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FRONT PAGE Issue/Date 20151026

Updated: Friday October 30, 2015 08:02

Groupnine Sailors

NEXT EVENTSaturday Morning, Nov 7th

Auburn 50th Veterans Day ParadeMeet 0930 at Auburn Parking Garage

Commissioning Committee

Puget Soundings - Base Newsletter 2015>Jul-Sep Apr-Jun Jan-Mar| 2014 > Oct-Dec Jul-Sep Apr-Jun

U. S. SUBMARINE VETERANS BREMERTON BASE(A Non-profit Organization)

P O Box 465, Silverdale, WA 98383-0465 MEMBERSHIP: 270^

Gertrude Check: A universal navy term for requesting an underwater telephone check with another boat or skimmer .

Our purpose is: "Perpetuate the memory of our shipmates who gave their lives in the pursuit of their duties while serving their country...

Lest We Forget October

USS O-5 (SS-66)

USS S-44(SS-155)

USS Wahoo(SS-238)

USS Dorado(SS-248)

USS Escolar(SS-294)

USS Shark (SS-314)

USS Seawolf(SS-197)

USS Tang(SS-306)

USS Darter(SS-227)

Installation of Over 20 Engraved Bricks Installed at Deterrent Park, NBK, Bangor(Posted Oct 27, 2015) Early Sunday morning, October 25th, 2015, 3 "senior" members supported your webmaster byinstalling 21 engraved bricks into the missile deck of the topside full-scale mock up of the USSWoodrow Wilson (SSBN624) at Deterrent Park, NBK, Bangor. The weather was damp, but did notdeter us. We also installed unique small section, donated by the USSVI BremertonBase, honoring the first enlisted submariner, Medal Of Honor recipient TM2Henry Breault while assigned to the USS O-5 (SS-66) in 1923. Note that the surface of these bricks will have the same coloring as thoseinstalled last May as the rain of this week washes away the residue. (as it wasdamp, we could not sweep or blow off all the residue) I will then takeadditional pictures later in the week and replace these. Bigger picture (Click)

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October 23, 2015Photos provided by Dennis Nardone

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Submarine Videos

World War 2 II in Colour The Second World War in Colour FULL FILMDOCUMENTARYThe Largest Submarine in WWIIJon Jaques Submarine MuseumSubmarine Base 1943 WWII THRILLERPride Runs Deep (1978) - Full Length Documentary on Nuclear SubmarinesSSBN HistorySUBMARINES, SECRETS AND SPIES - NOVA - Discovery/Military/History(documentary)Merge of Nuclear Power & Submarine Hull Design VideoTop Ten _ SubmarinesAdmiral RickoverNavy Submarine Force - Silent ServiceSea Spiesuboat.netRESCUED BY SUBMARINE Submarines of World War 1How a World War II Submarine WorksThe Silent Service (in color) - U.S. Navy WWIIThe Largest Submarine in The U.S. NavyOhio Class Submarine | Combat CountdownTrident Missile Launch From a SubmarineSubmarine Service In The 1970sWatch out from belowFast AttackNEW SUBMARINE! U.S. Navy Takes Deliveryof PCU MinnesotaSubmarine nucleare (DOCUMENTAR)Russian submarine HistoryRaising the Kursk Part 1Raising the Kursk Part 2The Kursk Cover Up - RussiaSecret Submarine Rendezvous : Documentary on theWorld War 2 Secret African MissionHMS Victorious Trident Class Nuclear SubmarineSubmarine Patrol 3/3 - Chasing the EnemyOberon Arrival in HalifaxRCN Submarines HDKursk Submarine Disaster

Base Member Shares Visit to Museum Subs in Germany With Photos(Posted Oct 25, 2015) Base Member Ray Pitts took a drive thru some of Europe this past summer. His prime driving wasin Germany but he also visited a few adjoining nations. Based on articles he had viewed on GC's backpage, he toured of a couple of museum subs that werein Germany. They were: u995, a WWII vintage German boat, at the Laboe Naval Memorial near Kiel,in Schleswig-Holstein and the other was a cold war Russian"Tango" class boat, B-515, on display inHamburg. Ray and I thought you would enjoy his photos, and linked history of these "Killers of the deep" .

50th Annual Veterans Day Parade & Observance Date: SatNovember 7, 2015(Posted Oct 20, 2015) USSVI Bremerton, Seattle and South Sound Bases will participatein the subject parade. We normally car pool over, meeting at theSedgewick Lowes and leaving there at 0830 to arrive at theparking garage (A Street) in Auburn by 0930. We ride the floatfrom there up to a staging area that will be published at a laterdate in GC. Details about the parade are here. Map it!

(Posted Oct 19, 2015)

Welcome Aboard Three New Members: Pete Smith; Requin, Bugara, Catfish; GregKuntz; Richard B Russell, Parche; John Wardean; Aspro, Rasher, Alexander Hamilton(John Transferred from the Carolina Piedmont Base.)

USSVI Bremerton Base Oct 17th Meeting Summary, Sat Oct 17th(Posted Oct 18, 2015) After traditional opening ceremonies, COB Wayne Peterson (standing in for CDR, & VCDR)introduced two new members and WWII Subvet Paul Christopherson. The COB presented Life Member Sam Swenson a 2015 RobertLink Award plaque, the second highest award conferred by theUSSVI. Sam was recognized for his leadership over the past 10years for service provided as Puget Soundings Editor, FireworksSales Manager and Bonefish Float Manager of maintenance,improvements and towing the float for the last several years.

