BullhornApril 22, 2007
BULLHORN #21
PBS documentary CARRIER. A 10-hour series airing on PBS Sunday 27 April, that follows the crew and airwing of the USS NIMITZ (CVN 68) through a WESTPAC in 2005. This series is a must see for anyone who really wants to see and experience life onboard a nuclear powered US aircraft carrier, most powerful weapon in our arsenal. This show unlike other documentaries is more of a reality show following the crew and their daily lives, it is not full of facts and useless gibberish but stories, it is from the perspective of Enlisted Sailors for Enlisted Sailors. No punches are held and it shows the positive and the negative of life at sea.
MEMBERSHIP FEEDBACK
Membership Services On-Line - ? We have received some feedback indicating some members would like to be able to renew their memberships on-line, doing both the “paperwork” and payment using an interactive web-based program that accepts credit cards. So far, the numbers expressing interest in this capability are not enough to justify the expense of developing it. If more members would like us to invest in this capability, please let me know by email to me at svwindmills@erols.com.
Self-addressed return envelopes for renewals - We have received a number of requests for us to enclose a self-addressed return envelope in membership renewal notices. This is an action item being addressed at our next executive meeting; expect a decision soon.
Name |
Full Name |
Last Known Address |
4/8/2008 |
|
Atwood |
Mr. Wallace Atwood |
Wittmann, AZ |
4/8/2008 |
|
Baxter |
LT William M. Baxter, USN |
Honolulu, HI |
4/8/2008 |
|
Brooks |
Mrs. Charles L. Brooks |
New Orleans, LA |
4/8/2008 |
|
Burns |
CAPT Richard H. Burns, USN (Ret) |
San Diego, CA |
4/8/2008 |
|
Burns |
CAPT David M. Burns, USN (Ret) |
Camden, ME |
4/8/2008 |
|
Burns |
Capt John A. Burns, USN (Ret) |
Warren, ME |
4/8/2008 |
|
Convery |
LT James J. Convery, III USN |
VF-151 |
4/8/2008 |
|
Conway |
CDR Michael Ray Conway, USN |
San Diego |
4/8/2008 |
|
Dundas |
CDR Geoffrey W. Dundas, USN |
Kaneohe, HI |
4/8/2008 |
|
Heron |
CDR Paul J. Heron, USN (Ret) |
Camarillo, CA |
4/8/2008 |
|
Hyland |
LCDR Joel Hyland, USN (Ret) |
Port Orange, FL |
4/8/2008 |
|
Kellett |
CDR John Kellett, USN (Ret) |
Kaneohe Bay, HI |
4/8/2008 |
|
Lanham |
Dr John Lanham |
Muskego, WI |
4/8/2008 |
|
Lasker |
CDR Lawrence J. Lasker, USN(Ret) |
Hawaii |
4/8/2008 |
|
Lutche |
CDR Michael W. Lutche, USN |
Kailua, HI |
4/8/2008 |
|
Lynham |
CDR Donald M. Lynham, USN (Ret) |
Indiana |
4/8/2008 |
|
McDaniel |
CDR Ronald A. McDaniel, USN |
HC-4, FPO |
4/8/2008 |
|
Miller |
Mr. Marvin Miller |
Tampa, FL |
4/8/2008 |
|
Moreschi |
LTJG John R. Moreschi, Jr, USN |
Jacksonville, FL |
4/8/2008 |
|
Niedermair |
LCDR Joseph Niedermair, USN |
New Orleans, LA |
4/8/2008 |
|
Peterson |
Mr. Bruce Peterson |
Zephyrhills, FL |
4/8/2008 |
|
Phelps |
Mr. Christopher Phelps |
Kapolei, HI |
4/8/2008 |
|
Porter |
COL Robert B. Porter, USMC (Ret) |
Fresno, CA |
4/8/2008 |
|
Remington |
LCDR Paul Remington, USN (Ret) |
Smyrna, GA |
4/8/2008 |
|
Shurtleff |
CAPT W. H. Shurtleff, USN (Ret) |
Ewa Beach, HI |
4/8/2008 |
|
Sorensen |
Ms Mary Sorensen |
Tucson, AZ |
4/8/2008 |
|
Tower |
LCDR Maury Tower , USN (Ret) |
Virginia Beach, VA |
4/8/2008 |
|
Weisheit |
MAJ Bowen P. Weisheit, USMC (Ret) |
Bel Air, MD |
4/8/2008 |
|
Wilson |
Mr. Michael P. Wilson |
Honolulu, HI |
4/8/2008 |
Status of the Navy
April 22, 2008
Active Duty: 331,924
Officers: 51,081
Enlisted: 276,500
Midshipmen: 4,343
Ready Reserve: 126,060 [As of 08 Mar]
Selected Reserves: 70,249
Individual Ready Reserve: 55,811
Reserves currently mobilized: 5,385 [As of 16 Apr]
Personnel on deployment: 69,490
Navy Department Civilian Employees: 178,688
Ships and Submarines
Deployable Battle Force Ships: 279
Ships Underway (away from homeport): 131 ships (47% of total)
On deployment: 115 ships (41% of total)
Attack submarines underway (away from homeport): 25 submarines (46%)
On deployment: 20 submarines (37%)
Ships Underway
Carriers:
USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) - Pacific Ocean
USS Nimitz (CVN 68) - Philippine Sea
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) - 5th Fleet
USS George Washington (CVN 73) - Atlantic Ocean
USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) - 5th Fleet
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) - Pacific Ocean
Amphibious Warfare Ships:
USS Nassau (LHA 4) - Mediterranean Sea
Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group:
USS Tarawa (LHA 1) - 5th FleetAircraft (operational): 3700+
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April 22, 2008
Flag Officer Announcements
Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced today that the President has made the following nominations:
Navy Vice Adm. Melvin G. Williams Jr. has been nominated for reappointment to the grade of vice admiral and assignment as commander, Second Fleet, Norfolk, Va. Williams is currently serving as deputy commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Va. (VADM Williams is a surface warfare officer – Dutch)
Navy Rear Adm. William E. Gortney has been nominated for appointment to the grade of vice admiral and assignment as commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Central Command and commander, Fifth Fleet, in Bahrain. Gortney is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Ten, Norfolk, Va.
Rear Admiral William E. Gortney
Commander, Carrier Strike Group Ten
Rear Admiral William E. Gortney graduated from Elon College, North Carolina in 1977, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science. He entered the Navy as an Aviation Officer Candidate (AOC), and received his commission as an Ensign in the United States Naval Reserve in September 1977. Rear Adm. Gortney received his Wings of Gold in December 1978 while assigned to VT-7 in Meridian, Mississippi.Rear Adm. Gortney’s command assignments include VFA-15, 1994-1995, onboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), VFA-106, the East Coast F/A-18 Fleet Replacement Squadron, 1996-1997, and Carrier Air Wing Seven, 2002-2003, onboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67).
Rear Adm. Gortney’s fleet assignments include tours with VA-82, 1981-1984, onboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68); VFA-87, 1988-1990, onboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71); Executive Officer, VFA-132, 1991-1992, onboard USS Forrestal (CV 59); Executive Officer, VFA-15, 1992-1994, onboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71); and Deputy Commander, Carrier Air Wing Seven, 2000-2002, onboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), and USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67).
Rear Adm. Gortney’s shore assignments include tours with VT-26 (T-2C) NAS Beeville Texas, 1978-1980; VFA-125 (F/A-18A/B), NAS Lemoore, California, 1984-1988; and Aide and Flag Lieutenant to the Assistant Chief of Naval Operations (Air Warfare), in Washington, D.C., 1990-1991. Additional training tours include VT-6 (T-28), VT-9 (T-2C), VA-174 (A-7E), VFA-125 and VFA-106 (F/A-18A/B/C/D). He is a 1996 graduate of the Naval War College, earning a Masters of Arts in International Security Affairs. He served on the Joint Staff, J-33 Joint Operations Department, CENTCOM Division, 1998-1999, followed by a tour as Deputy for Current Operations, Joint Task Force Southwest Asia. Rear Adm. Gortney served as Chief, Naval and Amphibious Liaison Element to the Combined Forces Air Component Commander, U.S. Central Command, for Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served as the Chief of Staff for Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command / U.S. Fifth Fleet from 2003-2004. He served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Global Force Management and Joint Operations, Fleet Forces Command, in Norfolk, VA 2004-2006. Rear Adm. Gortney reported to his current position as Commander, Carrier Strike Group Ten in July 2006.
Rear Adm. Gortney has flown over 5300 flight hours and made over 1,200 carrier arrested landings. He is authorized to wear the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (two awards), Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), Air Medal (three awards: Gold Numeral One, two Strike/Flight), Defense Commendation Medal (three awards), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. Updated: 12 July 2006
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aircraft Carrier Completes Maintenance; Returns to Bremerton
Story Number: NNS080328-27
Release Date: 3/28/2008 5:00:00 PM
From USS John C. Stennis Public Affairs
ABOARD USS JOHN C. STENNIS, At Sea (NNS) -- USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) returned to Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton March 28, after completing a five day at sea period that marked the end of a successful, but extensive, maintenance period.
On March 27, the crew of the 90,000-ton nuclear powered aircraft carrier completed its final assessment of the ship's material readiness, officially ending a six month major maintenance period.
Stennis departed Bremerton March 24, commencing the five day at sea period called Sea Trials. The crew immediately began assessing the ship's installations and repairs, and inspected and validated the work conducted during the maintenance period, officially called docking planned incremental availability (DPIA).
