The USS Ohio (SSGN-726), the Navy's first guided missile submarine, wrapped up two weeks of successful sea trials this month testing the structural integrity of the hull, the engine system and the conversion equipment including the attack weapon system.

"The [Ohio] came in flying the clean sweep broom which meant it swept the sea trials. We viewed it as very successful," Capt. David Norris, the program manager for SSGN, told Defense Daily. "We are going through the last review of the test data, the engineering review, and will deliver the ship to the fleet by the end of the year."

Phase I of the sea trials tested the Ohio's propulsion plant and the structural integrity of the ship. The second phase examined the SSGN conversion equipment such as the lock-out chambers and the Tomahawk missile system including opening and closing the hatches, Norris said. Raytheon [RTN] builds the Tomahawk.

The Ohio had to undergo a significant structural modification to carry the Advanced Seal Delivery System by Northrop Grumman [NOC], he added.

One potential issue that could impact Ohio's testing is the decision by Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to improve reliability of ASDS. While all four Ohio-class SSGNs will be capable of carrying ASDS and the Special Operations Forces (SOF) dry deck shelter (DDS), the Ohio will be the lead test platform for both systems. That testing is to begin in 2007, Norris said.

"How does the ASDS reliability program affect Ohio's timeline for achieving all of its follow-on certifications and testing? That's what we are looking at very closely," he said. "Right now it does not appear to be an impact. ASDS will come out of reliability improvement and go on the ship for testing. Clearly we are watching that timeline."

Although SOCOM decided not to pursue additional ASDS hulls at this time, Norris said the Navy is continuing with the plan of record, which is to outfit all four SSGNs with the ASDS capability.

The second SSGN, USS Florida (SSGN-728), will undergo strike testing in the Gulf of Mexico in 2007.

Because the Ohio is the first of four ballistic submarines to undergo conversion to a guided missile sub, with the ability to carry a force of 60 commandos, the program did end up costing more, Norris said.

The cost increases were covered by reallocating money from within the program's budget, Norris said.

"Within the budget we have from Congress, we are staying within our budget," he said. "We made an internal shift to meet the challenges you'd expect with first of a class."

For the remaining ships, Norris said the program is within the cost allotted. However, the USS Michigan (SSGN-727) does appear to be a bit more than the Navy had wanted.

"The [FY '06] defense appropriations has reprogramming in there. The Navy internally reprogrammed money, FY '04 money," to cover the cost increase, Norris said.

"If you look at the whole budget, it's a $4.1 billion program, and that number has remained fixed within 1 percent since the original milestone decision in December 2002," he said. "We are pretty much executing within cost."

With some shipbuilding programs, the learning curve developed from working on numerous hulls can often cut costs and schedule. However, that isn't the case with the SSGN conversions, Norris said.

While he expects to see some savings on the third and fourth ships, the Michigan and the USS Georgia (SSGN-729), there is very little learning curve between the Ohio and the Florida. That is because the Ohio was converted at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, in Bremerton, Wash., and work on the Florida is being done at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia.

Although General Dynamics [GD] Electric Boat has workers at both yards, Norris said the public yards are different, and Electric Boat's workforce is different as is their site manager "There is very little learning curve between [subs] one and two," he said. "It's not the same as if you were in the same yard."

However, Norris said the Navy does expect to see some benefit by having the same team work on both the Ohio and Michigan, which are both undergoing conversion in the same yard.

There have been some lessons learned from the conversion effort that crews at the different yards have been able to share with each other. One example is a plan the team working on the Ohio conversion developed for doing work on the missiles tubes--a key industrial effort--Norris said.

"When the Florida came up with that, they used the same procedure used at Puget Sound," he said. "The Puget Sound foreman flew to Norfolk to lead them through it."

There are also quarterly meetings with the Norfolk and Puget Sound commanding officers, Electric Boat manager and corporate manager, Naval Sea Systems Command and the Navy's Strategic Systems Programs office, Norris added.

Among the capabilities the SSGN brings is increased connectivity with a high-band communications systems and increased payload.

The four SSGNs will have two high data rate (HDR) antennas and an advanced software based radio room to manage it all, Norris said.

The SSGNs are going to be fitted with the common submarine radio room (CSRR). In fact, CSRR will eventually be back-fitted onto Los Angeles-class, SSBNs, the Seawolf-class, and ultimately onto the Virginia-class, Norris said. CSRR, developed by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), is a software-based radio room, instead of analog radio room that submarines have been using.

SSGNs will also have the universal modular mast (UMM) that allows the crew to swap out different antennas quicker, Norris said. It would enable crews to change masts depending on the mission.

SSGN has four masts, two periscopes and four UMMs. The four UMMs contain antennas that facilitate the high data rate (HDR), he said. There will also be two HDR antennas that Norris said are analogous to the difference between high speed Internet and dial-up.

