US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Jura said:

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7. Navy mulls frigate choices

sounds like I'll make it or break with the FFG(X) cancellation prediction Oct 30, 2018
LOL!

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

question @Jura. If the end result is based on one of the LCS hills Freedom or Independence would that in your mind be a make or break after all it would be continuing a derivative of one of the existing hull and ship lines.

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Jura said:

Feb 15, 2017
now
SECNAV Nominee Richard V. Spencer Pledges Transparency, Acquisition Reform in SASC Hearing

source is USNI News

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While the Department of Homeland Security lacks funding to operate in Fiscal Year 2019, active duty Coast Guard personnel will receive their regularly-scheduled pay due on Dec. 31.

DHS and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials identified a way to pay active duty Coast Guard personnel and reservists serving during December. DHS is one of several domestic agencies which ran out of money on Dec. 21 when a temporary funding bill expired, causing a partial government shutdown.

“Generally, the Coast Guard lacks the authority to pay its members during a lapse in appropriations. The circumstances of this lapse are unique because of the timeline of the lapse in relation to the military pay process. Ultimately, extensive research and legal analysis between the Coast Guard, DHS, and OMB determined the Coast Guard has the authority to execute the remainder of pay and allowances for December,” according to a Coast Guard message posted to the service’s blog

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.

Funding for more security measures along the U.S. border with Mexico is at the core of why FY 2019 funding for DHS and other agencies was not approved before the fiscal year started on Oct. 1. The Senate and House passed different border wall funding levels, but a compromise has not been reached. The Department of Defense FY 2019 funding was approved by Congress and signed by Trump before the Oct. 1 start to the new fiscal year.

The decision to issue pay for the period ending Dec. 31 comes after several days of media reports highlighting how during the partial federal government shutdown, Coast Guard personnel were the only active duty members of the military not paid for their service.

However, the issuance of pay on Dec. 31 amounts to a temporary solution. If Congress and President Donald Trump do not approve either a funding plan for FY 2019 or another stopgap funding bill by the middle of January, Coast Guard personnel will not receive their next paychecks, according to the Coast Guard.

“Meeting active duty and reserve military payroll for January 2019 will require a fiscal year 2019 appropriation, a continuing resolution, or passage of an alternative measure,” according to the Coast Guard blog post.

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Jura said:

May 15, 2018
related is
Boeing adds $179M in cost overruns to KC-46 aircraft as delivery draws near

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Boeing

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to the Air Force in 2018 as planned, due to Defense Secretary

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, a source told Defense News on Monday.

The Air Force had intended to accept the first KC-46 by the end of December and was awaiting signature from Mattis, which would finalize the delivery plans,

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.

However, later that day,

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from the top Defense Department post in February, and just three days later, President Donald Trump tweeted that Mattis would wrap up his work as secretary of defense by the end of 2018.

With sweeping changes in leadership at the Pentagon imminent, a decision on KC-46 was pushed out, a source close to the program told Defense News. The situation was further complicated because Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan — who by the end of Dec. 31 will temporarily take over Mattis’ role as defense secretary — is a former Boeing executive and must recuse himself from all decisions involving the company.

Boeing declined to confirm that the delivery would not take place on Dec. 31.

“KC-46 remains a top priority and we look forward to delivering tanker aircraft in partnership with the Air Force,” said Kelly Kaplan, a spokeswoman for the company, in a statement to Defense News.

The Air Force did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The delay is a blow for Boeing, which had promised to deliver the first tanker by the end of 2018

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stemming back to August 2017.

“We continue to make steady progress toward final certification of the KC-46 tanker,” Boeing’s CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in an October earnings call. “We are working with our U.S. Air Force customer toward completing all the steps required to deliver the first tanker aircraft this quarter."

The company has now racked up more than $3 billion in pre-tax charges on the program, as it is responsible for any costs beyond the $4.9 billion fixed price contract value originally awarded in 2011.

Boeing officials are hopeful that the Air Force will be able to move forward with delivery after a set of meetings in early 2019, one source said.

But at the moment it is unclear who will authorize the KC-46 delivery with Shanahan barred from the process, though it may fall to Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson or to Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment.

The Air Force plans to buy 179 KC-46s throughout its program of record. McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas is set to become the first installation to receive the new tankers, and

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.

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Jura said:

posted Jul 29, 2018
100b-range projects are cool to watch

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How to pay for the upcoming Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine “will have a life of its own” this spring and may force the Navy and Pentagon to embrace a dedicated funding account they have so far only partially leveraged, a key congressman on the House Armed Services Committee predicted.

In 2013, HASC pushed the new account through the House and Senate despite some at-times fierce opposition. The National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund (NSBDF) noted that the SSBN program would be a national security asset more than a Navy-only program and therefore ought to be paid for by the Pentagon rather than draining the Navy’s shipbuilding budget account.

