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    Submariners Give Rare Glimpse Into ‘Silent Service’
    Erik
    By Erik,
      Submariners Give Rare Glimpse Into ‘Silent Service’   Defence Talk — By US Navy on August 25, 2010   ABOARD THE USS RHODE ISLAND: On a recent sun-soaked morning hundreds of miles off Florida’s Atlantic coast, this Trident ballistic missile submarine surfaced for an unusual operation.   About a dozen journalists, many representing the military, watched from a contracted 250-foot support vessel as the sleek, black back of the submarine ascended above gentle waters in the open ocean and maneuvered alongside the boat. With just a few feet separating the two vessels and a Coast Guard cutter on watch, the support boat’s crew extended a catwalk bridge from its deck over to the Rhode Island.   A pod of dolphins played in the wake below as the journalists hobbled quickly over to the submarine. “Keep moving! Keep moving!” a submariner shouted, as a slowdown easily could lead to a foot or leg getting caught and injured, or causing a “man overboard” situation.   After exchanging quick greetings with the attending crew, the journalists climbed in turn through the hatch and down the steep, narrow ladder into the belly of the sub.   The Aug. 16 media visit offered a rare glimpse into what is known as “the silent service,” the community of Navy submariners who man and control the vessels that carry weapons under the sea. Journalists were invited to embed on the Trident after a military-commissioned survey showed that Americans know less about the Navy than the other services, and even less about submarines and those who serve on them, Lt. Rebecca Rebarich, public affairs officer for Submarine Group 10 at King’s Bay Naval Base, Ga., said.   The visit also coincided with increasing media attention on the submarine community following two major changes in Navy policy earlier this year: lifting the ban on women serving on submarines, and ending smoking on subs. The Navy chose 21 women early this summer to begin the 15-month training to serve on subs beginning in the fall of 2011. The smoking ban takes effect Jan. 1.   The Nuclear Triad   The Rhode Island is an Ohio-class submarine, the largest model in the U.S. fleet. At about 560 feet long and 42 feet in diameter, Ohio-class submarines hold 24 Trident ballistic missile tubes and four torpedo tubes. The Navy’s fleet of 14 SSBNs is based at King’s Bay and at Bangor, Wash.   The Trident subs, known as “boomers,” are powered by a single-shaft nuclear reactor. They can carry more than 16 tons, travel more than 20 knots -- more than 23 miles per hour -- and submerge more than 800 feet, according to Navy officials who keep their exact capabilities secret.   Part of the nuclear deterrent triad along with land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and Air Force bombers, the Tridents’ sole mission is to deter a nuclear attack through its ultimate strike capabilities. A command from the President, passed through U.S. Strategic Command and ultimately to the ship’s captain, allows the crew to fire a long-range ballistic missile in a matter of minutes.   The Trident is a three-stage missile powered by solid rocket motors. It’s about 44 feet long and 7 feet in diameter, and weighs about 120,000 pounds, according to information provided by public affairs officials. Each has a range of more than 4,000 miles.   Touring the Boomer   The boomer’s design of massive missile tubes occupying the bulk of the midsection and extending vertically through four levels is the focal point of the vessel and a reminder of the singular mission of deterrence. The space between the tanks makes up the hallways. Small rooms, such as the nine-person enlisted berthing cabins -- three sets of bunks with three beds each -- and a couple of bathrooms, known as “heads,” are tucked in between.   The galley and crew’s mess are nearby on the same level and they present a nearly constant hub of activity. The Navy is known for providing good meals, and if the Rhode Island is an indication, submarines are among the best. The boat’s head chef, Petty Officer 1st Class Daniell Pinero, a former chef for the secretary of defense, and his crew provide three hot meals each day as well as late-evening snacks.   Stocking the galley for a three-month tour is no small undertaking. A lengthy shopping list includes, for example, 530 pounds of coffee, 22,140 eggs, 800 pounds of butter, 504 bags of microwave popcorn and 21,000 biodegradable weights to sink trash in the ocean. Because all food must be purchased and stored before the start of the tours, fresh produce is a scarce commodity enjoyed in the early days of each patrol. Still, there are few complaints. Pizza, spaghetti, turkey and dressing, ham and sweet potatoes, rolls, cakes and pies -– all homemade -– were provided during the media visit.   “I gain 10 pounds every time we go out,” Cmdr. Robert J. Clark, commanding officer and captain for one of the Rhode Island’s two rotating crews, said.   