The U.S. Navy Has Only One Supercarrier Battle Group At Sea

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

The aircraft carriers USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), USS Enterprise (CVN 65), USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) are in port at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., the world’s largest naval station. Chief Mass Communication Specialist Ryan J. Courtade, Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ernest R. Scott, and Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kevin J. Steinberg

Stark Evidence of US, British Naval Decline -- James G. Wiles, American Thinker

Is it actually possible that, as you read this, the United States Navy has only one supercarrier battle group at sea? Read on - and be amazed.

Look no farther than these two news items, both from today's Sunday Times of London, to see the effect of two decades of shrinkage in the size of the United States Navy and the retreat of the Royal Navy from the high seas:

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My Comment: Only one carrier out at sea!!!! .... I think the last time this happened was before the Second World War. If you want to know where the US Navy's super carriers are stationed .... five of them are here (and in one impressive photo).

Update: GoNavy.jp provides the location for each US carrier group.

Five Aircraft Carriers And Four Amphibious Assault Ships Crammed Together At Norfolk (Photos)

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

The aircraft carriers USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), USS Enterprise (CVN 65), USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) are in port at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., the world’s largest naval station. Chief Mass Communication Specialist Ryan J. Courtade, Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ernest R. Scott, and Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kevin J. Steinberg

The World's Largest Naval Station Is Packed Tight For Christmas -- Business Insider

The Navy does its best to get troops home for the holidays when it can, but this display at Norfolk Naval base is still more the exception than the rule.

Nine "Flattops," five aircraft carriers, and four amphibious assault ships, are crammed together here at Norfolk among smaller ships and nuclear submarines from December 20, Navy photos. The nine flattops alone, number more than all eight battleships at Pearl Harbor in 1941.

This cohort of ships at Norfolk could all be together for the last time as sixty percent of U.S. ships head to the Pacific and the carrier USS Enterprise (third ship from left, third picture down) falls to decommissioning after 52 years of service.

Ships serving in the Pacific Fleet generally call the Naval Base in San Diego home, making it the largest Navy base on the West Coast.

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My Comment: There are a few more photos at the link .... check it out.

The Rising Cost Of Maintaining A Declining US Navy

Flashes of lighting are seen over the horizon as the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower operates in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility, Nov. 19, 2012. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Greg Linderman

Is the Fleet Steaming Forward…Or Backward? -- Winslow Wheeler, Time

The prevailing wisdom holds that America’s smaller fleet is more capable than the U.S. Navy of yore because of higher capability per individual ship. It is a dangerous assumption.

To its credit, in 2010 the Navy completed a study of the surface fleet’s manning, training, and equipment readiness.

The Balisle Report was a brutal assessment: ship maintenance went underfunded for years; one-fifth of the fleet cannot pass inspections; aircraft and ships had junk as equipment and/or insufficient spare parts; fewer than one half of deployed combat aircraft are fully mission-capable at any given time; training throughout the surface fleet has been inadequate; ships are undermanned, and returning ships are cannibalized for parts to keep others running.

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My Comment: A sobering look at the US Navy .... and one that does not inspire confidence. The other two Time articles on the US Navy are the following ....

Part 1: If more money buys a smaller fleet, what does less money buy?
Part 2: More than the Navy’s numbers could be shrinking

U.S. Navy Preparing To Wage Cyber Warfare Attacks

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan travels through the Pacific Ocean with other ships assigned to the Rim of the Pacific 2010 exercise, north of Hawaii, July 24, 2010. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dylan McCord

Cyberwar On The High Seas -- Washington Free Beacon

Navy prepares to wage cyber warfare at sea.

The U.S. Navy is preparing to wage cyber warfare attacks against enemies during conflicts and must avoid strategic surprise from a future cyber attack on its networks, according to a strategy report made public Wednesday night.

“The opening salvos of the next war will likely occur in cyberspace and the Navy must be ready,” the report said. “We must organize, train, and resource a credible workforce of cyber professionals and develop forward-leaning, interoperable, and resilient cyberspace capabilities to successfully counter and defeat a determined adversary in cyberspace.”

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WNU Editor: The “Navy Cyber Power 2020" report is here.

