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Jura said:

Jan 17, 2019
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VIDEO: 2nd Fleet Takes Control of First Carrier Training Event Since Standing Up Last Summer

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am wondering what the future holds for this particular numbered fleet

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A year after it was established, the reborn U.S. 2nd Fleet has reached an initial operational capability ahead of leading a major European exercise next month.

The designation means the command, led by Vice Adm. Andrew “Woody” Lewis, will be able to command and control naval forces on its own, the Navy said.

“U.S. 2nd Fleet exercises operational and administrative authorities over assigned ships, aircraft and landing forces on the East Coast and the North Atlantic. Additionally, it plans and conducts maritime, joint and combined operations as well as trains and recommends certification of combat-ready naval forces for maritime employment and operations around the globe,” reads a statement from 2nd Fleet.
“By focusing on the high-end training and employment of assigned assets, the new 2nd Fleet will be postured to support the employment of forces, whether that is on the western side of the Atlantic, the eastern side of the Atlantic or up into the Arctic.”

Announced in May 2018, the new numbered fleet was created as the Russian submarine threat in the Atlantic has grown, with Moscow fielding a new and more capable fleet of attack boats armed with long-range cruise missiles that can threaten mainland Europe. The activation of the command followed the declaration of a new era of great power competition by then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis that put Russia and China at the forefront of U.S. planning.

“The North Atlantic has some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, and with the opening of waterways in the Arctic, this traffic will only grow,” Lewis said in a statement. “This is a fact acknowledged by both our allies and competitors, and as such, it is critically important U.S. 2nd Fleet reinvigorates the way our forces are employed in this influential theater.”

While the boundaries and overlap of responsibility of 2nd Fleet and the Italy-based U.S. 6th Fleet are still in flux, there are indications that 2nd Fleet will command and control forces from Norfolk, past the Greenland-Iceland-U.K. gap and into the Arctic and Barents Seas to support a theater anti-submarine warfare mission.

Lewis told reporters Wednesday in Norfolk that both Chinese and Russian aspirations played into the creation of 2nd Fleet, but Russia in particular was a focus for his command.

The Navy has been reluctant to talk about the specifics of the Russian threat, but in particular the newest generation of Russian attack submarines are armed with long-range land-attack missiles that can put a significant number of allied cities at risk. Less well-known is the Russians’ work in developing a new class of underwater strategic weapons, described as a high-speed nuclear torpedo.

“Very specifically with the Russian competitors, in the maritime they are proficient undersea operators,” Lewis said.

To that end, Lewis said he was under a mandate to create a command and control structure that would transcend the geographic boundary between the eastern and western Atlantic – traditionally a dividing line marked by a line of longitude drawn from the southern point of Greenland.

“Seams, by definition, whether they be geographic seams, domain seams, whatever the case may be, create vulnerabilities for our adversaries and our competitors to exploit,” he said.
“That’s where my focus is.”

Under the current construct, 2nd Fleet could report to either U.S. Fleet Forces Command commander Adm. Chris Grady through his naval commander role in U.S. Northern Command, or to Adm. James Foggo through his role as the commander of naval forces in U.S. European Command.

However, there is a clear emphasis on the North Atlantic and the Arctic.

“We have to take a measured and deliberate approach to be operating up there,” he said about the Arctic.

“I would not say that it’s a competitive space right now, but it’s approaching a competitive space and what we need to be able to do is operate there professionally and safely and in order to maintain it as place of freedom of navigation under international law. We can’t do that virtually.”

While actual physical boundary between the two commands are still a work in progress, Lewis’ focus is very clear.

“To stay focused on the generation and employment of the forces on the high-end of naval warfare is the reason for it,” he said.

The declaration comes ahead of next month’s Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) exercise, which will be led by 2nd Fleet and include NATO and other partner nations centered around the Baltic Sea.

“BALTOPS 2019 is our collective opportunity to promote peace and security through cooperation, collaboration, interoperability, and an unambiguous display of strength in the Baltic region,” Lewis said in the statement. “As an alliance, increasing our capabilities across all domains as well as building a command-wide network will give us the ability to deter aggression and project stability.”

In addition to leading the operational fleet, Lewis also commands Joint Force Command Norfolk as part of the overall NATO military command structure.

The following is the complete statement from U.S. 2nd Fleet.

U. S. 2nd Fleet Declares Initial Operational Capability

From U.S. 2nd Fleet Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. – U.S. 2nd Fleet declared the command has achieved initial operational capability (IOC) May 29, 2019, less than one year after being established by senior military leaders.