"The crew of John C. Stennis, teamed up with the super professionals of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, just completed the most intensive maintenance project I have ever seen," said Stennis Commanding Officer, Capt. Brad Johanson. "Over the past six months, this ship has completed $240 million in upgrades and maintenance work. We have new combat systems upgrades, new electronic throttle controls, new arresting gear safety control systems and an extensive suite of new aviation electronic support systems designed to provide maintenance for the new MH-60 helicopters."
This underway period is the first time the carrier has been operational since entering Puget Sound Naval Shipyard drydock on Sept. 28, after the Stennis and crew returned from a seven-and-half-month deployment to the Middle East on August 31. Stennis and its air wing provided support to troops on the ground in Afghanistan and flew missions in support of ground forces in Iraq.
Also returning to the ship was Carrier Strike Group 3 (CSG-3). This is the first time the strike group commander, Rear Adm. M. Stewart O'Bryan, has embarked Stennis since he took command in September. Stennis is the flagship for O'Bryan and CSG-3.
"I was pleased with the success of not only the Sea Trials but the tremendous accomplishment of the entire DPIA," said O'Bryan.
After finishing the intense Sea Trials, the crew will now focus on preparing for the ship's training cycle and operational proficiency in preparation for a deployment in 2009.
"It's great to have the ship back and operational!" said Johanson. "We will now focus our energy and efforts on increasing our combat proficiency and overall operational capability."
During Sea Trails, the crew conducted a series of tests and evaluations on the work that was done during DPIA. While the ship was in drydock, shipyard workers, contractors and about 600 Stennis Sailors renovated drinking water tanks, main engineering spaces, aircraft support equipment, combat and self-defense systems, and berthing spaces.
As Stennis returns to Bremerton, over 411,000 man-hours of work has been completed. The ship's forces painted 650 spaces and re-tiled 215 decks. They also cleaned out 295 vents, removed and refurbished about 200 watertight doors and completed 400 lagging (wrapping insulation around pipes) jobs.
From CHINFO -
A Day in the Navy
15 April 2008
• On April 15th, 331,889 Active Duty, 70,249 Reserve Component Sailors, with 5,519 Reserves mobilized, and 178,739 civilians are serving in the Department of the Navy.
• 280 active ships are in service. 132 (47%) including 5 carriers and 4 amphibious large deck ships are underway.
• Approximately 11,528 Sailors are deployed on the ground around the world in support of the Global War or Terror, including 4,975 individual augmentees in Iraq and 1,497 in Afghanistan, among various other countries around the world.
• Adm. Gary Roughead visits the crew of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) to address Sailors deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO). Roughead is visiting the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) AOO to strengthen international maritime partnerships as part of the Navy’s Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower and meet with regional leaders in an effort to increase dialogue and cooperation.
• An HVBSS (Helo Visit Board Search and Seizure) team is deployed with USS Abraham Lincoln -- marking the first operational deployment for this Maritime Expeditionary Security Force capability.
• USS George Washington (CVN-73), currently operating off the coast of South America in support of Partnership of Americas 08, is underway to Yokosuka, Japan, where it will replace USS Kitty Hawk as the United States’ forward deployed carrier.
• HURREX 08 commences, focusing on training afloat and shore-based commands with hurricane threat scenarios for use in exercising sortie, evacuation, emergency preparedness, and recovery and consequence management procedures.
• USS Hawaii, the nation’s newest Virginia-class submarine, is underway in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility conducting counter illicit trafficking operations in support of U.S. and participating nation drug control programs.
• USS Florida is underway in the Atlantic making final preparations for their first deployment as a converted SSGN.
• USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), along with embarked Carrier Air Wing 14 (CVW-14) and Destroyer Squadron Seven (DESRON 7), is underway conducting Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 08-5 off the coast of Southern California in preparation for a regularly scheduled deployment.
• Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet’s weekly podcast is being posted on www.cpf.navy.mil. This week’s podcast discusses the strategic importance of Navy’s submarines and salutes San Diego, host to the Great White Fleet 100 years ago.
• Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet is meeting in Seoul, Republic of Korea with the new Chief of Naval operations and the new ROK Fleet Commander for a Combined Tactical Discussion for the Naval Component Command.
• USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Mobile Bay, and USS Shoup are conducting a passing exercise with the Republic of Singapore Navy before making a port visit to Singapore. Exercise events include flight operations, DLQs, UNREP dry hook up, and VBSS. During the port visit, USS Abraham Lincoln will host a reception for the Singapore Chief of the Navy, RADM Chew Len Weong.
• USS Fort McHenry and HSV Swift are completing their very successful deployments in support of Africa Partnership Station. Both ships have been providing valuable training and engagement opportunities to the West Africa region. USS Fort McHenry has departed the region while HSV Swift still has remaining events with Benin and Senegal.
• USS Kitty Hawk, Carrier Air Wing 5, and Destroyer Squadron 15 are underway in the Pacific to conduct dual carrier operations with the USS Nimitz Strike Group.
• USS Port Royal and USS Hopper are in port Palau where the commanding officers will meet with Vice President Chin and crew members will meet community members at events at the Yelch Ball Field, the old Airai Elementary school and the Kaingungsho Building, State Office.
• USS Chafee is conducting a goodwill port visit to Osaka, Japan where CDR Heedong Choi will formally assume command of USS Chafee. The crew will visit one of Japan’s major metropolitan areas and learn more of the rich historic and cultural heritage of Osaka.
• Approximately 500 Maritime Expeditionary Security Force (MESF) Sailors in CENTCOM are providing security onboard MSC ships and security to ships arriving in the Arabian Gulf while approximately 100 MESF Sailors are in the Philippines providing embarked and boat security in the Western Pacific.
• In exercise CITADEL GALE 08, three simulated hurricanes have made landfall in the continental United States. CNIC is coordinating the response effort to the affected regions and installations. Participants include Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, Navy Region Southeast, US Fleet Forces, CNIC, C2F, and Navy Personnel Command.
• The Navy Ceremonial Guard is rehearsing on The White House South Lawn for the Papal Visit to The White House tomorrow.
• Navy Installations Command is providing funeral honor support to a total of 103 funerals for our country’s veterans on 15 April.
• Five staff members from Naval Hospital Okinawa are deploying to Thailand in support of PACFLT and III Marine Expeditionary Force MEDCAP/DENTCAP operations during Cobra Gold exercises.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A product of... Navy Office of Information www.chinfo.navy.mil www.navy.mil 703.697.5342
April 15, 2008
Maritime Strategy: Enabling Commerce |
|
“Our responsibility to the tax payers of this great nation is to provide maritime security on the approaches to this country, the strategic lines of communication on the maritime domain, and in strategic straits and there are many of those, frankly, in this region.” -- Adm. Robert F. Willard, Commander, Pacific Fleet The maritime domain carries the lifeblood of the global system 70% of the world is water, 80% of the world lives on or near the coastline and 90% of the world’s trade sails across it. Any disruption to the global system has a direct impact on the American way of life.
Solving the global challenge of Maritime Domain Awareness
Enabling the free flow of legitimate commerce through Maritime Security Operations (MSO) Forward deployed maritime forces provide security to enhance the U.S. and global economies.
|
|
Key Messages |
Facts & Figures |
|
• The global drug trade is $300 billion/year [UN]. • Get recent leadership messages on maritime security by podcast and Daily News Updates here and here. |
Navy: Unmanned Combat Squadron by 2025
Aviation Week's DTI | Amy Butler and Robert Wall | March 2008
This article first appeared in AviationWeek.com.
The U.S. Navy is calling for competitive prototyping in preparation for fielding its first squadron of Unmanned Combat Air Systems (UCAS) by 2025.
NUCAS is expected to replace the Navy's F/A-18s on aircraft carrier decks, and the system will provide greater range and time on station than the manned fleet. This shift will project Navy air power far beyond today's reach, adding more protection to ships at sea.
This strategy puts the Navy at the forefront of the Pentagon's efforts to field combat drones; the U.S. Air Force has decided to create a manned design for its next-generation bomber for fielding in 2018.
The Navy is conducting an analysis of alternatives to narrow down its choices for the F/A-18 replacement, dubbed the F/A-XX program.
In lockstep, officials at Naval Air Systems Command are formulating an acquisition strategy to build off of work handled by Northrop Grumman, which is building two NUCAS demonstrators, according to Capt. Martin Deppe, NUCAS program manager. Northrop Grumman beat Boeing for the $635 contract to design and test the suitability of a tailless, low-observable design operating in and around aircraft carriers.
The first demonstrator flight is set for November 2009, and carrier trials will be complete in late 2012.
Deppe says the acquisition strategy for a follow-on to the demonstrator project will likely be ready in 2011. Though Deppe says he wants to have competing prototypes, the strategy does not call for new air vehicle designs.
The would-be competitors would simply need to demonstrate the technologies in an operationally relevant environment. The contractors could demonstrate their architectures using aircraft already cleared for carrier ops.
I have a few photos of Scan Eagle – they were not included in this article because the file would be too large. If anyone would like to see the article with the photos (an 865KB file), please email me and I be happy to send it to you. - Dutch
Subject: China Lake flies first Navy-owned Scan Eagle test asset
Date: 13-Mar-08
News Release Number: ECL200803131
News Release Copy: By Renee Hatcher NAWCWD Public Affairs The Naval Unmanned Systems Integration Activity (NUSIA) teamed with NAWCWD’s Unmanned Systems Technical Project Office and conducted a successful initial flight of the first unmanned Scan Eagle test vehicle owned by the Navy on Feb. 29 at China Lake.
