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Jeff Head said:

Admiral's use trusted staffers like Misiewicz to do all of the grunt work and set up the schedules, and make recommendations. They then make decisions based on those recommendations. If Misiewicz was a trusted, long time individual being mentored, then this could easily have happened.

And yes, you can also bet, that any Admirals and their bosses are now under the microscope to ensure that there were no connections, and no influence through money or vice, that gravitated up to the Admrials themselves.

If there were, we will hear of it and they themselves will be cashiered an dpossibly prosecuted. Even if it is clear that they did nothing wrong themselves but should have known this was happening under them, their careers will be over.

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WASHINGTON (AFP): A third US Navy commander and a prominent Malaysian business leader were charged Wednesday in a widening bribery scandal involving prostitutes, luxury travel and multi-million-dollar government contracts, officials said Friday.

Commander Jose Luis Sanchez, 41, was arrested Tuesday in Tampa, Florida and made a first appearance in federal court in Florida Wednesday.

He was charged with taking payoffs from a foreign defense contractor in exchange for classified and internal US Navy information, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Also named in a complaint unsealed Wednesday was Leonard Francis, 49, of Malaysia, the CEO of Glenn Defense Marine Asia (GDMA), the department said.

He was arrested Sept 16, 2013, in San Diego, California.

"According to court records, Sanchez allegedly provided Francis with internal Navy information, such as US Navy ship schedules - some of which were classified - and information about husbanding issues that could affect GDMA, in order to help GDMA win and maintain Navy business," the statement added.

Two other top Navy officials - Commander Michael Vannak Khem Misiewicz, 46, and Naval Criminal Investigative Service Supervisory Special Agent John Bertrand Beliveau II, 44 - have been charged separately in connection with bribery allegations.

Meanwhile GDMA executive Alex Wisidagama, 40, of Singapore, has also been charged with participating in a related scheme to overbill the Navy for services provided in ports across Southeast Asia, the department said.

"According to the allegations in this case, a number of officials were willing to sacrifice their integrity and millions of taxpayer dollars for personal gratification," said US Attorney Laura Duffy.

"While the overwhelming majority of the 400,000 active duty Navy personnel conduct themselves in a manner that is beyond reproach, we and our law enforcement partners at Naval Criminal Investigative Service and Defense Criminal Investigative Service continue to investigate the allegations of fraud and corruption that tarnish the stellar reputation of the US Navy," she said.

Misiewicz, who commanded a destroyer and served as deputy operations officer for the head of the Seventh Fleet in the Pacific, has been charged in the case, as well as a supervisory special agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).

Federal authorities allege that Misiewicz, who fled the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia as a child and was adopted by an American woman, directed ships to certain ports where the Singapore-based firm overcharged for fuel, food, water and other services.

Misiewicz in return was allegedly given access to prostitutes, free travel and even tickets to a Lady Gaga concert.

The firm cited by federal prosecutors is Glenn Defense Marine Asia, and the CEO, Leonard Francis, has been charged, along with Misiewicz and the NCIS agent, with conspiracy to commit bribery.

In one email, GDMA's chief refers to certain prostitutes in Thailand as his "Elite Thai Seal Team."

After naval authorities began investigating the firm for possible overcharging for services, the accused NCIS agent, John Beliveau, allegedly supplied the head of GDMA with sensitive information about the probe, according to federal prosecutors.

The criminal complaint also alleges that "in an alleged December 2, 2011, email discussion in which Sanchez told Francis about the status of an investigation of GDMA, Francis replied: "I have inside Intel from NCIS and read all the reports. I will show you a copy of a Classified Command File on me from NCIS ha ha."

The US Attorney's Office in San Diego first announced the case last month.

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The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) intercepted and destroyed two simultaneous targets attacking from opposite directions during a stressing demonstration of its 360-degree air and missile defense (AMD) capabilities at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The flight test achieved all criteria for success.

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navyreco said:

It may not find its way into US service, it is still a program developped and funded by the USA

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USA Today said:

WASHINGTON -- With the smashing of a bottle of sparkling wine against her hull, America's newest aircraft carrier — expected to help define naval technology and readiness for a generation — will be christened Saturday in honor of Gerald R. Ford, the only Michigan man to serve as the nation's commander-in-chief.

It will be the first new class of carriers in 40 years, and both the ship and its class are named for the late president, who served on the aircraft carrier USS Monterey during World War II. The christening — with Ford's daughter, Susan Ford Bales, doing the honors — will be at the shipyard in Newport News, Va., on Saturday morning.

"We're building a command climate and culture that lasts for the life of this ship," said her skipper, Capt. John Meier. Reciting Ford's service as enlistee, Michigan congressman and the appointed vice president who helped heal the nation's post-Watergate wounds as chief executive, he said, "Gerald Ford could not be a better role model."

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will speak at the event.

"Gerald Ford was a steady hand in difficult times," Levin said. "All of us from Michigan are proud that this ship will carry the name of a great Michiganian."

From a distance, the USS Ford — still officially a "PCU" or "Pre-Commissioning Unit" — might look a lot like the preceding Nimitz class of carriers, with a similar length of 1,092 feet and a waterline width of 134 feet. But that belies all the differences that come with a wholly redesigned vessel.

The Ford features more available flight deck and its aircraft can fly 40 more sorties a day. Its nuclear reactors increase electrical capacity by 2 1/2 times, and its electromagnetic aircraft launchers — once fully tested and installed — will replace steam catapults, allowing for smoother launches with less wear and tear.

New sensors, a more efficient galley system, redesigned weapons and supply system elevators, and an aircraft turnaround process informed in part by talks with NASCAR pit crews, mean the Ford class can set sail with as many as 900 fewer personnel on board — a savings of $4 billion over the 50-year life of the ship.

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