Weekly Contest AutoMatters & More What’s Going On This Weekend Enter to win a voucher for two to attend a Consumer-oriented ‘Ride & Drives.’ Encinitas Cruise Nights, Comic-Con, show at The Comedy Palace. Restrictions Legally Blonde: The Musical, All-American apply. See page 4 See page 14 Car Show XX. See page 18 Navy Marine Corps Coast Guard Army Air Force AT AT EASE ARMED FORCES San Diego Navy/Marine Corps Dispatch www.armedforcesdispatch.com 619.280.2985 FIFTY EIGHTH YEAR NO. 7 DISPATCH THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018 Serving active duty and retired military personnel, veterans and civil service employees Partial dry-dock collapse floods RIMPAC mine warfare Navy ship under construction by David B. Larter DEFENSE NEWS - The Navy is assessing the damage after a par- operations underway in SOCAL tial dry-dock collapse at General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard sent seawater through the hull cuts into the expeditionary sea base Miguel Keith that is under construction there, according to a statement from Naval Sea Systems Command provided to Defense News. The July 11 incident occured after the barrier that keeps the water out of the dry dock collapsed, San Diego fire officials told ABC 10 News. There were no injuries. The full extent of the damage caused is unknown, said NAVSEA spokeswoman Colleen O’Rourke, but the ship is stable. “On July 11, General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (GD-NASSCO) reported a flooding incident in its graving dock where Miguel Keith (ESB 5) is currently under construction,” the statement read. “The ship floated off the docking blocks and took on water through hull cuts that were made to support the ship’s construction and outfitting. “The extent of damage to the ship will not be known until NASS- CO and Navy personnel can fully assess the situation. Miguel Keith is currently in a safe and stable condition and all personnel are safe and accounted for.” ESB ships are designed to support foward forces carrying cargo, fuel, vehicles and other heavy equipment. USS Montgomery completes Combat System Ship Qualification Trials by Electronics Technician 1st Class Adam Ross SAN DIEGO - Sailors aboard Independence variant littoral combat ship USS Montgomery (LCS 8) successfully completed Combat See the story, inside on page 11 System Ship Qualification Trials (CSSQT), July 1. During the qualification, the crew conducted several trials to validate the performance of their combat systems suite, involving firing exercises and using their 57mm gun against a fast attack craft. The exercise is designed to test the ship’s ability to track and disable high-speed maneuvering surface targets. “The entire Montgomery team has put a lot of hard work and dedication into completing all the required inspections and trials,” said Cmdr. Wayne Liebold, commanding officer and a native of Leesburg, Ga. “I’m proud of their accomplishments and we look forward to bringing Montgomery’s combat power to the Fleet as an operational asset.” The crew successfully completed each scenario and demonstrated the capabilities of the combat systems suite. The trials included dem- onstrations of the Automatic Launching of Expendables (ALEX) De- coy Launching System and 57mm Bofors Gun Weapons System. “I’m proud of the accomplishments of Montgomery over the past few months,” said Chief Fire Controlman Billy Coffelt, a native of Centerton, Ark. “CSSQT proved that the ship is effective conducting wartime operations under the control of these outstanding Sailors. It was an incredible display of our ship’s combat lethality!” With the trials finished, Montgomery will focus on training and certifying for deployment, as well as completing any required mis- sions over the next year. Montgomery is homeported in San Diego, and is undergoing rou- tine maintenance and training in preparation for deployment. Fast, maneuverable and networked surface-combatants, LCSs provide the required warfighting capabilities and operational flex- ibility to executeArmed Forces Dispatchfocused Newspaper missions such as surface warfare, mine OFF THE COAST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (July 6, 2018) U.S. Coast Guard deployable specialized forces warfare and anti-submarine warfare. (DSF) assigned to Maritime Security Response Team - West (MSRT-W) and Royal Canadian Navy explosive ordnance disposal technicians assigned to Fleet Diving Unit Pacific conduct maritime interdiction operations training in support of counter-improvised explosive device and mine warfare operations as part of Com- mander Task Force 177 during the force integration phase of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Southern California DISPATCHARMED FORCES (SOCAL) exercise. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Matthew A. 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DISPATCHARMED FORCES Armed Forces Dispatch Newspaper Armed Forces Dispatch Newspaper Army chooses Austin as site for Futures Command headquarters by David Vergun -- Availability of cost and time WASHINGTON - Austin, assessment of civic support; Texas, will be the location for -- Mature entrepreneurial in- the headquarters of the new cubator hubs for access to talent, U.S. Army Futures Command, ideas and collaboration;-- Space Army Secretary Mark T. Esper and access to top-tier university THAT announced July 13. science and engineering depart- ECOSYSTEM ments for collaboration on ex- Army Undersecretary Ryan periments, prototype concepts CANNOT BE D. McCarthy then explained and systems; DUPLICATED FROM the details. He said the process -- Expandability of work space started with 150 metropolitan for other services and companies BEHIND THE areas, narrowed down to five. to join the effort; WALLS OF Besides Austin, officials con- -- Density of industry and sidered Boston; Minneapolis-St. academic talent; and TRADITIONAL Paul; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; -- Cost of doing business to POSTS AND and Philadelphia. enable both new startups and to draw established firms. FORTS,” McCarthy said he and an SAID RYAN M. advance team visited each of The undersecretary said the those five cities and met with type of urban ecosystem defined MCCARTY, ARMY A Multiple Launch Rocket System with an improved armored cab fires a training city leaders, congressional del- by the selection criteria is where UNDER SECRETARY rocket during a test. Army photo by John Andrew Hamilton egations, private-sector entities, innovation, networking and col- and university faculty and staff. laboration are happening daily. command has been identified, Col. Patrick Seiber, com- mand. A number of acquisi- All of those, he said, were “tre- but the officer’s name has not munications director for Army tion and contracting elements mendously welcoming and ac- “That ecosystem cannot be Army Futures Command, Mc- yet made public, he said. Futures Command, said over that will fall under AFC, but commodating to our team.” duplicated from behind the walls Carthy said. Within a year, full the next year, a number of ex- those decisions are still being of traditional posts and forts,” he operating capability will be McCarthy said Army Fu- isting Army organizations are reviewed, he said. He added that the choice was said, adding that recognition of achieved, he said, with a head- tures Command will shepherd scheduled to transition from difficult, as all five had great that concept is a radical change quarters staff of about 500. development of the service’s other commands to AFC. The While some existing Army qualities. for the Army’s culture. six modernization priorities of Army Research, Development organizations will be realigned McCarthy said that doesn’t improved long-range precision and Engineering Command is under AFC, Seiber emphasized The criteria for selection in- The selection criteria evalu- mean all 500 will be working out fires, a next-generation com- one example of an organization that those organizations, their cluded: ation process included use of of a downtown office. He said bat vehicle, future vertical lift that eventually will realign under employees and their facilities are -- Proximity to science, tech- an outside firm, validated with that as full operating capability is platforms, a mobile and expedi- AFC, he said. expected to physically remain nology, engineering and math the Army’s internal studies and achieved over the coming year, tionary Army network, air and where they are now. workers and industries; analysis, as well as a federally- he envisions teams of soldiers missile defense capabilities and Army Research Laborato- -- Proximity to private-sector funded research and develop- and Army civilians working out soldier lethality. ries, part of Army Materiel The changes, he said, are “a innovation; ment center, he said. of technology “incubator hubs” Command, also will realign delayering or rewiring, so to -- Academic STEM and re- alongside entrepreneurs, scien- He said the eight cross-func- to AFC,