“This is a big change of mindset for us,” said Brian Whiteside, of NUSIA. “Up until this point, all of our unmanned operations had been done with contractor-owned test vehicles. Now, we have our own Navy-owned and operated test asset that we can use for our unmanned operations.”
The Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flew locally for about 30 minutes. The Scan Eagle team was led by Whiteside as the mission commander. T.J. Zackman was the pilot in command for the launch and recovery, and Tony Fabiszak was the ground crew. They ran the mission from a command and control van parked about 50 yards from the UAV on China Lake’s North Range.
“The system performed as expected,” Whiteside said. “It was a great success.”
The INSITU Scan Eagle will be used at China Lake as well as other designated facilities as a test bed for concept of operations development and UAS integration efforts.
“The demand for UAV operations, support and testing has grown exponentially,” said Whiteside, a former Navy F/A-18 Hornet pilot. “It’s really the next step in naval aviation.”
Since 2004, Scan Eagle has logged more than 50,000 hours in theater providing real-time imagery to tactical commanders and acting as forward observers to monitor enemy vehicle and personnel movement, and buildings and terrain in Iraq.
Weighing about 40 pounds, Scan Eagle is four feet long and has a wingspan just over 10 feet. It can safely fly up to 16,000 feet at a cruising speed of 60 mph. It is launched via a pneumatic wedge catapult launcher, flies pre-programmed missions via a GPS-based navigation system, and is retrieved using a ‘skyhook’ system by catching a rope hanging from a 50-foot pole.
“We’ll use this system to further the capabilities of UAVs in general,” Whiteside said.
This Scan Eagle is part of an inventory of Dakota and 14 Pioneer UASs at China Lake. The team expects to get four more Scan Eagles as well as SHADOW, and Raven systems.
Currently, Whiteside and his team are working at China Lake on a video targeting demonstration with Scan Eagle. They are also performing payload modifications, and rapid deployment testing in support of the global war on terrorism.
With increasing UAS operations at China Lake, the team has put a lot of effort into figuring out how best to integrate unmanned systems into the local operating airspace.
“We have worked very closely with the folks at Range Safety to come up with procedures for airspace integration,” Whiteside said.
Future efforts include integration work with the Naval Strike Air Warfare Center, Special Operations Command, Naval Post Graduate School, and the Joint UAS Center of Excellence. Whiteside said he is looking forward to great advancements in unmanned systems.
“UAVs are the next logical step in aviation,” Whiteside said. “There will always be a need for pilots but I believe we will see a big shift during the next 30 years toward unmanned systems.”
Welcome to U.S. Air Force AIM Points
F-35 JSF engines in critical tests as Congress deliberates
BY: Graham Warwick, Flight International
03/28/2008
Altitude testing of a pre-development General Electric/Rolls-Royce F136 alternative engine has been completed as Pratt & Whitney prepares for critical tests of its F135 primary engine for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The tests come as U.S. Congress deliberates whether to overturn the Department of Defense's decision to cancel the F136 to save money. Testifying in late March, the U.S. Air Force leadership said they would prefer to keep both engines, but that there was an issue of affordability.
The first system development and demonstration F136 is scheduled to run early in 2009, but the GE/R-R Fighter Engine Team has been using "pre-SDD" engines fitted with production-representative fan, augmentor and controls to conduct early conventional take-off and landing and short take-off and vertical landing testing.
GE/R-R completed high-altitude afterburner testing of a pre-SDD F136 in late March at the USAF's Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee. The tests included the common exhaust hardware for the F-35. A second pre-SDD engine is undergoing CTOL and STOVL testing at GE's outdoor site in Peebles, Ohio.
In April, P&W will test an instrumented F135 to confirm the root cause and verify the corrective action for the low-pressure turbine blade failure that affected two STOVL engines. The company believes the high-cycle fatigue failure results from vibration caused by interaction of the third-stage blades and vanes.
"We intend to demonstrate we can turn the phenomenon on, and prove we can turn it off," says Bill Gostic, F135 programme manager. The test will be repeated in September using an engine with redesigned third-stage blades and vanes, "to show the redesign turns it off", he says. The redesign uses two different vane spacings to disrupt the vibration.
P&W also hopes the April test will validate a "viable limited flight envelope" for the unmodified engine. This would allow Lockheed to begin STOVL testing with the first F-35B in September. Otherwise, STOVL testing will be delayed until December, after the redesigned engine has been installed, says Gostic. The F-35B is expected to begin CTOL-mode flight tests in June.
NNS080328-22. Oak Harbor Holds Public Hearing for P-8A MMA
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tucker M. Yates, Fleet Public Affairs Center, Det. Northwest
OAK HARBOR, Wash. (NNS) -- A public hearing for the introduction of the P-8A "Poseidon" Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) and environmental impact statement presentation were held at the Oak Harbor School District office, March 26.
The hearing was held as the Navy prepares to transition from the P-3C Orion to the P-8A from 2012 to 2019. The transition affects the community due to four existing P-3C Patrol Squadrons (VPs) presently in service on nearby Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island.
This transitional period will lead to between three and seven P-8A squadrons being stationed on the base depending on which of the six alternatives presented by the Navy is selected. The preferred alternative would maintain four squadrons at NAS Whidbey Island.
"Under the requirements for environmental study, we have to look at different options and different alternatives, so for this action we have six different alternatives, all involving the same bases, but differences in the number of squadrons going to each base," said Rick Keys, a project officer for the P-8A Fleet Introduction with U.S. Fleet Forces Command, based in Norfolk.
"[The preferred alternative] meets operational requirements and also, from a cost standpoint, has advantages. [The Office of] the Secretary of the Navy looks at cost, operational requirements and the environmental impact and balances all of those factors."
There are three other Navy and Marine Corps installations around the fleet and eight additional squadrons also involved in the transition, NAS Jacksonville, Fla., NAS North Island, Calif., and Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) Kaneohe Bay. The same type of hearing will be held at these installations April 1, for MCBH Kaneohe Bay, April 3, for NAS North Island, and April 9, for NAS Jacksonville, as an opportunity for the public to voice their concerns over the environmental and economic impacts this transition will have on their communities.
"We're hoping to tell them what the Navy proposes to do and that is to replace the old P-3 with a newer airplane and explain to them what that airplane is and how it will affect their lives," said Keys. "The Navy looks at all the comments that we get through this process and the public may point out an area we didn't study or where we may have a mistake in our assumptions. That's why this is a draft environmental impact statement and we'll take those inputs we get into making a final environmental impact statement, correcting any errors and looking into anything the public feels we may need to look into."
The transition will reduce the number of aircraft and personnel required to accomplish the VP mission from 120 aircraft to 84 and 4,760 personnel to 3,309, leading to a more cost-effective and efficient force for the squadrons.
The event was split into two sessions. The first was a two-hour information session with display stations featuring the processes and impacts of the transition with subject matter experts to answer any more in-depth questions an attendee might have. This was followed by the two-hour public hearing presided over by Capt. Keith Allred, Navy and Marine Corps Trial Judiciary, Western Judicial Circuit, where members of the local community were afforded the opportunity to voice their comments and concerns with a three-minute time constraint per individual.
John Phillips, NAS Whidbey Island natural resources manager, is acting as environmental liaison between the installation and Fleet Forces.
"With the preferred alternative it's pretty much status quo and business as usual, there'll be new hangars and new infrastructures, but no impact as far as wetlands or anything like that," said Phillips. "If one of the larger alternatives is selected then there is a need to expand the flight line and tarmac in the area where the P-3s currently are, which is surrounded by wetlands almost entirely on three sides."
Members of the local military community were glad the citizens were provided a venue to be educated and speak their mind on the future of the Navy.
"We're happy that we gave the public the opportunity to comment on the future of P-8 at NAS Whidbey Island," said Capt. Gerral David, commanding officer of NAS Whidbey Island.
People who may have missed the public hearing still have an opportunity to comment on the future of P-8A one of three ways. Concerned citizens may visit www.MMAEIS.com, or mail their concerns to Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Attn: MMA PM, 6506 Hampton Blvd. Norfolk, VA 23508-1278.
Boeing, Textron Get $10.4 Billion V-22 Aircraft Award By Tony Capaccio
March 28 (Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co. and Textron Inc. received a $10.4 billion contract for the V-22 Osprey that ensures production of 167 more of the aircraft through 2012, the Pentagon said today.
The multiyear contract will save as much as $427 million over annual contracts to manufacture the tilt-rotor plane, the Pentagon estimated. The contract calls for building 141 of the planes for the Marine Corps and 26 for the Air Force, a Pentagon news release said. The Defense Department had 132 aircraft on order before today's contract announcement.
``This is good for a variety of reasons, stability of the production line for an aircraft we know we need and stability for jobs,'' said Representative Joe Sestak, a Pennsylvania Democrat. It also has a cost savings and ``heaven knows, we need that,'' said Sestak, who represents a district where Boeing builds its part of the aircraft.
The V-22 has rotors that tilt so it can take off and land like a helicopter. The military sees it as useful for long-range Marine Corps and commando missions.