"By having this capability and with the interior volume, we can actually set up a joint command center on the ship. We've got the interior volume and the radio room such that we could fly in a command center with a one star and staff, plus the 66 SEALs, and they can run a SOF campaign from an SSGN," Norris explained. "We ran an experiment in 2004 called Silent Hammer. We took the USS Georgia, pre-modernization, to test the concept."

"We had a special operating one star and staff and set up a reconfigurable command center on board the submarine to run a simulated mission. It was proven and was positive enough that we are re- evaluating what we are putting in the Ohio and Florida."

Based on the results of Silent Hammer, Norris said the Navy is looking to see if it can put a new more reconfigurable joint command center in the Michigan and Georgia, and then back fit it into the Ohio and Florida.

Because the SSGNs are SSBN submarines, they have an incredibly large volume that will enable them to meet the combatant commanders' uses and still have one or two missile tubes empty for payload experimentation, Norris said.

"We are providing the combatant commanders with adaptable packages. He can have a full strike package [or] something less than a full strike package," he said.

"With one to two tubes open for experimentation we can test unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and we can also test sensors," Norris said.

The Navy's vision of the SSGNs is that the boat comes in stealthy and can deploy SEALs to plant sensors or other systems on the sea floor or a UUV can be deployed from one of the tubes and it can swim out and plant itself on the bottom, Norris said.

"We don't even know the type of things that could be developed to fit into the tubes," he added. "The Trident [SSBN] missile tube is about 7-feet in diameter and 40-feet tall. That's a lot of volume. There are other weapons that could be put in there. There is room for experimentation."

The additional room will also provide SEALs with space for a simulated firearms training system, Norris said.

And, of course, the missile tubes will also be used to launch Tomahawk missiles. Of the 24 tubes, 22 will be packed with seven missiles each. With an arsenal of 154 Tomahawks, an SSGN will have about 80 percent the Tomahawk strike capability of a Carrier Strike Group, Norris said.

"You've allowed a battle group commander to assign his forces to do other business instead of this, and he can send in the sub, covertly because of stealth, to undertake a Tomahawk mission. It's a lot of Tomahawks carried stealthily," he added.

Norris said marrying the Tomahawk missiles, the SOF capability, and the HDR antenna could provide the ability to covertly carry out a mission by sending SOF forces ashore aboard ASDS to scope out an area; radio back coordinates for a Tomahawk strike; and get back to the sub. The Tomahawks would go in and take out an enemy position and "nobody would be the wiser."

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American SSGN Enters Service

www.strategypage.com, December 26, 2005

After three years of work, the conversion of the ballistic missile submarine Ohio (SSBN 726) to a cruise missile submarine (SSGN), has been completed. The Ohio just completed it's sea trails, and will enter service early next year.

The Ohio now carries 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, and provides space for 66 commandos (usually SEALs) and their equipment. The second of four SSBNs to be converted, the USS Florida, will be ready for service later in 2006.

The other two subs to be converted will begin work in 2005 and 2006. The idea of converting ballistic missile subs, that would have to be scrapped to fulfill disarmament agreements, has been bouncing around since the 1990s. After September 11, 2001, the idea got some traction.

The navy submariners love this one, because they lost a lot of their reason for being with the end of the Cold War. The United States had built a powerful nuclear submarine force during the Cold War, but with the rapid disappearance of the Soviet navy in the 1990s, there was little reason to keep over a hundred nuclear subs in commission.

These boats are expensive, costing over a billion each to build and over a million dollars a week to operate. The four Ohio class SSBN being converted each have at least twenty years of life left in them.

The idea of a sub, armed with 154 highly accurate cruise missiles, and capable of rapidly traveling under water (ignoring weather, or observation) at a speed of over 1,200 kilometers a day, to a far off hot spot, had great appeal in the post-Cold War world. The ability to carry a large force of commandos as well was also attractive.

In one sub you have your choice of hammer or scalpel. More capable cruise missiles are in the works as well. Whether or not this multi-billion dollar investment will pay off remains to be seen. But it's certainly a bold move, and the navy already knows that Tomahawks and SEALs work.

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Range Debate to Go on Longer
Patricia Smith, Daily News (Jacksonville, NC), 23 DEC 05

MOREHEAD CITY - They may be in the minority.

But at least one local resident who supports the proposition of a Navy sonar range off the North Carolina coast thinks there are plenty of others like her who have just not yet spoken up.

"I can't see any harm in it, actually," said Kelly Cooke of Morehead City. "I think it's going to be good for the country."

Cooke, who admits she is somewhat pro-military because many of her family members have served in different branches, said she believes it would be an honor for the state to be selected as the sonar range site.

"I think any red-blooded American ought to be proud of anything that goes in this area from the military," Cooke said.

