US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

By Mike Hixenbaugh
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 10, 2015
NORFOLK
The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, slowed by tiny aquatic invertebrates, remains docked at Norfolk Naval Station this morning, more than 24 hours after the ship was scheduled to deploy.

Crews worked much of the day Monday to clear the ship's sea water intakes, which were clogged by small sea life called Bryozoa, which are common in waters of Hampton Roads, especially in winter months.

The little organisms, known more commonly as "moss animals," were sucked up by large intakes under the ship that take in sea water to cool various pieces of equipment. That can foul condensers and affected the ship's propulsion and power generation.

This isn't the first time the filter-feeding invertebrates have delayed an aircraft carrier deployment. The carrier George H.W. Bush was delayed by several hours last year, as was the carrier Enterprise as it attempted to embark on its final deployment back in 2012.

Once the Roosevelt gets going, it won't be back for a while. The ship is expected to spend about eight months in the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf before steaming to its new home in San Diego.

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93fiM5 said:

First two ships of the Zumwalt Class look to be delayed.

Not really surprising considering the amount of new technology involved in these impressive ships.

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Brumby said:

Some toys of the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) maritime inventory

View attachment 12053
View attachment 12054
Two technology demonstrators that supposedly had been operationalized.

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War Budget
The war budget, or funding for overseas contingency operations (OCO), projects an average of almost 5,900 U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan next year, a figure that's slated to fall to an embassy security presence of about 1,000 troops by the end of 2016. There are currently more than 9,000 American service members in the country.

The Pentagon acknowledged that the cost of maintaining forces in Afghanistan "will fall more slowly than forces themselves due to expenses (including contractor costs) associated with closing

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, returning equipment, and resetting the force," according to the budget document.

It also projects an average of almost 4,100 troops serving in Iraq next year. That's more than the nearly 3,000 service members President Obama has authorized so far to deploy to the country in support of Iraqi and Kurdish forces battling militants affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The war funding would support training allied forces in the Ukraine, where pro-Russian rebels are trying to push government forces out of the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, and in Syria and Iraq, where ISIS and al-Qaeda militants have overtaken large parts of both countries.

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Naval Today said:

Five E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes assigned to Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125 will make their maiden deployment as part of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 1 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71).

The E-2D Advanced Hawkeye is set to replace the E-2C Hawkeye in its primary mission to provide airborne early warning and command and control capabilities for all aircraft-carrier battle groups. While the primary mission for the E-2 has not changed, the Advanced Hawkeye is able to gather and process data more precisely and efficiently thanks to state-of-the-art radar and communication equipment.

The Advanced Hawkeye’s technology makes it a multi-mission platform through its ability to coordinate concurrent missions which may arise during a single flight. These missions can include airborne strike, ground force support, rescue operations and managing a reliable communications network capable of supporting drug interdiction operations.

With the first five going out to sea, the Navy plans to continue procuring the Advanced Hawkeye to replace the Hawkeye through 2023.

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The above is a draft of the Navy’s battle force table from Fiscal Year 2016 to 2045. The document was developed as part of the service’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget submission to Congress.

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Naval Today said:

The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) returned to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on March 10, after completing a deployment to the Western Pacific.

Hawaii returned home with a new second in charge, as Lt. Cmdr. Charles Phillips relieved Lt. Cmdr. Mark Robinson as executive officer of Hawaii in a pre-scheduled relief during the deployment.

During the deployment, 23 Sailors and six officers earned their designation as qualified in submarines and now wear their coveted “dolphin” warfare insignia.

Additionally, 18 Sailors advanced in rank and five Sailors were initiated into the chiefs’ mess.

During the seven-month deployment, Hawaii strengthened relations with multiple countries taking part in maritime exercises and conducted port visits to Stirling, Australia, and the cities of Yokosuka and Sasebo in Japan.

Upon her return from deployment, the “War Canoe,” as the crew calls her, sailed to the historic submarine piers of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

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