SS News Daily for 08FEB06

SS News Daily for 08FEB06
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Since 02-08-06

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Table of Contents

PHOTO:
USS Ohio Returns to Service as Navy’s new SSGN

Sub Equipped For The Future
Kitsap Sun (Feb. 8, 2006)
By Elaine Helm

USS Ohio, 1st Guided Missile Platform, Rejoins Fleet
COMBSUBGRU9 Public Affairs
By JO1 (SW) Michael S. Howlett

Husband and Wife Selected as 2005 Sailors of the Year for Their Commands
Commander, Submarine Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet Public Affairs
By Journalist 1st Class Christina M. Shaw

Top Admiral Endorses Shift To Pacific
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Feb. 7, 2006
By Gregg Kakesako

Mullen Opposed to Moving Up Sub building Schedule
Navy's top officer says change in timetable would be too costly
By Anthony Cronin, New London Day, 8 Feb 06

Top US Navy Admiral Urges Growth In Shipbuilding Budget
Dow Jones, Feb. 7, 2006
By Rebecca Christie

Mullen: 313-Vessels Fleet Means $13.5 Billion A Year
CNO Says Shipbuilders Must Curb Costs
Defense Today Feb 8, 2006
By Dave Ahearn

Navy Won't Pursue Two Subs In FY '09, But Wants To Retire USS Kennedy
Defense Daily Feb. 8, 2006
By Geoff Fein

The Wrong Weapons For The Long War
Los Angeles Times - February 8, 2006
By Max Boot

Ukraine designs "unique" antisubmarine corvette
BBC Monitoring Ukraine & Baltics
English Text of Feb. 6, 2006 report by Ukrainian Korrespondent.net website

Hawaii, Japanese fisheries school build ties five years after submarine collision
By MSN News (Mainichi Daily News)

Collision still haunts former sub skipper
Navy Times (February 7, 2006)

China: We're No Threat
Miami Herald (February 8, 2006)

PHOTO: USS Ohio Returns to Service as Navy’s new SSGN

Cmdr. Michael Cockey (left), Commanding Officer of USS Ohio (SSGN 726), reports to Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, Jr. (center), Vice Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, that USS Ohio (SSGN 726) is ready to return to service at the ceremony held at the Explosive Handling Warf at Naval Base Kitsap Bangor waterfront on Feb 7, 2006. Photo by Ray Narimatsu.

Sub Equipped For The Future
Kitsap Sun (Feb. 8, 2006)
By Elaine Helm

Bangor -- The military’s second highestranking officer called USS Ohio and its new class of submarines "poster children" for the Pentagon’s new defense agenda.

"It’s fitting that we are celebrating our event today on the day after the Quadrennial Defense Review was presented to Congress," said Adm. Edmund Giambastiani, vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

Joined by top military and elected officials, Giambastiani spoke Tuesday at a ceremony marking the Ohio’s return to service at Bangor submarine base.

The sub is the first of four Trident ballistic missile submarines, known as SSBNs or simply Tridents, converted to carry Tomahawk cruise missiles and support special operations forces.

The modified subs are known as SSGNs or Tactical Tridents.

The Ohio, which is based at Bangor and underwent its three-year conversion at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, embodies the military’s adjustments to current and future threats, Giambastiani said.

"This evolution of the USS Ohio from SSBN to SSGN is a case study in transforming military capabilities," he said.

Commissioned in 1981 for a Cold War mission of nuclear deterrence, the Ohio now will support the fight against terrorists and other non-conventional threats.

The submarine is capable of launching up to 154 mid-range guided missiles and supporting up to 102 Navy SEALs or other special operations forces. It also will allow cooperation between the Navy, Army, Marine Corps and Air Force for joint operations directed from its battle management center.

The Ohio completed sea trials in December and is slated to be ready for its first deployment in 2007. Three other SSGNs are expected to come online soon after that.

USS Florida and USS Georgia are undergoing their conversions on the East Coast. They will operate in the waters around Europe and the Middle East, likely forward deployed to the Navy’s base on the island of Diego Garcia, said Capt. David Diorio, director for guided missile submarine readiness at Submarine Forces Headquarters in Norfolk, Va.

The Ohio and USS Michigan, being converted at PSNS and based at Bangor, will operate in the Pacific Ocean, likely forward deployed in Guam, Diorio said.

For all four submarines, the project is expected to cost about $4 billion, including a $1.4 billion contract with Electric Boat, a subsidiary of General Dynamics.

Electric Boat President John Casey on Tuesday said the Ohio is "a platform uniquely configured for war in the 21st century."

Casey was one of many officials to attend the ship’s return to service ceremony, including U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair; Vice Adm. Charles Munns, commander of naval submarine forces; Rear Adm. Jeffrey Cassias, commander of Pacific Fleet submarine forces; and Lt. Gen. James Dubik, commanding officer of Fort Lewis.

Another high-profile guest was the Ohio’s sponsor, Annie Glenn, wife of former astronaut and former Sen. John Glenn. She presented the ship’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Michael Cockey, with a USS Ohio patch her husband took on his 1998 flight on the Space Shuttle Discovery. "It’s truly a great honor to be the sponsor of this boat — again," she said.

USS Ohio, 1st Guided Missile Platform, Rejoins Fleet
COMBSUBGRU9 Public Affairs
By JO1 (SW) Michael S. Howlett

Bangor, Wash. - The first of four Ohio class Trident missile submarines, being converted to carry guided missiles and Special Operations Forces (SOF), rejoined the fleet in a Return to Service ceremony at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor on Tuesday, February 7.

In December, USS Ohio (SSGN 726) completed conversion to a guided missile submarine capable of carrying over 150 Tomahawk cruise missiles and over 60 SOF members for extended periods. This conversion is a major step forward in the U.S. Navy’s ability to fight the Global War on Terror.

During the ceremony, guest speaker Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani, Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke of the new role USS Ohio will have as it steers towards danger, rather than away from it.

“As it became clear our deterrence goals had been met, our Congress authorized the conversion of these four boats to support SOF strikes. This platform has truly been a case study in transforming our military capabilities to meet the future needs of our joint forces. In doing so, the Ohio has proven our concepts are validated as the SSGN prepares for our uncertain future by being on station and providing a forward deployed presence, adaptability and modularity that are exactly the kind of capabilities our Quadrennial Defense Review calls for,” he said.

Mrs. Annie Glenn, the ship’s sponsor, presented the crew a ship’s patch worn by Senator John Glenn on his return to space in 1998. The patch was autographed by all seven astronauts aboard the shuttle and will now be displayed in the wardroom.

USS Michigan (SSGN 727), USS Florida (SSGN 728), and USS Georgia (SSGN 729) are also undergoing conversion to SSGN and are scheduled to return to service over the next two years. Additional information on the SSGN Conversion is available online at: http://www.sublant.navy.mil/HTML/ssgn.htm.

Husband and Wife Selected as 2005 Sailors of the Year for Their Commands
Commander, Submarine Force U.S. Atlantic Fleet Public Affairs
By Journalist 1st Class Christina M. Shaw

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Family, career and service to country brought Sonar Technician (Surface) 1st Class (SW) Robert Medearis and his wife, Fire Controlman 1st Class (SW/AW) Tammy Medearis, to be honored as they were selected as Sailor of the Year (SOY) for their respective commands in January 2006.

Robert Medearis was selected 2005 SOY for Commander, Undersea Surveillance (CUS) and Tammy Madearis was selected 2005 SOY for USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).

Aboard Roosevelt, Tammy, raised in Harrison, Ark., is both a command enlisted surface warfare and enlisted aviation warfare specialist program instructor and board member, a member of the command assessment team and the command 3M training team on top of a number of departmental and divisional duties including leading petty officer for her division.

“I think my duties are crucial to my command because as a NATO Seasparrow technician and LPO, I am in charge of weapons systems that protect this crew,” she explained.

“My collateral duties are important to me because a large amount of them involve training something I just enjoy doing,” said Tammy.

Master Chief Fire Controlman (SW/AW) Phillip Bishop, branch leading chief petty officer for Combat Systems Maintenance onboard Roosevelt attributes her over all success to professionalism.

“She takes the lead both professionally-with her own career-and she takes care of her people in the process. She does and exceptional job at combining the two,” said Bishop.

Robert has managed to match her in this career “cat and mouse game” with an impressive list of accomplishments as well. Since reporting to CUS in January 2001, the Long Island, N.Y., native has earned Sailor of the Quarter honors twice, administering the command training program, and taken on departmental Physical Readiness Training Coordinator duties to name a few.

“I enjoy everything I’m involved in,” said Robert. “I don’t just do it to get ahead, I do it because it’s something I believe in.”

Senior Chief Sonar Technician (Surface) (SW) Scott Moore, of training department at CUS attributes Robert’s success to good old fashion elbow grease.

“Petty Officer Medearis is a hard charging first class who tackles every task assigned with determination and zeal,” said Moore.

Robert tries to think out of the box at all times, something he also attributes to his wife.

“She is always taking on another task and looking for new ways to better her peers and help them succeed,” said Robert. This way of thinking is what led Robert to obtain permission to convert an unused office into a command fitness facility.