Vice Adm. Andrew “Woody” Lewis, commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet, made the announcement onboard Naval Station Norfolk, Va., the waterfront homeport of many 2nd Fleet maritime assets.

“The North Atlantic has some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, and with the opening of waterways in the Arctic, this traffic will only grow,” said Lewis. “This is a fact acknowledged by both our allies and competitors, and as such, it is critically important U.S. 2nd Fleet reinvigorates the way our forces are employed in this influential theater.”

In achieving IOC, the command has reached the capability to command and control forces assigned, as is expected of a numbered fleet, utilizing the functions and processes of the Maritime Operations Center and Maritime Headquarters.

By focusing on the high-end training and employment of assigned assets, the new 2nd Fleet will be postured to support the employment of forces, whether that is on the Western side of the Atlantic, the Eastern side of the Atlantic, or up into the Arctic.

A few days after achieving IOC, the new Fleet will lead Exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS), marking the first time the Fleet will operate in the European theater, and leveraging increased lethality, interoperability and integrated warfighting capability with allies and partners in the region.

“BALTOPS 2019 is our collective opportunity to promote peace and security through cooperation, collaboration, interoperability, and an unambiguous display of strength in the Baltic region,” said Lewis. “As an alliance, increasing our capabilities across all domains as well as building a command-wide network will give us the ability to deter aggression and project stability.”

U.S. 2nd Fleet exercises operational and administrative authorities over assigned ships, aircraft and landing forces on the East Coast and the North Atlantic. Additionally, it plans and conducts maritime, joint and combined operations as well as trains and recommends certification of combat-ready naval forces for maritime employment and operations around the globe.

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Less than a year after

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resurrected the Navy’s

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, he announced it’s operating and will reach full capabilities by the end of 2019.

To punctuate his perspective, Lewis delivered his announcement against the backdrop of three aircraft carriers, two of which now fall under his operational control, during a press conference at Naval Base Norfolk’s Iowa Point.

“This means the 2nd Fleet has the capability to command and control forces assigned in high end maritime operations as it is expected of any other numbered fleet,” Lewis said. “The only difference between 2nd Fleet (Initial Operating Capability) today and 2nd Fleet at our final operational capability is the capacity.”

That capacity will continue to grow as the fleet adds staffers "in order to take on more and more forces.” he said.

Lewis will focus fleet operations on the Atlantic Ocean, a body of water that covers 20 percent of the globe’s surface.

“The North Atlantic has some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. And with the opening of waterways in the Arctic, this traffic will only grow,” Lewis said.

Last month, the Navy announced that 2nd Fleet will spearhead the

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, an exercise that’s slated to kick off in mid-June. BALTOPS 2019 is expected to draw at least 8,000 sailors from 18 nations.

Held on Russia’s doorstep, the drills are designed to promote “peace and security through cooperation, collaboration, interoperability, and an unambiguous display of strength in the Baltic region," Lewis said.

Under the Navy’s current plan, forces on the East Coast "will be assigned once in the final stage of the training cycle, and through the end of the period in which forces are available for operational tasking” to 2nd Fleet, Lewis said.

“This allows 2nd Fleet to focus its attention on the development and employment of forces at the highest level of warfare.”

As warships journey across the Atlantic Ocean and into zones controlled by other numbered fleets, they’ll temporarily fall under the control of those admirals.

For now, Lewis controls several key strategic assets, including the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group. When he returns from BALTOPS 2019, Lewis pledged to “start doing some exercises” with it.

He also has at his command sister carrier John C. Stennis, which

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after a seven-month deployment.

“Stennis is assigned to me until she goes into maintenance,” he said, adding that it can be used for hurricane relief efforts and “other fleet operations” before beginning a lengthy midlife

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.

And although the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln will finish its deployment in a new homeport, Naval Air Station North Island, the rest of its strike group is slated to return to Virginia and fall under 2nd Fleet control.

For now, Lewis continues to hash out the “geographic boundaries” separating 2nd Fleet from Naples-bassed 6th Fleet so there’s no “seam in the Atlantic for our competitors to exploit.”

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The

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's 2nd Fleet has reached initial operational capacity, its commander announced Wednesday, and it's already gearing up for a big show of force in Russia's backyard.

The fleet, which oversees naval operations along the East Coast and in the Arctic -- where Russia has been particularly active -- hit the operational milestone less than a year after

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.

With ice melting at faster rates in the Arctic, things are only going to get busier there, Vice Adm. Andrew "Woody" Lewis, 2nd Fleet's commander, said after announcing the milestone.

