As hard core as they come
June 17th, 2010 | leadership Morale NECC Officers | Posted by Lance Bacon
Meet Lt. John Pucillo. This EOD leader lost his left leg above the knee when an IED exploded outside his vehicle in May 2006, in Baghdad. But he didn’t let that hold him back.
Pucillo endured nine grueling months of rehab at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, then returned to active EOD service. He made the U.S. Paralympics Sailing National Team and earned his master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.
Now, the Bronze Star recipient has added another decoration to crown his fruit salad: Jump wings.
Power projection points to pending problems
June 17th, 2010 | Life at Sea Maritime operations Navy SEALs Submarines | Posted by Lance Bacon
For the first time ever, all four guided missile subs are deployed to an AOR. We’re not talking about being underway at the same time, and sea trials don’t count. We’re talking about being on the tip of the spear. For you strategists out there, that equals a combined 616 Tomahawk cruise missiles on station, and the ability to deploy up to 264 special ops forces.
The historic mark was hit June 10, according to this Navy release. In the article, Rear Adm. Frank Caldwell, commander of Submarine Group 9 said “… back in the mid 90’s this was just a power point presentation.”
While a commendable feat, the fact that all four SSGNs are out also points to a growing problem.
Advanced Gun System hits milestone
May 28th, 2010 | Maritime operations Navy ordnance Science and technology Ships | Posted by Lance Bacon
- An artist’s rendition of the the AGS at work.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead in an interview with Navy Times last month voiced his commitment to providing Marines precision littoral fire support.
We’re looking at rounds that give us extended range and are compatible with 5-inch guns. Precision is going to be key. In today’s world, if you are developing a fire solution, it must be able to give you almost pinpoint accuracy, to within a couple of meters. GPS technology offers that. Of course, there is a huge G-force, so [the round] will have to be able to withstand a pretty significant speed of launch and flight.”
As that science is worked out, Devil Dawgs can give an emphatic “Ooh-Rah” to the Advanced Gun System. The 155mm system, which is part of the DDG 1000 program, can tattoo targets from 70 miles using Lockheed Martin’s 230-pound Long Range Land Attack Projectile. The program hit a milestone this week as BAE delivered the first AGS automated magazine. A mammoth of a magazine, this thing can organize and process 38 pallets weighing three tons each and fire up to 10 rounds per minute, according to this release. The world’s largest fully automated magazine, this two-story magazine is 45 x 30 and weighs 160 metric tons.
That’s enough firepower to make any Marine smile.
Patriotic pic of the week
May 28th, 2010 | Liberty Navy Photos Ships | Posted by Lance Bacon
Photo by Peter Morgan
The amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima kicked off New York City’s 23rd Annual Fleet Week as it made its way down the Hudson River and past the Statue of Liberty on Wednesday. Fort Hamilton’s four-gun battery fired an 11-gun salute to honor the participating ships. Sailors and Marines manning the rails then saluted as they passed the site of the World Trade Center.
Seven in Seven
May 21st, 2010 | Aviation Carriers Coast Guard Congress Foreign navies Maritime operations Mishaps Naval Academy Navy Personnel Ships Sports Submarines The Pacific Washington | Posted by Lance Bacon
Sailors aboard the carrier Ronald Reagan conduct a test of the aqueous film forming foam firefighting system during a planned incremental availability maintenance period. Ronald Reagan is completing its first underway period since October 2009. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Alexander Tidd)
It’s been another busy week for the Navy. Here are seven stories in seven minutes from the past seven days that are worthy of notice:
1. Defense Bill passes HASC. This bill has tons of important stuff – far too much to put in this blog. You can check Monday’s edition of Navy Times for the complete scoop. But among the highlights is this news that lawmakers bucked the Pentagon’s 1.4 percent pay raise request, and looks to instead give service members a 1.9 percent boost.
In addition, the bill aligns the 30-year shipbuilding plan with the QDR, which bodes well for the 313-ship Navy. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., and the Seapower committee he chairs, put the following in the bill:
Gates claims sanity
May 20th, 2010 | Aviation Carriers Congress leadership Navy Personnel Washington | Posted by Lance Bacon
For the second time in as many weeks, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has publicly proclaimed his own sanity. Or at least that he is “not crazy.”