The COB then introduced the evening's speakerRDML Michael Sharp USN (ret), a local BainbridgeIsland resident. RMDL Sharp is the chair of the USS Washington (SSN 787) CommissioningCommittee. After his opening remarks which included his active duty assignments, RDML Sharp

told of his participation in designing the the Virginia Class submarine. A modular ship constructed by at Groton, CT and Newport News, VA, the Washington will becommissioned in the spring of 2016 at Newport News, VA. RDML Sharp then gave a PowerPoint presentation detailing the Washington's attributes andcapabilities. Primary attributes were high tech control of all forward systems including weapon loadingand ship controls, plus 30" torpedo tubes and stealth. Capabilities will mimic and improve those of theTrident refitted SSGN boats. The 787's nuclear core will not need replacing for the life time of theboat. The Navy League is the prime sponsor for the commissioning events. RDML Sharp then outlined his role in leading the Commissioning Committeethat is comprised of retired Navy personnel, civilians and some WA legislative members. Theirprimary purpose is to generate funds to support the events surrounding the Washngton commissioning. Rdml Sharp said his goal is $500K. Any remaining funds after expenses will be placed in theWashington's MWF. Please consider this cause. Donations may be sent to: USS Washington Commissioning CommitteePO BOX 5598Bremerton, WA 98312 RDML Sharp fielded questions and recognized a few members that had worked with him over hisNavy career. After a break, the Cob called for a vote on a change in the bylaws that says: Section 3 currentlyreads, “All elections shall be by secret ballot vote of the members in goodstanding.” The proposed amendment will change Section 3 to read, “For any positionwith more than one candidate, elections shall be by secret ballot vote ofattending members in good standing. If any position has only one candidate,election may be determined by simple showing of raised hands of attendingmembers in good standing.” The vote was unanimous in favor of the change. Thechange takes effect immediately. Committee Reports were made. Previous meeting minutes were read and approved,Membership 268, treasury ^, Christmas party, Sat, Dec 12th, Bremerton Elks, Auburn50th Veteran's Day parade, Sat, Nov 7th, and Veterans Day Event at the Kitsap Pavilion,Wed, Nov 11th on track. Deferent Park Brick Install on for Sunday Morning, Oct 25th.

USSVCF Scholarship Committee now accepting Application request for 2016 - 2017College School year(Posted Oct 15, 2015)

The USSVCF Scholarship Committee is now accepting Application request for the 2016 - 2017College School year. It will also be on the web page under "Charitable Fund" on left hand side in"Blue" Click on that and then follow "scholarship" To "Application" that should bring you to the 2016scholarship package wiith three down loads. If you have any problems please call me and I will getyou an application either by mail or down loading.

Paul OrstadNSChogan343@aol.com860-334-6457

USSVI Bremerton Base 2016 Nonimations Chairman Sends:(Posted Oct 15, 2015) We have received the following Nominations listed alphabetically as of Oct 14, 2015:

Steve Corcoran for Base Commander by Jim DeMott and Don Bassler Douglas McKay for Base Vice Commander by Steve Corcoran Dennis Nardone for Base Treasurer by Jim DeMott Wayne Peterson for Base Chief of the Boat by Jim DeMott Wayne Sieckowski for Base Secretary by Jim DeMott The nominations are closed until the November Base Meeting at which time it will be possible tonominate someone per base by-laws from the floor when called for. Respectfully and thank you, Dutch Kaiser, Nominations Committee Chairman

USSVI Scamp Base Offers 17 Plaques For Sale(Posted Oct 13, 2015) The USSVI Scamp Base is offering Subvets the opportunityto purchase 17 Submarine and Navy Command plaqueswhich were donated by J. Denver McCune, Captain, USNRetired. 100% of the proceeds will go to the Joe McGrievyScholarship Fund. If more than one person wants an item, then the highest bidreceived after this email is sent will own the item. Go to photos for descriptions and asking price, or make anoffer. Items may be picked up at a local base meeting or buyer canpay for shipping.

Please respond to David Kauppinen at subvet346@cox.netor call 760-639-0728 for more information.

Binnacle List(Posted Oct 8, 2015)

Base Life & Holland Club member George Pfost, has fallen again; this timebreaking a hip. He underwent an operation at the Harrison Medical CenterBremerton, and should be home by the end of the week. Home Email:gpfost12@gmail.com , Tel 360-377-2811

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Click this Link for latest news2016 Dues explanation!2016 National Dues ScheduleTemporary Eagle Scout Certificate on the websiteBase Name ChangesFlash: Boy Scouts of America logo use issues! This is an important notice

ON THE BACK PAGEBELOW ARE QUICK LINKS TO CURRENT MILITARY EVENTS

Stuff you won't see in the local fish wrapper

Russian Ships Near Data Cables Are Too Close for U.S. ComfortNavy To Field Full Slate of Unmanned Systems By 2020Retired US Commander To Manage Subs ProjectRetired Brig. Gen. Frank Kelley Named First-Ever Deputy Assistant SecretaryOf The Navy For Unmanned SystemsNavy Plans To Deploy A Submarine Drone Squadron By 2020Commemorating 50 Years of U.S., Canadian Undersea Cooperation at CFMETRRetired General Replaced by Lawyer as Special Envoy to Iraq, SyriaSub Leaders Discuss Progress on Integrating Women into Force