"This is a fact acknowledged by both our allies and competitors," Lewis said in a statement. "... It is critically important U.S. 2nd Fleet reinvigorates the way our forces are employed in this influential theater."

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson announced the return of 2nd Fleet in May 2018; it had been shuttered in 2011. It was re-established in July and designed to have about 250 personnel.

Now, it has the capability to command and control forces across the Atlantic. There's currently more Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic than the U.S. has seen in decades, Richardson

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.

Next month, Lewis and the fleet will lead Exercise Baltic Operations. It'll be the first time U.S. 2nd Fleet will operate in the Baltic region since being reactivated. Eighteen countries are expected to participate in the annual exercise, meant to demonstrate that NATO allies can defend the Baltic Sea region.

Lewis called the exercise an "unambiguous display of strength in the Baltic region."

"As an alliance, increasing our capabilities across all domains, as well as building a command-wide network, will give us the ability to deter aggression and project stability," he said.

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USNI said:

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Jura said:

so I wouldn't be surprised if they canceled the FFG(X) and kept commissioning even more aluminum scrap in the form of LCSs,

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Jura said:

Sep 19, 2018now

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Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced “the Air Force we need”, a significant expansion of the Air Force from 312 operational squadrons to 386. One thing is clear. It will be really expensive. The annual additional cost would be about $37 billion at a time when budget projections show no increase, and up to 94,000 additional personnel, active and reserve.
it's

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President Donald Trump on Thursday said he supports the

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's goal to build up to 386 squadrons.

"As your commander in chief, I want you to know that we will pursue and maintain the overwhelming strength we need to deter any aggressor and thrash any foe," he said during a speech at the

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's graduation ceremony. "For that reason, I am committed to building 'The Air Force We Need' with the full strength of 386 squadrons."

The president was the keynote speaker honoring the Neil Armstrong Class of 2019, the 61st graduating class, at the academy's Falcon Stadium.

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson announced in September that the service

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over the next decade.

Dubbed "the Air Force we need," Wilson and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein have advocated for adding 74 squadrons to the service's current 312 to confront threats in an era of great power competition.

The service is looking to add:

• 5 bomber squadrons
• 7 fighter squadrons
• 7 space squadrons
• 14 tanker squadrons
• 7
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  squadrons
• 9 nine combat search-and-rescue squadrons
• 22 squadrons that conduct command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
• 2 remotely piloted aircraft squadrons
• 1 airlift squadron

But service officials are still working on how best to fill the proposed units.

In the proposed fiscal 2020 defense budget released in March, the Air Force did not set money aside to directly fund additional squadrons, though officials have said the service wants to reach its 386-squadron goal by 2030.

Officials said a study on the proposal was being crafted at the same time planners were creating the budget proposal.

"It is clearly a priority for our secretary, but the FY20 budget was built off the 312 number," said Maj. Gen. John Pletcher, deputy assistant secretary for budget at the Air Force's Office of the Assistant Secretary for Financial Management and the Comptroller at the Pentagon.

Pletcher said the current fiscal year proposal, however, does support the force by setting "the conditions for success by fielding, faster and smarter, the technology and innovation that will allow us to achieve a strategic advantage over near-peer competitors."

Speaking to the 386 effort, Trump said, "We're getting it done, and it's happening rapidly.

"Because nothing will ever strike more fear in the hearts of our enemies or inspire more confidence in our friends than the roaring engines of American fighter jets flown by the greatest pilots on the planet Earth by far," he added.

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The Air Force doesn’t plan to cancel any upcoming training exercises as it waits for Congress to pass a disaster-aid supplemental funding bill, despite what the service’s vice chief of staff told lawmakers earlier in May.

“ACC has looked into the possibility of having to cancel training exercises,” a command spokeswoman told Air Force Magazine May 30. “To date, all ACC exercises continue to be executed as planned.”

Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Stephen Wilson said at a May 9 House Armed Services readiness subcommittee hearing the service would need to start canceling some major exercises in June if no supplemental funding has been approved to pay for storm recovery at Tyndall AFB, Fla., Offutt AFB, Neb., and other installations. But with June around the corner and a spending bill stalled on Capitol Hill, Wilson’s prediction hasn’t come to pass.

“No decisions have been made to cancel any ACC exercises and we are taking as many actions as possible to avoid this detrimental decision and impact on readiness,” the ACC spokeswoman said.

