NAVY NEWS WEEK 6-4

7 February 2018

Malaysia, Japan coast guards launch anti-piracy exercise Malaysia's maritime agency and Japan's coast guard have launched a weeklong joint exercise focusing on combating piracy at sea as well as search and rescue operations. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency says the Japanese Coast Guard sent its patrol vessel Tsugaru and more than 50 crew for the exercise at Malaysia's northeastern port of Kuantan. It says KM Pekan, one of two patrol vessels given to Malaysia by Japan, will be involved in the exercise. The agency said in a statement Monday that it is the third such exercise in five years to help build capacity because "robbery at sea and cross- border maritime crime remain a significant threat" in Malaysia's maritime zone. Source : foxnews

Nuclear inshore Norway 3 to 4 times monthly NATO and Russia’s cat-and-mouse game in the Norwegian and Barents Seas gives a sharp increase in allied port- calls, especially in northern Norway. By Thomas Nilsen Allied nuclear powered submarines are much more frequently sailing inside Norwegian waters, surfacing for crew-exchange or other purposes; either to port or in waters inshore the coast. Last year peaked with more than 40 voyages requiring permission in and out of Norwegian coastal waters. “3 to 4 per month,” says Navy Captain Per-Thomas Bøe with the Ministry of Defense in Oslo when asked by Barents Observer about the 2017 numbers of allied nuclear powered submarines. “The majority were in the north, three times more,” Bøe says about the geographical areas of allied nuclear- powered submarines. Typically, an American on mission in the Norwegian Sea would not want to sail all way south to Haakonsvern or to a naval base in the United Kingdom to put on shore a crew member or pick up some new devises or supply. Surfacing near the area where the cat-and-mouse hunt with the Russians takes place saves time. Not all port-calls actually mean the vessel goes to port. Often, especially in northern Norway, a submarine typically surfaces inshore in a fjord and is met by another vessel that brings crewmembers to a nearby port. Since the early 1960s and throughout the Cold War, Norway’s policy was not to allow for allied warships to make port calls east of 24 degrees in peacetime. That is harbours in Finnmark on the Barents Sea coast. Olavsvern navy base outside Tromsø was closed down in 2009, just a year before Russia again started to sail much more frequently on submarine voyages from the Kola Peninsula to the North- Atlantic. Russia’s Northern fleet today operates a fleet of 13 nuclear powered multi-purpose submarines, seven ballistic submarines and ten special-purpose nuclear powered submarines. Additionally, there are many diesel-powered submarines in the Russian navy frequently sailing between the Barents Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean. Captain Per-Thomas Bøe says the increase in allied submarine visits to Norway is closely connected with the increase in Russian submarine missions out of Russian waters in the north. For NATO, keeping track of Russian submarines is of strategic importance. The so-called GIUK gap (Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom) is where submarines from the Kola Peninsula can access the North-Atlantic. If not tracked, those submarines could potentially pose a threat to allied naval vessels sailing between Europe and North America. If NATO manages to block the GIUK gap, allied convoys would be safer in a possible war scenario. West of North Cape, where the Barents Sea meets the Norwegian Sea, waters are much deeper and the cat- and-mouse game can begin. The Barents Sea is not deeper than 250 meters and it is easier to track submarines sailing out from their bases on the coastline between Murmansk and the border to Norway. Therefore, the further north in the Norwegian Sea NATO forces can detect and shadow the Russian submarines, the easier it is to follow where in the North- Atlantic they are sailing. The job, however, is said to be more difficult in recent years due to more silent sailing propellers, especially with the latest Yasen-class vessels. It was two years ago commander of NATO Maritime Command, Vice-Admiral Clive Johnstone, triggered the alarm bell and publicly said the alliance sees “more activity from Russian submarines than we’ve seen since the days of the Cold War. Recently, the Barents Observer published an article showing from where on the Kola Peninsula the fleet of nuclear powered spy-submarines operating globally are based. The secretively special