USN in General

[Pelican]

Tension on the Black Sea: What great power competition looks like from the deckplates

ABOARD U.S. NAVY DESTROYER ROSS IN THE BLACK SEA — On the morning of July 2, following live-fire drills between the United States and Ukraine, a Russian ship made unexpected radio contact with the American destroyer Ross.

Leave this location, the Russians told the crew. The Russian Navy is conducting an exercise here.

The Americans were in the Black Sea for an exercise of their own, Sea Breeze 21, hosted by Ukraine and the U.S. each year since 1997 alongside international partners and allies. For the past two days, Ukrainian fast attack craft had zipped around the destroyer and fighter jets had buzzed overhead. The Navy had fired hundreds of rounds from its machine guns. That action was part of pre-planned drills.

But all the while, four Russian warships were a constant presence — sometimes visible while loitering four or five miles away, sometimes matching Ross’s course and speed just a mile and a half away.

Now, after being asked to leave, the officers on the bridge of the Ross were firm. We’re conducting an international exercise in international waters, they replied. We have the right to be here, too.

The exchange ended there.

But no fewer than three times that same morning, Ross’ leadership called teams to the deck after unidentified aircraft — presumed Russian jets and maritime patrol aircraft — were picked up on the ship’s radar. Those group, known as SNOOPIE teams, are on standby to photograph and otherwise document any interactions between the ship and potentially hostile actors. And while they didn’t see any action that day, with the aircraft never coming into visual range, leaders were on alert enough to keep them nearby.

This is what great power competition looks like in action in 2021. Though U.S. defense leaders talk about the idea of great power competition, they often do so in the future tense — and often about a conflict that would start in the South China Sea. But the U.S. Navy’s regional leaders say great power competition is already taking place in Europe and there’s a race underway to assemble a strong enough coalition of allies and partners to keep day-to-day tensions with Russia at a simmer, instead of boiling over into an all-out conflict. Perhaps nowhere is that clearer than the Black Sea.

Continues at - https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-nav ... M2lKASdVwQ

[Pelican]

Change the Surface Navy’s Maintenance Philosophy

The surface navy has realized that technology development trends of the past 20 years will not sustain its competitive military advantage. As such, the surface warfare community has embarked on a journey to retake the lead in technologies it has lagged in developing, such as hypersonics, directed energy, and autonomy, as well as revitalizing the methods used to develop these technologies. The speed at which it has recently unveiled and integrated new weapons and sensors into the fleet is unprecedented in my 20-year career. However, this emphasis on a faster and more agile technology development ecosystem has not bled over into readiness and maintenance.

As the commanding officer of a recently deployed Baseline 9 Flight I guided-missile destroyer (DDG), I have seen firsthand the amazing capabilities these ships bring to bear. From my last sea tour as a department head on a Baseline 5 Flight I to stepping on board as the executive officer, the difference is visually striking, especially in the upgraded combat information center (CIC). After deploying to Fifth Fleet in 2019–20, I found hope that the combat power and reach of this new baseline meant the narrative of fading U.S. naval power in the face of an expanding Chinese Navy is greatly overblown. In the words of Admiral Arleigh Burke, “This ship is built to fight.”

But the Navy must continue to be ready. Equally striking during my tour was the challenging material condition of the ship. The Flight I DDGs are approaching their originally intended 35-year service lives and are showing their age when needed most. During World War II in the Pacific, the number of U.S. surface combatants was as critical as the ability to keep those ships at sea from engagement to engagement with limited repair ability. To achieve the numbers necessary in a future war, the Flight I DDGs will continue to be a crucial part of the surface navy far past their intended service life. However, after two decades of consuming service life through abnormally high operational tempo and deferred maintenance, the Navy’s current maintenance philosophy will not recoup the material condition lost and achieve a cost-effective life extension.