Admiral Outlines Navy Unmanned Systems Portfolio FocusChina Says Naval Ties With United States 'Best In History'USSVI Bremerton Base Member Shares Visit to Museum Subs in Germany WithPhotosSubmarines’ Three-Way Race Between France, Germany and Japan4-Star: Navy Must Invest In Undersea DronesNavy Nuclear Power Chief Says Unmanned Systems Are Future Of SubmarineWarfare6th Fleet Ramps Up To Face Russia, Islamic StatePutin's Navy Sends A Shot Across Obama's BowUS Navy Revives Ancient Navigation as Cyber Threats Grow

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BACK PAGE Issue/Date 20151026

AMERICAN SUBMARINERSU. S. SUBMARINE VETERANS BREMERTON BASE

P O. Box 465, Silverdale, WA 98383-0465Stuff you won't see in the local fish wrapper

Updated:Friday, October 30, 2015

06:14:04 AM

Russian Ships Near Data Cables Are Too Close for U.S. ComfortNavy To Field Full Slate of Unmanned Systems By 2020Retired US Commander To Manage Subs ProjectRetired Brig. Gen. Frank Kelley Named First-Ever Deputy AssistantSecretary Of The Navy For Unmanned SystemsNavy Plans To Deploy A Submarine Drone Squadron By 2020Commemorating 50 Years of U.S., Canadian Undersea Cooperation atCFMETRRetired General Replaced by Lawyer as Special Envoy to Iraq, SyriaSub Leaders Discuss Progress on Integrating Women into Force

Admiral Outlines Navy Unmanned Systems Portfolio FocusChina Says Naval Ties With United States 'Best In History'USSVI Bremerton Base Member Shares Visit to Museum Subs in Germany WithPhotosSubmarines� Three-Way Race Between France, Germany and Japan4-Star: Navy Must Invest In Undersea DronesNavy Nuclear Power Chief Says Unmanned Systems Are Future Of SubmarineWarfare6th Fleet Ramps Up To Face Russia, Islamic StatePutin's Navy Sends A Shot Across Obama's BowUS Navy Revives Ancient Navigation as Cyber Threats Grow

Russian Ships Near Data Cables Are Too Close for U.S. ComfortBy DAVID E. SANGER and ERIC SCHMITTOCT. 25, 2015

WASHINGTON � Russian submarines and spy ships are aggressively operating near the vital undersea cables that carry almost all globalInternet communications, raising concerns among some American military and intelligence officials that the Russians might be planning to attackthose lines in times of tension or conflict.

The issue goes beyond old worries during the Cold War that the Russians would tap into the cables � a task American intelligence agenciesalso mastered decades ago. The alarm today is deeper: The ultimate Russian hack on the United States could involve severing the fiber-opticcables at some of their hardest-to-access locations to halt the instant communications on which the West�s governments, economies andcitizens have grown dependent.