It also has led him to come up with many ways to educate his peers. One such way is implementing the "Gram of the Week," an in depth analysis of knowledge directly related to the core of the sonar technician’s job.

“I want to provide them not only with test material but information that they can use when doing their job,” said Robert.

Education is a big part of the bond that Robert and Tammy share. “During deployments, we continue to push each other by sending study materials and study tips via email,” said Robert. The two are also actively working toward degrees, something Robert said is an important life tool.

“People wait too long to get their degrees,” he explained. “They wait until right before it’s time for them to get out and then rush to get all their classes so that they can take advantage of the tuition assistance. It’s important to have your degree not just for after your Navy career.”

“A degree is also important because it proves you are committed to your self-improvement,” added Tammy.

The two will both be going on to the next round of competition, something Tammy admits - with a smile - is the result of their friendly competition.

“Since I have recently become eligible for chief petty officer, our goal is to be selected together. We support each other and help each other out as much as we can,” said Tammy.

Tammy sums up getting selected at the same time to one thing, good old fashion motivation.

“We are both hard workers so I guess that is our advantage from every one else in the competition,” she explained. “We share twice the motivation which, of course, includes our two beautiful daughters.”

Top Admiral Endorses Shift To Pacific
Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Feb. 7, 2006
By Gregg Kakesako

The Navy’s top admiral today said the majority of the Navy’s 12 carriers will be based in the Pacific, reflecting the shifting security demands on the military and his plans to expand the fleet to 313 warships.

Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the chief of naval operations, said at a Pentagon news conference this morning that he endorsed the Pentagon’s recently unveiled strategic analysis which calls for six carriers and 60 percent of its submarine fleet to be stationed in the Pacific.

He did not comment on a nearly three-yearold proposal to base a carrier at Pearl Harbor or Guam.

The Navy now has five nuclear carriers based on the West Coast and one non-nuclear vessel — the USS Kitty Hawk — berthed in Japan. The remaining six are on the East Coast. The USS Kitty Hawk in Yokosuka will be replaced by the USS George Washington in 2008.

He said shifting a major portion of the Navy’s power to the Pacific “focuses on the important region of the world. We also on the maritime side suffer the tyranny of distance. The Pacific is a big ocean so you need more capability there just to get from point A to point B,” he said.

Mullen said the Navy still wants to retire the USS Kennedy, now homeported in Florida. “The proposal in the budget is to decommission her,” Mullen told reporters, “and I would like that to happen as soon as possible.” Mullen’s statement means the majority of the Navy’s carriers in the Pacific will remain there.

He referred to the carrier USS Carl Vinson, which has left its homeport in Bremerton, Wash., for a three-year overhaul in Virginia. That carrier will return to West Coast after it has been refitted, Mullen said.

He also said that 60 percent of the Navy’s nuclear submarine fleet with be shifted to the Pacific.

Currently, 35 attack and ballistic missile submarines are based in the Pacific and an equal number in the Atlantic. There are 16 Los Angeles-class submarines at Pearl Harbor and three in Guam.

He told reporters that he submitted to Congress today his proposals to increase the number ships in the Navy to 313. There are now 281 vessels.

Mullen commanded the Pearl Harbor-based destroyer USS Goldsborough from 1985 to 1986.

Mullen Opposed to Moving Up Sub building Schedule
Navy's top officer says change in timetable would be too costly
By Anthony Cronin, New London Day, 8 Feb 06

The chief of naval operations said Tuesday he won't support efforts to build two Virginia-class submarines before the Navy's planned buildup in 2012 because an earlier construction timetable would add billions in costs to the attack-submarine program.

Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the Navy's top officer, also said the cost of the nuclear attack submarine needs to move closer to $2 billion per boat. The current price tag for the 377-foot-long sub is about $2.4 billion.

Asked during a meeting at the Pentagon if he supported congressional efforts to add seed money, known as “advanced procurement funding,” to the fiscal 2007 federal budget in anticipation of funding two subs a year starting in fiscal 2009, Mullen said he did not.

“It's not part of the plan,” he said. “I said fiscal year 2012 for a very specific reason.”

Mullen said if production of two subs a year was to begin in 2009, years ahead of the Navy's timetable, it could result in the addition of $7 billion to $8 billion in overall costs to the program.

“And I don't have those kinds of resources available,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, R-2nd District, along with other members of the Connecticut congressional delegation, is pushing for support for advanced procurement funds in the 2007 budget, which begins in October 2006. That approach would provide the necessary funding to enable the nation's submarine builders to ramp up production to two Virginia-class submarines in 2009.