That has not been the opinion voiced at public hearings thus far, where numerous people from the environmental and fishing communities have sounded off against the idea of building a 500-nautical-square-mile anti-submarine training facility about 47 nautical miles off Camp Lejeune. Topping concerns has been the non-specific nature of wording in a draft report that concludes the concentrated use of sonar will have minimal impact on marine life in the area.

But Cooke and others who share her view, as well as those who oppose the range, have one more chance to express their opinions.

The Navy has granted the request from the public and elected officials to extend the deadline to receive public comments on the matter, originally set for Dec. 28, to Jan. 30.

The Navy's decision came after several elected officials from North Carolina jumped in to express their disapproval of the proposal.

"This facility will have a long-lasting negative impact on our state fisheries and coastal tourism, with no economic or environmental benefit to the citizens of North Carolina," state Sen. Marc Basnight, D-Manteo, wrote in a letter to the state's delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Basnight asked the delegation to urge the Navy to extend the comment period to allow the public time to review a final National Marine Fisheries Service report on the cause of strandings of 30 pilot whales along the coast of Oregon Inlet in January 2005. That report is due out next month.

Rep. Walter Jones, a Republican, and Rep. Mike McIntyre, a Democrat, also wrote to the Naval Facilities Engineering Command asking for a 60-day extension.

The extension to Jan. 30 provides double the time required by law for public comments under the National Environmental Policy Act, said Jim Brantley, public affairs officer for the Navy Fleet Forces Command.

Cooke said she does not believe there will be any greater impact from a sonar range than the amount of development already going on along the coast.

Moreover, she said the public needs to balance the environmental aspects of the debate with the national security issues.

"It's going to do more good than harm," Cooke said.

The Navy contends it needs the sonar range because its two existing ranges off San Diego and Hawaii are not representative of the shallower ocean environments in which the Navy often operates. Additionally, it is logistically inefficient to take an East Coast-based ship and crew to the West Coast to train.

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A Wise Pause on Sonar Project

Wilmington Star, 25 DEC 05

U.S. Reps. Walter Jones (R), Mike McIntyre (D) and N.C. Rep. Robert Grady (R) of Onslow County are fervent supporters of the military. They also represent fishermen and coastal residents, who have reason to fear that sonar training exercises proposed for a vast area near our coast might harm fish and whales.

The evidence has been growing that sonar – noise that ships bounce off the ocean floor as a way of detecting submarines – confuses marine animals, disrupts their mating and injures them.

Fishermen and environmentalists in other parts of the country have been asking for limits on the Navy’s sonar training exercises, except in time of war.

Now North Carolinians are worrying about a proposal to build facilities and conduct exercises over 660 square miles offshore from Camp Lejeune.

The Navy’s assurances at a recent hearing didn’t satisfy Grady and other legislators of the Joint Legislative Commission on Seafood and Aquaculture.

Jones and McIntyre asked the Navy to extend the public comment period for another 60 days. They noted that two studies dealing with the issue are expected to be released early next year.

To its credit, the Navy agreed to the extension.

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USS Pasadena Returns from Western Pacific Deployment

From Chief Journalist (SW/AW) David Rush, Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- Just in time for the holidays, the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Pasadena (SSN 752) returned to its homeport of Pearl Harbor Dec. 22, following a six-month deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

The submarine deployed from Pearl Harbor June 22. While on deployment, Pasadena participated in various exercises, conducted missions, and helped to keep a forward naval presence in the theater. The crew visited various ports including Yokosoka and Sasebo, Japan; Guam; and Saipan.

According to Cmdr. John Heatherington, Pasadena's commanding officer, his submariners did a great job.

"The crew performed superbly, and we met all of our 7th Fleet tasking," he said. "It's a privilege for the crew and their families to be back for the holiday season. It feels good to be home."

Capt. Barry Bruner, commodore, Submarine Squadron 7, said their return in time to enjoy the holidays is the highlight of a successful deployment.

"Long after the men of USS Pasadena are out of the Navy, they will remember the great days they spent together...one of the greatest days they will recall will be the day they arrived home from this successful deployment with everyone safe and with their families on the pier. It just doesn't get any better than that. The fact that they made it home just before the holiday season begins is icing on the cake," said Bruner.

Bruner added that submarine's role in the Western Pacific was very important.

"USS Pasadena's mission was one that is clearly key to our country's health and long-term survival. She routinely operated far from our shores, closer to where the war on terror regions are located," he said. "In addition to being ready to put ordnance on target when ordered, she practiced and prepared for battles that may be fought at any time in the future."

Commissioned Feb. 11, 1989, Pasadena is the second improved Los Angeles 688-class submarine and was built by General Dynamics Corporation, Electric Boat Division, Groton, Conn. It completed its last deployment Oct. 31, 2003.

Three other Pearl Harbor-based submarines, USS Santa Fe (SSN 763), USS Chicago (SSN 721), and USS Columbia (SSN 771), will remain deployed in the Western Pacific during the holidays.