The program has weathered investigations, design reviews and a suspension of flight testing for 17 months in late 2000 after two crashes that year that killed 23 Marines. The crashes were attributed to an aerodynamic condition that testing failed to evaluate and software and hydraulics flaws that have since been fixed.
Flying in Combat
A Marine V-22 squadron has been flying from Al Asad Air Base in Iraq since October 2007 in the first combat deployment of the aircraft.
The Pentagon awards multiyear contracts only when acquisition officials are confident a program is stable and the contractors can execute the terms. A multiyear contract allows manufacturers to operate more efficiently and is almost impossible to terminate, said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with the Fairfax, Virginia-based Teal Group.
``This should bring costs down'' for the V-22, Aboulafia said. ``More importantly,'' the new contract ``removes any remaining doubt about this being a full production program.''
The total program for 458 aircraft is estimated to cost $54 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars, including research, development and production, the Pentagon said in its latest tally of major weapons program costs. The program in 2002 was estimated to cost $46.2 billion, according to Pentagon figures.
Attach Wings, Tail
Textron's Fort Worth, Texas-based Bell Helicopter unit co- produces the Osprey with Boeing's Ridley Township, Pennsylvania, facility. Boeing makes the fuselage. Bell mates the wings and the tail to the fuselage and conducts flight tests.
Textron rose as high as $55.80 in after-hours trading. The stock closed at $54.62 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. Boeing hovered around its closing price of $73.47.
``The multiyear procurement sets a strong positive course for the V-22 Osprey program,'' Gene Cunningham, vice president of the Bell Boeing Program Office in Amarillo, Texas, said in an e-mailed statement. ``The contract allows the industry team to stabilize production plans, creates savings, and increases the number of aircraft being produced,'' he said.
Commander Naval Air Forces Visits NAS Whidbey Island
Story Number: NNS080331-17
Release Date: 3/31/2008 3:04:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tucker M. Yates, Fleet Public Affairs Center, Det. Northwest
OAK HARBOR, Wash. (NNS) -- Commander, Naval Air Forces visited Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island for a familiarization tour, March 24-25.
Vice Adm. Tom Kilcline and Force Master Chief (AW/SW) James Abeyta, met with officers and senior enlisted from Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing (CPRW) 10, Commander Electronic Attack Wing Pacific (CVWP) and NAS Whidbey Island to discuss their concerns and share some experiences. Kilcline also wanted to praise the Sailors of these commands for the capabilities they provide as part of naval aviation.
"Naval aviation is out there and gets it done; it's the pointy end of the spear," said Kilcline. "We are the best air force in the world with unique capabilities that complement our surface, subsurface and Marine Force. You should be proud that you're key to the success of our Navy-Marine team."
During his visit, Kilcline also discussed the importance of safety, the value of diversity and equality in our force, and standards of conduct.
"He was spot on and very honest [in his presentation]. He's exceptionally motivated, really loves his job and wants us to know that he's there for us and concerned about our well-being," said CVWP Command Master Chief (SW/AW) Richard Rose. "He's a very passionate and confident man, a good man to have as our boss."
Those in attendance were afforded the opportunity to get Kilcline's input on "Big Navy" concerns that affect them directly, including upcoming transitions to the P-8A Poseidon and EA-18G Growler, and associated advances in their capabilities.
"I absolutely enjoyed the conversation that he had with the VAQ (Electronic Attack Squadron) community," said Cmdr. John Thompson, VAQ-130 commanding officer. "He addressed a lot of key issues, mainly our support in the coming years of the [expeditionary force]; I'm glad to hear that this is part of his concern. Also, I was very interested in his commitment to the next generation jammer [for the EA-18G]."
Kilcline's interest in the commands' present and future assets was valued by those involved, and his understanding of their contributions let them know their work is important to the war effort.
"From the admiral's perspective, he clearly understands the capabilities we bring forward to support Department of Defense, our fleet commanders, and our combatant commanders," said Capt. Kenneth Seliga, commodore of CPRW-10. "We bring this diverse piece of having VQ [Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron] assets up here and he wanted to get a look at those capabilities and what they provide. [The VQ community members] appreciate the level of engagement when you have a three-star take time out of his schedule to come up and get a better understanding and show his appreciation for what they are doing in dynamic places around the world."
Defense spending beacons
The Washington Times -
April 1, 2008
By John R. Guardiano - Is America spending too much or too little on defense? That"s a fair and crucial question, especially at a time of war, when U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are dying overseas. But because advocates on both sides of the issue are asking the wrong questions, recent media analysis of the issue has been ill-informed and misplaced.
Critics of increased defense spending argue correctly that, in absolute dollar terms, the United States spends more on defense than at any time in its history. In addition, they note, the U.S. spends more on defense than the next 10 countries combined. Therefore, they argue, defense spending is more than adequate.
Proponents of increased defense spending counter that a dollar today is worth a lot less than in it was in previous eras. Moreover, they add, as a share of the gross domestic product (GDP), defense spending is at a historic low during a time of war.
The United States spends less than 4 percent of its GDP on defense. By contrast, Defense spending averaged some 14 percent of GDP in the Korean War, nearly 10 percent during the Vietnam War, and more than 33 percent during World War II.
Clearly, both sides in this debate have legitimate contextual points; however, both sides miss the mark.
Defense spending relative to that of other nations is an unhelpful comparison because the United States isn't like other nations. America is the world's sole remaining superpower, with far-reaching obligations to protect U.S. national security interests worldwide.
Moreover, American considers its soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to be its greatest military asset. Thus, we are unwilling to sacrifice their lives when technology can prevent the loss of life. That's one important reason America has invested literally hundreds of billions of dollars in advanced weapons systems: We know dollars spent today can save lives tomorrow.
In fact, when you consider the relative loss of American life since 1945 (when the Cold War began), it is clear that U.S. defense spending has been money well-spent. Indeed, by any historical comparison, American casualties have been remarkably low, thanks in large part to our nation's investment in weapon systems that have minimized our troops' vulnerability to danger.
There was a well-known "procurement holiday" in the 1990s; however, since Sept. 11, 2001, money for new procurement has risen rather substantially. But as critics of increased defense spending point out, this new money is not necessarily being well-appropriated. Spending, after all, must be tied to a procurement plan, which, in turn, must correspond with an overarching military strategy.
As it turns out, there is a National Defense Strategy that governs defense procurement planning. The March 2005 document wisely calls for a military that can project power from the "global commons" — i.e., space, cyberspace, international waters and airspace — to distant and austere environments that have little or no existing infrastructure.
The Cold War, after all, is over. The fight today is not in established Europe, but in places like Kandahar, Fallujah, Mindanao and Mogadishu — undeveloped urban frontiers for which a Cold War military is ill-suited.
That's why the U.S. military has embarked upon its greatest transformation since the World War II, some 65 years ago. The "information revolution" of the last quarter-century has transformed the commercial world, but much less so the bureaucratically insular U.S. military. Consequently, 19-year-old civilians today typically have more technology at their disposal than 19-year-old soldiers.
This must change. There's no reason, save for bureaucratic inertia, policy myopia, and budgetary stinginess, that our troops in harm's way can't be the beneficiaries of the best technologies available.
Indeed, soldiers and Marines shouldn't have to walk into insurgent-infested buildings dumb, deaf and blind, without the benefit of advanced reconnaissance, surveillance and communication capabilities, which tell them what lurks behind hidden doors. Yet, to an extent I believe would shock the public, that's often the case today.
But of course, new communication systems, technologies and weapon systems don't come cheap; they cost a lot of money — and they take time to develop.
Moreover, because the U.S. military is pushing the technological envelope, it doesn't always know what these new capabilities will cost. Any technology development program, after all, necessarily involves an element of (calculated) development risk; otherwise, there can be no military-technological progress.
Can America defend itself without making this investment in high-tech weapon systems? Yes, of course; but the tradeoff will be many more dead and wounded, many more civilian deaths, and far greater collateral damage in any future conflict.
That's why, if anything, America needs to spend more on defense today, both in absolute and relative terms, than it has throughout its history: because our tolerance for casualties is far weaker than it has been historically.
For example, America suffered more dead in solitary World War II training exercises than we have suffered in the entire Iraq war. Yet, policymakers fret over Iraq war casualties as if they are a harbinger of strategic disaster.
They are not. American casualties are, however, a reflection of our nation's understandable and admirable aversion to the loss of human life. For that reason, and for that reason alone, America needs to spend much more on defense. We pay either in dollars today or in lives lost tomorrow.
John R. Guardiano is a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq war and a Navy Reserve officer. The views expressed here are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Navy or Marine Corps.
GAO Blasts Weapons Budget
Cost Overruns Hit $295 Billion
By Dana Hedgpeth
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 1, 2008; A01
Government auditors issued a scathing review yesterday of dozens of the Pentagon's biggest weapons systems, saying ships, aircraft and satellites are billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule.
The Government Accountability Office found that 95 major systems have exceeded their original budgets by a total of $295 billion, bringing their total cost to $1.6 trillion, and are delivered almost two years late on average. In addition, none of the systems that the GAO looked at had met all of the standards for best management practices during their development stages.
Auditors said the Defense Department showed few signs of improvement since the GAO began issuing its annual assessments of selected weapons systems six years ago. "It's not getting any better by any means," said Michael Sullivan, director of the GAO's acquisition and sourcing team. "It's taking longer and costing more."
Chris Isleib, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a written statement, "We'd like to look at what GAO has said, and then at the appropriate time make an informed comment."