The Groton-based Electric Boat shipyard and the Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard in Virginia currently produce the equivalent of one sub a year through a teaming arrangement. On Monday, President Bush submitted his fiscal 2007 budget to Congress. As expected, the spending plan included $2.6 billion in funding for an additional Virginia-class submarine.

Mullen said he sent his annual long-range plan for naval vessel construction to Congress on Tuesday. The plan calls for a fleet of 313 vessels by 2020, including 48 submarines -- down from the current fleet of 53 attack submarines. The attack-sub fleet includes 28 boats homeported on the East Coast at naval bases in Groton and Norfolk, Va., and 25 attack subs homeported at West Coast bases.

Currently, the overall Navy fleet numbers 281 vessels.

“We need to turn that around,” Mullen said, adding that the plan submitted to Congress represents a realistic appraisal of Navy needs, along with current fiscal realities. “Clearly, it's my goal to have a plan which is stable, which industry can depend on and then invest in.”

Mullen repeatedly called for continued cost savings in the various naval programs, including the Virginia-class program. He also said he is striving to create a “strategic balance” among Congress, the Navy and defense contractors.

“If we don't control the costs, I won't be able to turn it up (increase the size of the fleet),” he said.

Mullen said he understands the Pentagon's desire to increase naval presence in the Pacific Ocean. The Pentagon's Quadrennial Defense Review, which is required every four years by Congress and was released this past week, calls for six aircraft carriers and 60 percent of the submarine force to be committed to the Pacific region.

Mullen said the Navy is committed to boosting the number of SEAL commandos, adding a “riverine” capability for close-to-shore and river-based operations, and increasing the number of new vessels, including the Littoral Combat Ship and the next-generation DD(X) destroyer.

“My biggest challenge,” he said, “is to build a fleet for the future in a very different world that covers a full range of missions.”

Top US Navy Admiral Urges Growth In Shipbuilding Budget
Dow Jones, Feb. 7, 2006
By Rebecca Christie

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The U.S. Navy's shipbuilding budget needs to grow to about $13.5 billion a year to maintain the U.S. fleet through 2020, the Navy's top admiral said Tuesday.

Adm. Michael Mullen, chief of Navy operations, said the Navy hopes to reach that level within a few years. In fiscal year 2007, the Pentagon seeks $9.7 billion for new ship construction, he said.

The Navy sent its new 30-year shipbuilding plan to Congress on Tuesday, finalizing details of a plan that has been in circulation for weeks. It calls for 313 ships, including 11 aircraft carriers, seven next-generation DD(X) destroyers and a small but steady stream of Virginia-class submarines.

"It's my goal to have a plan which is stable, which industry can basically depend on and invest in," Mullen told Pentagon reporters.

The latest White House budget mirrors the shipbuilding plan over the next five years. That support shows the Navy has finally found a way to buy new destroyers that the Defense Department will support.

Since it was first proposed, the DD(X) destroyer has skyrocketed in cost. The first ships are now expected to cost at least $3.3 billion.

Last year, the Navy attempted to consolidate its contractor team by eliminating either General Dynamics Corp. (GD) or Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC), who are both signed up for ship construction. Congress and the Pentagon blocked that plan, so the Navy sent back a revised plan that would build two ships at once, with an eye toward competition. That plan passed muster. The White House's 2007 budget request, released Monday, includes $3.3 billion to start the two ships, with a similar amount expected in 2008 to pay the balance of construction costs.

"We worked hard on that ship for a long time. It has withstood as much criticism and as much laser light as any program I've seen," Mullen said.

The new destroyers have state-of-the-art stealth and radar technologies, among other advanced capabilities. But the Navy now plans to buy only seven of the new ships after last year's budget cycle cut the program nearly in half.

Mullen defended the Navy's plan for a small buy, despite its growing focus on the Pacific Ocean's vast expanses. "Things may change, they may not change," Mullen said. "Right now, that's the best view that we have."

Regarding the Virginia-class submarines, another high-profile purchase program, Mullen said he didn't support plans to increase production in the near term. Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics also split construction on that program, and it too has seen costs soar.

The shipbuilding plan calls for building one new submarine a year until 2012. At that time, the contractors can get costs down to $2 billion per vessel, the Navy will begin buying two submarines each year.

Mullen said he doesn't support efforts to accelerate that move. For one thing, it would require $7 billion to $8 billion in money that is already allocated elsewhere. Also, it gives the contractors plenty of time to fulfill their end of the bargain.

"I've said fiscal year 2012 for a very specific reason. It's what I think we can do," Mullen said.

The shipbuilders say they are working hard to get the program's costs under control. General Dynamics says it is confident it can meet Mullen's goal if production increases. "We are working with our suppliers to get the costs down," company spokesman Kendell Pease said.