The Navy has used some of the purchasing authorities that come along with the NSBDF – incrementally buying components of the boats ahead of need to allow for even and efficient production, or purchasing components that are common to the Virginia-class attack sub or Ford-class carrier in cross-program contracts to save money. However, each spring when the President’s Budget request comes out, Columbia-class funding continues to be listed in the shipbuilding and conversion account (SCN) rather than in the standalone NSBDF.

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), a longtime HASC member and the likely next chairman of the seapower and projection forces subcommittee – as well as a key proponent of the creation of the NSBDF back in 2013 – told USNI News in a recent interview that “we know the merits, we know the argument backwards and forwards in terms of why the NSBDF should become fully operational, and certainly if and when I become chair of the subcommittee that’s going to be an issue we can’t escape, so we have to address it.”

In late November, Vice Adm. Bill Merz, deputy chief of naval operations for warfare systems (OPNAV N9), told USNI News after a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that the SSBN was still the Navy’s top acquisition priority and that

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are ongoing as the 2021 start of construction nears.

“Columbia will be funded; it’s really the impact on the rest of the shipbuilding account that we have to negotiate with how we’re going to cover down,” he said.

Still, Courtney told USNI News after reading Merz’s comments that he believes “institutional inertia” is keeping the Navy and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) from just putting the program in the NSBDF like it belongs, in his view.

“it’s clear that the Navy is seeing the bow wave of Columbia in terms of its pressure on the shipbuilding account – and it’s fast approaching and getting bigger with every minute. The notion that they support the supplemental fund; I mean, I’m glad to read that – as you know it was Congress who created the Sea Based Deterrence Fund back in 2013 because we saw this coming years ago. … [the Congressional Budget Office] validated the value of NSBDF in terms of the savings that Columbia can secure with the authorities that we provided to the Navy, and the question of the day is just when is the Navy and OSD going to take yes for an answer from Congress?” Courtney said.
“Really, we’ve given them the tools to address this issue. Again, there’s precedent for it: the sealift fund that was created in the 1990s existed for exactly the same reason, so there’s precedent, there’s legal authority, it’s in the statute. And again, it’s great that they’re verbally endorsing this mechanism, but at some point the budget-makers have to embrace it and incorporate it into the president’s budget, and certainly the subcommittee is prepared to take the baton and run with it when they finally, as I said, take yes for an answer.”

Asked what a seapower subcommittee under a Chairman Courtney would do to force the Pentagon’s hand, Courtney said, “right now we’re still in the spring training as far as HASC is concerned, but I’m talking to staff about ideas for next year. But again, this issue has a life of its own and it’s going to force its way onto the agenda. And I’m glad it was publicly emphasized [at the SASC hearing], but it’s something we need to have the Pentagon understand that this is a national strategic asset, not a Navy program per se, and treat it that way.”

The congressman said the Pentagon was supportive of a similar move when the Army struggled to afford a ground-based missile defense system, pulling that out of the Army into an OSD budget line to avoid hurting other Army acquisition priorities. He said he’s dismayed that the Navy is only halfway leveraging the NSBDF now and hopes they’ll do better in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget request and beyond.

As of a few years ago, money was flowing into and out of NSBDF, but all the dollars being used from that fund to pay for the common components and the early procurement of missile tubes originated in the Navy shipbuilding account, was transferred by the Treasury into the NSBDF, and was then used to pay for contracts. Courtney said the Navy is missing “the real value that the statute provides” by still starting Columbia funding in the shipbuilding account and therefore putting billions of dollars of pressure on other shipbuilding needs each year.

“The issue is so overwhelming in terms of the impact on the shipbuilding account, it’s going to have a life of its own” in 2019, Courtney predicted.

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Jura said:

...


about one month (?) ago I heard though Trump might fire Mad Dog

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President Donald Trump claimed he had

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and said his progress in Afghanistan was “not too good” during a meeting of his new Cabinet at the White House on Wednesday.

The comments come just two days after

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and show an increasing level of animosity between the commander in chief and his former military leader.

Mattis announced his resignation from the Cabinet post on Dec. 20, saying the move would allow the president to find “a secretary of defense whose views are better aligned with yours.”

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he took aim at Trump’s past criticism of foreign allies and his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria in the months ahead.

Mattis had planned a departure date of late February, but Trump announced just three days later that Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan would assume the acting defense secretary role on Jan. 1, forcing the former Marine Corps general out early.

Initially, Trump called Mattis' departure a “retirement” and praised the outgoing defense secretary for “tremendous progress” in implementing his plans to build up military funding and readiness.

But on Wednesday, with Shanahan in attendance for a White House leadership meeting, Trump suggested that Mattis had underperformed in his job.