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USS Columbia in line for some good eats

From Staff Reports, www.myrtlebeachonline.com

Regardless of who is victorious in the Independence Bowl between Missouri and USC, the crew of the USS Columbia will be winners.

Columbia, S.C., Mayor Bob Cole and Columbia, Mo., Mayor Darwin Hindman have place a wager on the outcome of Friday's game. Allen Brothers Milling Company of Columbia donated the payout - approximately 14,000 servings of food, including grits and corn-muffin, buttermilk biscuit, pancake and hush puppy mixes. The donation will be made no matter who wins the game.

The USS Columbia is the 60th submarine of the Los Angeles class and honors the capital cities of South Carolina, Missouri and Illinois. It has a crew of 13 officers and 116 enlisted men, and it's home port is in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Ticket takers. USC sold 8,227 tickets for the Independence Bowl before the ticket office closed Thursday and today for the holidays. If USC sells at least 9,000 of its 12,000-ticket allotment, the SEC will pay for the remaining unsold tickets.

Independence Bowl interim executive director Missy Setters said Thursday she was encouraged by USC's sales.

“That's great," she said. "Usually you get a real surge after the team announcement and then it drops off. So that's great that it's been pretty steady."

Setters said Colorado has sold about 2,700 tickets, and bowl organizers have sold 18,000 tickets locally.

USC's ticket office will be open 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Tickets can be purchased by calling (803) 777-4274 or (800) 472-3267.

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Connecticut Fares Well In Defense Budget

By John Moran, Courant Staff Writer, December 23 2005

Connecticut companies stand to reap billions in future revenue from the $453 billion defense budget that cleared Congress Thursday.

The spending plan includes funding for several key defense programs with major implications for state-based businesses, including $2.5 billion for another Virginia-class attack submarine built by Groton's Electric Boat shipyard, $2 billion for 83 Black Hawk-class helicopters built by Stratford's Sikorsky Aircraft, and billions more for military aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney jet engines.

Paul Jackson, a spokesman for United Technologies Corp., the parent company of Pratt, Sikorsky and Hamilton Sundstrand, said UTC was pleased with the defense spending plans.

"They fund our key programs, and we credit and applaud the Connecticut delegation and other congressional supporters of a strong national defense," Jackson said. "We believe all of these are important, not only for UTC, but also for the Connecticut economy and the nation as a whole.

"I am pleased and proud of our success in securing significant funding increases for vital Connecticut defense priorities so far," U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement.

Lieberman's office released the following summary of Connecticut-related spending included in the fiscal 2006 defense budget:

Electric Boat, Groton: $2.5 billion for one new Virginia-class attack submarine; $15 million for a multimission module for Virginia-class submarines; $1.8 million for research and development of large aperture bow array for Virginia-class submarines.

Sikorsky Aircraft, Stratford: $2 billion for 83 H-60 Blackhawk Army and Seahawk Navy helicopters; $272 million to develop the CH-53X Marine Corps heavy-lift helicopter.

Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford and Middletown: $3.7 billion toward purchase of 24 F/A-22 Raptor Air Force fighter jets, which are powered by F-119 Pratt & Whitney engines; $5 billion to continue research and development of the Joint Strike Fighter, which will be outfitted with Pratt & Whitney F-135 engines; $3 billion to buy 15 C-17 Cargo Aircraft, which are powered by Pratt's F117-PW-100 engines; $21 million to continue upgrades to F-16 Air National Guard aircraft engines; $12.5 million to re-engine E-8C JSTARS surveillance aircraft with newer JT8D-219 engines.

Hamilton Sundstrand, Windsor Locks: $2.5 million to develop the Electric Start System for large gas turbine engines onboard the Navy's Ticonderoga, Kidd and Arleigh Burke-class ships.

Colt's Manufacturing Co., West Hartford: $63 million above President Bush's budget to procure additional M-4 rifles for use in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Norden Systems, Norwalk: $2 million above Bush's budget to fund real-time precision targeting radar; $7.5 million above Bush's budget for color weather radar system for C-130 aircraft.

FuelCell Energy, Danbury: $3.75 million to develop a one-megawatt fuel cell at Pearl Harbor Naval Base.

Kaman Corp., Bloomfield: $3.75 million to develop an unmanned aerial vehicle that could be used to resupply soldiers deployed under combat conditions; $1 million to begin developing composite small main rotor blades for Army helicopters.

Goodrich Pump and Engine Control Systems, West Hartford: $2 million for research and development of a full-authority digital engine control system for the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior and Mission Enhanced Little Bird helicopters.

DRS Systems, Danbury: $1.5 million to continue research and development of a high-speed permanent magnet generator for use in electric propulsion and ship service generation; $1 million to develop a universal solid-state circuit breaker to improve lightweight generators on U.S. naval ships.

Proton Energy, Wallingford: $1.25 million to develop hydrogen-oxygen regenerative fuel cell high-altitude technology.