Continues at - https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedi ... MXaEx6aO6Y

[Pelican]

Navy Sinks USS Ingraham, Last Oliver Hazard Perry Destroyer Built, in Live-Fire Exercise


The Drive reports that on August 15th, 2021, the U.S. Navy sank the USS Ingraham in a Sinking Exercise (SINKEX) off Hawaii as part of the ongoing and unprecedently massive Large Scale Exercise 2021. Not a whole lot is known about this SINKEX just yet, but multiple types of weapons were involved, including a Super Hornet-launched AGM-154 Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW) and stealthy Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) launched from the Marine Corps’ new unmanned ground-based launcher vehicles. P-8s were also involved, which could mean they employed AGM-84 Harpoons. There are likely a number of other weapons that were fired at the frigate, too, as is typically the case during SINKEXs, which are prized and infrequent training and developmental opportunities.

The incorporation of the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) is a major development for this SINKEX. The system uses an unmanned vehicle based on the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle’s chassis, known as Remotely Operated Ground Unit Expeditionary-Fires (ROGUE-Fires), that carries twin Naval Strike Missile launch canisters.

USS Ingraham was the last vessel in the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, which have been used in previous sinking exercises (and have shown considerable resilience). Maritime Executive notes that in an odd quick of history, she was also the second ship of this name to be used in a sinking exercise. The previous USS Ingraham, a Sumner-class destroyer built in 1944 and decommissioned in 1971, was sold to the Greek Navy and was sunk as a target in 2001.

For article, including embedded links and photos see - https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/4 ... y-exercise

[Pelican]

Lessons From Bonhomme Richard Fire Spreading Throughout Fleet


The service has placed a renewed focus on fire safety and altered how it checks surface ships to ensure they’re ready to fight fires after the former USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) burned for several days last year at Naval Base San Diego in a fire that damaged the ship so badly it had to be scrapped.

“They started beefing up a lot of the requirements,” Senior Chief Petty Officer David Hafoka told reporters aboard USS Kansas City (LCS-22) last week. “One of the big things that I know they’ve changed too is the requirements for roves, which is basically roving the ship and basically making sure everything is good to go. Before, it was kind of left up to the engineering duty officer and the fire marshal.”

“Now – and this is directly from [Naval Surface Forces, Pacific] – you have the engineering duty officer, the fire marshal, the command duty officer and the section leader. They all have to rove. They all have to rove three times a day and they can’t do them all together. They have to be spaced out so far apart,” he continued. “They have to rove through all the engineering spaces and they’re focusing on the fire fighting equipment, making sure that the ship is able and they’re capable of conducting, or combatting, or defending the ship in the event of a damage control incident.”

Under the changes, a sailor performs a rove of the ship every two hours to check various spaces and make sure the vessel is capable of fighting a fire should one break out.

“So it’s like every two hours, there’s somebody that’s up and roving and making sure. And this is in addition to the internal rover that they have, that is dispatched, that personnel and the watches that are already established,” he said.

See - https://news.usni.org/2021/08/25/lesson ... YhB2D8AcUE

[Brian James]

USN Yard Tug YT-811, launched at Dakota Creek Industries Shipyard, Anacortes, Washington, May 8th, 2021....Based on the Valiant class of US Navy Yard tugboats, the YT-811 will be the third of four updated variations built by Dakota Creek Industries. Designed by Robert Allan Ltd., these 90 foot tugs will be used by the US Navy to perform ship-handling duties for the full range of US Navy surface Warships, Barges and Submarines. With an updated deck house, new EPA Tier IV engines and a new fendering system, these Tugs will have a free running speed of 12 knots minimum and a Bollard Pull of 40 short tons minimum.

[Pelican]

The Biggest Threat to Aircraft Carriers is Not Russia or China


With the federal deficit growing, the military is likely to see some lean years.
Is it worth sacrificing some F-35s and aircraft carriers to trim the federal budget deficit?

That’s one option on the table, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO estimates that if current spending continues, the $779 trillion deficit in 2018 will double to $1.4 trillion by 2028, which means the share of GDP eaten up by debt is soaring from 3.8 percent today to 4.8 percent.