The Air Force requires around $5 billion from 2019-2021 to rebuild its storm-ravaged facilities, though that estimate is subject to change and does not include the cost to

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at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, that was damaged by a tornado on May 27. Tyndall’s restoration effort is not issuing new contracts until the funds come through, and the Air Force says it will similarly freeze work at Offutt in July, cut thousands of flying hours by the fall, and more without additional appropriations.

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Jura said:

and in the meantime

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The senators' draft of the annual defense bill puts a new emphasis on technological competition, including industrial policy moves to strengthen US companies.

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googled
Could coal ash be a viable source of rare-earth metals?
September 14, 2018

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The U.S. Defense Department is seeking new federal funds to bolster domestic production of rare earth minerals and reduce dependence on China, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, amid mounting concern in Washington about Beijing’s role as a supplier.

The Pentagon’s request was outlined in a report that has been sent to the White House and briefed to Congress, said Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Mike Andrews, a Pentagon spokesman.

Rare earths are a group of 17 chemical elements used in both consumer products, from iPhones to electric car motors, and critical military applications including jet engines, satellites and lasers.

Rising tensions between the United States and China have sparked concerns that Beijing could use its dominant position as a supplier of rare earths for leverage in the trade war between the world’s top two economic powers.

Between 2004 and 2017, China accounted for 80% of U.S. rare earth imports. Few alternative suppliers have been able to compete with China, which is home to 37% of global rare earths reserves.

“The department continues to work closely with the president, Congress and U.S. industry to improve U.S. competitiveness in the mineral market,” Andrews told Reuters.

He gave no details but said the report was tied to a federal program designed to bolster domestic production capabilities through targeted economic incentives.

While China has so far not explicitly said it would restrict rare earths sales to the United States, Chinese media has strongly implied this will happen.

In a commentary headlined “United States, don’t underestimate China’s ability to strike back,” the official People’s Daily noted the United States’ “uncomfortable” dependence on rare earths from China.

“Will rare earths become a counter weapon for China to hit back against the pressure the United States has put on for no reason at all? The answer is no mystery,” it said.

GROWING CONCERN
John Neuffer, president of the Semiconductor Industry Association, said the chances of China restricting rare earth exports were growing.

“I do expect the other shoe to drop,” he told an event hosted by the Washington International Trade Association.

The Pentagon has repeatedly flagged its concerns about American reliance on China for rare earth minerals, including in a 2018 report on vulnerabilities in the U.S. defense industrial base.

The Pentagon said the latest report was a Defense Production Act III rare earths mineral report. According to a Pentagon website, that program gives the U.S. president “broad authority to ensure the timely availability of essential domestic industrial resources to support national defense and homeland security requirements through the use of highly tailored economic incentives.”

John Luddy, vice president for national security policy at the Aerospace Industries Association, said U.S. government funding could be used to bolster production, processing capacity and stockpiling of critical supplies.

Industry officials liken Washington’s potential role to the way government funding ensures the capability to launch sensitive military and intelligence satellites into space - another costly initiative.

The Defense Department accounts for about 1% of U.S. demand, which in turn accounts for about 9% of global demand for rare earths, according to a 2016 report from the congressional U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Raytheon Co, Lockheed Martin Corp and BAE Systems Plc all make sophisticated missiles that use rare earths metals in their guidance systems and sensors.

Rare earth minerals are also essential in other military equipment such as jet engines, lasers and night vision devices.

California’s Mountain Pass mine is the only operating U.S. rare earths facility. But MP Materials, owner of Mountain Pass, ships the roughly 50,000 tonnes of rare earth concentrate it extracts each year from California to China for processing.

At least three U.S.-based companies have rare earth processing plants under construction or in the planning stages, including one that is set to open next year at Mountain Pass mine to produce about 5,000 tonnes of two popular types of rare earths annually, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The other two aren’t expected to open until 2022 at the earliest.

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Jura said:

Feb 2, 2018
now (dated March 13, 2019)

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What happens when the Pentagon's new ballistic missile defeat program doesn't work? They keep using the old one, which has a spotty track record.
it's

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The U.S. Department of Defense has issued a

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on the Redesigned Kill Vehicle, a program aimed at improving U.S. ballistic missile defense capabilities by replacing the exoatmospheric kill vehicle used on Ground-Based Interceptors. The move is the result of significant technical difficulties.

Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Griffin has called for a new analysis of alternatives for modernizing the GBI warheads. A timeline for the review has not been released.

The FY20 budget had delayed by two years a Critical Design Review of the RKV originally planned for 2018. The first flight was planned for FY22, with the first intercept test in FY23.

The U.S. has 44 interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, and another 20 interceptors will be added at Fort Greely.

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