While there is no evidence yet of any cable cutting, the concern is part of a growing wariness among senior American and allied military andintelligence officials over the accelerated activity by Russian armed forces around the globe. At the same time, the internal debate in Washingtonillustrates how the United States is increasingly viewing every Russian move through a lens of deep distrust, reminiscent of relations during theCold War. Read all ^ Navy To Field Full Slate of Unmanned Systems By 2020Dan Parsons, Defense Daily, Oct 28 The Navy plans to operate alongside unmanned robotic systems on land, at sea and in the air by 2020, and has established a specific commandposition to lead rapid innovation and fielding of unmanned systems in pursuit of that goal. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said Oct. 27 that within five years Marines will fight alongside an entire integrated family of robotic systems andthat a squadron outfitted exclusively with undersea unmanned vehicles (UUVs) would deploy on an independent mission. Mabus also reiterated a his assertion that the F-35 would be the last manned fighter the Navy would buy and predicted that the F/A-XX next-generation air superiority family of aircraft that will enter service in the 2030s also will have "unmanned components, heavily networked platforms,sensors and weapons." "Unmanned systems are the platforms of the future. What was once the stuff of science fiction movies is now infiltrating the worldaround us," Mabus said Oct. 27, speaking to a meeting of the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International outsideWashington, D.C. "This technology is being developed swiftly in the commercial world around us, both for good and of course, withmore nefarious intentions, by our adversaries. We absolutely cannot afford to lose in this realm." To that end, Mabus laid out a series of milestones the service is striving to reach by 2020, including the deployment of large-displacement UUVs from an exclusively UUV squadron on an independent mission, and fielding "an entire integrated family of roboticssystems to augment" Marine air-ground task forces. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, deputy commandant for combat development and integration, said unmanned systems would beseamlessly integrated into Marine operations in the future, but humans would always fight alongside robots. "I envision a manned-unmanned balance," he said during an Oct. 28 forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studiesin Washington, D.C. "It will be a teamed approach where you will be using both, but in different ways than you have in the past." UAV technology is outpacing military acquisitions as other commercial advancements are, which means that affordable, capablesystems are readily available to adversaries. The Navy and Marine Corps need to speed the pace at which they field unmannedsystems, Walsh said. "The challenge with UAVs is a lot like technology growth," he said. "We've got to continue to move fast with them, but have to beintegrated with the mesh of capabilities we have. The demand from ground forces is huge. There is more and more demand for groupone, low-level UASs." Mabus recently announced the creation of two high-echelon Navy positions specific to the development and fielding of unmannedsystems. He has appointed retired Marine Brig. Gen Frank Kelley to be deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for Unmanned Systemsand assigned Rear Adm. Robert Girrier to head up the new N99 office as the director for unmanned warfare systems. "The change to the organization is a reflection of the priority we're placing on this emerging capability, and how critical it is that there iscentralized leadership for our unmanned programs," Mabus said. Both the Navy and Marine Corps already have extensive experience operating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in combat in Iraq andAfghanistan. The Navy's Scan Eagle and Firescout UAVs were deployed in both theaters. UUVs have been launched from surfaceships to perform searches of the seafloor, as during the hunt for the remains of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 in the Indian Ocean. InMay, the Virginia-class submarine USS North Dakota (SSN-784) conducted the first real-world operations deploying and operating withunmanned undersea vehicles. The Marine Corps deployed the K-MAX unmanned cargo helicopter on an experimental basis to Afghanistan and ended up keeping itin service for years, during which time it transported about 6,000 pounds of cargo a day to forward operating bases without a pilot. The Blackjack UAV will deploy for the first time with an amphibious ready group (ARG) or Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) aboard SanAntonio-class ships beginning in FY '16. The Navy also is in the process of testing the Triton high-altitude, long-endurance UAV for broad-area maritime surveillance and hassuccessfully tested the X-47B as part of the unmanned combat air system (UCAS) experiment.Congress has recognized the importance of the follow-on unmanned carrier-launched airborne surveillance and strike (UCLASS)program by including guidance in the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to develop a penetrating air-refuel-ableunmanned carrier-launched aircraft capable of performing a broad range of missions in a non-permissive environment. With so many ongoing and planned efforts to identify and field unmanned systems, Mabus and Walsh both called for a push towardopen architecture systems and common standards for command and control of UASs."Whatever we get it has to focused on both platforms and payloads," Walsh said. "It needs to be a truck, open architecture, plug-and-play." Mabus said the various platforms the Navy adopts must be interoperable not only with other naval unmanned systems, but withmanned platforms, shipboard computer networks and other services. "Our unmanned systems will only be truly successful if they are developed with interoperability, modularity and open architecture, toaddress the complexities of autonomy and the advancement of systems that can operate together across multiple domains," Mabussaid. "Open architecture development with systems that are platform agnostic is a critical piece of ensuring unmanned systems areintegrated into all of our platforms, across all domains, as well as our ability to partner with our sister services in support of jointoperations." ^ Retired US Commander To Manage Subs ProjectStaff, The Australian, Oct 29 A former US submarine -com-mander with extensive experience running complex construction prog-rams has been called in to manageAustralia's biggest defence project, the -selection and build of the navy's new submarine fleet. The bungled political handling of the multi-billion-dollar project by Tony Abbott's government played a significant part in the instabilitythat led to the switch to Malcolm Turnbull, however, it has also handed the new Prime Minister a serious headache amid persistentclaims the Coalition plans to break an election promise to build 12 submarines in South Australia. The Australian has been told Defence Department secretary Dennis Richardson and Australian Defence Force chief Mark Binskininformed staff yesterday that, after an extensive recruitment search in Australia and globally, Stephen Johnson, a -retired US Navyrear admiral, had been appointed general manager, submarines. Rear Admiral Johnson was chosen because of his extensive experience running large hi-tech projects including development of therevolutionary Seawolf class submarine for the US Navy. His last seagoing role was as commander of the Los Angeles Class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Chicago. In the US Navy, he served as director in charge of undersea technology in Naval Sea Systems Command and as commander of theUndersea Warfare Centre. In Australia, Rear Admiral Johnson will oversee the competitive evaluation process to chose the new submarine from design optionssubmitted by companies from Japan, France and Germany, and also the sustainment of the six existing Collins-class submarines. In reality, all three contenders have said they are willing to build all or some of the submarines in Australia. Indications are that thegovernment will opt for eight to 12 new boats. Mr Turnbull yesterday sought to extract himself from the promise to build 12 new submarines in South Australia, as he made his firstprime ministerial visit to the state. Asked on ABC Radio if the pledge was "a lie, a misleading -impression or a bent untruth", the Prime Minister said he was "not going togo back into the archeology of what was said" before the last election. "I didn't make that statement; all I can say to you is watch this space. I am very committed to having a substantial defence -industryhere in Australia," Mr Turnbull said. The Prime Minister said later that the question of building eight or 12 new subs was addressed in the defence white paper to be -released "in due course". Adelaide-based shipbuilder ASC yesterday said that it would cut about 45 permanent tradies from the Air Warfare Destroyer Project bythe end of the year. ASC's interim chief executive, Mark Lamarre, said further cuts were likely and, until decisions were made on where new warships, theFuture Frigate and Offshore Patrol Vessels, would be built, and when, it was not possible to maintain the current number of staff. ASC has cut 300 jobs since May, mostly subcontractors, but still has about 2600 fulltime workers.Independent South Australian senator Nick Xenophon said -recent events in the South China Sea showed the region becoming morevolatile and anything fewer than 12 submarines built in Australia, ensuring jobs with a continuous build, would not protect Australia'snational and strategic interest. "Right now we have a situation where 45 permanent jobs will be lost by the end of this year at the ASC .This is something that could have been completely avoidable,'' he said. (Good News/ed) ^ Retired Brig. Gen. Frank Kelley Named First-Ever Deputy Assistant Secretary Of The Navy For Unmanned SystemsMegan Eckstein and Sam LaGrone, U.S. Naval Institute News, Oct 27