U.S. Navy Has Ordered Three Warships To Position Themselves Off The Coast Of Israel

 

The Navy Ordered Three Huge Assault Ships To Turn Around And Go Straight To Israel -- Business Insider 

Just settling in for the trans-Atlantic crossing that would bring them home to the States for the holidays, the sailors and Marines aboard the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group got the call to turn around and head to Israel. The USS New York, USS Iwo Jima, and the USS Gunston Hall had all been winding down six month deployments when the Pentagon ordered the group on reserve to help Americans looking to get out of Israel in the coming days. Barbara Starr at CNN reports one official said: "'This is due diligence. It is better to be prepared should there be a need ... the ships would be used only for assisting Americans and not for any combat role."

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More News On The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group Being Ordered To Sail To Israel  

U.S. sends warships near Israel in case evacuation needed -- CNN US Navy orders Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group to head to Israeli shores -- RT Navy sends three warships, Marines to waters off Israel -- Stars and Stripes Families react as 3 Navy ships are rerouted to Mediterranean -- WVEC

Can The U.S. Navy Afford Next-Gen DDG-51 Destroyer

USS Arleigh Burke

Can Navy Afford Next-Gen DDG-51 Destroyer, Packard Award Or Not? -- Aol Defense News

WASHINGTON: It's not a Nobel Prize, but the Packard Award matters in the big-dollar world of defense procurement. Last week, utterly overshadowed by elections, the Department of Defense awarded the Packard to the Navy's DDG-51 destroyer, the sleek grey mainstay of the fleet.

With 62 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers already in service, four under construction, and at least nine more in the Navy's latest five-year plan, getting the DDG-51 right -- at the right price -- is critical to the Navy. The Packard Award recognized an innovative approach that saved an estimated $300 million over the three most recent ships -- and which might help the Navy afford the next, far more challenging phase of the destroyer's evolution.

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My Comment: So it appears that the next generation of U.S. destroyers will be costing $2.6 billion (or $3.6 billion) .... if that becomes the case, the US Navy will not be getting the number of destroyers that it wants.

Shipyard Worker Pleads Guilty For Causing The Fire On The USS Miami

Shipyard Worker Pleads Guilty To Arson In $400 Million Fire On Submarine -- MSNBC/Reuters

A former painter at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine who admitted using a cigarette lighter to ignite a fire that caused about $400 million in damage to a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine simply to get out of work pleaded guilty on Thursday to arson.

The blaze set by Casey James Fury, 24, in May aboard the attack submarine USS Miami, which was in dry dock for repairs at the shipyard in Kittery, Maine, burned for 12 hours and injured five emergency responders battling the flames.

Fury, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty in federal court in Portland, Maine as part of a deal with prosecutors.

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More News On Shipyard Worker Pleading Guilty For Causing The Fire On The USS Miami

Shipyard worker, 24, pleads guilty to setting alight docked nuclear submarine 'to get out of work after problems with his ex-girlfriend' - causing $450 million in damages -- Daily Mail
Ex-worker pleads guilty to setting nuke sub fire -- Seattle Times/AP
Shipyard worker pleads guilty in $400 million submarine fire -- CNN
Guilty plea in costly arson fire on nuclear submarine in Maine -- Reuters
Ex-shipyard painter admits $450M submarine arson -- USA Today
Ex-worker could get more than 15 years for setting nuke sub fire -- Boston Herald

U.S. Navy Fleet Numbers And Capabilities

For U.S. Navy Fleet, “Quantity Has a Quality of Its Own” -- Heritage Foundation

Size does matter—when it comes to the U.S. Navy.

Representative J. Randy Forbes (R–VA), chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, and Senator Kelly Ayotte (R–NH), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, are the latest officials to raise concern over the U.S. Navy’s shrinking fleet.

Citing numerous specific ways in which the Obama Administration will inhibit the Navy’s security objectives, they counter statements the President has made recently.

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My Comment: Sequestration will downsize the US Navy, and while the above video points the finger at President Obama for this development, the truth is that it was both sides who voted for sequestration.

The U.S. Navy And A Port Of Call In Russia Do Not Mix

Cmdr. Joseph R. Darlak, left, and Cmdr. Ivan Jimenez were relieved of duty on Friday.

CO, 3 Officers Sacked After Russian Port Visit -- Navy Times

SAN DIEGO — The commanding officer of the frigate Vandegrift was fired and three key officers were removed from the ship after an investigation found drunken behavior and inappropriate misconduct during a September port visit in Russia, the Navy announced late Friday.