Fermont Corp., Bridgeport: $2 million to buy lightweight 100-kilowatt generators to meet the Army's power demands in Iraq.

Moore Tool, Bridgeport: $1.75 million to continue research and development of precision micromanipulation and SuperPulse laser machine tool systems for work on turbine engines.

Purdy Corp., Manchester: $4.5 million to supply the Army with key components for the CH-47 Chinook helicopter as the Army struggles to meet the surging demands being placed on these critical aircraft.

Oxley, Branford: $5.25 million for research and development of a Future Medical Shelter System for the Army to deploy two mobile health care units, fully equipped with biological and chemical decontamination facilities.

Invitrogen, Branford: $1.4 million for multipurpose biodefense immuno-arrays to accelerate development of vaccines against biological threats; assess the vulnerability of individuals and populations to specific biological threats; improve bioterrorism response; and develop core technology for detection and diagnostics.

Z-Medica, Wallingford: $3 million for QuickClot high-tech wound treatment for use by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hexcel, Southbury: $2.7 million to develop carbon fiber technologies to improve the materials used to protect airframes on such high-performance aircraft as the F-22 and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter from high temperatures and other strains.

Ensign-Bickford, Simsbury: $2.7 million to procure rapid wall breaching kits to provide troops with equipment for quickly breaking down walls in urban terrain operations.

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Connecticut Job Growth Grinds Ahead

State Makes Small Gains In 'low Gear' As Layoffs Continue To Sap Momentum

By John Christoffersen & Associated Press, The Day, 12/24/2005

Stamford - When a federal commission reversed a plan to close Submarine Base New London this summer, Connecticut rejoiced that thousands of jobs were saved. But months later, submarine builder Electric Boat announced plans in December to cut up to 2,400 jobs and warned it could eliminate half of its work force in the coming years if business didn't improve.

It was that kind of year in Connecticut, as positive developments mixed with major layoffs. After years of sluggish job growth, the state showed some signs of life in 2005 by adding 14,400 jobs through November.

"I think 2005 was sort of a transitional year where we finally saw some growth that was recognizable," said Pete Gioia, economist with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, which has 10,000 members. "We're sort of walking along or stuck in low gear."

In June, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. reported that Connecticut had the worst job stagnation in the country, with employment only slightly higher than at the beginning of the 1990s. The state has lost more than 100,000 manufacturing jobs in the last 15 years and had the lowest growth in its professional and business services sector in New England, according to the report.

While Connecticut returned to the top in median household income in the country, the state continued to suffer layoffs in 2005 in key industries. The insurance industry struggled with layoffs and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Casual Corner, founded in West Hartford in 1950, announced in November it would close or sell its 525 stores employing more than 9,000 people in 42 states.

On the positive sign, The Royal Bank of Scotland plans to move its North American headquarters from New York to Stamford, initially bringing approximately 1,150 new jobs to Connecticut.

In Wallingford, Mortgage Lenders Network USA announced plans in August to build a new corporate headquarters in the spring that is expected to lead to about 1,000 new jobs in the next few years.

In Bridgeport, AC Cars, Britain's oldest sports car company, is building its first U.S. manufacturing plant that will create 141 jobs.

"We seem to be faced with a series of major job cuts that are overwhelming some of the good employment stories that are taking place," said Edward Deak, an economics professor at Fairfield University.

The state's unemployment rate of 5.1 percent in November was slightly above the 5 percent national rate. For the first time in several years, the state's jobless rate was higher than the national average.

Economists are predicting slow to moderate job growth for 2006 in Connecticut. Some experts say the state's population density, small size and aging population make faster growth difficult.

Gioia said the state needs to attract new residents and businesses and deal with infrastructure problems such as traffic gridlock in Fairfield County that hurts the whole state.

"We've got potential for more of a takeoff than this modest, just chugging along in second gear," Gioia said.

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Navy Awards General Dynamics $15.5 Million for Post-Shakedown Work on USS Virginia

finanzen.net, 22 December 2005

GROTON, Conn., Dec. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The U.S. Navy today awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $15.5 million contract modification to perform a range of work on USS Virginia (SSN-774) following its shakedown period. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics .

The work, known as a Post-Shakedown Availability, comprises maintenance, repairs, alterations, testing and other activities and will be completed in November 2006. Ninety-nine percent of the work will be performed at Electric Boat's shipyard here; one percent will be performed at Quonset Point, R.I. The award modifies a contract received earlier this year and brings its total funded value to $54.8 million.

The lead ship of its class, USS Virginia is the first of the Navy's major combatants to be designed specifically for post-Cold War missions. Electric Boat has contracts to produce nine more Virginia-class ships with its construction teammate, Northrop Grumman.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 71,900 people worldwide and had 2004 revenue of $19.2 billion. The company is a market leader in mission-critical information systems and technologies; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and business aviation. More information about the company can be found at http://www.generaldynamics.com/.