Mullen: 313-Vessels Fleet Means $13.5 Billion A Year
CNO Says Shipbuilders Must Curb Costs
Defense Today Feb 8, 2006
By Dave Ahearn

A plan to increase the current 281-ships fleet to 313 vessels in coming years, authored by Adm. Michael Mullen, the chief of naval operations, implies increasing the shipbuilding budget to a $13.5 billion annual average, he said.

"I don't consider it [$13.5 billion] a reach," Mullen said, even though it exceeds the just released roughly $11 billion (or $9.7 million in new funds) Navy shipbuilding budget request for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2007. (Please see Defense Today Instant Update, Monday, Feb. 6, 2006, 7:57 p.m.)

Mullen just delivered the 313-vessels future fleet plan to Congress, where lawmakers last year refused to approve a Navy request for funding only four new ships and submarines, and instead funded seven vessels.

Warning To Contractors

Mullen also called on warship builders to further modernize their yards, so that costs of ships decline and the 313-ship plan remains affordable.

While both General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman Corp. have taken steps to modernize their shipyards, Mullen said more work is required. "The yards have to start investing," he said. One lawmaker has noted that some shipyards abroad, including some in Scandinavian nations, are far more automated than those in the United States.

General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman, working together to design the future DD(X) destroyer, are determined to cut costs, a General Dynamics spokesman said. "Both shipyards are working together to drive costs out of the ships," so as to help the Navy realize its goal of building 313 ships.

And the contractors are pressing subcontractors and suppliers to slash costs of ship components, so as to produce "affordable, capable ships," the spokesman said. The goal for the two shipbuilding firms is "to get the fifth DD(X) down to $2.3 billion, or below," the spokesman said. Some members of Congress have complained that the first DD(X) has been estimated to cost $3.3 billion, including development costs.

There must be a three-way partnership involving the Navy, Congress and industry to drive shipbuilding costs lower, Mullen said.

Referring to the long downward slide in the fleet size that approached 600 vessels in the 1980s, Mullen said controlling costs on ships is critical. "If we don't control the costs, I won't be able to turn it up" to a growing fleet, he said.

Because Mullen sees no great savings coming from other segments of the Navy budget such as long-soaring personnel costs, and he also doesn't see the total Navy budget increasing greatly, then cost savings must be found in some Navy procurement programs to pay for other acquisition efforts, he indicated.

His comments came as Ronald Sugar, top officer of the largest Navy shipbuilder, Northrop Grumman Corp., said he expects the Navy to clamp down on costs of the next-generation DD(X) destroyer. (Please see full story elsewhere in this issue.)

Mullen spoke to several defense journalists at a Pentagon round-table on the same day that several key senators called for a further increase in overall defense spending.

Mullen rejected assessments by some analysts that his 313-vessels plan may not be affordable, and that not all of its figures agree with each other.

The future fleet plan can be realized, he said, and must be in order to stem and reverse a downward trajectory in the number of ships and submarines.

He indicated the four-ships Navy budget request a year ago, for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2006, would have sent the fleet size on a trajectory plummeting to far less than 260 craft, the bottom end of an earlier future fleet plan for 260 to 325 ships and subs that his 313- fleet-strength plan replaces.

Some critics at the time said the four-ships Navy request implied an eventual fleet size of less than 200 craft.

But Mullen said that reversing the slide in the fleet size, and increasing the number of ships and boats, will have to be financed from cost cuts within the Navy procurement area, such as limiting prices on ships and components. (Her did, however, hint that perhaps some spare funds might be found in Navy aircraft procurement programs. "I wouldn't use the term `rob' them," he said.) "I don't anticipate a lot more money in the top line" of the Navy budget, or the procurement portion of the budget, Mullen said.

Senators: Bolster Defense Funds

But some lawmakers say there is an unavoidable need to increase defense spending. Analysts have noted that the Department of Defense (DOD) is enmeshed in a long war in Afghanistan and Iraq that shows no signs of halting immediately. As well, DOD faces soaring personnel costs that at times have devoured a majority of the total defense budget, along with predictable increases in outlays for procurement programs as weapons platforms already under contract move from lower-cost design and development into much higher-cost production.

During a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee where Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was the lead witness, one Democrat said at least some parts of DOD are underfunded.

"We are at war," Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), said. "People are trying to kill us."

He added that "my gripe is not" that the defense budget has shot up from less than $300 billion to more than $500 billion annually in five years, but rather that Congress isn't sufficiently funding some parts of the defense budget.

More money is required to meet new threats posed by irregular warfare, such as the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and terrorist threats, Lieberman indicated.