Cmdr. Joseph R. Darlak, who has commanded the San Diego-based frigate since July 27, was relieved of command Friday by Capt. John L. Schultz “due to a loss of confidence after displaying poor leadership and failure to ensure the conduct of his wardroom officers” while visiting the Russian port of Vladivostok, said Cmdr. Tamsen Reese, a Naval Surface Force-Pacific spokeswoman in Coronado, Calif.

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More News On US Navy Officers Fired For Drunken Behavior At Russian Port Visit

Drunken sailors: US frigate commander fired over crew's Russian bender -- RT
U.S. Navy removes officers after boozy port visit -- AP
U.S. Navy skipper fired over drunken misconduct in Russia -- Reuters
Drunken port call means ouster for Navy skipper -- UT San Diego

My Comment: Here is a sad (and personal) fact about Russia .... every-time I visit Russia to see my relatives .... sighhhh .... I leave totally hungover and less than sober. This is the Russian cultural tradition of treating visitors .... and they are not going to change it. If you send a US Navy ship filled with sailors to a Russian port .... if they do not leave drunk it will be perceived as an insult. Unfortunately for these US officers .... they should have watched their limit. On a side note .... from my readings of the Russian press, they do not understand why they have been fired.

The U.S. Navy Develops It's Own Version Of C-3PO

A breakdown shows exactly how the robot has been built to fight fires

Scientists Build The Real C-3PO To Fight Fires On Board Warships -- Daily Mail

A robot with the ability to fight fires on board warships has been developed by military scientists based on the popular Star Wars character C-3PO.

It might sound like something out of another galaxy, but the life-saving robot will be tested next year on U.S navy boats.

ASH, the Autonomous Shipboard Humanoid, will have the capacity to operate in smoke-filled areas, climb ladders, pass though narrow corridors and even react to human gestures in order to put out lethal blazes.

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My Comment: I suspect that this application will be one of many that such robots will be asked to perform. For example .... looking into the far future .... it is easy to visualize such systems being used in combat platforms, bring programed to fire when ordered to and/or programed to eliminate specific threats.

Is The U.S. Navy's Naval Policy A Failure?

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan travels through the Pacific Ocean with other ships assigned to the Rim of the Pacific 2010 exercise, north of Hawaii, July 24, 2010. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dylan McCord

America's Capsizing Naval Policy -- Mark Helprin, Wall Street Journal

China's maritime power and aggressive posture is rising while the size of the U.S. Navy continues to shrink.

During the recent foreign policy debate, the president presumed to instruct his opponent: "Governor Romney maybe hasn't spent enough time looking at how our military works. You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military's changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines. And so the question is not a game of Battleship, where we're counting ships. It's what are our capabilities."

Yes, the Army's horses have been superseded by tanks and helicopters, and its bayonets rendered mainly ceremonial by armor and long-range, automatic fire, but what, precisely, has superseded ships in the Navy? The commander in chief patronizingly shared his epiphany that the ships of today could beat the hell out of those of 1916. To which one could say, like Neil Kinnock, "I know that, Prime Minister," and go on to add that we must configure the Navy to face not the dreadnoughts of 1916 but "things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them," and "ships that go underwater," and also ballistic missiles, land-based aviation, and electronic warfare.

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My Comment: Michael O’Hanlon believes that with some new thinking .... the US Navy can work. But .... Seth Cropsey does the numbers .... and they do not look good.

Star Wars On The High Seas

U.S. Navy Just Two Years Away From Arming Warships With Laser Weapons Capable Of Destroying Incoming Missiles And Aircraft -- Daily Mail

Once the stuff of science fiction and James Bond movies, the U.S. Navy is now just two years away from arming it’s ships with the first generation of ‘directed energy’ laser weapons.

The weapons are designed to track and fire on threats to a warship that could include anything from armed drones and small 'swarm' boats to incoming missiles and aircraft.

According to Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder, the chief of the Office of Naval Research, a series of successful tests in recent months have enabled the Navy to halve its predicted timeline for mounting laser weapons on vessels.

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More News On the U.S. Navy's Laser Weapon Deployment Plans

Navy’s Top Geek Says Laser Arsenal Is Just Two Years Away -- Danger Room
Navy’s Laser Weapons Just 2 Years Away, Admiral Says -- ABC News
Top Naval Officer: Expect To See Lasers On Ships Within 2 Years -- CBS News
US Navy eyes laser arsenal by 2014 -- GMA News
Navy Will Get Lasers in 2 Years, Admiral Says -- Tech News Daily
US Navy now expects laser cannons on ships in Just Two Years Away -- Next Big Future
Navy Lasers’ First Target: Enemy Drones -- Danger Room
'Star Wars' at sea: US Navy could deploy laser weapon in two years -- RT

Star Wars On The High Seas

U.S. Navy Just Two Years Away From Arming Warships With Laser Weapons Capable Of Destroying Incoming Missiles And Aircraft -- Daily Mail

Once the stuff of science fiction and James Bond movies, the U.S. Navy is now just two years away from arming it’s ships with the first generation of ‘directed energy’ laser weapons.