Exercise equipment is placed sporadically around the ship – cardio machines and free weights – wherever there is a little spare room. But as Clark and others noted, any weight gained on board is lost during shore duty.   A Tight-knit Community   Clark is the commanding officer and captain of the Rhode Island’s blue crew, which carried the media representatives during their visit. His executive officer, or second in command, is Lt. Cmdr. Paul Pampuro.   Each Trident sub includes two crews of 15 officers and about 140 enlisted men, known as the blue and gold crews, each with its own commanding officer. Each crew rotates onto submarine duty about every 112 days, while the other crew stays at base for training and preparation for the next time at sea.   A snapshot of the crew is one that is young, smart, and committed to the mission and fellow crewmembers. The average age is 23, and many have engineering, math or science degrees.   Ask submariners what they enjoy most about their work and the answer usually is the camaraderie of a tight-knit community, the highly specialized work, and the importance of the mission.   Lt. Colin Myers is a Naval Academy graduate who serves as the sub’s main propulsion assistant, assistant security manager, intelligence officer and ship self-assessment coordinator. He said he enjoys the Rhode Island because of the quality of the crew.   “These are a lot of really smart guys,” Myers said. “Some are double majors. It’s a volunteer force, so they really want to be here.” He added that because the submarine force is small, there are many opportunities and officers advance quickly; some obtain command by their mid-30s.   Serving on a submarine -– mostly submerged for three months with only periscopes to see out -- also can be stressful, tedious and boring, submariners say. The days are long, sleep is minimal, and submariners are surprisingly disconnected. E-mail is sporadic, only coming through every couple of days when an antenna is connected to the sail -- a submarine’s exterior tower-like structure -- and attachments are not allowed. There are no phone calls; no text messages. Still, some say they don’t mind being disconnected.   “You either love it or hate it,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Calvin Hurt, the torpedo room supervisor.   Reality in Mission Control   Around 9 p.m., some off-duty crew members gather in the mess to wind down with a movie. The chef has made pizza and buffalo wings, and someone pops in the 1995 submarine movie, “Crimson Tide.”   “This is a comedy!” a long-time submariner proclaimed as the crew laughed at the creative license Hollywood took in producing the action-packed drama of a Trident submarine executive officer, played by Denzel Washington, who leads a mutiny after the captain, played by Gene Hackman, decides to launch a ballistic missile at a perceived Soviet threat.   In the real world of Trident subs, protocol and procedures rule. In the control room, the sub’s nerve center, each area is manned in six-hour shifts with full attention on the equipment. The mission is to keep the boomer undetected, while detecting everything else around it.   In the front of the room, three enlisted men watch location and conditions on monitors while two of them do their part to “drive” the sub with long-handled steering wheels. Behind them, two others man multiple screens that track sonar and acoustics, analyzing sounds from as far away as 75,000 yards. Behind them, an officer always is watching through the periscope, and those images are provided on computer screens. Coordinates are constantly being called out above the sound of the equipment, and the standard response “very well” acknowledges receipt of the information.   Many of the screens are marked “Secret,” and all of the crew has security clearances. While each has his own job specialty, all are cross-trained and expected to be able to do multiple jobs, Rolinger said. “Everyone is an expert at damage control,” he said, noting the crew practices multiple drills -– from firing torpedoes to putting out fires –- several times per week.   During a missile release test, Clark stands in the center of the control room receiving information from every possible data point, some relayed repeatedly to ensure conditions have not changed. “All missiles will be released,” he announces along with the exact time so all clocks are synchronized to the exact second.   “This is the captain. This is an exercise,” Clark says over the sub’s speaker system.   Down the hall, two crew members man the missile control center, divided between “launcher” and “fire” controls. The U.S. ballistic missile fleet fires four test missiles each year, and has had 134 consecutive successful tests in 20 years, Cmdr. Michael Sowa, deputy chief of staff of strategic weapons for Submarine Group 10, said. The tests also serve as a deterrent, and foreign countries are notified before testing begins, he added.   “The system works well, even better than it was designed to work,” Sowa said. The British, French, and Russians also test ballistic missiles, and the Chinese are developing the capabilities, he said.   “The SSBN mission is to deter,” Sowa added. “So, if we must launch, we’ve failed our mission.”   Earning Their Dolphins   A more likely scenario than the release of a Trident missile is the release of a torpedo. Back toward the front end of the sub and down the stairs next to the smoking room, two crew members man the torpedo controls, watching red and green lights for the status of torpedoes that lie horizontally on hydraulic lifts. They hold several exercises each week to practice firing torpedoes, and avoiding torpedoes from an enemy.   “Everything we do down here, we get one minute to do it in,” Hurt said. A submariner for four years, he said he now loves the job that is very trying for the first two years.   Three sailors earned the title of submariner here on Aug. 16 when they were presented the coveted Dolphin pins, which come only after a new crew member proves within 10 months that he has a basic understanding of everything on the boat. Clark presented the pins during a ceremony in the crew’s mess.   “The whole thing is a little overwhelming,” Petty Officer 3rd Class Patrick Iverson, 20, of Freeport, Ill., said after receiving his pin. “With this, you know you’ve earned the respect of your fellow shipmates.”   Petty Officer 1st Class Herwin Marcia, who has served on submarines for 13 years, still remembers the stress of being new on a submarine.   “It’s a big culture shock,” he said. “You have to catch up to where you can support everyone else. You have to be ready when called on. We don’t have time to wait.”               Defence Talk

    NORAD downplays Russian bomber interception
    Erik
    By Erik,
      NORAD downplays Russian bomber interception   CBC News -- Wednesday, August 25, 2010 | 8:23 PM ET   NORAD is downplaying an incident on Tuesday that saw two CF-18s shadow a pair of Russian military aircraft as they flew within 56 kilometres of Canadian soil. In a statement Wednesday, NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defence Command, said the CF-18s "intercepted and visually identified" two TU-95 Bear bombers that entered the Canadian Air Defence Identification Zone.   "At no time did the Russian military aircraft enter Canadian or United States sovereign airspace," said NORAD spokesman Lt. Desmond James, a Canadian naval officer.   "Both Russia and NORAD routinely exercise their capability to operate in the North. These exercises are important to both NORAD and Russia and are not cause for alarm."   In a "readout" email to media early Wednesday, PMO communications director Dimitri Soudas said the aircraft were spotted approximately 220 kilometres north of Inuvik, N.W.T.   The CF-18 jets from 4 Wing Cold Lake in Alberta shadowed the Russians until both aircraft turned around, Soudas said.   "Thanks to the rapid response of the Canadian Forces, at no time did the Russian aircraft enter sovereign Canadian airspace," he said.   The Canadian aircraft returned to base without incident.   NORAD said its aircraft have intercepted four Russian bombers so far this year and 16 times in 2009.   James said NORAD recognizes that all countries have the right to operate in international airspace, but may conduct identification missions should aircraft approach the North American Air Defence Identification Zone.   Soudas said Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who is in the Canadian North for his annual Arctic tour, was briefed during and at the end of the mission.   A spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Ottawa noted that Canadian authorities repeatedly confirmed the Russian bombers never entered Canadian airspace.   Spokesman Sergey Khudyakov said Russia respects Canada's "territorial integrity, including the vast Arctic territories under the Canadian sovereignty."   "All flights are being conducted within the international airspace with solely training purposes," Khudyakov wrote in an email to CBC News on Wednesday.     Defence committee to probe F-35 purchase News of the encounter comes ahead of the House of Commons defence committee's meetings on Wednesday to examine the government's single-bid purchase of the new generation of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.   Soudas's email touted the "new, highly capable and technologically advanced" F-35s, which are slated to replace Canada's CF-18s sometime in the next decade.   "It is the best plane our government could provide our Forces, and when you are a pilot staring down Russian long-range bombers, that's an important fact to remember," Soudas said.   The contract, one of the biggest military equipment purchases in Canadian history, is worth $9 billion, but the full cost could rise to as much $18 billion once the government signs a maintenance contract.   