ARLINGTON, Va. � Retired Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Frank Kelley, who commanded Marine Corps Systems Command from 2010 to2014, will serve as the first-ever deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for unmanned systems.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced Kelley�s selection today at Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International�s(AUVSI) annual Unmanned Systems Defense event.

In June, Mabus announced that Rear Adm. Robert Girrier, a surface warfare officer who had been serving as deputy commander ofU.S. Pacific Fleet, would become the first-ever director of unmanned weapon systems (OPNAV N99). Girrier and Kelley will now workhand-in-hand to develop and field unmanned systems for future naval operations across all domains and warfare areas. Girrier �willbe responsible for the rapid development, prototyping and demonstration of our Navy�s unmanned warfare systems,� Mabus said,while Kelley will �create and implement a strategy for development of this technology that links all domains.� Read all ^ Navy Plans To Deploy A Submarine Drone Squadron By 2020Patrick Tucker, Defense One, Oct 27 The U.S. Navy plans to deploy a squadron of underwater drones within the next four years, including the Large DisplacementUnmanned Underwater Vehicle, or LDUUV, a 10-foot, highly autonomous, and very, very yellow subdrone, Navy Secretary Ray Mabussaid today. It�s not yet clear just what missions will be performed by the LDUUV, which resembles a giant robot canary fish crossed with asausage. Some Navy watchers expect it to boost attack submarines� intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, butofficials with the Office of Naval Research pushed back against such speculation. �Right now, it�s just an empty platform with someinnovative power production things that will help increase its endurance,� one official said. Mabus made the announcement at Tuesday�s AUVSI Unmanned Systems Defense 2015 conference, the day after the New YorkTimes reported on Pentagon concerns about Russian submarine movements near critical undersea data cables. Read all ^ Commemorating 50 Years of U.S., Canadian Undersea Cooperation at CFMETRNUWC Keyport Public Affairs, Northwest Navy Life, Oct 27 Earlier this month, Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division, Keyport cohosted the 32nd Annual Nanoose Memorandum of Understandingmeeting with Canadian Forces partners at the Canadian Forces Maritime and Experimental Test Range (CFMETR) in Nanoose Bay, BritishColumbia. Co-chaired by Rear Adm, Moises DelToro, commander, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, and Commodore Simon Page, director General MaritimeEquipment Program Management of the Royal Canadian Navy, this meeting marked the 50th anniversary of the agreement between Canada and theUnited States that has provided a highly successful west coast test capability to advance undersea technology and innovation. In addition to DelToro and Page, Capt. Francis Spencer III, commanding officer of NUWC Keyport, and Commander Darren Rich, commandingofficer, Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental and Test Ranges, attended the event and spent time discussing operational issues and touring therange facilities. The agreement establishing joint use and operation of CFMETR has been renewed annually since 2009, but it is hoped it may soon be extended for10-year increments, as had been done in the past. Located in the Strait of Georgia along the eastern side of Vancouver Island, CFMETR's unique natural features and proximity to both Canada'sPacific Fleet concentration area and the U.S. Fleet concentration area of the Puget Sound make it an ideal environment to jointly test and trainundersea capabilities. Under the international agreement between the two countries, the government of Canada is responsible for infrastructure and support services whilethe U.S. Navy, primarily NUWC Keyport, provides technical equipment. NUWC Keyport also has personnel permanently station at CFMETR, andregularly deploys range craft to the site.^Retired General Replaced by Lawyer as Special Envoy to Iraq, SyriaRichard.Sisk-military.com

President Obama announced Friday that he was replacing retired Marine Gen. John Allen with lawyer and diplomat Brett McGurk ashis special envoy for Iraq and Syria with a wide-ranging portfolio that includes holding together a coalition against ISIS.

Allen, who reportedly had clashed with the military over the now-defunct $500 million effort to create an army of Syrian volunteers, wasdeparting after 13 months as special presidential envoy for the global coalition to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, orISIL, another name for the terrorist group.

In a statement, Obama offered his "profound gratitude" to Allen for his efforts to build from the start "a robust international coalition thatwould undertake a wide range of political, diplomatic, military, economic and other efforts to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL."

Word that Allen, 61, the former commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, was leaving leaked inSeptember as Russia prepared to enter Syria, Syrian refugees flooded Europe and the U.S. plan to vet, train and equip a force of5,000 Syrian fighters was falling apart.