The weapons are designed to track and fire on threats to a warship that could include anything from armed drones and small 'swarm' boats to incoming missiles and aircraft.

According to Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder, the chief of the Office of Naval Research, a series of successful tests in recent months have enabled the Navy to halve its predicted timeline for mounting laser weapons on vessels.

Read more ....

More News On the U.S. Navy's Laser Weapon Deployment Plans

Navy’s Top Geek Says Laser Arsenal Is Just Two Years Away -- Danger Room
Navy’s Laser Weapons Just 2 Years Away, Admiral Says -- ABC News
Top Naval Officer: Expect To See Lasers On Ships Within 2 Years -- CBS News
US Navy eyes laser arsenal by 2014 -- GMA News
Navy Will Get Lasers in 2 Years, Admiral Says -- Tech News Daily
US Navy now expects laser cannons on ships in Just Two Years Away -- Next Big Future
Navy Lasers’ First Target: Enemy Drones -- Danger Room
'Star Wars' at sea: US Navy could deploy laser weapon in two years -- RT

Star Wars On The High Seas

U.S. Navy Just Two Years Away From Arming Warships With Laser Weapons Capable Of Destroying Incoming Missiles And Aircraft -- Daily Mail

Once the stuff of science fiction and James Bond movies, the U.S. Navy is now just two years away from arming it’s ships with the first generation of ‘directed energy’ laser weapons.

The weapons are designed to track and fire on threats to a warship that could include anything from armed drones and small 'swarm' boats to incoming missiles and aircraft.

According to Rear Admiral Matthew Klunder, the chief of the Office of Naval Research, a series of successful tests in recent months have enabled the Navy to halve its predicted timeline for mounting laser weapons on vessels.

Read more ....

More News On the U.S. Navy's Laser Weapon Deployment Plans

Navy’s Top Geek Says Laser Arsenal Is Just Two Years Away -- Danger Room
Navy’s Laser Weapons Just 2 Years Away, Admiral Says -- ABC News
Top Naval Officer: Expect To See Lasers On Ships Within 2 Years -- CBS News
US Navy eyes laser arsenal by 2014 -- GMA News
Navy Will Get Lasers in 2 Years, Admiral Says -- Tech News Daily
US Navy now expects laser cannons on ships in Just Two Years Away -- Next Big Future
Navy Lasers’ First Target: Enemy Drones -- Danger Room
'Star Wars' at sea: US Navy could deploy laser weapon in two years -- RT

USS Gerald R. Ford Will Be The Single Most Expensive Piece Of Military Hardware Ever Built

The USS Gerald Ford Is The Single Most Expensive Piece Of Military Hardware Ever Built -- Business Insider

The USS Gerald R. Ford is the most expensive weapon ever created and will run about $11.5 billion, with three ships costing about $40.2 billion.

Even given these generous estimates, the Navy figures that the USS Gerald R. Ford could cost as much as $1.1 billion more than planned, making it far and away the service's most expensive warship.

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My Comment: Throw in support ships, aircraft, etc .... at that price .... do not expect many more to be built.

USS Gerald R. Ford Will Be The Single Most Expensive Piece Of Military Hardware Ever Built

The USS Gerald Ford Is The Single Most Expensive Piece Of Military Hardware Ever Built -- Business Insider

The USS Gerald R. Ford is the most expensive weapon ever created and will run about $11.5 billion, with three ships costing about $40.2 billion.

Even given these generous estimates, the Navy figures that the USS Gerald R. Ford could cost as much as $1.1 billion more than planned, making it far and away the service's most expensive warship.

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My Comment: Throw in support ships, aircraft, etc .... at that price .... do not expect many more to be built.

USS Gerald R. Ford Will Be The Single Most Expensive Piece Of Military Hardware Ever Built

The USS Gerald Ford Is The Single Most Expensive Piece Of Military Hardware Ever Built -- Business Insider

The USS Gerald R. Ford is the most expensive weapon ever created and will run about $11.5 billion, with three ships costing about $40.2 billion.