“What’s he done for me? How had he done in Afghanistan? Not too good,” Trump said.

“I’m not happy with what he has done in Afghanistan. And I shouldn’t be. I wish him well. I hope he does well. As you know, President [Barack] Obama fired him, and essentially so did I. I want results."

Mattis was relieved of his U.S. Central Command leadership post months early in 2013 because of concerns from some in the Obama administration he had become too aggressive in policy recommendations to counter Iran.

Last month, during his Shanahan announcement, Trump also mentioned the Obama firing and suggested that Mattis was less popular than the media has portrayed him.

“When President Obama ingloriously fired Jim Mattis, I gave him a second chance,” Trump tweeted. “Some thought I shouldn’t, I thought I should. Interesting relationship-but I also gave all of the resources that he never really had. Allies are very important-but not when they take advantage of U.S.”

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found that nearly 84 percent of troops had a favorable view of Mattis' work leading the armed forces. Among officers, the figure was almost 90 percent.

Mattis' departure has drawn significant concern from both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, many of whom have publicly praised Mattis’ steady demeanor and military knowledge for helping moderate some of Trump’s impulsive policy decisions.

On Monday, in a farewell letter to Defense Department employees, Mattis wrote that the military’s leadership “remains in the best possible hands” and encouraged all troops and civilians there to “keep faith in our country and hold fast, alongside our allies, aligned against our foes.”

At the Cabinet meeting, Trump pushed back on reports of a rapid troop withdrawal from Syria, confirming only that it will happen “over a period of time.” He also repeated his claims that Islamic State fighters have been defeated in the Middle East, despite military commanders’ past public comments expressing reservations about declaring victory in the region.

“I’m the only person in the history of our country who could really decimate ISIS," Trump said. “Everyone gives me credit for decimating ISIS … but I’m the only one who could do that and get bad publicity.”

He said that Syria “was lost long ago.”

“We are talking about sand and death,” he said. “We are not talking about vast wealth.”

Shanahan spoke at the Cabinet meeting before the president’s comments on Mattis, and did not offer a response to the remarks afterwards. He said the military has been working closely with the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies on southern border security efforts.

“The threat is real, the risks are real,” he said. “We need to control our borders.”

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bd popeye said:

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Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson says Vice Adm. Scott Stearney was found dead Saturday.

Richardson says the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Bahraini Ministry of Interior are investigating the death, but foul play is not suspected.

Rear Adm. Paul Schlise, the deputy commander of the Fifth Fleet, has taken over Stearney's duties.

Richardson described Stearney as a decorated naval warrior, a devoted husband and father, and a good friend.

The Fifth Fleet includes the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.

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Jura said:

congratulations, General!
Semper Fi


Document: SECDEF Mattis’ Resignation Letter

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A prominent retired four-star admiral says that several former generals have left President Donald Trump’s administration because their advice and many years of military experience did not make a difference in swaying the White House on key national security issues.

Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Adm. James Stavridis noted in

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Magazine Thursday that former Marine Corps Gen. Jim Mattis, Trump’s former defense secretary, is only the latest high-profile

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. That list now includes his former chief of staff, retired Marine Corps Gen.

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, and his former national security adviser, retired Army Lt. Gen. H.R.

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“The President famously does not actually read the voluminous policy papers with which he is presented. From the perspective of a senior military mind, this would be akin to a car refusing to be gassed up,” Stavridis

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.

“In the end, each of them had to ask himself, At what point does my serving in this White House become less a guardrail and more an enabler? And what will it ultimately mean that the hard-won credibility of my life and career supported the work of this administration,” Stavridis

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Trump made no secret of his skepticism of military leadership even before he took office, telling voters in

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“I know more about ISIS than the generals do. Believe me.”

In the time that’s followed, Trump has lashed out at some of the most revered military generals of the most recent generation.

In November he called retired Navy Adm. Bill McRaven, a career SEAL who led the raid against Osama bin Laden a “Hillary Clinton fan” and chided McRaven for not getting bin Laden

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In January, Trump questioned even the value of retired Army Gen. Stanley McCrystal’s four-star rank, putting “general” in quotation marks in a debasing tweet.

Last, on Wednesday, after much backlash on the departure of Mattis, Trump said during a

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that his former defense secretary didn’t actually resign, but was fired, despite Mattis releasing a much-publicized letter announcing his policy splits with the White House.

Trump also

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Mattis' accomplishments.

“What’s he done for me?” Trump

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Wednesday to reporters during a White House cabinet meeting. “How has he done in Afghanistan? Not too good. Not too good. I’m not happy with what he’s done in Afghanistan. And I shouldn’t be happy.”

“I mean, I wish him well. I hope he does well,” Trump said. “But as you know, President Obama fired him, and essentially so did I. I want results.”

“I think I would’ve been a

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, but who knows,” Trump said.

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