The Liberals want the committee to question other potential bidders and procurement experts to determine whether a sole-sourced contract gives maximum value to the government and taxpayers.   Last week, the prime minister declared the protection and promotion of Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic a "non-negotiable priority."     'Diversion' from criticism Liberal MP Larry Bagnell said he did not know the full details surrounding the latest incident, but suggested the Conservatives had used a previous CF-18 encounter with Russian planes in July as a "diversion" from criticism of the F-35 purchase.   Bagnell told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday that the government was "needlessly" creating a foreign relations issue with Russia just days after saying that working with other countries to resolve Arctic border disputes was Canada's top foreign affairs priority.   "How are we going to work with a country we've just chastised for not even coming into our airspace?" Bagnell said.   NDP defence critic Jack Harris dismissed the government's interpretation of the encounter, saying there's not been any incursion into Canadian airspace in decades.   Russia, Harris said, resumed these flights a couple of years ago "just to prove they could get their planes in the air."   "But there's certainly no threat to our sovereignty," he added.     'Nothing else will do it' But Conservative MPs said the interceptions show that Canada must exercise its Arctic sovereignty by being present in the North, including militarily.   "The only way we can be in the North rapidly to counter someone who is also trying to exercise sovereignty is with an airplane like the F-35," said Tory MP Laurie Hawn, a retired RCAF lieutenant-colonel who serves as parliamentary secretary to Defence Minister Peter MacKay.   "Nothing else will do it."   NORAD is a binational military organization established in 1958 by Canada and the U.S. to monitor and defend North American airspace.   Earlier this month, military personnel from Canada, the United States and Russia teamed up for the first time to test their response to a hijacked commercial jet over North American airspace.     Photo: Two CF-18s, similar to this one, shadowed a pair of Russian military aircraft Tuesday north of Inuvik, N.W.T. The encounter came a day before parliamentarians were to discuss the government's purchase of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, slated to replace Canada's CF-18s. (Louis Nastro/Canadian Press)         CBC News

    Upgraded Surveillance Aircraft Arrive in Afghanistan
    Erik
    By Erik,
      Upgraded Surveillance Aircraft Arrive in Afghanistan   Defence Talk — By UK Ministry of Defence on August 25, 2010 at 5:51 am   Upgraded Desert Hawks - hand-launched, remote-controlled surveillance aircraft which can record video footage day and night, sending it directly to troops on the ground - arrived in Afghanistan this weekend.   The latest version of the Desert Hawk has been bought as part of a £3m Urgent Operational Requirement to provide a further boost to the surveillance capability on the front line.   The Desert Hawk's cameras have been upgraded, giving a huge improvement to image clarity and stability. It also has a new wing design which improves its performance in the hot and high conditions of Afghanistan.   The aircraft is just 91cm long, with a wingspan of 137cm, but it can fly for 90 minutes with a range of nine miles (14km).   Desert Hawk is operated in Afghanistan by 47 Regiment Royal Artillery. It is light and easily transportable by patrols, weighing about 3.7kg. It can be dispatched in ten minutes and is virtually undetectable once it is in the air.   Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, Peter Luff, said:   "Continuing to support this capability demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that troops on the front line get the cutting-edge equipment to help them in the fight against the insurgents.   "The improved Desert Hawk is a remarkable piece of kit. It provides a detailed picture of what is happening on the ground for our troops, giving them an operational advantage and keeping them safer."   Staff Sergeant Dan Gardner from 47 Regiment Royal Artillery, who recently used Desert Hawk on operations in Afghanistan, said:   "Desert Hawk provides an eye in the sky that has become indispensable to troops on the ground in Afghanistan.   "The fact that it is hand-launched and lightweight means we get a very quick and thorough appraisal of the tactical situations faced on operations.   "It is used in a variety of roles, including reconnaissance and surveillance of troops and patrols, and it provides valuable situational awareness to commanders of troops in contact with the enemy."   Duncan Robbins, programme manager for mini-unmanned air vehicle systems at the MOD's Defence Equipment & Support organisation, said:   "Recent technology advances have resulted in front line troops getting crystal-clear imagery from the cameras now being introduced.   "General improvements in Desert Hawk 3 introduced by Lockheed Martin allow it to operate more effectively in difficult conditions and provide our soldiers with greater situational awareness in a timely manner.   "These air vehicles are essential in delivering highly flexible and responsive intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance [iSTAR] to soldiers on the front line."   Desert Hawk is one part of the range of ISTAR assets that are operated by the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and Army to support our forces in Afghanistan. The ISTAR aircraft systems supporting troops in Afghanistan include:   -- Sentinel aircraft and radar system which provides wide area detailed surveillance of ground movements. -- Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for Tornado GR4, RAPTOR, which can read the time on Big Ben in London from the Isle of Wight. -- Reaper, Desert Hawk and Hermes 450 remotely-piloted aircraft which provide tactical levels of surveillance direct to troops on the ground. The RAF's combat ISTAR assets like Reaper remotely-piloted aircraft and Tornado GR4 can provide detailed surveillance for ground forces but can also deliver an armed response should it be required.             Defence Talk

    Saudi pilot killed as Eurofighter crashes in Spain
    Erik
    By Erik,
      Saudi pilot killed as Eurofighter crashes in Spain   Flight Global -- 24/08/10 by Niall O’Keeffe   A Eurofighter aircraft has crashed at Spain's Morón air base with one fatality, the Spanish ministry of defence has confirmed. The combat aircraft, which was on a regular training flight, crashed into the ground "moments after take-off" from the base near Seville, according to the ministry's statement.   It was being piloted under dual control by a lieutenant colonel from the Saudi Arabian air force, who was killed, and a Spanish air force commander, who ejected before the crash.   The ministry says the Spanish pilot is "well" and required only a "basic" level of medical attention.   CITAAM, the Spanish body responsible for investigating military aircraft accidents, has despatched a team to Morón to identify the causes of the incident.   The Saudi lieutenant colonel was at the Spanish base after the two nations signed a Eurofighter training contract.                     Flight Global

    Mexico buys drones, may use for marijuana search
    Erik
    By Erik,
      Mexico buys drones, may use for marijuana search   REUTERS --MEXICO CITY | Tue Aug 24, 2010 6:08pm EDT   Mexico has purchased Israeli-made unmanned drone aircraft, the government said, which may be used for spotting remote drug fields as officials fight powerful cartels. Mexico's defense ministry said it bought an unspecified number of Hermes 450 drones last year from Israel's Elbit Systems Ltd for $23.25 million, according to a filing seen by Reuters on Tuesday.   The defense ministry declined to say how it would use the drones.   But Javier Oliva, a security analyst at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said the military was likely using the remote-controlled drones, which can fly for 20 hours and are equipped with cameras, to locate marijuana and opium in the northwestern states of Sinaloa, Durango and Chihuahua.   "These are areas that are very difficult for troops to reach," Oliva said, adding that the military had started to use the planes over the past five or six months.   Mexico is the main transit route for South American cocaine into the United States but is also a major marijuana and heroin producer. President Felipe Calderon launched a major military-backed assault on drug cartels upon taking office in late 2006 with millions of dollars of aid from Washington.   More than 28,000 people in Mexico have died in Calderon's drug war but the president said on Tuesday he was sticking to his strategy even though more violence is likely.   The defense ministry made the drones' purchase public under Mexico's freedom of information rules after a request from leading Mexican newspaper La Jornada.         REUTERS  

    Chilean Air Force Seeks To Buy Six Embraer Military Jets
    Erik
    By Erik,
    Chilean Air Force Seeks To Buy Six Embraer Military Jets   The Wall Street Journal - 8/25/2010   SAO PAULO (Dow Jones)--Chile's Air Force is considering the acquisition of six KC-390 military cargo jets from Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer (ERJ, EMBR3.BR), the company said Tuesday in a statement. In addition, the company said that Chile's Defense Ministry plans to help Embraer to develop the KC-390. Embraer is developing the KC-390 tactical transport for the Brazilian Air Force and offers military variants of its ERJ145 regional jet used for maritime and ground patrol and airborne early warning.   The company did not unveil an estimate price for the planes.   Earlier this year, the Brazilian Air Force announced a plan to buy 28 KC-390 cargo jets.             The Wall Street Journal

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