The Pentagon has doubled the amount it has committed to new systems, from $790 billion in 2000 to $1.6 trillion last year, according to the 205-page GAO report. Total acquisition costs in 2007 for major defense programs increased 26 percent from first estimates. In 2000, 75 programs had cost increases totaling 6 percent. Development costs in 2007 for the systems rose 40 percent from initial projections, compared with 27 percent in 2000. Current programs are delivered 21 months late on average, five months later than in 2000.
"In most cases, programs also failed to deliver capabilities when promised -- often forcing war fighters to spend additional funds on maintaining" existing weapons systems, the report says.
The GAO chose 72 of the 95 systems to examine, based on high-dollar value and congressional interest. The various systems were at different stages of the acquisition process over the last year.
The report details such projects as the Navy's $5.2 billion Littoral Combat Ship, which has had such extensive troubles that the service expects the cost of its first two ships to exceed their combined budget of $472 million by more than 100 percent. The Navy canceled construction of the planned third and fourth ships by Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, the prime contractors on the project.
The government is facing higher development costs on eight major programs, including Lockheed Martin's Joint Strike Fighter and Boeing's Future Combat Systems, a technology to connect unmanned aircraft and vehicles. The prices for those two programs have risen 36 percent and 40 percent, respectively, from the initial contracts, the GAO said, partly because the government wants "new and unproven technologies" and did not undertake early analysis to make sure its requirements could be met.
In a statement, Lockheed said that the Joint Strike Fighter "is performing solidly, making outstanding technical progress in the context of the most complex aircraft ever built" and that "the bedrock and the cornerstone" of the F-35 program have been "affordability and cost containment."
In another case, the initial contract target price of Boeing's program to modernize avionics in the C-130 cargo plane is expected to skyrocket 323 percent, to $2 billion. Another Boeing program, for a radio system, is up 310 percent, to $966 million.
"Boeing's commitment is to deliver on our promises to our military customers and meeting their requirements in the most cost-effective way possible," the company said in a statement.
The GAO's Sullivan said the reasons for the cost overruns and delays are threefold: There are too many programs chasing too few dollars; technologies are often not mature enough to go into production; and it takes too long to design, develop and produce a system.
"They're asking for something that they're not sure can be built, given existing technologies, and that's risky," Sullivan said in an interview.
Costs of some systems were driven up as much as 72 percent when changes were made to the program requirements after development of the system had begun, the report says. Half of the programs studied had 25 percent increases in the expected lines of code in their software.
Steven L. Schooner, co-director of the government procurement law program at George Washington University, said the GAO's report reveals the recurring problems the Pentagon faces with its costly procurements.
"The nature of major weapon systems development is that you have to expect that the initial estimates, and typically the initial contracts, are overly optimistic and unrealistic," he said. "Unfortunately the purchaser -- the government -- typically lacks the discipline to freeze the configuration such that the contractor has any reasonable chance of developing what it promised on time and for the price promised."
Defense Department officials have tried to improve the procurement process, the GAO said, by doing more planning and review in the early stages of a contract. But "these significant policy changes have not yet translated into best practices on individual programs," Gene L. Dodaro, acting comptroller general of the GAO, wrote in the report.
"Flagship acquisitions, as well as many other top priorities in each of the services, continue to cost significantly more, take longer to produce, and deliver less than was promised," Dodaro said. "This is likely to continue until the overall environment for weapon system acquisitions changes."
==================
Jamming Threats Proliferating, Kehler Says: In addition to the pursuit of militarized anti-satellite capabilities by certain countries, Gen. Robert Kehler, head of Air Force Space Command, told defense reporters in Washington Tuesday that a number of simpler technologies from the Cold War are proliferating, including GPS jamming technology. He called the expansion of such technology "fairly wide," with countries and even non-state actors able to buy rudimentary laser jammers capable of "dazzling" certain space sensors. There are a number of countries, Russia being one of the more prominent, he said, that produce jammers on the open market. Kehler added that the technology has progressed to the point where someone could conceivably construct the capability without a lot of technical competence. The Air Force is working hard to counter these capabilities, and the upcoming GPS III satellite will have more of a capability to combat these tools, he said.
Turning a Corner in Space: Since the Air Force handles nearly 90 percent of the Defense Department's space-related programs, Air Force Space Command boss Gen. Robert Kehler told defense reporters in Washington Tuesday, "We believe the space mission is primarily an Air Force responsibility." In the early vestiges of a Congressionally directed roles and missions review, Kehler said, "I personally don't see a major change to that." He doesn't think now is the time to talk about a separate space force, and neither does he think it's necessary to change current law giving USAF the space mission outright but he didn't rule it out, saying, it's "something we have to go look at." In Kehler's view, the premier space service has fulfilled many of the concerns of the 2001 Rumsfeld space commission, saying it has made significant improvements in the development of its space cadre and has "turned the corner" on acquisition processes. And, he said, AFSPC has effectively implemented most of the commission's concerns on management and organization. However, he said that there still are outstanding questions about the relationship between the Intelligence Community black space and DOD white space activities. Although Kehler indicated cooperation between the two communities is far better today than in the past, he said, "I think there is still more to be done in regards to how we plan together, how we leverage resources together." – from AFA magazine on-line
From: Air Force Magazine Online [mailto:DailyReport@afa.org]
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 11:22 PM
Subject: Daily Report
Saving Time and Money: Northrop Grumman reports that it has shaved center fuselage assembly time on the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, cutting it about 28 percent since the system development and demonstration phase. In an April 1 release, the company notes that it has begun assembling the first production JSF, a "weight-optimized" F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variant designated AF-6 and destined for USAF. "Jig loading the AF-6 center fuselage is significant because it shows the F-35 program is successfully transitioning" from SDD into production, said Janis Pamiljans, VP and F-35 program manager for Northrop's Integrated Systems. She noted that the company had followed a "disciplined approach to managing costs and engineering changes" to be able to reduce assembly time. According to the release, Northrop began assembly the AF-6 center fuselage "about one week sooner than the date indicated by the F-35 program's master schedule."
USAF joins Navy in warning of 'fighter gap'
BY: John T. Bennett, Defense News
04/10/2008
U.S. Air Force and Navy officials gave Congress a bleak assessment of the Pentagon's future fighter fleet, warning lawmakers the military might be 900 fighter jets short of what it will need around 2020.
Senior naval officials in the last few months have talked publicly about a "fighter gap" between 2015 and 2025, during which time they say the Navy will be short of the planes they expect would be needed for the Navy to carry out possible missions. During an April 9 Senate Armed Services airland subcommittee hearing, Rear Adm. Allen Myers, director of the service's air warfare division, indicated the sea service's gap could be about 70 planes deep.
As panel members were still digesting that figure, senior Air Force officials dropped their own acquisition bomb. Air Force Lt. Gen. Daniel Darnell indicated his service could face an even larger deficit of needed fighters, possibly as large as "over 800 fighters" between 2017 and 2024. Darnell is the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for air, space and information operations, plans and requirements.
Service spokeswoman Lt. Col. Jennifer Cassidy confirmed the 800 fighter figure about an hour after the hearing was gaveled closed by the panel’s chairman, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn.
Part of that so-called "gap" reflects senior Air Force leaders' staunch belief in the need to field about 380 Lockheed Martin-built F-22 Raptors. The Office of the Secretary of Defense, including powerful Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England, has repeatedly shot down the service's intentions, holding firm to the planned buy of 183.
But even if the service eventually wins out in the ongoing F-22 debate and gets around 400 Raptors, "that won't completely make up the gap," Lt. Gen. Donald Hoffman, military deputy to the service's acquisition chief, told reporters following the hearing.
The gap "is all about the JSF production rate," he said, referring to how quickly - and how many - of Lockheed's tri-service, international F-35 Joint Strike Fighters the Air Force can buy between now and then.
Lockheed is building the multibillion-dollar fighter for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as about a dozen international partners. But while attempting to get a grasp on how it can manage its "fighter gap," Navy officials have floated the idea of delaying its version of the F-35 in favor of buying new - and upgrading older - Boeing-made F/A-18 Hornets.
However, if naval officials opt for such a plan, it would send ripple waves across the trans-Atlantic fighter program, Hoffman warned.
"We have very tight room for hiccups with the JSF schedule," he told reporters. "If one [participant] changes its schedule, that'll have adverse effects for all of us."
Officials from both services told the subcommittee they have launched a slate of reviews aimed at determining how to manage their perceived tactical aircraft gaps.
The Navy expects by the end of the summer to have sufficient data on its gap to start making decisions on how best to manage it, according to Myers and William Balderson, deputy assistant Navy secretary for air programs.
"It is our challenge" during the remainder of the 2009 budget cycle, and while building the 2010 Navy budget request, to begin figuring out how to fill the sea service's gap, Myers told a reporter.
The Air Force, meantime, already has launched its own review to determine how many legacy F-15s and F-16s it might have to try and keep operationally fit to help manage its perceived fighter deficit, Hoffman said.
The handful of panel members who attended the session were sympathetic to each service's tales of woe. Near the conclusion of the session, Lieberman said the subcommittee will do "everything within our power to stretch" federal resources so the officials could buy what they feel is needed to conduct future missions.
Hoffman also told the subcommittee a decision is needed on whether the Air Force will be granted a budget plus-up for more F-22As by November. Hoffman said a decision must come by November so the service can lock in another significant purchase - it has been buying 20 Raptors a year.