Allen was expected to take a post with the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based research organization. Read All & Comments^ Sub Leaders Discuss Progress on Integrating Women into ForceDavid Larter, Navy Times, Oct 26 Sailor issues were on the docket at the annual unclassified gathering of the Silent Service in late October, from the expanding numberof female submariners to the resiliency of junior sailors. Leaders discussed new approaches to handling stress and mental health and their planning as enlisted women enter the submarinefleet over the next year. Some highlights: Mental health A submariner is medevaced from their sub every 14 days for mental health issues, (maybe we need a better screening before weaccept them/ed) an issue the Submarine community is trying to tackle through better access to mental health care, the Atlantic Fleet'stop enlisted bubblehead said Oct. 22. Mental health issues account for about 30 percent of the unplanned losses � where sailors leave the fleet for reasons other thannormal rotation or temporary assigned duty, Force Master Chief Wes Koshoffer said.It's a trait that is pronounced among the millennial generation now populating the lower ranks, with most losses among sailors E-1 to E-6. "I'm a fan of millennials all day long: They are smart, capable, driven � they are getting the job done," Koshoffer said. "But there is aflaw in the system, and that's this millennial phenomenon that the reaction to discipline, failure or rejection, generally [elicits] aresponse disproportionate to what you would expect." Setbacks and challenges can cause tumult, even suicidal thoughts for younger sailors. "A first breakup with a girlfriend, maybe they fail a qualification board and they've never failed anything before ... and the first words outof their mouths are 'I'm going to kill myself.'" The force is trying to get ahead of the problem by improving crisis lines and making sure sailors aren't stigmatized for reporting mentalhealth issues, an important step toward lowering the Navy's suicide toll. "We cannot rewire an entire generation, but we can adjust, we can change the environment," he said.Fleet areas now have an embedded mental health professional who works with chaplains to better address the issues. "We've trained ourselves on how to react, we don't overreact," he said. "We take them off the ship, get them help ... and when we getthe 'go' signal from a mental health professional, we get them right back in the force instead of overreacting and having them as a lossforever." Women on subs The first four enlisted women passed the intensive basic enlisted submarine course Oct. 16, Koshoffer said, bringing the integration ofenlisted women on subs this year one step closer. The women will join the Blue and Gold crews of the guided-missile submarine Michigan, where berthings are being modified toaccommodate them. The sub force is reviewing its policies around relationships between submariners, Koshoffer said, citing a few couples who met in "A"school and who are now in advanced training together. "The sum total of the plan to integrate enlisted women into submarines, we are revising our instruction that was � no kidding � 49pages long of excruciating detail on what you wear on the treadmill and how you manage the head. The instruction just ought to read:We will treat each other with dignity and respect because we are professionals. "We have a fraternization policy and until we cross those lines, proceed." The videotaping of women officers undressing on board the ballistic missile submarine Wyoming was alluded to during the junior officerpanel. Lt. Cmdr. Krysten Ellis, a supply officer who served on a submarine, told the audience that she thought the Silent Service couldintegrate enlisted women but that setbacks are likely. "The sub force has always been able to adapt," Ellis said. "Obviously things happened when women were integrated. ... When enlistedwomen integrate, they'll have a plan, they'll execute it and some bumps will happen. They'll recover from those bumps and good thingswill happen. I don't have any doubts the sub force will be able to adapt." Naval Reactors controversy The selection of Adm. John Richardson to be the chief of naval operations has been a sore point in the retired submarine community,who were concerned that his leaving the eight-year Naval Reactors job after just three years sets a precedent that could underminenuclear safety. If NR becomes a landing pad for rising four stars, the thinking goes, then the Reactors boss could be thinking about follow-on militarycommands instead of overseeing the Nuclear Navy and its largely spotless safety record.At the conference, one audience member asked Adm. Frank Caldwell, the new NR head, if he would serve his entire term so he "won'thave to worry about his fitness reports or any of that BS." "I think the answer to that is the Navy and the nation sees value in this eight-year tour," Caldwell replied. "There is a lot in this programthat is significant, and there is value in having continuity of leadership. And I think what's been indicated to me is a commitment topreserve this as we go ahead." Also during the answers, the Reactors boss said the force was looking at upping its capabilities against ships, by adding an anti-shipmissile. "I think its something we need to consider and move out on," he said. "We are looking at that and we are taking some steps to deliverthat to the submarine force." ^ Admiral Outlines Navy Unmanned Systems Portfolio Focus Richard R. Burgess, Seapower, Oct 22

The head of the Navy�s new unmanned warfare systems directorate in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations is now theresource sponsor of some of the service�s top priority unmanned systems.

RADM Robert P. Girrier, speaking Oct. 21 to an audience at the Naval Submarine League�s annual symposium, said his directorateis focusing on battlespace awareness, force application, protection and logistics.

Some of the programs that now are assigned to his directorate, which stood up Sept. 15, include the Unmanned Carrier-LaunchedSurveillance and Strike System, the Large-Diameter Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (LDUUV) and the Common Control Station.

Girrier said the LDUUV�s Increment 1 missions will be reconnaissance and surveillance. He said that future increments may includeroles such as mine countermeasures and above-water intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. ^ China Says Naval Ties With United States 'Best In History'Reuters, Oct 23

BEIJING � Relations between the Chinese and U.S. navies are their "best in history" and exchanges between the two will becomemore systematic in the future, China's military on Friday cited the country's naval chief as telling visiting U.S. officers.

The comments by navy chief Wu Shengli come as Washington considers conducting freedom-of-navigation operations within 12nautical miles of artificial islands China has built in the disputed South China Sea, without saying when it would do so. Such a movewould likely infuriate Beijing.