mission operations will in the nearest years receive more submarines, including the largest ever built in the world, the 184 meters long “Belgorod”. In Severodvinsk, Russia’s only yard for building nuclear powered submarines, 13 more subs are currently under construction. Putin’s goal of making the navy world ocean sailing again is on schedule and within some few years, the Northern Fleet is expected to consist of about 35 nuclear powered submarines. In NATO, France, United Kingdom and the United States operate nuclear powered submarines. It’s reasonable to assume that the majority of nuclear submarines in waters in Northern Norway are American. The U.S. Navy operates three classes of multi-purpose submarines. Oldest and most numerous is the Los Angeles class from the 1980s, while the Seawolf and Virginia class are more modern. In total, the U.S Navy operates 54 multi-purpose nuclear powered submarines devided on naval bases on both the east coast and west coast, according to a 2016 report by the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment. East coast submarines are the ones most likely to appear inshore Norwegian waters. American ballistic missile submarines are not sailing outside the coast of Norway. All American, British and French submarines have one reactor each. Since the very late 1980s, multi-purpose submarines have under normal circumstances not been sailing with any nuclear weapons on board. In Norway, a foreign military nuclear powered vessel is not allowed to enter without holding a prior permission. The Radiation Protection Authority must be consulted, and will recommend granting or denying a vessel such permission. However, it is the Ministry of Defence that has the right to give a final approval. Such approvals will be given each single time an allied nuclear powered submarine wants to surface inshore Norway or make port-call to any harbour facilities, including Haakonsvern naval base outside Bergen on the southwest coast. The Radiation Protection Authority confirms the sharp increase in applications for allied nuclear powered submarines to Norway. “The numbers have increased substantially in recent years,” says Øyvind Gjølme Selnæs, Senior Advisor in the department for Emergency Preparedness and Response with the agency. He says the agency is about to publish a report about the changes in threat assessments regarding nuclear safety in recent years. “We will report about the increase in number of port calls,” Gjølme Selnæs says and explains how this will make a new baseline for the agency’s new emergency preparedness assessments. “The Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority has responsibility of ensuring port-calls are conducted in a good and responsible manner. We have the authority to review relevant safety- and emergency preparedness plans and supervise when licenses [to come to Norwegian waters or ports] are granted,” Øyvind Gjølme Selnæs tells. Nils Bøhmer, a nuclear physicist with the Bellona Foundation in Oslo, says the more nuclear powered vessels there are in Norwegian waters, the more increases the risk for incidents with consequences for people and environment in Norway. “Three to four port calls every month last year are substantially changing the risks scenarios,” Bøhmer says and points to possible accidents with both allied and Russian nuclear powered submarines. “We know from history that accidents happen,” Nils Bøhmer tells. His organization has published reports detailing Cold War accidents with Northern Fleet submarines, both in Arctic waters and other places in the North-Atlantic. “More sailings with both allied and Russian submarines increase the risk of new accidents. Also, we know that US authorities do not comment on whether their submarines carries nuclear warheads or not,” he elaborates. Bøhmer is especially worried about the long distances in the north. “Emergency preparedness is not necessarily available around the corner in the high north,” he says. Last year, the radiation protection agency said the raising numbers of reactor powered submarines along the coast of Norway increase the risk of accidents involving radiation leakages. As a result, the agency and health authorities agreed to asses the viability of iodine tablets to parts of the population. Iodine pills taken within hours after exposure to radioactive iodine-131 can prevent thyroid cancer, especially among children and teenagers. Today, three million iodine tablets are stored at a depot in Oslo, but will soon be distributed to areas at higher risk than others. source : Barentsobserver

Sailors Die At Sea While USCG Drone Program Remains Hard Aground January 30, 2018 by John Konrad

Photo of a private ocean search and rescue capable drone by Phuwadach Pattanatmon, shutterstock

The US Coast Guards long promise to deploy search and rescue (SAR) drones to rescue mariners has been aground for two decades. Will this wreck ever be salvaged? by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) Each and every day, somewhere in the world, a drone is assisting in search and rescue operations. These little units have become so ubiquitous and useful that even small groups of beach lifeguards are saving lives with them. Yet one of the largest and best-funded rescue organizations in the world continues to show little interest in using drones to assist in search and rescue missions. How many lives are saved by Coast Guard drones searching for lost mariners off the coast of the United States? None. The Coast Guard does have one small and underfunded UAS acquisition program, a two-decade- long endeavor to field a cutter-based unmanned aerial vehicle for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). In October 2017, the service entered the obtain phase of a program to procure small UAS capability for its fleet of national security cutters. Though not yet fielded, it is envisioned that the LR/ULE UAS would provide multiple days of surveillance and detection while employing sophisticated sensor payloads, including advanced optics and wide-area surface surveillance and detection technologies. In support of the promise of LR/ULE UAS, Congress appropriated $18 million to the Coast Guard to study these capabilities in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and Bureau of Customs and Border Protection. The next phase of the program involves market research to understand the state of technology available in the LR/ULE UAS market. The Coast Guard Research and Development Center in New London, Connecticut, issued a public request for information to gather information on LR/ULE systems and mission equipment packages available from government, industry and academia. “Now that we are wrapping up our market research, modeling efforts, and interim analysis of alternatives,” said Scott Craig, System/Air Domain Lead for Research and Development. “We are able to scope our 2019 proof of concept technology demonstration to UAS capabilities best suited to the Coast Guard’s counter-narcotics mission,” But why in 2018, with drones saturating cities and tourists spots around the world with their annoying buzz, is the USCG still stuck in the research and development phase? It is not due to a lack of foresight. Following the U.S. Navy’s lead in terms of drone acquisition, it began conducting joint maritime UAS operations with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2009, primarily using a version of the Predator B renamed The Guardian. And it is not due to a lack of need. The US coast guard has just three to five cutters, or large manned vessels, assigned to patrol about 6 million sq miles of sea spanning the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico to the eastern Pacific Ocean, where drones could be of immediate use for both SAR and drug interdiction operations. And it is certainly not due to cost. MH-60 Helicopter time for SAR operations, for example, is assessed at over $14,000 per hour and the operational cost of fixed- wing HC-130 search and rescue aircraft are even higher. How much would it cost the USCG to deploy drones so that lost sailors could be found (and expensive manned aircraft landed!) sooner? Nobody has that answer but we do know that ultra high-tech military Predator and Reaper drones cost the military $2,500-3,500 per flight hour and the US National Park service currently employs SAR drones that cost significantly less. And it is certainly not because drones are useless at sea. The Navy has been using drones successfully for SAR operations for decades and even many small volunteer lifeboats services around the world carry drones aboard. And it is not because commercial shipping interests are against the use of drones at sea. Numerous large shipping companies are investing in drone technology. And why do the latest USCG press releases focus only on using drones to apprehend drugs? Has the USCG lost interest in using drones to save lives? Unfortunately, we do not know. While the USCG has answered nearly every one of these questions in the last two decades I have lost all confidence in the answers they provide. The only hope remaining is that commercial ships take up the slack with civilian SAR drones carried aboard ships just as they took over mid-ocean rescue duties from the USCG when it gave up on its ocean station program. Source: http://gcaptain.com

Taiwan's NCSIST Successfully Tested a Ship-based Variant of Tien Kung III BMD Interceptor Posted On Monday, 02 January 2017 11:22 's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) successfully tested a ship-based variant of its III (Tien Kung III) ballistic missile defense (BMD) interceptor in late 2016. The institute is is the primary research and development institution of the Republic of Ministry of National Defense's Armaments Bureau.

Test of a naval variant of the Sky Bow III (Tien Kung III) BMD missile in December 2016. Picture: NCSIST

The test took place at Jiupeng base located in Pingtung County in Southern Taiwan. The missile is intended for three Air Defense Catamaran which the ROC Navy (Republic of China - Taiwan) ordered in March 2016. These new corvettes will be based on the existing Tuo River-class. The would be launched from the American Mk41 vetical launch system. According to NCSIST, the test was successful and the data was satisfactory. The naval variant of the Tien Kung III missile was tested from its existing, land-based launcher. It was pointed out that the tail of the missile can fold. NCSIST plans to integrate the missile with its own researched and developed vertical launch system. The institute has negotiated with the US side to purchase two sets of Mk41 vertical launch systems, and is awaiting the export license, in addition to technology transfer.

Tien Kung III missile at Defense Exhibition TADTE 2013

The next step for NCSIST is the installation on a naval platform for at-sea test launches with the ROC Navy. The Tien Kung III is a lower-tier missile defense system based on the Tien Kung II missile that uses an imported Ku-Band (12–18 GHz) active radar seeker, a directed fragmentation warhead, and improved precision controls for engaging high-speed, low radar cross-section (RCS) targets such as tactical ballistic missiles. Source: http://navyrecognition.com

Third Scorpene class submarine to be launched State-of-the-art technology utilised for construction of Scorpene class submarines has ensured superior stealth features Published: 16:33 January 30, 2018 Pamela Raghunath, Correspondent Mumbai: The third Scorpene class submarine Karanj will be launched at the state-run Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd on January 3. Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff, will be the chief guest. The first Scorpene-class submarine INS Kalvari, a diesel-electric attack submarine was commissioned into the Indian Navy on December 14, 2017, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The second Scorpene-class submarine Khanderi was launched on January 12, 2017, at Mazgaon Docks, the premier ship building yard in the country under the Department of Defence Production. Khanderi is currently undergoing the rigorous phase of sea trials and is also scheduled to be delivered shortly. The contract for the construction and transfer-of-technology for six Scorpene submarines in series was signed between India and France in October 2005 under Project-75 that cost around $3.5 billion. According to the contract, the first submarine was to be ready for induction into service within seven years of signing the contract and the remaining five submarines delivered at intervals of one year each thereafter. The project, meant to replace India’s ageing submarines, has been already delayed by several years. The state-of-the-art technology utilised for construction of the Scorpene class submarines has ensured superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels, hydro-dynamically optimised shape and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons. The attack can be launched with both torpedoes and the tube launched anti-ship missiles whilst under water or on surface. Scorpene submarines can undertake multifarious types of missions — that is anti-, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance and so on. The submarine is designed to operate in all theatres, with means provided to ensure interoperability with other components of a naval task force. It is a potent platform, marking a generational shift in submarine operations. Source: http://gulfnews.com

U.S. Navy to Install High-Powered Laser on

The Department of Defense announced Friday that it has awarded Lockheed Martin a $150 million contract for a "high energy laser with integrated optical dazzler and surveillance," or HELIOS. The announcement is for two prototypes, and if all options are exercised, the contract value could rise to over $940 million. One of the two new HELIOS lasers will be installed on USS Arleigh Burke, the lead ship in the class of 60-plus bearing the same name. The Arleigh Burkes are the Navy's multimission workhorses, deployed for everything from anti-piracy to carrier strike group protection to land attack. They are designed around the Aegis Combat System and the powerful AN/SPY-1 targeting radar, and some are equipped for ballistic missile defense. Lockheed delivered a prototype laser of similar power for the U.S. Army in early 2017. The 58 kW single beam device - believed to be the most powerful of its kind in the world - was shipped for the Army's Missile Defense Command / Strategic Forces Command last March. Lockheed says that the design uses multiple laser subunits to produce multiple beams that are then combined into one, and its modular setup could be built up into a yet-more-powerful version with the addition of more subunits. "The inherent scalability of this beam combined laser system has allowed us to build the first 60kW-class fiber laser for the U.S. Army," said Robert Afzal, Ph.D., Lockheed's senior fellow for Laser and Sensor Systems. "We have shown that a powerful directed energy laser is now sufficiently light-weight, low volume and reliable enough to be deployed on tactical vehicles for defensive applications on land, at sea and in the air." The Navy's previous experience with solid state laser weapons indicates that the space-age devices have real-world potential. In field testing aboard the USS Ponce, Kratos' 30 kW LaWS laser demonstrated that it could disable outboard motors and small unmanned aerial vehicles, and the Navy was sufficiently impressed that it authorized its use for defensive purposes. LaWS benefits from a virtually limitless magazine, a very low cost per round and rapid repeated firing, and its power can be turned down to "dazzle" personnel or sensors without causing physical harm. It also has a powerful telescope for manual targeting and surveillance. However, like almost all lasers, LaWS faces challenges in periods of low visibility, and it cannot be used to engage targets over the horizon. Source: Maritime Executive BAE Systems to deliver Bofors 40 Mk4 guns for Finnish Hamina-class Finnish Navy’s Hamina-class missile boats will be receiving new Bofors 40 Mk4 naval guns delivered by BAE Systems under a contract with Finland’s Patria.

Photo: BAE Systems

Patria is the prime contractor selected by Finland’s defense ministry to coordinate the missile boat upgrades. “Finland is the third country to select our Bofors 40 Mk4, the result of growing interest from countries seeking the flexibility that this 40-mm naval gun and ammunition system provides,” said Lena Gillström, managing director of Weapon Systems, Sweden at BAE Systems. BAE Systems has supplied gun systems to both the Finnish Navy and the Finnish Army, including air defense, field artillery, and anti-tank guns. Currently, several BAE Systems Bofors naval gun systems, the 40-mm L/70, and 57 Mk3 guns with 3P ammunition are in service on Finnish naval ships. In addition to BAE Systems guns, Hamina-class craft will be upgraded with the Saab-built 9LV combat management system (CMS), the 9LV fire control system (FCS) including the Ceros 200 fire control director and the Trackfire remote weapon station (RWS). Upgrades are to start at the beginning of 2018 and to be completed by the end of 2021. In addition to hull and structure maintenance, Hamina boats will be equipped with light torpedoes, thus becoming the only units in the Finnish Navy with this capability. Source: Naval Today

POLARIS POINT, Guam (Jan. 23, 2018) Sailors assigned to the USS Emory S. Land (AS-39) stand in formation as the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS-40) pulls into port during a homecoming celebration at Polaris Point, Guam. Frank Cable departed Guam March 7, 2017, supporting maritime expeditionary operations in the 3rd Fleet area of operations and underwent a dry- dock phased maintenance availability at Vigor Industrial ship yard in Portland, Ore. Submarine tenders provide maintenance, hotel services and logistical support to submarines and surface ships in the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Destiny Reed/Released)

Ingalls Shipbuilding awarded $30.1 million more for Fitzgerald repairs Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, is being awarded a $30,169,626 modification to a previously awarded contract for the execution of USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) emergent repair and restoration. This brings the total contracts awarded thus far for work needed on the destroyer to upwards of $250 million This latest award provides for additional modernization work items and contract growth for collision repairs as well as maintenance for the vessel which was damaged on the starboard side above and below the waterline in its June 17 collision with a Philippine-flagged containership in which seven sailors lost their lives. The Navy says that additional contract modifications for collision repair, equipment installation as well as other maintenance and modernization requirements are planned with final definitization of the contract in the third quarter of fiscal 2018. Source : Marinelog

Is This Chinese Navy Ship Equipped With An Experimental Electromagnetic ? A functioning railgun fitted to a ship would signify a massive accomplishment for China and it would be a source of major concern at the Pentagon. By Joseph TrevithickJanuary 31, 2018 Pictures have emerged on social media that show a Chinese landing ship armed with what could be a prototype railgun. If confirmed, this would be the first time any country has actually installed an electromagnetic gun system on a ship, even for test purposes, and would be a game-changing development for China’s military. The images now circulating online show the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) Haiyang Shan, a Type 072III-class landing ship with the pennant number 936, sitting in Wuchang Shipyard in Hubei province with a new, massive gun turret fitted on its bow. The mount appears to be fully enclosed and features a large diameter gun barrel. The other vessels in the class have a significantly smaller twin 37mm cannon in that position. There are also a number of shipping containers amidships, which could contain the large power source required for an electromagnetic weapon system. One of them also features an air conditioner, which could be to cool power generators or other electronic systems or be an indicator of a manned control station for the weapon or a place where engineers could sit and gather data during live fire experiments. The cannon’s size and shape, as well as the nearby containers, are reminiscent of the U.S. Navy’s own prototype railgun. While that system has yet to go to sea, the service has released a number of images and video of the land-based test fixture showing the boxy-looking cannon on a frame with its power source and other control systems in containers below. It also features an automatic loading system. With so much equipment exposed on the deck, the fit aboard the Haiyang Shan does not appear to be an operational design. Designed to carry up to 500 tons of cargo, the Type 072III-class does make good sense as a test ship, though. The U.S. Navy has itself proposed using a Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, previously known as the Joint High Speed Vessel, for the first at-sea tests of its own prototype railgun. These vessels are based on catamaran ferry design and have a large, open helicopter landing pad that could accommodate temporary test article installations. According to the U.S. Navy’s own public plans, they envision a weapon that would give ships significantly increased range over existing cannons, allows those vessels them to engage targets faster, and has the ability to hit enemy forces on land and at sea, as well as knock down aircraft, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. On top of that, it could make those ships less vulnerable and ease the strain on the logistics chain, since the ammunition is inert and doesn’t require an explosive charge to sending it flying down range. These features also mean the weapon could be cheaper than a traditional gun system and give ships more magazine depth by storing more rounds in the same space that propelling charges previously occupied. You can read more about these potential benefits here. As such, the weapons could be useful for both a wide array of different mission sets, including sea control and amphibious operations, both of which are important considerations for China, which has vast maritime territorial claims. The PLAN is already in the midst of a major push to expand the size and capabilities of its surface fleets, as well. The Chinese military has also been heavily invested in and other related technologies, such as electromagnetic catapults to launch aircraft from its future aircraft carriers. China's electromagnetic weapon research reportedly dates to at least the 1980s, but there were indications that it had advanced considerably just recently. In October 2017, Rear Admiral Ma Weiming, in charge of such research at the PLAN University of Engineering in Wuhan – the capital of Hubei province, home of Wuchang Shipyard – announced his team had made major breakthroughs in their research. The gun aboard Haiyang Shan could also just be a large conventional cannon or a hybrid system of some type that combines a railgun’s inert, hypervelocity projectile design with a traditional chemical propelling charge. The U.S. Army and Navy have both looked at the latter concept as a way to leverage work on electromagnetic weapons and get at least some limited capabilities into combat in the near term. The Navy’s experimental railgun shoots rounds at approximately six times the speed of sound. In theory, a conventional ship cannon or artillery piece could fire that same aerodynamic projectile at speeds up to Mach 3, which would be significantly faster than is possible with existing ammunition. But the U.S. Navy has reportedly begun to lose interest in electromagnetic weapons after more than a decade of research and development without a prototype that meets the requirements for a field test. We at The War Zone have reached out to the Office of Naval Research, which is leading the effort, to try and confirm the status of the program, but have so far not received responses to our queries. Its worth noting that Wuchang Shipyard has previously performed tests of major equipment destined for the advanced Type 055 destroyer and the country's aircraft carriers, among other ships. Suffice to say, Chinese warships equipped with electromagnetic guns, or even hybrid systems, could significantly help in the PLAN's ability to project power and deny access to various parts Pacific region it claims as its integral national territory. This, in turn, would pose an all new challenge to its competitors in those spaces, especially the United States. But above all else, it is another very high-tech area where Beijing may be quickly moving past parity with the United States, a phenomenon that is becoming an increasingly dire concern within the halls of the Pentagon. Source: http://www.thedrive.com

USS Michael Murphy conducts PASSEX with French Navy The guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112) and French FNS Vendemaire conducted a passing exercise (PASSEX), Jan. 29. During the PASSEX the ships operated in close proximity to one another. The exercise strengthened Sailors' knowledge and practical application in shiphandling and navigation. "This exercise was a unique opportunity for Michael Murphy to conduct training with the French Navy and practice shiphandling and warfighting skills," said Cmdr. Kevin Louis, commanding officer of Michael Murphy. "Working together furthers our mutual ability to operate and see what can be learned from each other." A PASSEX is unique because it allows navies to provide crews with real-life situations to practice everyday watchstanding and communication skills with foreign vessels. During Michael Murphy's exercise with the French ship, Sailors practiced communication and shiphandling techniques. Michael Murphy was commissioned in 2012 and is named after U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy. Murphy was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan, June 28, 2005. He was the first person to be awarded the medal for actions in Afghanistan and was the first member of the U.S. Navy to receive the award since the Vietnam War. Michael Murphy operates under Destroyer Squadron 1. The squadron is deployed with Nimitz-class USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Carrier Air Wing 2, guided-missile USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) and USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108). Source: Maasmond Maritime

U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS (Jan. 25, 2018) The French amphibious assault ship LHD Tonnerre (L9014), left, and the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61), right, patrol the open seas. Tonnerre, with embarked U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51, 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, is conducting maritime security operations within the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to ensure regional stability, freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Wesley Timm/Released)

Japan recruits France to counter China’s naval expansion By Emanuele Scimia January 31, 2018 4:45 PM (UTC+8) During talks in Tokyo last weekend, the defense and foreign ministers of Japan and France agreed to step up bilateral cooperation to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Tokyo has in Paris a sympathetic interlocutor when it comes to counter China’s military clout. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is seeking better ties with Beijing, but at the same time is working to establish a front of like-minded countries to deter the Chinese giant. For its part, France considers China’s naval presence from the Gulf of Aden to the Pacific a strategic challenge to its role in the region. In a joint statement, the two parties voiced concern about the situation in the East and South China seas, where China is trying to modify the status quo to the detriment of other countries, and expressed opposition to any unilateral action that could increase tensions in both areas. In the East China Sea, Japan’s control of the Senkaku Islands is disputed by Beijing, which calls them the Diaoyu Islands. The Japanese government’s worries about China’s naval operations in the contested waters have increased after its navy recently detected a Chinese nuclear submarine near the uninhabited islets. Tokyo and Paris have also condemned island-building activities, including the construction of military outposts, in the disputed South China Sea, delivering an indirect rebuke to Beijing. Naval exercises, technology collaboration Japan and France will focus on naval cooperation and joint development of arms systems to improve their security partnership. Tokyo is pursuing the same path to bolster military relations with Britain, another “non-regional” partner. Japanese and French leaders announced last Friday that their countries’ navies would conduct joint exercises in February. It will be the first time that the two naval forces hold bilateral drills. In the past, they participated only in multilateral operations, notably with the United States and Britain. France will send to Japan its frigate Vendemiaire, currently stationed in New Caledonia, one of its overseas dependencies in the South Pacific. The joint exercises will also see the involvement of ground troops. Regarding technology collaboration and defense equipment, Tokyo and Paris will work together to develop next-generation minesweeping technology and an unmanned underwater vehicle. As well, a Japanese X-band defense communication satellite will be launched from French Guiana in March. It will fly aboard a French Arianespace rocket. Shared vision on China In a joint press conference with her Japanese counterpart Itsunori Onodera, French Defense Minister Florence Parly said France and Japan shared views on the geopolitical situation in East Asia. In a blow to China, which opposes any type of interference by “external” forces in East Asian affairs, Parly said her country would continue to deploy naval vessels in the Indo-Pacific region for freedom of navigation operations. The French government believes that patrol missions in areas such as the South China Sea will help its navy maintain a regular and visible presence in all maritime domains. According to France’s National Defense and Security Strategy, which was reviewed last year, the China Seas are the primary theaters of Beijing’s power projection. French strategists emphasize that China is strengthening its naval capabilities with the aim of turning the South China Sea into a Chinese “sanctuary.” They believe the expansion of China’s naval reach from the Pacific Rim westward through the Indian Ocean to East Africa will have implications for France’s security. Combining forces to contain China Paris views itself as a legitimate actor in the Indo-Pacific arena. It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and has overseas dependencies in the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific endowed with massive exclusive economic zones. As an Indo-Pacific power, France’s primary interest is to protect its territories and citizens in the macro- region. On the other hand, as a European country, France is committed to ensuring freedom of navigation and trade along the Indo-Pacific routes linking Europe, the Middle East and East Asia. The problem is that, just like Britain, France does not have a naval force capable of changing the security equation in the Indo-Pacific area. At the moment, it can deploy only one of its Mistral-class helicopter landing decks, escorted by one or two , to patrol Indian Ocean and Pacific waters. This is hardly a naval formation that could worry the People’s Liberation Army Navy fleet. However, in combination with the naval forces of the United States, as well as those of regional partners such as India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and Japan, the French Navy could actually help contain China’s military assertiveness. In this scenario, the UK’s Royal Navy could play a role too. The Abe administration is presumably taking steps in that direction while deepening military ties with Paris and London. Source: http://www.atimes.com

India boosts maritime reach with Seychelles pact to build naval facilities 31 Jan 2018 07:20PM NEW DELHI/PORT VICTORIA: India has signed a 20-year pact with the Seychelles to build an airstrip and a jetty for its navy in the island chain, the two countries said, as the South Asian nation steps up a contest with China for influence in the Indian Ocean. China last year inaugurated its first overseas military base in Djibouti, near one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, deepening Indian insecurities and pushing it to gain a foothold in the region. The agreement signed in the Seychelles' capital of Victoria last weekend provides for India to develop the airstrip and jetty on the Assumption islands, near another shipping route. "India is helping us free of charge, and the facilities and activities will entirely be at the control of Seychelles and will be conducted as per the laws of Seychelles," Barry Faure, its secretary of state for foreign affairs, told Reuters. But nothing had been leased to India and the new facilities would help Seychelles better control its exclusive economic zone of 1.3 million square kilometres, Faure added. First announced during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to the islands in 2015, the pact faced problems, as critics who feared a handover of territory demanded that the Seychelles government make clear the terms of India's role. But those concerns have since been tackled, officials said. India and Seychelles are maritime neighbours with a stake in each other’s security, said Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmaniam Jaishankar, who signed the agreement in his last official action before retiring this week. "India and Seychelles have drawn up a cooperation agenda that covers joint efforts in anti-piracy operations, and enhanced surveillance and monitoring to prevent intrusions by potential economic offenders," he said. These are people engaged in illegal fishing, poaching, drug and human trafficking, he added. China has been building ports, power stations and highways across Asia, but the terms of some of its investments have angered people. In Sri Lanka, China faced criticism after taking control of the southern port of Hambantota it had built in a debt-to-equity swap deal. India has tried to be more careful, avoiding giving hard loans and casting its assistance as a joint endeavour. But military officials called the Seychelles pact a big step in extending the reach of India's navy, which is expected to rotate its ships and aircraft through the islands. "The development is a clear indicator that India's geo-strategic frontier is expanding in tandem with China's growing strategic footprint in the Indo-Pacific," said Captain Gurpreet Khurana of the Indian Navy's National Maritime Foundation. Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com

Submarine detection a rude awakening for Sino-Japan relations By : OKI NAGAI and YUKIO TAJIMA, Nikkei staff writers A Chinese submarine was recently detected in the contiguous zone around the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The incident raised concerns on both sides. Japan was made aware that China is fully intent on continuing its maritime expansion while nominally working to improve ties with Japan. China, on its side, is facing domestic criticism for being easily detected by Japanese . In the afternoon of Jan. 10, a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force P-3C patrol plane dropped a buoy into waters near Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture after spotting a submarine cruising underwater in a northwesterly direction. The device detected the sound of the submarine's engine and the MSDF destroyer Onami began tailing it. On Jan. 12, it was confirmed that the vessel belonged to the Chinese navy. This marks the first recorded presence of a Chinese submarine in the waters. The vessel cruised in the direction of the uninhabited Senkaku Islands, which have long been a source of friction between Japan and China. Beijing claims the islands and calls them Diaoyu. Another destroyer, the Oyodo, joined the Onami in following the submarine, which proceeded to enter the islands' contiguous zone in the morning of Jan. 11. The MSDF warned the submarine that it had entered the zone, but received no response. When the Japanese destroyers made their way into the zone, they were followed by a Chinese frigate that had been sailing nearby. The two Chinese vessels moved out of the contiguous zone a few hours later, with the submarine, identified as a Shang-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, resurfacing in the East China Sea on Jan. 12 and sailing under a Chinese flag. "Is China's nuclear attack submarine too easy to detect?" the South China Morning Post wrote in an opinion piece on Jan 28. "The early and long exposure of its underwater trajectory, according to military experts, suggests the vessel is not as quiet as it should be," the paper wrote. Source: Asia Nikkei

APRA HARBOR, Guam (Jan. 31, 2018) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) pulls into Apra Harbor, Guam for a port visit. The visit marks the ship's first port call during a Western Pacific deployment this year. The Carl Vinson is currently deployed in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operation in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. (U.S. Navy photo by Culinary Specialist Seaman Jonathan Perez/Released)

Republic of Korea Navy receives first FFX II frigate ROKS Daegu

ROKS Daegu. Photo: DAPA

The Republic of Korea Navy has received the first of eight Daegu-class (FFX II) frigates, ROKS Daegu (FFG-818), South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on Thursday. Daegu is expected to become operational in the second half of 2018. The frigate was built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) and launched at DSME’s Okpo shipyard in June 2016. The second ship is also being built by DSME while ships three and four will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) under a $586 million contract DAPA contract from December 2016. FFX II frigates are improved Incheon-class (FFX) frigates. At 2800 tons, Daegu-class ships displace 500 tons more than their predecessors and measure 122 meters in length. The second batch frigates are being equipped with a 16-cell Korean vertical launching system for defense against air threats and six torpedo tubes for anti-submarine warfare. Powered by Rolls-Royce’s MT30 gas turbines, the frigates are capable of reaching speeds of 30 knots, according to DAPA. Daegu and sister ships will carry a towed array sonar system (TASS) in addition to naval guns and a Phalanx close-in weapon system. The frigates are intended for a variety of missions including anti-submarine warfare, anti-air warfare, patrol, surveillance, search and rescue and exclusive economic zone protection. Source: Naval Today People’s Tribunal to examine the Arms Deal Written by defenceWeb, Wednesday, 31 January 2018 Saturday sees the start of another investigation into the multi-billion Rand Strategic Defence Procurement Packages that saw the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) acquire new, high-tech equipment for its airborne and maritime services in the late nineties. The first hearings of the People’s Tribunal on Economic Crime in South Africa open on February 3 at Johannesburg’s Constitution Hill and will examine “the continuities between apartheid era economic crime, the post-apartheid arms deal and contemporary state capture,” a statement issued by the tribunal said. The first hearings will focus on the arms trade over the past 40 years. These, the tribunal’s Michael Marchant said, contributed to the loss of thousands of lives during the apartheid era. “The 1999 arms deal significantly weakened our democracy with little accountability and more recently State-owned Denel is an important example of state capture,” he said. The tribunal will join the dots between corruption past and present focussing on detailed evidence, public submissions and testimony by 15 witnesses and whistleblowers. Additionally more than 12 civil society organisations will provide testimony on the impact of corruption and inequality on the lives of South Africans. Evidence will be led before a panel of six adjudicators including Zak Yacoob, Navi Pillay, Dinga Sikwebu, Mandisa Dyantyi, Yasmin Sooka and Allyson Maynard Gibson. Their findings will be recorded in a final report that will be the basis for the next steps in the struggle for accountability. The tribunal’s organising committee comprises a range of civil society organisations, including Corruption Watch, the Foundation for Human Rights, Open Secrets, Public Affairs Research Institute and the Right2Know Campaign. Marchant sees the tribunal as one way for citizens to take action to collecting, discussing and publicising evidence that can then be used to hold those responsible to account. This includes powerful individuals, international corporations and politicians. The first round of submissions will last until Wednesday, February 7. Source: www.defencewe.co.za Workhorses of the sea

The Subsea Viking outbound from Rotterdam passing Maassluis Photo : Reinier vd Wetering – Skyphoto Maassluis (c)