a deal estimated to be worth $1.2 billion. The Netherlands requested to buy the Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical, or GEM-T, missiles, which the State Department said support its goal of improving its defenses and increase its interoperability with the US and fellow NATO forces.

Asia-Pacific

Rolls-Royce won an $8.4 million modification, which adds scope to provide test cell labor and associated materials and test cell commissioning in support authorized military overhaul facilities stand-up for the V-22 AE 1107C engine to include establishment of an indigenous depot-level maintenance and repair capability for the Rolls-Royce AE 1107C engine and integration of an AE 1107C engine test cell into existing facilities in support of the government of Japan. Work will take place in Indiana and Japan. Expected completion will be in February 2025.

BAE Systems won a $92 million deal to modify F-16 Hybrid Flight Control Computer to digital capability. Work will be performed in Endicott, New York, and is expected to be complete by June 20, 2027. This contract involves Foreign Military Sales to Taiwan. Work will take place in New York. Estimated completion will be by June 20, 2027.

Today’s Video

WATCH: AGM-158 JASSM – The deadliest stealth missile worth $1.359 million / unit

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If you look around in certain corners of the world, you can find little things that make you give a double-take. 

For instance, why is there a statue of an American General in a WWI uniform in the same park as a monument to the Soviet Red Army?

Have you ever heard of Major General Harry Hill Bandholtz, USA?

Probably not. What did he do that would warrant such a statue in such a location?

On August 11, 1919, General Bandholtz arrived in Budapest as one of four generals (English, French, Italian, American) to become the Inter-Allied Control Commission for Hungary, primarily to supervise the disengagement of Romanian troops from Hungary.

He became famous when, on the night of October 5, 1919, as President of the Day of the Commission, mainly through bluff, armed only with a riding crop, he prevented a group of Romanian soldiers from removing Transylvanian treasures from the National Museum.

The statue was erected in 1936, and stood throughout World War II with the inscription, in English,

“I simply carried out the instructions of my Government, as I understood them, as an officer and a gentleman of the United States Army.

In the late 1940s the statue was removed “for repair.” It lay in a statue boneyard until the 1980s, at which time it was placed in the garden of the U.S. Ambassador’s residence, at the request of then-Ambassador Salgo. It was re-placed in Szabadság tér at its original location in July 1989, just a few days before the visit of President Bush.

Is there any better quote for an officer to be remembered by?

For you history buffs of the labor troubles of the 1920s or pre-WWI counterinsurgency efforts in The Philippines, he had a noteworthy record with interesting peers...but for the Hungarians ... fullbore.

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Americas

Lockheed Martin won a $32 million for Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) M-Code test and integration. Contractor will provide support for JASSM, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, JASSM?ER, and any JASSM variant in the areas of M-Code test and integration. Contractor will provide support for JASSM, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, JASSM?ER, and any JASSM variant in the areas of M-Code test and integration. Work will take place in Florida. Estimated completion date is July 21, 2025.

Schutt Industries won a $49.8 million deal to procure M870A4 semitrailers, spare parts, and a government-formatted technical data package. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is July 19, 2025.

Middle East & Africa

Embraer of Brazil has revealed plans to partner with BAE Systems to offer the C-390 transport aircraft to Saudi Arabia. Two memorandums of understanding were signed at the Farnborough Airshow on July 19. One for the C-390 partnership while the other confirms an intent to create a joint venture to develop a defense variant of Eve’s electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle.

Europe

The Czech government has decided to launch negotiations with the United States to buy 24 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets for the country’s Air Force. The aircraft are to replace the 14 Saab JAS 39 Gripens currently operated by the Czech military, making the country the second Eastern European ally after Poland to order Lockheed Martin’s fighters.

The US and Dutch militaries signed an agreement Wednesday in the Netherlands to work together on future vertical lift programs, according to a statement from the US Army. FVL is a plan to design and manufacture a generation of helicopters ? and other low-tier aviation ? with the latest in technology and capabilities. Douglas Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said this agreement keeps the U.S. and its allies ahead of its adversaries.

Asia-Pacific

South Korea’s Black Eagles aerobatic team has won the King Hussein Memorial Sword as well as The As The Crow Flies Trophy for bestoverall flying demonstration for this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo.

Today’s Video

WATCH: AGM-158 JASSM – The deadliest stealth missile worth $1.359 million / unit

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We've been doing "Diversity Thursday" on a regular basis since 2008 or so. Not my favorite topic, not a popular topic among some segments ... but we persist.

We covered the military's drift towards racial essentialism earlier, but the "Diversity Thursday" segment really only became a regular thing about 15-yrs ago.

We tried to warn everyone ... and here we find ourselves in the thick of it ... but now we are getting real and substantial advocates kicking back against the diversity cadre including out in the open in the Senate and House of Representatives and in the larger culture. 

You love to see it.

One thing the left has always been better at than most is organizing. The next thing they have been good at is providing supporting fires to like minded entities who, if not in full alignment, are at least 80%.

In the battle to push against racial essentialism in our military, it appears the right people decided to organize;

the Biden administration is distracting military leaders with a new, woke policy agenda that they appear far too eager to embrace. Today military officials talk so much about climate change, domestic extremism and systemic racism that you’d think our enemies are at home, not abroad. Green Berets are forced to sit through trainings about transgenderism.

Official military reading lists include the anti-American ravings of Ibram X. Kendi. Army recruitment ads seem aimed more at attracting social-justice warriors than actual warriors. The Navy is producing instructional videos on gender pronouns while its poorly maintained ships crash at sea.

Officers are led astray by our service academies, whose curricula are growing indistinguishable from that of woke Ivy League schools. Physical fitness standards have been lowered significantly for the sake of “inclusivity.” The chairman of the Joint Chiefs says he seeks to understand “white rage.” The Secretary of Defense released an official statement about the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling.