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PA Guidance on new film “Annapolis”

From the Office of the Chief of Information, 23 December 2005

On January 27, 2006, Buena Vista Pictures (a division of the Disney Studios) will release “ANNAPOLIS,” a feature film that purports to be about life at the Naval Academy. This picture was made without the support of the Department of the Navy (DoN) and the Department of Defense (DoD).

Various Navy offices have been approached by Disney and their publicity affiliates to participate in screenings and promotional activities. Our policy is that we do not participate in promotional events for motion pictures which we declined to provide filming support.

CHINFO was initially approached through NAVINFO WEST for assistance with this production. In preparation of the script, the producers were given several research opportunities at the Naval Academy and were allowed to film the “I Day” induction of the Plebe Class. When the script was presented for support, it was reviewed by NAVINFO WEST and the Naval Academy. Extensive notes were provided to the producers - who provided additional drafts of the script to the Navy. Unfortunately, the story depicted in the script did not accurately portray the Academy, its standards for training, and its methods of shaping midshipmen mentally, morally and physically for service in the U.S. Navy. Based on this, the producers were not allowed access to the Academy grounds or provided with any other support for the filming.

Navy personnel should avoid the appearance of support to the film as members of the Department of the Navy. Anyone attending a screening or promotional activity for the film should not attend in uniform. Recruiters who are asked to set up booths in theater lobbies where the movie is playing should contact the Recruiting Command PAO.

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Icy reception awaits U.S. subs

Tory leader's $2b plan to protect Far North includes national sensor system

By Martin O'Hanlon, The Canadian Press, Dec 23, 2005

Stephen Harper made it clear yesterday that foreign vessels bold enough to trespass in Canada's Arctic would get a frosty reception from hulking new navy icebreakers under a Conservative government.

The tough Tory talk is part of multibillion-dollar plan to protect the country's sovereignty in the wake of reports that United States submarines routinely cruise Canadian waters undetected.

Harper says he'd put an end to that by establishing a national sensor system for northern air and water.

He promised to commission three Canadian-built heavy icebreakers and create a military-civilian deep-water docking facility in the Iqaluit region.

And, he added, that he'd set up an Arctic army training centre in the Far North and station new search-and-rescue aircraft in Yellowknife.

At least 500 sailors, soldiers and airmen would operate the icebreakers and the docking station, estimated to cost about $2 billion over eight or nine years.

"You don't defend national sovereignty with flags, cheap election rhetoric and advertising campaigns," Harper remarked. "You need forces on the ground, ships in the sea and proper surveillance.

"As prime minister I will make it plain to foreign governments, including the government of the United States, that naval vessels travelling in Canadian waters will require the consent of the government of Canada."

Harper's announcement is aimed at attracting voters upset about ongoing threats to Canadian control of its northern territory.

Recent reports suggested a U.S. submarine likely passed through Canadian waters recently on its way to the North Pole. And there is a high-profile territorial dispute with Denmark over tiny Hans Island in the Far North.

The Tories are hoping to get a boost from their patriotic platform as they head into the holiday lull with yet another poll suggesting the Liberals continue to hold a comfortable lead.

A Leger Marketing survey, done for The Canadian Press, put Grit support at 36 per cent, compared with 28 per cent for the Tories. The NDP stood at 17 per cent and the Bloc at 12.

Prime Minister Paul Martin dismissed the proposed Arctic monitoring system as prohibitively expensive. He said the military already patrols the North and there are plans in place to expand monitoring using unmanned spy planes.

Earlier in the week, Martin said the federal government will do what is necessary to stop U.S. submarines from entering Canadian waters without permission.

Defence Minister Bill Graham said the underwater listening system alone would cost billions of dollars.

"This is an overreaction ... to a situation in which an American submarine might ... have gone through Canadian waters.

"This is the wrong threat. The real threat in the North is the social change, environmental change, climate change."

Under the Tory defence plan, annual defence spending would soar to about $20 billion a year after five years, compared with about $14 billion under the Liberal plan.

Harper said that even after the new cash injection, Canada would still be at the lower end of the spectrum for per-capita defence spending among NATO countries.

While Harper was talking about defending the Arctic, New Democrat Leader Jack Layton was more concerned about defending medicare.

Layton warned Alberta Premier Ralph Klein, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell and Quebec Premier Jean Charest to "back off" on private health care.

"You are not going to destroy public health care," Layton said. "New Democrats won't let you."

He said Alberta has commissioned a study to look at introducing private, for-profit insurance companies into the province's health-care system.

Layton also accused the Liberals of having abandoned their values, including the defence of medicare. And, he added, the Tories are anxious to usher in more privatization.

All the leaders are putting their national campaigns on hold until Jan. 2, although they plan to attend some events.