Even given these generous estimates, the Navy figures that the USS Gerald R. Ford could cost as much as $1.1 billion more than planned, making it far and away the service's most expensive warship.

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My Comment: Throw in support ships, aircraft, etc .... at that price .... do not expect many more to be built.

If Cuts Go Through Will The U.S. Navy Be The Smallest Since The First World War

(Credit: Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)

The U.S. Navy: 1916 vs. 2012 -- Dr. Robert Farley, The Diplomat

At last week’s US Vice Presidential debate, Representative Paul Ryan repeated a claim that has become a staple of the Romney campaign’s military and foreign policy presentation. Ryan argued “If these cuts go through, our Navy will be the smallest -- the smallest it has been since before World War I.”

Politifact calls this claim “Pants on Fire,” because of some minor arithmetical errors, while noting that the theory of military power that seems to underlie the claim appears suspect. Nevertheless, the talking point has a certain power because the underlying facts are (somewhat) true, and a full appraisal of the claim requires space, time, and an over-developed appreciation of the silly.

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My Comment: I suspect that Ryan was focused on total number of ships (not capabilities as Dr. Robert Farley uses in his commentary to make his point. In addition .... Dr. Robert Farley uses 1916 to debunk Ryan's positions .... but Ryan is right if you use figures from 1918. Anyhow .... I love these debates where apples are compared to oranges. On the bright side .... 19 days till the U.S. election and all of this will be over (until the next election cycle).

The USS America Is A Symbol Of WhaT Is Wrong With The U.S. Navy Why The U.S. Navy

The LHA(R) will be the U.S. Navy’s newest multifunctional and most versatile amphibious assault ship. It will incorporate enhanced aviation capabilities centered around the Short Take-off and Landing (STOVL) F35B Joint Strike Fighter and the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor. The LHA(R) will be a variant of the gas turbine powered USS Makin Island (LHD 8). This longer and wider ship will provide increased aviation capability, vehicle lift, cargo magazine capacity, better survivability, increased habitability standards and greater service lift margins. Photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman Corporation

USS America Symbolic of U.S. Navy Problems -- Eric Palmer Blog

As G points out in a tweet, the USS America will have a christening ceremony on October 20th.

While there could be some accuracy in his comment about amphibious ships being the most versatile in the fleet, the USS America won't be one of them. At $3.4B, USS America won't have a well-deck.

This is a huge problem and the U.S. Navy and United States Marketing Corps (if it is gold plated we want it) have recognized this multi-billion dollar error.

For $3.4B, We could have had maybe 5 Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). The LCS is a whole 'nother disaster but for littoral work in a low threat environment against small threats it is shocking that even 5 LCS offer more potential value than the USS America.

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My Comment: Stratgey Page make`s the same analysis. For more info on the USS America, go here. What`s my take .... at least they are not building 5 or 6 more of these ships.

Will The U.S. Navy Expand Under A Romney Administration?

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney introduces U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan as his vice-presidential running mate during a campaign event at the retired battleship USS Wisconsin in Norfolk, Virginia August 11, 2012. Shannon Stapleton / REUTERS

If Romney Wins, Does The U.S. Navy Expand? -- James R. Holmes, The Diplomat

Defense News is running an interview between reporter Chris Cavas and former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman that’s well worth your time. Now a senior advisor to the Mitt Romney campaign, Lehman presided over the expansion of the U.S. Navy to almost 600 ships during the 1980s. The chief takeaway from the interview is a number: 350. That’s the number of ships that Romney & Co. believe should comprise the future fleet. The campaign has apparently embraced the vision put forward by a blue-ribbon panel that evaluated the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, the Pentagon’s official view of the strategic environment and the best methods for coping with it. The QDR panel recommended fielding a 346-ship fleet. The navy’s goal stood at 313 ships from 2006 until earlier this year, when naval officials dialed the total back to “about 300.”

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My Comment: I know that the Navy will not expand under President Obama .... but will a President Romney follow the same naval policies as President Obama's? I guess it all come down to money, budget compromises, and more importantly .... developing a policy that examines and defines the US Navy's role in attaining the President's strategic goals and objectives .... and then raising the money to fulfill them. In short .... I know that President Romney wants a 350 ship navy .... but I still need him to better define why we need 350 ships .... especially when budgets are tight and getting tighter.