Both China and the United States had worked hard to increase military interaction, holding joint drills and agreeing rules on encountersat sea and in the air, Wu said, according to the official People's Liberation Army Daily.

"At present, relations between the Chinese and U.S. navies are at their best time in history," Wu was cited as saying. "Exchanges andcommunications are more trusting and effective."

This has not come easily though, and is the result of hard work by both sides, he added.

"In the future, exchanges between frontline forces from both countries will gradually become more systematic," Wu said.

There was no mention of the South China Sea.

The U.S. naval delegation Wu met earlier this week visited China's sole aircraft carrier. The military's newspaper said they also visited a submarine school and a command college.

China-U.S. relations have become increasingly strained over Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea, through which $5 trillionin ship-borne trade passes every year. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also have claims in the area. ^ USSVI Bremerton Base Member Shares Visit to Museum Subs in Germany With Photos(Posted Oct 25, 2015) Base Member Ray Pitts took a drive thru some of Europe this past summer. His prime driving was in Germany but he also visited a few adjoiningnations. Based on articles he had viewed on GC's backpage, he toured of a couple of museum subs that were in Germany. u995, WWII vintage Germanboat, at the Laboe Naval Memorial near Kiel, in Schleswig-Holstein. The other was a cold war Russian"Tango" class boat, B-515, on display inHamburg. Ray and I thought you would enjoy his photos, and linked history of these "Killers of the deep". ^ Submarines� Three-Way Race Between France, Germany and Japan Cameron Stewart, The Australian, Oct 22 For more than 150 years a statue of Napoleon Bonaparte on his steed has towered over the small town of Cherbourg on the northwestcoast of France as homage to the former military leader for turning it into an important naval port. But now this pretty seaside town is spearheading a military quest no less ambitious than one of Napoleon�s campaigns. If France has its way, Cherbourg will partner with Adelaide to help build Australia�s next generation of submarines. It is a bid that is being pursued with increasing vigour by the French government, which has stepped up its campaign to snare the $20billion contract, believing it has the winning formula for Australia. The submarine bid is part of a bigger play by France to assume a dominant role in Australia�s lucrative naval shipbuilding industry fordecades to come. French shipbuilder DCNS is not only bidding for the contract to build the navy�s new submarines but is alsopositioning itself for a likely tilt at building Australia�s new frigates and its offshore patrol vessels, with all three projects worth acombined $60bn. The potential rewards are so large that France is investing heavily in developing and marketing its Australian submarine bid, to thepoint that it is no longer considered an outsider in the three-way competition with Germany and Japan. The parties have until the end of November to lodge their final bids for the future submarine project, known as Sea 1000, with theexpectation that the government will eliminate at least one of the bidders by March next year. The winner will build eight new submarines for the navy to replace the existing six-strong Collins-class fleet from the mid-2020s, in whatwill be Australia�s largest defence contract since Federation. Because no other navy in the world operates the 4500-tonne conventionally powered long-range submarines Australia says it needs,each of the bidders will have to come up with a unique design to win the contract. Read All^4-Star: Navy Must Invest In Undersea DronesDavid Larter, Navy Times, Oct 2 The submarine Navy needs to invest in unmanned underwater systems and faces a crossroads on par with its iconic shift to nuclear power in the1950s, the Nuclear Navy's new boss said Wednesday. "The way I look at it, we're kind of at a fork in the road," said Adm. Frank Caldwell, director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, in a speechopening the annual Naval Submarine League symposium in Northern Virginia. "If you look at our history, we've been here before," he said. "Just like when we decided to go down the path of nuclear propulsion, or when wedecided to go down the path of the ballistic missile submarine, or our deep submergence program." Caldwell argues that as the sub force faces a dip in its numbers next decade, and new technologies threaten underwater communications, the Navyneeds to invest rapidly in unmanned underwater systems to augment missions like intelligence gathering, submarine tracking and more. "The necessity exists because of challenges we face from potential adversaries," Caldwell said. "It exists because of the submarine hiatus we took inthe 1990s and the impending dip force structure we'll have late in the 2020s ... and we may be called upon in the future to protect underseainfrastructure, something we haven't really considered before." "You add all these up I think there is an imperative to move forward more swiftly in this unmanned realm," he said. The speech was Caldwell's first public appearance since taking office in August, replacing Adm. John Richardson, who took the reins as the newchief of naval operations. The Navy recently stood up a new office for unmanned systems led by Rear Adm. Robert Girrier, a surface warfare officer, who is leading theNavy's effort to match emerging technologies with the needs of the fleet. Undersea systems have tremendous potential but they must also overcome difficult challenges like communication, autonomous navigation andextended battery life in order to be operationally functional in missions. The integration of women on submarines has also progressed with the first woman serving on the attack submarine Minnesota and the ongoingberthing modifications on the guided-missile submarine Michigan, which will accommodate the Silent Service's first enlisted women submariners. ^ Navy Nuclear Power Chief Says Unmanned Systems Are Future Of Submarine WarfareDan Parsons, Defense Daily, Oct 21

Unmanned systems will revolutionize undersea warfare much in the manner that nuclear propulsion did, the Navy�s new nuclear reactors chief saidOct. 21

�I think we have an imperative, now, to transform undersea warfare by exploiting the use of unmanned vehicles, autonomous assets and thesupporting systems,� Adm. Frank Caldwell, director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, said at the Naval Submarine Leagues� annualsymposium outside Washington, D.C. �It�s the right path and I think it�s a path that is compelled out of necessity.�Potential challenges from adversaries in undersea warfare, the hiatus in submarine building taken in the 1990s and an anticipated dip in forcestructure in the 2020s have all created the requirement for submarines with longer strike ranges and varied mission capabilities, Caldwell said. Thepossibility of deploying subs to monitor or protect subsurface infrastructure, which is an emerging mission, would require subs to launch and recoversubmersible unmanned vehicles, he said.