The Tory Plan For Protecting The Arctic

· Station three new armed naval heavy icebreakers in the area of Iqaluit. The icebreakers, which will be made in Canada, will include 500 regular force personnel for crews and support and will be capable of carrying troops. This commitment will establish a Canadian naval presence in the Arctic.

· Build a new military/civilian deep-water docking facility in the area of Iqaluit. The facility will be home to the naval icebreakers and it will also include a civilian component. It will be built through 100% federal funding and will boost economic development in the North.

· Establish a new Arctic National Sensor System for northern waters. This national system will include underwater surveillance listening posts, such as acoustic or movement sensors, that will detect the movement and position of any foreign submarines and ships in Canadian Arctic waters.

· Build a new Arctic army training centre in the area of Cambridge Bay. This centre on the Northwest Passage will be staffed by an estimated 100 regular force personnel capable of training army units in Arctic operations using new equipment such as cross snow/tundra troop carriers.

· Station new fixed-wing search-and-rescue aircraft in Yellowknife. These aircraft will provide essential services to the North and will be in addition to utility aircraft replacements.

· Provide eastern and western Arctic air surveillance. New long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) squadrons (est. 100 regular force personnel each) will be stationed at CFB Goose Bay and CFB Comox to provide continuous Arctic and Ocean surveillance and patrol. As well, the upgrades of the Aurora aircraft and the satellite surveillance system will be completed to provide a complete Arctic surveillance capability.

· Revitalize the Canadian Rangers. Up to 500 additional Rangers will be recruited. The Rangers' level of activity and training will be increased and equipment will be upgraded.

· Provide an army emergency response capability. A new airborne battalion at CFB Trenton with airlift will provide a rapid emergency response capability throughout the Arctic.

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Editorial: U.S. subs do not threaten our sovereignty

Rob Huebert, National Post, 21 December 2005

I agree with those who argue that Canada must do more to protect our Arctic sovereignty. However, contrary to the suggestions contained in the National Post's front-page story on Monday, the recent voyage of a U.S. submarine to the North Pole does not represent an assault on that sovereignty.

Under international law, the Americans have every right to send their submarines submerged to the North Pole via the routes cited in your story -- the Bering Strait north to the North Pole and then south along the east or west coast of Greenland.

It is true that, if the U.S. submarine travelled along the west coast of Greenland, it travelled along the eastern boundary of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. But this is an international strait, which means that, under the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention, all countries have the right of transit passage.

The Nares Strait that divides Greenland and Ellesmere Island is not to be confused with Canada's Northwest Passage. Even though the distance between Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago is less than 24 miles, all nations still retain the right to have their submarines transit through.

Indeed, the Canadian government has never suggested that the Americans (or French, British or Russians) cannot travel these waters. Thus, if the Americans used this route, they did nothing to challenge our Arctic sovereignty.

The Post article (and several experts quoted therein) alluded to the possibility that this submarine entered Canada's Northwest Passage instead of the Nares Strait. The story itself makes it clear that the exact path of the submarine is unknown. But even if we assume the U.S. submarine did detour into Canadian waters, there would still be no assault on our sovereignty.

Why? Because secret submarine voyages have never been used as evidence in international maritime disputes. An examination of the records of the International Court of Justice and similar bodies does not yield a single example of such trips being used to make a claim. The reason for this is simple: By their nature, they're secret. Navies do not want other navies to know what their submarines can do and how they do it.

International tribunals accept only evidence that is publicly acknowledged and not evidence that is submitted as a state secret. Even if the Americans did try to introduce their submarines' voyages into the Northwest Passage as support for their claim that it is an international strait, that evidence would have no standing.

Finally, given that Canada and the United States are NATO allies, the presence of an American submarine in the Northwest Passage would not be an assault on our sovereignty. We co-operate with the Americans in the name of common defence to assist the entry of their submarines into our northern waters. While the agreements that govern this co-operation still remain highly guarded secrets, the memoirs of U.S. submarine captains have shed important light on the subject.

In the early 1960s, the USS Seadragon was the first nuclear-powered U.S. submarine to transit the Northwest Passage. According to the captain of the Seadragon, several Canadian naval officers (including a commodore) were onboard to assist the submarine on its first voyage. As no high-ranking officer would be onboard without the Canadian government's approval, it is clear that the first voyages of American submarines into Canadian waters were co-operative ventures. Subsequent American submarine voyages cannot then be used as an argument against Canadian sovereignty.

The bottom line is that Canada does not know what is happening in the north and it does face several serious threats to its Arctic sovereignty. However, U.S. (or British for that matter) nuclear-powered submarines travelling back and forth to the North Pole are not part of that problem.

Rob Huebert is the associate director for the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.