...

It’s time to confront this problem. Veterans have given too much to allow the service to become another victim of the left’s culture war.  We have lost limbs and carried unseen scars. We have buried friends and family members.

That’s why I joined with like-minded vets to launch Veterans on Duty, a new national membership organization. Our goal: To compel the military to get back to basics by exposing how the woke revolution in the services works and how policymakers can defeat it. And we’ll support candidates and elected officials who’ll take on those corroding our military.

Great to have more people in the fight. We need it.

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Americas

The US Marine Corps will acquire eight MQ-9A Extended Range (ER) unmanned air vehicles (UAV) for VMU-3 as part of the ARES Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (ID/IQ) contract. The fleet is expected to standup in late summer 2023 at MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. VMU-3 will operate these MQ-9A ERs to support training for the Marine Littoral Regiment.

Insitu won a $160 million deal, which provides training, test and engineering, development of engineering change proposals, operations support, organizational level maintenance, field service representatives, land and ship surveys, hardware site activations, hardware installs, repairs, and development of noncommercial software and data in support of RQ-21A Blackjack and ScanEagle unmanned aircraft platforms. Estimated completion will be in June 2026 Work will take place in Washington.

Middle East & Africa

Morocco has ordered an unspecific number of H135 helicopters from Airbus for primary flight training. Airbus says the contract comes with an extensive support package including the delivery of Flight Training Devices and the training of instructor pilots and maintenance pilots.

The US State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the United Arab Emirates of C-17 Aircraft Sustainment and related equipment for an estimated cost of $980.4 million. The Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has requested to buy follow-on sustainment and support of C-17 fleet to include aircraft hardware and software modifications and support; Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) software; classified software support for Electronic Warfare (EW) self-protection; aircraft and engine support equipment, components, consumables, spare parts and repair/return; publications and technical documentation; heavy maintenance support; participation in the C-17 Virtual Fleet for Total System Sustainment (TSS) contractor logistics support and Material Improvement Program (MIP); other U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistical support services; and other related elements of program support.

Europe

The US State Department okayed a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Belgium of F-16 Sustainment and related equipment for an estimated cost of $127 million. The Government of Belgium has requested to buy additional F-16 sustainment support that will be added to a previously implemented case. The original FMS case, valued at $98.4 million, included F-16 sustainment, consisting of AN/ARC-210 radios; classified software, Computer Program Identification Numbers (CPINs), and software integration support; Electronic Warfare (EW) database support; test support and equipment; aircraft and munitions support and support equipment; flight simulator support; additional hardware and software delivery and support; spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories; maintenance and maintenance support; mission planning system sustainment; facilities, utilities, and information technology support at US Air Force bases; classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation; and US Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, studies and surveys; and other related elements of logistical and program support.

Asia-Pacific

Crane Electronics won a $9 million deal for the upgrade of ALQ-218 Weapons Replaceable Assembly 9 power supply Navy assets. This contract covers purchases for the Navy (96%) and the government of Australia (4%) under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will take place in Florida. Estimated completion will be by July 2027.

Today’s Video

WATCH:Why The $340 Million C-17 Globemaster III Became The Center Of Evacuation Efforts | Boot Camp

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Americas

KC-46A, #17-46034, was recently painted with a tail flash to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the city of Portsmouth and the 75th anniversary of the United States Air Force. It was flown to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to be painted at the 36,000-square-foot paint facility there in June.

An AIM-120D3 air-to-air missile with production hardware was test-fired for the first time on June 30 from a F-15E. It was the first of five combined Air Force and Navy live-fires scheduled for the AMRAAM F3R program, which replaces 15 Circuit Card Assemblies on the missile. Raytheon says in a press release that an additional live fire for the Foreign Military Sales AIM-120C8 variant will occur in the near future.

Middle East & Africa

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has received the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) Supplemental Type Certificate for its B737-800SF passenger-to-freighter conversions. With the EASA STC approval, IAI will open its B737-800BDSF cargo conversions to European companies and operators, providing a solution to the rising demand for aircraft conversions worldwide. The first two converted aircraft for which this approval will apply have already been delivered to a customer in Spain, with an additional aircraft undergoing conversion and joining the European fleet shortly.

Europe

Lockheed Martin won a $224.9 million contract modification, which increases the ceiling to procure long lead-time materials, parts, components, and effort for the production of three Lot 15 F-35A aircraft and nine Lot 16 F-35 aircraft for the government of the Netherlands. Work will take place in Texas, California, the UK, Italy, Florida, New Hampshire, Maryland and Japan. Estimated completion will be by May 2026.

MBDA announced that the Dragonfire laser weapon has started trials at low power to confirm the system’s accuracy in tracking air and sea targets.That phase of testing was successful and the next set of trials will be static testing of the high-power laser while maintaining the same accuracy achieved during low-power tests. Once those two steps are cleared, the system will then begin engaging targets in operationally representative scenarios.

European Union foreign ministers agreed on Monday another $504 million of EU funding to supply arms to Ukraine, taking the bloc’s security support to 2.5 billion euros since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. The money should help the EU continue to jointly buy equipment and supplies for the Ukrainian military, including lethal weaponry, which the bloc has said should be used for defensive purposes.

Asia-Pacific

Airbus is seeking to renegotiate with Indonesia for the two A400Ms that the latter has ordered due to tight supply of Titanium. Airbus imports fifty percent of its titanium from Russia but the war in Ukraine has disrupted prices and supply. The aerospace company finds it difficult to execute the contract with the price of $685 million.

Today’s Video

WATCH: E-2 Hawkeye: The Hummer You Don’t Mess With

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