The first happened May 7 when he told reporters:
I may want to change things, but I’m not crazy. I’m not going to cut a carrier, OK?”
The comment was in response to headlines Gates made on May 3 when he questioned the need for 11 carrier strike groups.
Today, Gates conceded a fiscal fight when the House Armed Services Committee decided the Pentagon’s basic pay raise from 1.4 to 1.9 percent. As first reported by Military Times’ own Bill McMichael in this story, the SecDef wanted to spend the $500 million difference on procurement. Congress wanted to spend it on the troops. Gates withdrew from the fight, telling Pentagon reporters (you guessed it):
I want change. But I’m not crazy.”
But Gates is sticking to his guns on the issue of JSF engines. He has warned that he would recommend a presidential veto if the HASC kept $485 million in funding for a second F-35 engine in the defense bill. It did. Gates, who says the second engine is a waste of money, said Thursday that he will “strongly recommend” the bill be vetoed, as promised.
Clearly he doesn’t think that’s crazy.
Carrier move to Mayport dead in the water?
May 20th, 2010 | Carriers Congress Navy Ships Washington | Posted by Lance Bacon
Mayport’s former carrier, the conventionally powered John F. Kennedy, was decommissioned in March 2007.
Last week, Florida’s fight for a carrier was staggered by this Government Accountability Office report. Seeing the Sunshine State was standing on spaghetti legs, Rep. Glenn Nye, D-Va., on Wednesday night landed what Virginia lawmakers hope to be the knock-out punch.
It happened as the House Armed Services Committee considered the 2011 defense bill.
Reporter’s Notebook: CNO @ Heritage Foundation
May 14th, 2010 | Aviation Ballistic missile defense Carriers China Environment Foreign navies leadership Maritime operations Navy Personnel The Middle East The Pacific Washington | Posted by Lance Bacon
Adm. Gary Roughead speaks at the Heritage Foundation's annual series of events aimed at highlighting key national defense and homeland security issues. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist First Class Tiffini Jones Vanderwyst)
Date: May 13, 2010
Location: Heritage Foundation, Washington D.C.
Subj: CNO comments
In a speech and response to questions offered at the Heritage Foundation Thursday, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead urged fiscal responsibility yet downplayed talk of further cuts to Navy ships and programs.
He agreed with Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ call for greater scrutiny in procurement, and said he is a “proponent” for considering revisions to decades-old laws governing personnel issues. (You can read more about that in Monday’s edition of Navy Times).
Other highlights: Read the rest of this entry »
Ike is on a roll!
May 7th, 2010 | Aviation Carriers Maritime operations Navy Ships | Posted by Lance Bacon
The carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower maintained its five-star status in April, with more than 500 combat sorties and 4,147 flight hours in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The crew marked 92 days on station in the Persian Gulf with a visit to Dubai at month’s end.
Then on May 1, Capt. Samuel “Pappy” Paparo, deputy commander of Carrier Air Wing 7, became the 100,000th safe trap on the #3 arresting gear engine.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower group, having deployed for five months in 2009, deployed again to the Middle East in January.
Seven in Seven
May 7th, 2010 | Carriers Congress Foreign navies leadership Life at Sea Maritime operations Naval Academy Navy NECC Officers Sea Air Space SEALs Ships Submarines The Middle East Washington | Posted by Lance Bacon
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead meets sailors and their families at Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington, Tenn. Roughead was in Millington to get a first-hand look at damage sustained from flooding. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ronda Spaulding)
Defense Secretary Robert Gates dropped the bomb of the week. In his first invitation to the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space symposium, Gates suggested a need for cutting carriers, sinking SSBN(X) and eliminating Expeditionary Fighting Vehicles. You can read Gates’ speech here, and find out how this affects you in Monday’s edition of Navy Times.
Speaking of amphibious operations, the personnel bubbas in Millington are starting to dry out. Two days of rain dumped more than 14 inches in the area. A levee couldn’t hold the water back and the base was flooded. This delayed one promotion board and threw many administrative matters into chaos, but the crew weathered the storm in true Navy fashion.
Here’s seven stories in seven minutes from the past seven days that you may not have seen, but are worthy of notice: