Plotting the CH-53D demise: Cost-cutting or not?

August 14, 2010

America’s 40-year old CH-53Ds still do good work–a set of 4 CH-53Ds just returned from a 6 month deployment in Africa. Israel’s CH-53D variants self-deployed from Israel to Romania to, oh, prep for an audacious bit of raiding many thousands of miles from home. So they’re still operationally relevant. But it was a sad to […]

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And they say San Francisco isn’t a Navy Town, part II

August 12, 2010

A mere week or so after the CNO stopped by, SECNAV Ray Mabus is heading in to chat about energy security next Tuesday (8/17). Mabus, a product of the Zumwalt Navy, is the public half of the Navy Department’s Mabus/Work “Dream Team” and is doing northwest pharmacy a great job being the face of the […]

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In Press: BBC Transcript and a Navy Times story hit web

August 12, 2010

Just as Iran claims that it is reverse-engineering their Bladerunner 51 and transforming it to carry missiles and torpedoes, BBC’s File on 4 put the transcript of my discussion of the Bladerunner threat online. Previous commentary here and the transcript is here. Unless Iranians are stuffing their re-makes full of explosive, I really don’t see […]

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Environmental anti-access: Canada frets over single-hull oilers

August 9, 2010

According to the Globe and Mail, Canada’s government worries that the HMCS Protecteur and the HMCS Preserver, their two 40-year-old single-hull oilers, are going to pose an environmental anti-access threat to Canadian Forces: “These vessels are single-hulled, which violates most international environmental standards,” states a February, 2010 briefing note provided to Treasury Board president Stockwell […]

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And they say San Francisco isn’t a Navy Town:

August 5, 2010

CNO Admiral Roughead is taking his campaign against “frufru coffee” to boutique coffee-loving San Francisco today. (Coffee levity aside: The Admiral is speaking to the World Affairs Council of Northern California, so if you’re anywhere near the Marine’s Memorial Hotel in San Francisco at 6:00 PM, stop by and see the show.) It would be […]

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LCS-1: Messaging? Or just life aboard the “Little Drinker”?

August 4, 2010

The Navy’s LCS-1 RIMPAC photo album (photos taken from June 17 to July 31 2010) does a really good job of documenting life aboard the Little Sipper Freedom Class. Ahh, the easy routine of life at sea: Yeah, yeah, I know the ship has to iron out alongside replenishment issues, but…I suspect Freedom is worthless […]

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Military Memorials: Is the Intrepid sailing into trouble?

July 27, 2010

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MV-22: General Trautman, your job is on Line 1…

July 23, 2010

According to this DOD Buzz article, Lt. General George J. Trautman III voiced his frustration that MV-22 Osprey readiness rates in Afghanistan had topped out at “roughly 70 percent.” Glad to see Trautman get frustrated. As a taxpayer, I am too. I expect better performance from brand-new aircraft. According to the DOD Buzz piece, Trautman […]

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The Army’s LSV: Why ignore the modern-day LST?

July 23, 2010

I have long thought the Army’s little Navy had the potential to drive some innovation–unencumbered by the Navy’s biases and relatively unfamiliar with the sea, the Army’s fleet has a chance to generate some creative tension by stealing a march or two on the Navy and Marine Corps. Fabrication of the Army’s new littoral tool, […]

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Violent anti-government extremism comes home:

July 21, 2010

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