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The 65 foot, 50-ton boat was built in Bremerton and Tacoma, Wash., and expands the capabilities of the Navy with its flexibility.

"This boat helps bridge the gap between the large ship navy and the near-coastal assets," said Senior Enlisted Advisor, Master Chief Petty Officer Joe Manning, assigned to Coastal Riverine Group 1 (CRG-1).

The CCB has increased capability amongst existing Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) craft including 24-hour mission capability, ergonomic equipment design, both remote and crew-served weapon systems, and a robust communications suite.

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The new class of coastal command patrol boats is based on the future US Navy Mark VI patrol boat currently being built by Safe Boats International. 5 MK VI boats have been ordered by the US Navy.

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The future USS Somerset (LPD 25) successfully completed builder's trials, Aug. 16. Somerset is the ninth ship of the LPD 17 class of amphibious transport dock ships and was constructed at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) at the Avondale shipyard.

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navyreco said:

New coastal command patrol boat with increased capability delivered to US Navy

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Jeff Head said:

These are going to be nice patrol craft and will be able to be carried in the well decks of LHD, LHA, and LPD vessels. They are meant to provide force protection for the larger vessels in littoral waters.

Armed with up to two 25mm auto-cannons which can be remotely controlled, .50 cal machine guns, and probably MANPADS and Grenade Launchers, they will be nicely armed for their size and weight.

I expect a lot more than five will ultimately be build.

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China's Defense Minister Chang and US Sec Def Hagel met and agreed that China will join US in Pacific RIM exercises next year, this from todays AFM Daily Report---. brat

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Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Chang Wanquan (R, Front) is welcomed by U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel during their meeting in the Pentagon in Washington D.C. , the United States, on Aug. 19, 2013. (Xinhua/Zhang Jun)

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Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Chang Wanquan (R) shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel during their meeting in the Pentagon in Washington D.C. , the United States, on Aug. 19, 2013. (Xinhua/Zhang Jun)

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and U.S. defense chiefs agreed here Monday to take new steps to enhance military cooperation and exchanges between their countries.

The agreement was reached by visiting Chinese Minister of National Defense Chang Wanquan and his U.S. counterpart, Chuck Hagel, during their talks at the Pentagon, which Hagel hailed as "very productive."

The efforts, they said, are aimed at elevating the bilateral military relationship to a new height for the sake of maintaining regional and global peace and stability.

Speaking at a joint news conference after the talks, Hagel said he restated to the Chinese guests the U.S. commitment to building "a positive and constructive relationship" with China.

He noted that the U.S.-China relationship is important to maintaining stability and security in the Asia-Pacific and safeguarding security and prosperity for the two nations in the 21st century.

"One of the themes we emphasized today was that a sustained, substantive military-to-military relationship is an important pillar for this strong bilateral relationship," said Hagel.

"The United States welcomes and supports the rise of a prosperous and responsible China that helps solve regional and global problems," added the Pentagon chief.

For his part, Chang said the purpose of his first U.S. visit is "to implement the important consensus reached by (Chinese) President Xi Jinping and (U.S.) President (Barack) Obama of building a new model of major country relationship based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation."

The trip, he added, is also intended "to further increase mutual understanding, to enhance mutual trust, to promote mutual cooperation, and to push forward the sound and stable development of our national and military relations."

During the talks, the two sides held "candid and deepened" exchange of views over issues of common concern, and reached agreements on a number of new steps to boost bilateral military ties, Chang said.

In order to cement trust between the two militaries, they agreed to boost cooperation, expand defense exchanges and hold more joint exercises.

Chang invited Hagel for an official visit to China next year, which the U.S. defense chief accepted enthusiastically. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, also offered to host his Chinese counterpart, Fang Fenghui, next year.

Meanwhile, Chang announced that at the invitation of the United States, the Chinese navy will join the RIM of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) for the first time next year.

Held biennially during June and July of even-numbered years in Honolulu, Hawaii, the U.S.-led RIMPAC is the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise.

Also on Monday, the two militaries held a meeting in Hawaii to discuss cooperation on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. This weekend, the Chinese and U.S navies will conduct the second counter-piracy exercise in the Gulf of Aden.

As part of the increased China-U.S. defense exchanges, Chinese midshipmen already joined a multinational exchange program at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis earlier this summer.

Chang and Hagel also discussed other bilateral and regional security issues of mutual concern, including the situation on the Korean Peninsula, East and South China Seas, and cyber security.

In response to a media query on the U.S. rebalancing strategy in the Asia-Pacific, Chang expressed his concern about the U.S. emphasis on the military aspect of the comprehensive policy.

He noted that the U.S. side has bolstered its military deployment and enhanced its alignments in the region by increasing the frequency and intensity of military cooperations and joint military drills with its allies and partners.

"From certain degree, this kind of intensified military activities further complicated the situation in the region," said Chang, expressing the hope that the U.S. strategy does not target a specific country.

"And on the other hand, we would like to have this rebalancing strategy balanced on different countries, as well, because the essence of rebalancing is -- balance," he added.

"What is the most important is that China is ready to work with the United States to maintain the regional peace and stability," said the senior Chinese official.