At the same time, a "status-quo increase" in procurement programs "puts us in an untenable position in years ahead," as costs of many acquisition programs soar with the onset of full rate production of hardware, he pointed out.

"We're not going to be able to afford the budget that you put before us" without increasing the total amount, or top line, of the defense budget, Lieberman said to Rumsfeld. But Rumsfeld indicated he isn't so alarmed by the impending crunch in defense funding requirements, noting that critics over the years at times have said the DOD was facing a bow wave of immense spending needs.

"Every bow wave has always been manageable," Rumsfeld said.

Speaking to Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Rumsfeld said that defense spending has consumed as much as 10 percent of the total U.S. output of goods and services during the Kennedy and Eisenhower administrations, while defense spending currently consumes little more than a third of that level.

"This country is perfectly capable of spending whatever we need" for national defense, Rumsfeld said. Inhofe said it may be time to re-examine what is needed to fund defense requirements adequately.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said it is time for DOD to stop funding the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq with supplemental budgets, saying the money should be provided with oversight in the regular DOD money bills. Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), said the $439.3 billion regular DOD budget request for fiscal 2007, not counting war supplemental appropriations, was "mind-boggling," contrasting that amount with the Army demanding that a soldier wounded in the war pay DOD $700 because the body armor he wore when he was wounded was destroyed in the incident.

Navy Won't Pursue Two Subs In FY '09, But Wants To Retire USS Kennedy
Defense Daily Feb. 8, 2006
By Geoff Fein

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Mullen said the service will not seek additional funding in FY '07 to being building two submarines a year in FY '09.

"I said FY '12 for a specific reason. It's what I think we can do," Mullen told reporters during a briefing yesterday. "It's not part of the plan."

Building an additional submarine in FY '09 would severely impact resources to the tune of approximately $7 billion to $8 billion that would either have to be added to that account or come from somewhere else, Mullen said. "I don't have those resources available."

Mullen met with reporters just after delivering the Navy's much-anticipated long range construction plan to Congress. The plan calls for increasing the service's shipbuilding budget from $8.6 billion for new construction in FY '07 to more than $13 billion in FY '08 with a gradual increase over the Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP).

He said the Navy would have to reach $13 billion for new ship construction in the FYDP.

"We need to get above [$9 billion to $10 billion] that's been a fairly consistent number over time. $13 billion is in the program now. The question is, can I hold it in. I am in the position to hold it in more than we have in the past," he said.

Another issue sure to raise the ire of Congress is the Navy's plan to retire the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67). Lawmakers added language to the FY '06 defense budget prohibiting retiring of the Kennedy. Still, the Navy is pursuing the ship's retirement. "I'd like that to happen as soon as possible," Mullen said.

Mullen said the Navy can get the job done with 11 carriers.

"The proposal in the budget is to decommission her," he said. "I looked at this very carefully when I took this job over." There is some risk associated with retiring the Kennedy but Mullen said it is manageable.

"There are considerable investments that must be made to keep her around and I have 2,000 sailors in an uncertain future," he added. "I'd like to move ahead and get her off the books as soon as possible."

The Wrong Weapons For The Long War
Los Angeles Times - February 8, 2006
By Max Boot

The Defense Department released two important documents in the last few days - the Quadrennial Defense Review and the defense budget for fiscal year 2007. Unfortunately, they seem to be diametrically at odds with one another.

The QDR - a major overhaul of defense strategy - calls for moving beyond a military configured exclusively for fighting mirror-image adversaries. "In the post-September 11 world, irregular warfare has emerged as the dominant form of warfare confronting the United States, its allies and partners," the QDR states. To win what the QDR calls the "Long War" - nee the Global War on Terror - it calls for strengthening such areas as "counterterrorism, counterinsurgency and stabilization and reconstruction operations."

The old assumption that the armed forces must be ready to fight two conventional adversaries at once has been eliminated. Now the U.S. must be ready for only one conventional foe (say, Iran or North Korea) "if already engaged in a large-scale, long-duration irregular campaign." The QDR acknowledges that concepts such as "swiftly defeating" the enemy may not be applicable in this type of campaign, and that it will call for very different skills from our warriors, who will have to "understand foreign cultures and societies and possess the ability to train, mentor and advise foreign security forces."

This is a welcome reversal of years - make that centuries - of conventional thinking among the upper echelons of the armed forces. But what is the Pentagon doing to realize this bold vision?

The defense budget announces a few positive steps, such as 30% increases in the number of special operations, psychological operations and civil affairs units. Unfortunately, whatever the rhetoric of the QDR, too much of the $439-billion 2007 defense budget is still devoted to conventional weapons platforms left over from the Cold War.