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EUR 406M to DCN to Support French SSN Fleet

www.defenseindustrydaily.com, 27 Dec 2005

According to an unofficial translation by defense-aerospace.com, DCN has received a contract for the total operational support of the 6 Rubis Amethyste Class nuclear-powered attack submarines operated by the French Navy and home-ported in Toulon, France. The deal is worth EUR 406 million (about $485 million) over four years, with a firm initial tranche worth EUR 80 million ($95 million). It extends the global contract approach adopted by the customer, the Service du Soutien de la Flotte (SSF, or Fleet Support Department) and consolidates all activities contributing to the operational support of French SSNs.

The submarine support deal extends DCN's history in the area of fleet support, and also includes a number of innovative elements.

DCN has already signed similar operational support contracts with the French Navy, covering the operational support of SSN (initial contract signed in June 2003), nuclear-powered missile submarines, torpedoes, light frigates, fleet support ships, and major surface combatants.

This particular contract is innovative in that it calls for payment on the basis of the number of days the submarines are available, continuing the trend displayed in DCN's recent major surface combatant support contract. Over the duration of the SSN-related contract, DCN guarantees the customer that each submarine will attain a high degree of safety and security, and a robust operational capability.

In addition to scheduled heavy service availabilities (IPER and IEI in French parlance) carried out by DCN employees, work covered by the contract includes routine maintenance, related logistics, engineering and related infrastructure. This contract will ensure the work-load of DCN Services Toulon until 2009.

Large sections of Thales' Naval activities were recently merged into DCN with the 'support' of the French state, which retains a 75% share in the combined firm.

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Putin's show of strength triggers fear of fresh nuclear arms race

Fraser Nelson, Political Editor, www.scotsman.com, 26 Dec 2005

VLADIMIR Putin has sparked fears of a new arms race between Russia and the United States by deploying a nuclear ballistic strike force system that officials made clear could penetrate US anti- missile defences.

On Christmas Eve, the Russian army activated a new fleet of Topol-M missiles that can fit a nuclear warhead and travel 6,000 miles, changing trajectory to foil any enemy interception device.

The accompanying hawkish rhetoric of the Russian military commanders and the frenetic response of the US navy have stoked concern that the former Cold War adversaries have quietly resumed the arms race.

General Nikolai Solovtsov, commander of the Russian missile forces, has mobilised a new battalion for the Topol-M missiles, which have a capacity for a one megatonne impact - 75 times the power of the 1945 Hiroshima bomb.

Gen Solovtsov, a critic of US anti- missile defence technology, said the Topol-M missile "is capable of piercing any missile defence system" and is immune to electromagnetic blasts used by current US anti-missile systems.

While Russia had disbanded two missile divisions last year, it has now formed more than 20 new units - in the fastest increase of nuclear spending since the run-up to the Cuban missile crisis.

Last month, the US navy carried out its most ambitious and successful test of an anti-missile interceptor, which can be launched from an Aegis class cruiser in the Pacific Ocean. A warhead from an incoming rocket was destroyed 100 miles above sea level - the first time an anti- missile defence has succeeded, in tests, when launched from a ship.

Duncan Lamont, a British defence analyst and editor of Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems, said the new Topol missiles could evade the "ballistic missile defences currently being fielded in Alaska and California".

The roll-out of the Topol-M and the hawkish accompanying language mark the fastest expansion of nuclear missiles since the SS-18 and Pershing II technologies were rolled out a generation ago.

Since the last US-Russia arms control treaty was signed in 1993 in Moscow, Russia has struggled to fund technology to replace its ageing defence system. The budget dried up as the Russian economy suffered.

But now the economy is flush with new oil wealth, the nuclear missile programme has been revived and was last month allocated a £1 billion budget increase from the Kremlin. This has boosted Mr Putin's popularity.

Japan, growing anxious about a nuclear missile strike from North Korea, signed up to the American missile defence programme last week and allocated £14 million for joint research.

The Ukrainian government, elected last year in a part-protest against Moscow's influence, has asked to come back under the former Soviet military umbrella and be protected by the Topol-M stationed in the Volga river.

In September, Russia successfully tested a Bulava missile, a submarine-launched equivalent of the Topol-M. Launched from the White Sea, it hit its target 30 minutes later on Kamchatka, in the opposite, Far Eastern side of Russia.

The escalation in missile defence will pose difficult questions for Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, who must soon decide whether to renew Britain's trident nuclear deterrent. The case for not doing so is largely based on the pacification of post-Soviet Russia.

Relations with Mr Putin have been increasingly strained, as western leaders have criticised his heavy-handed style, his imprisonment of political opponents and slow pace towards democratising the country.

The European Union has condemned Mr Putin's decision to sell anti-aircraft missiles to Iran, whose new president last month spoke of his desire to "wipe Israel off the map". Iran says it wants to buy Russian nuclear energy next.

Russia takes over the year-long G8 presidency from Britain in January. Mr Putin has made his theme security of energy supply - which marries concern over Iraq with the Kremlin's concerns about its control of Caspian oil reserves.

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