Such a move would allow the service to avoid cost growth, which he says is inevitable if no decision is made by late this year because that's when some F-22 component suppliers will cease work on their portions of the advanced fighters. Restarting such work would cost more than keeping those production facilities humming at current speeds, Hoffman said. - From U.S. Air Force AIM Points.
Flag Officer Assignments
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead announced the following
flag officer assignments:
Rear Adm. (lower half) Townsend G. Alexander is being assigned as
commander, Navy Region Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla. Alexander is
currently serving as commander, Navy Region Hawaii/commander, Naval
Surface Group, MIDPAC, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Rear Admiral Townsend G. "Tim" Alexander
Commander, Navy Region Hawaii
Commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific
Rear Admiral Tim Alexander graduated from the University of Colorado in 1978, and upon completion of Aviation Officer Candidate School in March, 1981 was commissioned an Ensign. In November of that year he was designated a naval aviator.
Operational tours include assignments with the Sea Snakes of Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron (Light) (HSL) 33, the HSL-46 Grandmasters (three tours), and USS Nassau (LHA 4). Rear Adm. Alexander served in a variety of billets including detachment maintenance officer and officer in charge, squadron NATOPS Officer, Quality Assurance Officer, Operations Officer, Maintenance Officer, Executive Officer and Commanding Officer. He served as Air Boss onboard Nassau during Operations Noble Anvil and Allied Force in 1999.
Tours ashore have included the Air Wolves of HSL-40, The Naval War College, Chief of Naval Operations staff, the Joint Staff, and Naval Base Coronado. During these tours he served as Quality Assurance Officer and instructor pilot, flag aide, aviation programs analyst, Division Chief and Commanding Officer.
Rear Adm. Alexander was awarded a Master of Arts from the Naval War College in 1992 and attended the Armed Forces Staff College in 1998. He was recognized by the Naval Helicopter Association as a member of the 1993 Aircrew of the Year (Embarked) and in 1989 he received the Rear Adm. Allan G. Paulson award for inspirational leadership from Commander, Helicopter Sea Control Wing 3.
Rear Adm. Alexander assumed his current duties as Commander, Navy Region Hawaii and Commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific in August, 2006. His personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (three awards), the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards), the Joint Service Achievement Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
Updated: 13 September 2007
Rear Adm. (lower half) Raymond E. Berube is being assigned as commander,
Naval Inventory Control Point Philadelphia/Mechanicsburg, Philadelphia,
Pa. Berube is currently serving as commander, Fleet and Industrial
Supply Centers, San Diego, Calif.
Rear Adm. (lower half) William A. Brown is being assigned as commander,
Fleet and Industrial Supply Centers, San Diego, Calif. Brown is
currently serving as director, Logistics/Fleet Supply Office, N41, U.S.
Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Va.
Rear Adm. (lower half) Wendi B. Carpenter is being assigned as
commander, Navy Warfare Development Command, Norfolk, Va. Carpenter is
currently serving as area commander/deputy commander, Second Fleet, Norfolk, Va.
Rear Admiral Wendi B. Carpenter
Deputy Commander, Second Fleet
Rear Admiral Wendi Carpenter is the daughter of a career non-commissioned Air Force Officer (NCOIC) and was raised throughout the United States. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Georgia with a major in Psychology and has pursued graduate studies in Marketing.
Rear Adm. Carpenter began her naval career in October 1977, when she reported to Aviation Officer Candidate School, Naval Air Staiton (NAS) Pensacola, Fla., with Class 19-77. She was designated a Naval Aviator in July 1979 and was assigned as the Navy’s first Selectively Retained Graduate Instructor Pilot (SERGRAD) in the T-44 aircraft at Training Squadron (VT) 31, NAS Corpus Christi, Texas.
Following her tour as an instructor pilot, Rear Adm. Carpenter was ordered to sea duty at Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron (VQ) 3 (TACAMO), NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii, where she served as a Mission Commander and Aircraft Commander in the EC130F/G/Q aircraft. She deployed throughout the Pacific and the western U.S. and Alaska in support of the nation’s strategic nuclear triad.
After completing a shore assignment at the Naval Military Personnel Command as an Aviation Junior Officer Assignments Officer, Rear Adm. Carpenter left active duty and accepted a reserve commission in February 1985.
Rear Adm. Carpenter’s Reserve Unit Executive Officer assignments include Commander, Carrier Group 4 0466, Naval Air Facility Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe (CINCUSNAVEUR) Joint Task Force Contingency Headquarters Unit DET 513, and Naval Reserve Commander, 6th Fleet DET 802.
Rear Adm. Carpenter’s Reserve Unit Commanding Officer assignments include Officer in Charge of VR 506 and CINCUSNAVEUR DET 108. Under her leadership as Commanding Officer of Reserve Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Fleet Readiness and Logistics (DCNO N4 106), the 75 member CNO staff unit shared the FY01 DON CIO Award for “E Business” in government. She also had a follow-on Commanding Officer tour with Naval Reserve Joint Force Air Component Commander 0186, assigned to Commander, 2nd Fleet.
Rear Adm. Carpenter's Flag assignments include: Deputy Commander of Navy Region Southeast, Jacksonville, Fla. from October 2004- September 2005, acting Director, OPNAV N31 (Information, Plans, Security Division) from April 2005-May 2005, and Vice Director, Standing Joint Forces HQ (SJFHQ), U.S. Joint Forces Command from December 2004-September 2006.
Rear Adm. Carpenter currently serves as Deputy Commander, 2nd Fleet.
Rear Adm. Carpenter’s awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit (2 awards), Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (5 awards), Navy Achievement Medal, and various units awards. She has accumulated over 3500 military flight hours. Rear Adm. Carpenter is a distinguished graduate of the Naval War College Command and Staff College and completed Capstone with class 06-02. Additionally, she has completed executive programs and Reserve Component courses at the National Defense University, UNC Chapel Hill, and Defense Acquisition University.
Updated: 13 September 2007
Rear Adm. (lower half) John N. Christenson is being assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Twelve, Norfolk, Va. Christenson is currently serving as vice commander, Naval Mine and Anti-Submarine Warfare Command, Corpus Christi, Texas.
Rear Adm. Kenneth W. Deutsch is being assigned as deputy chief of staff for capabilities and resource integrations, N8, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Va. Deutsch is currently serving as director, warfare integrations, N6F/N83, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.
Rear Admiral Kenneth William Deutsch
Director, Warfare Integration (N6F)
Rear Admiral Kenneth William Deutsch is a native of Burlington, Ill. He attended Illinois State University, and received his commission in August 1978 through the Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate (AVROC) Program. In July 1979 he was designated a Naval Flight Officer.
In February 1980, Rear Adm. Deutsch joined Patrol Squadron 16 and completed deployments to Sigonella, Sicily; Bermuda/Cubi Point, Republic of the Philippines; and Rota, Spain/Lajes, Azores. In July 1983 he reported to Patrol Squadron 30, the Fleet Replacement Squadron, where he served as Communications Officer, Tactical Training Team (TTT) Instructor, and NFO Training Officer.
In July 1986, Rear Adm. Deutsch reported to Commander, Battle Force 7th Fleet/Commander, Carrier Group 5, homeported in Cubi Pt, Republic of the Philippines, where he served as Flag Secretary and Flag Lieutenant. While on board the staff, he qualified as Flag Tactical Action Officer and served on several flagships, including USS Midway (CV 41) and USS Ranger (CV 61). In September 1987 the Carrier Group 5 staff became the first Joint Task Force Middle East staff, and he served as Flag Lieutenant for the Commander, completing a six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean on board USS Long Beach (CGN 9) and USS Iowa (BB 61) during the Iran/Iraq War and Operation Earnest Will.
He reported in August 1988 to the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington where he served as the VP Shore and then Sea Detailer in the Aviation Assignment Branch.
In November 1990, Rear Adm. Deutsch joined Patrol Squadron 5 as Assistant Maintenance Officer and Maintenance Officer, completing a Rota/Lajes deployment. Upon completion of this tour in February 1992, he reported to Patrol Wing 11 where he served as Operations Officer.
In April 1994, Rear Adm. Deutsch reported to Patrol Squadron 24 as the Executive Officer, completing a deployment to Keflavik, Iceland, prior to the squadron’s decommissioning in May 1995. He then reported to Patrol Squadron 45 where he served as Executive Officer and Commanding Officer, deploying to Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico and Sigonella, Sicily.
In June 1997 he reported to the Commander of Joint Task Force 67, homeported in Naples, Italy, where he served as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations.
Rear Adm. Deutsch assumed command of Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 5, homeported in Brunswick Maine, in May 1999.
He reported to The Joint Chiefs of Staff in October 2000 where he served as the Chief, Communications and Computer Networks Division, J6T, in the C4 Systems Directorate, J6.
Following his selection for Rear Adm., he reported to the OPNAV staff in October 2002 where he served on the N6N7 staff as the Deputy for Resources and Requirements in the Space, Information Warfare, Command and Control Division, N61R.
In October 2003 Rear Adm. Deutsch assumed the duties of Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Force 7th Fleet, Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Force 5th Fleet, and Commander, Fleet Air Western Pacific, homeported in Misawa, Japan. In this capacity he commanded all Navy Patrol and Reconnaissance aircraft operations in the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf, including support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Rear Adm. Deutsch returned to the OPNAV staff in October 2005, serving as the Director, Warfare Integration (N6F) on the N6 staff.