For example, the Pentagon is continuing to fund three ruinously expensive short-range fighters - the F/A-22 Raptor, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter - even though we already have total dominance in the air. The entire budget for language and cultural training - $181 million - comes to less than the cost of one F-35.

Also being funded is the Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine, with the QDR calling for an eventual increase in its procurement from one sub a year to two. These $2.4-billion subs are now being sold as great tools for gathering intelligence, firing Tomahawk missiles and inserting Special Forces units into enemy waters, but they were designed to fight Soviet subs and surface ships, and that's still what they're best suited for.

Even more ill-suited for irregular warfare are two other ships whose development will eat up untold billions: the CVN-21 and the DD(X), a next-generation aircraft carrier and destroyer, respectively.

Attack submarines, aircraft carriers and fighter aircraft may be glamorous, but they are almost entirely useless for the challenges the United States faces today in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan. There, the fighting is being done by Army and Marine infantrymen - and there are not nearly enough of them.

The Army was downsized 30% in the 1990s even as the number of deployments grew exponentially. More and more officers worry that if the current tempo of operations continues, the Army will become a "broken" force. There is a glaring need to expand the Army's active-duty ranks - and if not enough Americans are willing to volunteer, then open up recruiting to foreigners. Hire Gurkhas if necessary.

Yet the defense budget does not fund any expansion of Army strength, and the QDR actually calls for shrinking the Army slightly over the next five years - from 491,000 active-duty soldiers today to 482,400 in 2011. That's down from 710,000 soldiers in 1991!

What gives? Why is the Pentagon still throwing money into high-tech gadgets of dubious utility while ignoring the glaring imperative for more boots on the ground? Part of the answer may be politics: Big-ticket weapons have more champions on Capitol Hill than do ordinary grunts. But there also appears to be a large element of strategic miscalculation here.

For all the QDR's genuflections toward irregular warfare, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld still seems to think that Iraq and Afghanistan are the exceptions, not the norm - that in the future we won't need so many ground troops. The U.S. has already paid a high price for the misguided decisions not to send enough troops to secure Iraq or to capture Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora. Now, it appears, we are fated to make the same mistake on future battlefields, simply because we won't have enough troops available.

Ukraine designs "unique" antisubmarine corvette
BBC Monitoring Ukraine & Baltics
English Text of Feb. 6, 2006 report by Ukrainian Korrespondent.net website

Ukraine is building a unique antisubmarine warship. The corvette Luhansk designed by the More [Sea] state shipbuilding company of Feodosiya under the Sokol project is one of the most advanced warships of its kind in the world, the director of the company, Hryhoriy Klebanov, has said.

The corvette is almost complete, although its construction has been suspended due to the lack of appropriate funding, the company says.

The corvette Luhansk is the biggest hydrofoil vessel in the world and there are no analogues. The warship is 50 metres long and 10 metres wide. Due to its three gas turbines, one 10,000-horsepower and two 20,000-horsepower, it can attain a speed of more than 60 knots.

The Luhansk has the widest hydrofoil span made of a titanium alloy, which enables it to surf 4-metre-high waves. Due to its high speed, the warship can in a short time reach a position from which a submarine can be hit with a high degree of probability.

The Luhansk is armed with a 76.2mm AK-176 artillery system, an AK-630M six-barrel automatic gun, two quadruple 400mm torpedo tubes, an automatic target acquisition and fire control system, an automatic target acquisition and antisubmarine missile control system, and two portable anti-aircraft rocket units.

Hawaii, Japanese fisheries school build ties five years after submarine collision
By MSN News (Mainichi Daily News)

HONOLULU (AP) -- Five years ago this week, a U.S. Navy submarine rammed into a Japanese fisheries school training vessel off Oahu, sinking the ship and taking the lives of nine students, teachers and crew members.

Today, Hawaii and Ehime _ the home states of the USS Greenville and the Ehime Maru fishing vessel _ are trying to turn the tragedy into something positive.

The U.S. Navy, meanwhile, is teaching its submariners lessons from the collision to prevent similar accidents in the future.

In March, 20 students from Honolulu's Kawananakoa Middle School will visit Uwajima Minami Junior High School in Ehime. In June, 20 students from Uwajima Minami are due to return the visit and come to Honolulu.

Out of the tragedy, Hawaii and Ehime became sister states in 2003, while Honolulu and Uwajima signed a sister city agreement a year later.

"I know the parents still suffer, the families still suffer, but I think the best thing we can do in trying to help the families is to ... make good things happen. And hopefully we're doing that," said Earl Okawa, the president of the Japan-America Society of Hawaii.

This week, families of three of the victims and the mayor of Uwajima will gather at the Ehime Maru Memorial at Honolulu's Kakaako Waterfront Park for a wreath-laying ceremony to remember the nine who died.

Okawa said the quiet, informal observance would be primarily for the families.

Organizers plan to hold a more formal ceremony next year, which according to the traditional Japanese method of counting years will mark the seventh year since the accident. In Japan, the seventh year is an important year for observing Buddhist rituals for the dead.

On Tuesday, a single purple orchid lei rested around the neck of a steel post in front of the black granite memorial overlooking the Pacific. A marker pointed toward the spot on the horizon where the Greenville slammed into the Ehime Maru, throwing its 35-person crew overboard.

The Navy apologized for the accident, though not as quickly as the families of the victims wished. It also terminated the career of the Greenville's commander, Scott Waddle, though it allowed him to retire with a full pension.

A military Court of Inquiry found Waddle had rushed through mandatory safety procedures while demonstrating an emergency surfacing maneuver for a group of civilians participating in a Navy public relations submarine tour.

The investigation said Waddle was in a hurry because he didn't want the submarine to be late returning to Pearl Harbor with the guests. As a result, he failed to properly look and listen for nearby ships before he ordered the Greenville to surface.

The Navy has since incorporated lessons from the collision into its training for all submariners.

"It's affected really everything that we do," said Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a spokesman for the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force. "It's something that everyone knows about, everyone's studied and every single person who is teaching and assessing will refer to and use as an example."

Sailors study the collision particularly intensively during a two-month prerequisite course for submarine commanders.

"They analyze what broke down, particularly with regards to the captain," Davis said. Norman Polmar, a naval analyst and author, said the Navy has learned from the accident.

"It was a shock to the submarine force, because it was something they'd been doing for years and they thought they had it down pat," Polmar said. "The Navy takes lessons from any accident and sends them out to that part of the fleet. This is true of submarines, aircraft, surface ships."

Uwajima Fisheries High School has since built a new Ehime Maru ship to train its students to be fisherman.

Currently en route to Hawaii on a training mission, the ship's 19 students, two teachers and 20 crew members will mourn the lost nine on Thursday while at sea. They'll pay their respects to the deceased when they pull into Honolulu later this month.

Collision still haunts former sub skipper
Navy Times (February 7, 2006)

BISMARCK, N.D. — The commander of a submarine that plowed into a Japanese fishing boat five years ago, killing nine people on it, says the incident still haunts him and he wants to share the lessons he learned.

Retired Navy Cmdr. Scott Waddle, of Raleigh, N.C., is now an author and public speaker. He spoke Saturday at a National Guard aviation safety conference.

Waddle commanded the fast attack submarine Greenville, which inadvertently struck the Japanese fishing vessel Ehime Maru during a surfacing drill on Feb. 9, 2001, sinking the Ehime Maru and killing four teens and five adults aboard it.

A National Transportation Safety Board report, released last October, concluded that Waddle’s hasty order for the drill caused the submarine’s rudder to slice into the hull of the Ehime Maru.

Today, Waddle said, the scars remain.

“It is the most painful experience you can imagine,” he said . “I feel sorrow beyond belief.”

He said his message is that people’s actions can directly affect others, and that integrity and accountability are trademarks of leaders.

“I came to speak here in hopes of precluding an accident from happening here,” Waddle said before his speech Saturday. “Am I over it? No. Something reminds me of it every day. Does it consume me anymore? No.”

Waddle visited Japan in 2003 to meet with survivors and their families. He said he accepted responsibility for the accident.

“It was important to me to tell the truth. As painful as that is, you have to be accountable and responsible — that’s what a leader is,” Waddle said.

Saturday’s speech was entitled “Failure is Not Final.”

“A high failure, a catastrophic event, that doesn’t define you,” Waddle said. “Keep your character intact — that defines you as a person.”

China: We're No Threat
Miami Herald (February 8, 2006)

BEIJING (AP) -- China said Tuesday it has formally complained to Washington over a Pentagon report that calls China a potential military threat, and the foreign ministry accused the United States of trying to mislead public opinion.

The report, released Friday, expressed concerns about Beijing's rising military spending to project power beyond China's borders.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said the report made ``groundless accusations regarding the normal national defense development in China, interferes with China's domestic affairs and plays up the theory of the Chinese military threat, thereby misleading public opinion.''

Kong said China had made ''solemn representations to the U.S. side,'' without providing details.

''We are an important force that promotes the peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific region and the world,'' Kong said. ``We have not, do not and will not pose a threat.''

China's official military budget for 2005 was $30.7 billion, based on current exchange rates, after a decade of double-digit annual increases. But foreign analysts say the true spending is several times that.