With numbers like that, hundred-million-dollar warplanes and $13 billion aircraft carriers become tempting targets for the budgeteer.

In a new report titled “Options for Reducing the Deficit: 2019 to 2028.” CBO presented 40 options for reducing the budget shortfall, including the always-popular tax hikes and cutting entitlement programs. But with the Department of Defense consuming $764 billion of the 2019 budget, it is inevitable that the Pentagon will share the pain.

Continues at - https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboo ... ina-192659

[Pelican]

US Navy “Fat Leonard” Bribery Scandal Grinds On — New Guilty Plea

See - http://www.oldsaltblog.com/2021/09/us-n ... more-58120

[Pelican]

It is not difficult to envision the range of ways the EPF might further fortify combat missions.


The Navy’s fleet of Expeditionary Fast Transport vessels continues to massively expand its mission scope. The fleet is increasingly in demand by combatant commanders, partly because it can perform high-speed transit for Marines, soldiers and special operations forces. Also, the fleet can transport six hundred tons of cargo, supplies and weapons in support of combat missions. As a result, the EPFs are being used with great success in humanitarian and medical support missions.

EPFs are already providing critical support to earthquake victims in Haiti and can also enhance the Navy’s medical mission scope in the event that the USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort hospital ships are already engaged in missions or can’t arrive fast enough. Why not further expand the Navy’s medical assistance capabilities with more EPFs?

While the congressional markups and committee budget procedure has yet to fully unfold, the Navy’s 2021 budget request did not include funding for any additional EPFs, potentially letting a highly efficient production line diminish capacity. This could change as service leaders further examine the ship’s growing mission scope and operational value.

Continues at - https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/ ... avy-193279

Link from Tim.

[Pelican]

How Worried Should the U.S. Navy Be About China’s Type 055 Destroyers?

On July 3, 2018, Dalian shipyard launched two of the big new ships, with some reports suggesting that the class may extend to twenty-four vessels. The ships are large and have more VLS cells than Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyers, although the latter still exceed the former in sensor integration and other capabilities.

Still, with the Navy’s cruiser force aging, does the U.S. Navy need to think seriously about its own large cruiser?

Description:
TYPE 055 (RENHAI) CLASS GUIDED MISSILE DESTROYER/CRUISER BRIEF:
Continues at - https://tinnhanhtv.com/how-worried-shou ... zcqKWUfiLY

[Pelican]

The Air Wing of the (Immediate) Future - September 2021

NEED TO KNOW
The carrier air wing is undergoing a reevaluation, with the Navy considering many long-term changes. But some have already arrived. In July 2021, the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) deployed with the Navy’s first operational F-35C and CMV-22B squadrons on board.

The Bell Boeing CMV-22B Osprey tilt­rotor is replacing the venerable Grumman C-2 Greyhound as the carrier onboard delivery (COD) aircraft, delivering people, mail, spare parts, and other sundries to carriers at sea from shore bases. But the C-2 is a catapult-launched, arrested-landing, fixed-wing aircraft, while the CMV-22B can take off and land vertically, making it useful for transportation within a strike group or capable of delivering to other ships if the carrier has a fouled deck. The “CODsprey” can deliver 6,000 pounds of cargo—including the Pratt and Whitney F135 engine that powers the F-35C—to a range of about 1,150 nautical miles (nm). The C-2 can carry up to 10,000 pounds and travel as far as 1,400 nm, but the max load comes with a range penalty of 400 miles or more.

The F-35C deployment is a major milestone for the conventional take-off version of the Joint Strike Fighter, one 20 years in the making. The carrier version of the aircraft is the last to reach an operational deployment. The aircraft’s advanced sensors and electronic warfare capabilities will finally get a chance to prove themselves at sea, working alongside the Carl Vinson’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers.

Next up for the air wing? The MQ-25 Stingray unmanned tanker, which the Navy hopes will achieve initial operational capability in 2024.

Continues at - https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedi ... OkDhskj8bI