Updated: 18 September 2007
Rear Adm. (lower half) Kevin M. Donegan is being assigned as commander,
Carrier Strike Group Five, Yokosuka, Japan. Donegan is currently
serving as director, Strategy and Policy Division, N51, Office of the
Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.
Rear Admiral Kevin M. Donegan
Director, Policy and Strategy Division (N5SP)
Rear Admiral Kevin Donegan is a 1980 Cum Laude graduate of the University of Virginia where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering.
Designated a Naval Aviator in April 1982, he initially served as a Jet Flight Instructor. His first fleet assignment was as a “Plank Owner” to the “Wildcats” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 131 where he made the first East Coast deployment of the F/A-18 culminating in the successful Libyan air strikes in April 1986. During this tour, Rear Adm. Donegan graduated from the Navy Fighter Weapons School and was named “Wildcat Pilot of the Year.”
In 1988, he graduated from the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School as the “Outstanding Student” in his class and was subsequently assigned to the Aircraft Carrier Suitability Branch of the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate. Flying over 436 flight hours on a variety of test projects, he received the “1989 Test Pilot of the Year Award”.
Rear Adm. Donegan returned to Cecil Field serving as a Department Head in VFA-37 where he earned the Strike Fighter Wing’s “Mike Longardt Leadership Award.”
He was then assigned to the Pentagon as the Aide/Administrative Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Plans, Policy, and Operations. Moving to Naples, Italy in March 1994, he completed joint duty as Flag Lieutenant to the Commander, Allied Forces Southern Europe. During this tour Rear Adm. Donegan deployed to Sarajevo as the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Liaison Officer to the Commander, United Nations Protection Forces serving as the principal air advisor during NATO’s close air support for United Nations troops and the Deliberate Force air strikes.
Rear Adm. Donegan returned to VFA-131, in July 1996 as Executive Officer and assumed Command in December 1997. After work-ups and a successful deployment to the Persian Gulf in USS John C. Stennis, he led his squadron to Virginia Beach, Va., as the first Hornet Squadron to complete a change of homeport to Oceana, Va.
After Nuclear Power training he reported to USS George Washington as Executive Officer where he completed a deployment and work-up cycle that garnered the ship the Battle “E”, The Admiral Flatley Safety Award, and the Battenberg Cup as the best ship in the Atlantic Fleet.
In August 2002, he assumed command of USS Coronado where he completed accelerated work-ups and prepared the ship for its first deployment in 15 years. The ship also earned three Command Excellence Awards, The Secretary of the Navy Energy Conservation Award and The Navy SW Region Community Service Award.
Rear Adm. Donegan assumed command of USS Carl Vinson in May 2004. The ship earned the Battle “E”, while executing an accelerated work up cycle and simultaneously completing the planning for both a change of homeport to Virginia and a refueling complex overhaul. In January 2005 he led Carl Vinson on a seven-month, around the world combat deployment in support of the global war on terrorism that included 4 months of operations in the Persian Gulf. He also led Carl Vinson through the first 12 months of their refueling overhaul and spearheaded the Naval Aviation Enterprise’s Carrier Readiness Team in improving the cost-wise readiness of 12 aircraft carriers. Rear Adm. Donegan was honored as the Tailhook Association’s “Tailhooker of the Year” for 2006.
His personal awards include three Legion of Merits, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, four Meritorious Service Medals, the Air Medal, two Navy Commendation Medals, two Navy Achievement Medals, and several unit, service and campaign awards. Rear Adm. Donegan’s flying experience includes over 3,700 hours in 31 different types of aircraft and over 800 arrested landings on 15 different aircraft carriers.
Updated: 18 September 2007
Rear Adm. (lower half) Steven R. Eastburg is being assigned as vice
commander, Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md. Eastburg is
currently serving as commander, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft
Division/assistant commander for research and engineering, Naval Air
Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md.
Rear Admiral Steven R. Eastburg
Commander, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division
Assistant Commander for Research and Engineering, Naval Air Systems Command
A native of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Rear Admiral Steven R. Eastburg graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Upon completion of flight training and designation as a Naval Flight Officer, he reported to Air Anti-submarine Squadron 41 in San Diego, Calif, for fleet replacement training in the S-3A Viking. He then reported to Air Anti-submarine Squadron 38, where he made deployments to the Pacific, Western Pacific, and Indian Oceans aboard the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) and USS Ranger (CV-61).
Rear Adm. Eastburg reported to Operational Test and Evaluation Force, Calif. He earned a Masters of Science degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California during this tour and was redesignated as an Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer. He subsequently completed the Naval Postgraduate School – Naval Test Pilot School Cooperative Program, graduating with a Masters of Science Degree in Aeronautical Engineering, the Aeronautical Engineer’s Degree, and Test Pilot School diploma. His next assignment was as an S-3A/B Project Officer at Force Aircraft Test Squadron, Patuxent River, Md.
Upon completion of the Advanced Program Manager’s Course, he assumed duties as Deputy Program Manager in the Tomahawk All-Up-Round Program Office (PMA-280). He was then assigned as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Commander for Acquisition and Operations, Naval Air Systems Command, in Patuxent River, Md.
Following assignment as Chief Test Pilot, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 20, Patuxent River, Md, he served as Commanding Officer from November 2000 to June 2002. During this period, the command was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation and the Chief of Naval Operations Safety Award. He served as the Avionics Department Head, Naval Air Systems Command, prior to being assigned as Program Manager, Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (PMA-290) from November 2002 through October 2005. In this capacity, he was responsible for acquisition and life-cycle support of Navy P-3, EP-3, S-3, P-8A, Aerial Common Sensor and foreign military sales programs totaling 16 billion dollars. He was then assigned as the duties as Deputy Program Executive Officer for ASW, Assault and Special Mission Programs in October 2005.
In July 2006, he assumed his current position as Commander, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division and Assistant Commander for Research and Engineering, Naval Air Systems Command.
Rear Adm. Eastburg’s personal decorations include the Legion of Merit (three awards), Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (three awards).
Updated: 19 April 2007
Rear Adm. (lower half) Earl L. Gay is being assigned as deputy chairman,
Armed Forces Inaugural Committee, Washington, D.C. Gay is currently
serving as commandant, Naval District Washington, Washington, D.C.
Rear Admiral Earl L. Gay
Commandant, Naval District Washington
Deputy Commander, Joint Forces Headquarters
National Capitol Region (JFHQ-NCR)
A native of Atlanta, Ga., Rear Admiral Earl L. Gay is a 1980 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. He completed flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola in 1981. Earning his master’s degree in Financial Management from Troy State University, he is also a 1995 graduate of the U.S. Air War College. Additionally, he attended the Joint Forces Staff College in 2005.
Rear Adm. Gay’s initial sea assignments include deployments aboard the USS Fletcher (DD 992), USS Cook (FF 1083), USS David R. Ray (DD 971) and USS Crommelin (FFG 43). He commanded the Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 43 BattleCats, deploying the Navy’s first Armed Helo/Hellfire missile detachments. He also served as Air Boss, USS Boxer (LHD 4), deploying with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in 1999.
Assignments ashore include Search and Rescue pilot in the High Sierra mountains at NAS Fallon, Nev., Instructor Pilot in the SH-60B aircraft at HSL-41, Joint Plans Officer at U.S. Forces Command and U.S. Atlantic Command, and Commanding Officer of HSL-41, training squadron for all west coast SH-60B pilots and aircrewmen.
Rear Adm. Gay served as Commanding Officer of USS Belleau Wood (LHA 3) from March 2003 until November 2004. Following this tour, Rear Adm. Gay was assigned as the Navy’s Director of Congressional Liaison, U.S. House of Representatives.
Rear Adm. Gay became the 86th Commandant of Naval District Washington, the oldest continuously operated Navy installation in the nation, and the National Capitol Region Joint Force Headquarters Deputy Commander, in August 2007.
Rear Adm. Gay is honored to have served with numerous operational units that have been awarded the Battle Efficiency “E” Award.
Updated: 13 August 2007
Rear Adm. (lower half) Janice M. Hamby is being assigned as director for
Command Control Systems, J6, Headquarters North American Aerospace
Defense Command/director, architectures and integration, J6, U.S.
Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Hamby is currently
serving as director of global operations, N3, Naval Network Warfare
Command, Washington, D.C.
Rear Adm. (lower half) Daniel P. Holloway is being assigned as director,
Military Personnel Plans and Policy Division, N13, Office of the Chief
of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Holloway is currently serving as
commander, Carrier Strike Group Twelve, Norfolk, Va.
Rear Adm. Michael A. Lefever is being assigned as director, Fleet
Readiness Division, N43, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations,
Washington, D.C. Lefever is currently serving as director, Military
Personnel Plans and Policy Division, N13, Office of the Chief of Naval
Operations, Washington, D.C.
Rear Adm. (lower half) Arnold O. Lotring Jr. is being assigned as chief
operating officer, Naval Education and Training Command, Norfolk, Va.
Lotring is currently serving as commander, Naval Service Training
Command, Great Lakes, Ill.
Rear Adm. (lower half) Scott R. Van Buskirk is being assigned as
assistant deputy Chief of Naval Operations for information, Plans, and
Strategy, N3/N5B, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington,
D.C. Van Buskirk is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike
Group Nine, Everett, Wash.
Northrop Grumman gets job to repair Enterprise
by Gregory Richards
The Virginian-Pilot
April 12, 2008
Northrop Grumman Corp. was awarded a $453.3 million contract Friday for work on the aircraft carrier Enterprise at its Newport News shipyard, the Defense Department said.
The maintenance and repair work, which is expected to take 16 months to complete, will involve drydocking the ship, said Northrop Grumman spokeswoman Jennifer Dellapenta.
The Enterprise arrived at the shipyard Friday for the work, she said. It joins two other aircraft carriers already at the yard, the George H.W. Bush and the Carl Vinson.
The 1,123-foot long Enterprise is the world's first nuclear powered aircraft carrier and the only ship of its class. The Newport News shipyard built the vessel, which entered naval service in 1961.
Young signs joint strike fighter LRIP II memo
BY: Emelie Rutherford, Defense Daily
04/15/2008
Pentagon acquisition executive John Young last week signed a memo approving the purchased of six conventional-takeoff-and-landing F-35 Joint Strike Fighters for the Air Force, a source familiar with the matter said.
The acquisition decision memo (ADM) from Young also conditionally OK's buying six short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing (STOL) variants, but says that purchase cannot be finalized until the STOVL jet has a successful first flight, the source said.
The STOVL variant, intended for use for the Marine Corps, is expected to undergo its first flight--in conventional mode--in the May/June timeframe.
Young's ADM comes after a March 26 Defense Acquisition Board meeting on allowing the developmental JSF program to enter Low Rate Initial Production II. Lockheed Martin is building the airframes.
Young, in the ADM, releases approximately $243 million, in already appropriated fiscal year 2008 dollars, for long-lead items for LRIP III, the source said. The memo also directs the Cost Analysis Improvement Group to conduct a JSF review and provide a cost estimate of the program between 2010 and 2015, the source said. From U.S. Air Force AIM Points
HSL-46 Gets the Golden Wrench
Story Number: NNS080416-06
Release Date: 4/16/2008 12:23:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Daniel Gay, Fleet Public Affairs Center Detachment Southeast
MAYPORT, Fla (NNS) -- Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 46 was presented with the coveted Sikorsky Aircraft "Golden Wrench Award" for maintenance excellence, April 10. This was the same day they celebrated their anniversary, 20 years from when they were commissioned, aboard Naval Station Mayport.
"It means a tremendous amount to me to receive the [Golden Wrench] award because this squadron was founded on strong ideals and it makes me very honored to hold up those ideas that were put in place 20 years ago," said Cmdr. Chris Dennis, commanding officer of HSL 46.
The ceremony was also attended by Commander Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing Atlantic, Capt. Glen Doyle.
"It's great to come back here, whether I liked or didn't like my job, I don't think I could ever leave it because I still get the opportunity to attend these events with these great people," said Doyle.
After the award was presented to Dennis, the first official "Golden Wrench" uniform patch was handed to HSL 46's Maintenance Master Chief, Avionics Master Chief (AW/SW) Charles Lovely.
"It sets the standard for this seawall, and it defines how good the people we have are, how good our maintenance department is from the lowest level to the highest rank," said Lovely.
The "Grandmasters" of HSL 46 were commissioned on April 7, 1988.
First EMALS generator assembled, completes first round of testing
The first full size test motor generator for the Navy’s Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) has been assembled and finished factory acceptance testing April 11.
The testing, which lasted approximately 30 days, was done at the manufacturer, Kato Engineering in Mankato, Minn.
"The successful completion of the First Article Testing on the EMALS motor generator is a significant step in getting EMALS to the Fleet,” said Capt. Randy Mahr, program manager of PMA-251, Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment Programs. “The General Atomics and Navy teams have worked closely together in reaching this milestone."
The motor generator is a huge piece of equipment: 13 ½ feet long, almost 11 feet wide and almost seven feet tall. Weighing in at more than 80,000 pounds, the motor generator is capable of delivering up to 60 megajoules of electricity and 60 megawatts at its peak. That much electricity could power more than 12,000 homes for three seconds -- the time it takes to launch an aircraft off a carrier.
This motor generator is one part of the electromagnetic aircraft launch system for the Navy’s new class of aircraft carriers, the Gerald R. Ford-class. The Navy is building the next generation of electromagnetic launch technology to replace the existing steam catapults used on current generation Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.
The motor generator is part of a suite of equipment called the Energy Storage Subsystem. Included in this equipment suite is the motor generator, the generator control tower and the stored energy exciter power supply. Twelve of each are required for the new Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier. Five of each are currently being manufactured under the Systems Development & Demonstration contract with General Atomics, one for component level testing and four will be installed and used for system level testing at the Lakehurst, N.J., EMALS catapult site. – From NAVAIR Press Releases 17APR08
========================
Ronald Reagan Strike Group Underway for JTFEX 08-5
Story Number: NNS080412-04
Release Date: 4/12/2008 5:43:00 PM
From USS Ronald Reagan Public Affairs
USS RONALD REAGAN, At sea (NNS) -- Sailors assigned to USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), the staff of Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CCSG) 7 and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 departed San Diego April 11 to participate in Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 08-5.
JTFEX 08-5 is scheduled to take place April 11-18 off the coast of Southern California, and is designed to be a realistic exercise in real-world operations and the operational challenges faced by U.S. forces in cooperation with coalition militaries.
The exercise is the final step in preparing the Ronald Reagan Strike Group for its upcoming deployment and will test the group's ability to plan and execute the Navy's Maritime Strategy alongside other U.S. and coalition forces in complex, hostile warfighting environments.
"JTFEX is a graduate-level exercise to ensure Ronald Reagan and Carrier Air Wing 14 will be ready to take the fight to our enemies when called upon," said Capt. Terry Kraft, Ronald Reagan's commanding officer.
"JTFEX will help to get us into the joint operations mode and simulate the type of real-world scenarios we may face while conducting military operations with our allies," added Kraft.
Rear Adm. James P. "Phil" Wisecup, commander, Carrier Strike Group 7, said that JTFEX 08-5 demonstrates the capabilities of the carrier strike group under the Maritime Strategy and how the Ronald Reagan Strike Group can play an important role in protecting the interests of the United States.
"JTFEX is the last check in the box before we deploy, and a great opportunity for us to prepare ourselves to go over the horizon," said Wisecup. "Our job is to protect the freedom of the seas, deter our adversaries, and, if deterrence fails, take action in support of American interests," said Wisecup.
The Ronald Reagan Strike Group is comprised of CCSG 7, CVW-14, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), the guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), the guided-missile destroyers USS Decatur (DDG 73), USS Gridley (DDG 101), USS Howard (DDG 83) and the guided missile frigate USS Thach (FFG 43).
The squadrons of CVW-14 include the "Redcocks" of VFA-22, "Fist of the Fleet" of VFA-25, "Stingers" of VFA-113, "Eagles" of VFA-115, "Black Eagles" of Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 113, "Cougars" of Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (VAQ) 139, "Providers" of Carrier Logistics Support (VRC) 30 and the "Black Knights" of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 4.
Ronald Reagan was commissioned in July 2003, making it the ninth and newest Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The ship is named after the 40th U.S. President, and carries the motto of "Peace through Strength," a recurrent theme during the Reagan presidency.
CNO Visits USS Harry S. Truman
Story Number: NNS080416-04
Release Date: 4/16/2008 12:13:00 PM
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Heather Weaver, USS Harry S. Truman Public Affairs
USS HARRY S. TRUMAN, At Sea (NNS) -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead visited the crew of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) April 15 to address Sailors deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO).
Roughead is visiting the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) AOO to strengthen international maritime partnerships as part of the Navy's Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower and meet with regional leaders in an effort to increase dialogue and cooperation.
During his visit to Harry S. Truman, Roughead took time to award three commendation medals as well as reenlist 38 Sailors. He also held an all-hands call for the crew. During his address, the CNO said it was an honor to visit the ship because the crew has done a phenomenal job of representing the dedication and commitment of the U.S. Navy.
"The work of this particular strike group has been extraordinary," he said. "You all are setting the bar, and you should be very proud of that."
Roughead said Sailors should also realize they are making a contribution to the big picture by flawlessly performing daily operations.
"You should be very proud of the operations you are conducting," he said. "The work that you're doing, whether its flying strikes into Iraq, supporting coalition efforts in the Arabian Gulf or the work you're doing with other coalition partners … all makes a huge difference. It's consistent with the strategy that we outline in our program as to where we're taking our Navy."
The Arabian Gulf is a body of water more commonly known as the Persian Gulf.
During his address to the crew, Roughead discussed a ground-breaking change-of-command for Combined Task Force (CTF) 152 between Rear Adm. Bill Gortney, Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CCSG)10, and the Royal Bahraini Navy.
"This is the first time that an Arab nation has stepped up to the leadership role," Roughead said. "I believe when we look back at this, it will resound as a significant event in history and you all have been part of that."
CTF 152 is responsible for Maritime Security Operations in the Central and Southern Persian Gulf. Roughead also discussed his top three priorities while aboard Truman.
"Number one, we have to maintain the readiness we have today to ensure you are able to go out and do the job and be ready to do the things that the nation asks of us," he said. "Another aspect is building tomorrow's Navy. And the other part that, to me is the most important, is about people. If we stand on the ship today and look at the airplanes or fly around in helicopters, all of that has no value … until you make [it all] come alive. What you give to our Navy is absolutely irreplaceable."
Truman is underway in the Persian Gulf on a regularly scheduled deployment to the U.S. 5th Fleet. Operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet AOO are focused on