Chang started his U.S. visit on Friday in Hawaii, where he held talks with U.S. Commander of the Pacific Command Samuel Locklear. Over the weekend, he also met with Charles Jacoby, commander of the U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command and of the U.S. Northern Command, both headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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Published August 19, 2013
Associated Press

WASHINGTON – In his first Pentagon meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel faces a familiar agenda marked with tensions over U.S. missile defenses, Chinese cyberattacks and other issues.

But if the talks follow form, they will be wrapped in public expressions of goodwill and pledges of cooperation.

Gen. Chang Wanquan, the Chinese defense chief, is at the Pentagon for a series of meetings with Hagel.

Hagel is presiding over a Pentagon making a deliberate pivot to Asia after more than a decade of wars in the greater Middle East, and improving ties with China is at the heart of the Obama administration's Asia strategy.

"While the U.S. and China will have our differences - on human rights, Syria and regional security issues in Asia - the key is for these differences to be addressed on the basis of a continuous and respectful dialogue. It also requires building trust and reducing the risk of miscalculation, particularly between our militaries," Hagel said in a speech at an Asian security conference in Singapore on June 1.

Among the positive signs cited by U.S. officials are U.S.-China naval cooperation in anti-piracy exercises and China's acceptance of a U.S. invitation to participate in next year's Rim of the Pacific military exercise, the region's largest naval exercise. Hagel has accepted China's invitation to visit Beijing next year.

Defense officials attribute the current upswing in U.S.-China military relations in part to the U.S. and Chinese presidents' summit in California in June, which was an attempt to set a positive tone despite Washington's growing anxiety about Chinese cybertheft. Chinese officials have dubbed the summit a new starting point for relations.

But there was no accord on cybersecurity during that summit. Obama confronted Xi Jinping with specific evidence of intellectual property theft the U.S. says is emanating from China. Xi said China was also a victim of cyberattacks but did not publicly acknowledge his own country's alleged activities.

The topic is likely to be high on the agenda for Monday's Pentagon meetings.

Chang spent Friday in Hawaii for talks at U.S. Pacific Command and was at U.S. Northern Command in Colorado over the weekend.

A Northern Command spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, said the visit was a chance for Chang and Gen. Chuck Jacoby, the commander of Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Command, "to share views on how the military provides support to civil authorities during man-made or natural disasters."

Also of U.S. concern are disputes between China and several other Asia nations, including the Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam, over South China Sea territorial boundaries and resources.

Another source of tension is China's handling of National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden. During high-level U.S.-China talks in Washington in July, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns said the U.S. was very disappointed that Beijing and semi-autonomous Hong Kong refused to extradite Snowden before he flew to Russia.

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Jeff Head said:

These are going to be nice patrol craft and will be able to be carried in the well decks of LHD, LHA, and LPD vessels. They are meant to provide force protection for the larger vessels in littoral waters.

Armed with up to two 25mm auto-cannons which can be remotely controlled, .50 cal machine guns, and probably MANPADS and Grenade Launchers, they will be nicely armed for their size and weight.

I expect a lot more than five will ultimately be build.

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Equation said:

Can these crafts be use for river patrol as well?

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US Navy Mark VI Patrol Boat
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Air Force Brat said:

Oh Shoot!, I thought that was the new Bassmasters Classic, the competition is tough in those bass tournaments ya know, and that deck gun would kinda help you stake out your own fishing territory! Yes as a matter of fact I do like to fish! brat

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TerraN_EmpirE said:

I am digging that Mk 38 Mod 2 25mm "Bassmaster" Cannon.

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WASHINGTON — The US Air Force is unable to keep up with a growing demand for pilots capable of operating drones, partly due to a shortage of volunteers, according to a new study.

Despite the importance placed on the burgeoning robotic fleet, drone operators face a lack of opportunities for promotion to higher ranks, and the military has failed to identify and cultivate this new category of aviators, Air Force Col. Bradley Hoagland wrote in the report published for the Brookings Institution think tank.

In 2012, the Air Force had a goal to train 1,129 “traditional” pilots and 150 drone pilots to operate Predator, Reaper and Global Hawk robotic aircraft.

But the Air Force “was not able to meet its RPA (remotely piloted aircraft) training requirements since there were not enough volunteers,” the report said.

As of last year, the Air Force had 1,300 drone pilots, making up about 8.5 percent of the force’s aviators, compared with 3.3 percent four years earlier.

The fleet of unmanned aircraft includes 152 Predators, 96 Reapers and 23 Global Hawks, which is large enough to fly 61 combat air patrols.

The military measures air power in terms of combat air patrols, or CAPs, which are supposed to provide 24-hour air coverage over a designated area. It typically takes three or four drones to make up a combat air patrol.

But goals for expanding the patrols are increasing “at a faster pace than the AF (Air Force) can train personnel to operate these systems,” the study said.

One of the factors behind the shortfall is a high rate of attrition among drone operators, which is three times higher than for traditional pilots, it said.

Another factor is the intense tempo of operations for drone missions over the past decade.

The constant drone flights mean operators, unlike their counterparts in other specialities, lack the time for additional education and training to attain a higher rank, undercutting their career prospects, the author wrote.

The problem is reflected in a 13 percent lower promotion rate to the rank of major over the past five years, compared to other military fields.

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