�When you add all these up, I think there is an imperative for us to move forward more swiftly in this unmanned realm,� he said.

Caldwell said the subsurface Navy�s adoption of unmanned systems is a �fork in the road� where the service must make the decision to pursuegame-changing technologies, as it did when it developed nuclear propulsion and launched ballistic missile subs.

The Navy�s �solid narrative� of submarine investment priorities has remained rigid: Ohio-Class replacement, building two Virginia- class subsper year, developing the Virginia payload module and �payload diversity and volume� in that order. Caldwell called for expanding the latter toinclude unmanned systems and command and control technologies.

One of those programs, which was recently transferred from the Office of Naval Research to the Navy�s Unmanned Warfare Division, is the largediameter unmanned undersea vehicle (LDUUV). It is basically a huge unmanned sub that will be either tethered or untethered � it has not beensettled � -to a mother submarine. Increment one will be used for several missions including subsurface reconnaissance and surveillance while futureincrements could roll in above-surface reconnaissance and the ability to deploy its own payloads, said Rear Adm. Robert Girrier, director of theNavy�s N99 Unmanned Warfare Division.

Plans are to announce a Milestone B decision for LDUUV in fiscal year 2018. In the meantime, the Navy will continue testing its operational utility.The LDUUV will feature a modular open systems architecture design that will allow for rapid upgrades and the integration of emerging technologies,he said.

The Navy�s only other unmanned systems programs Girrier oversees are the surface Navy�s unmanned carrier-launched airborne surveillanceand strike (UCLASS), development of a common control system that will be used to operate any unmanned system regardless of where or how itoperates and an effort to establish a standard baseline software for autonomous capabilities.

The MQ-4C Triton high-altitude, long-endurance surveillance unmanned aircraft � the Navy's version of the Air Force's Global Hawk spy drone� falls under the auspices of Naval Air Systems Command.

�We know what it takes to go down this fork in the road ... if we want a fundamental change in undersea warfare in terms of strategy, operationsand tactics, these are the elements I think we need: focused, committed investment; strong, knowledgeable leadership in this area. We need reliablehardware and software systems that sailors can count on when we put these things in the water.��We have to have the ability to rapidly learn and innovate in a timely manner,� Caldwell said. �This means we have to get systems in the watersoon and in support of this we have to have meaningful modeling, we�ve got to have war gaming and experimentation to allow us to pull thistogether.�Caldwell said that while there many potential uses for an unmanned undersea vehicle, many questions remain about how to power and control them.There are many �unknowns� associated with the command and control, integration and production of large numbers of UUVs. Systems forlaunching and recovering from a submerged submarine also must be explored, he said.

�At the end of the day, the nation depends on us and this is going to be an era when the nation depends on us more than ever and the nuclearNavy, in my opinion will lead the U.S. Navy,� he said. �So the submarine force ought to be a leader in this unmanned area.� ^ 6th Fleet Ramps Up To Face Russia, Islamic StateDavid Larter, Navy Times, Oct 26 The situation confronting the Naples, Italy-based 6th Fleet isn�t pretty. Russian airplanes and warships are aggressively confrontingU.S. and NATO forces after swallowing up a huge swatch of eastern Ukraine a year ago. And Islamic State militants are spreadingchaos into more regions of North Africa. These threats have the Navy�s commanders in Europe raising alarms. �When you look at the security situation writ-large, at all the threats, there are significantly more as we exit 2015 and roll into 2016 atall points of the compass,� said Vice Adm. James Foggo, head of the 6th Fleet, which directs the operations of ships, submarines andaircraft in Europe and swathes of Africa. In the north, Russia is creating bases in the Arctic and threatening NATO allies in the Baltic like Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. To theeast, Russia has continued to fuel war in Ukraine and has moved high-tech forces into the Black Sea, including a new attacksubmarine. To the south, the Islamic State group has overrun a swath of Libya and is threatening to plunge the failed state into furtherturmoil. Foggo�s boss warned in early October that Russia was constructing �an arc of steel� from the Arctic to the Baltic to Crimea in theBlack Sea, putting in sophisticated capabilities that have all the markings of �a sea denial strategy aimed at NATO.� �They are signaling us and warning us that the maritime domain is contested space,� Adm. Mark Ferguson, the head of NavalForces Europe-Africa, said. �In statements in public they have talked of establishing permanent presence in the Mediterranean, andbreaking out from their perceived military encirclement by NATO, economic sanctions and political isolation.� The rising threats haveprompted observers to advocate for increasing U.S. carrier presence in the Mediterranean, a prospect that Foggo said he�d welcomebut that he�s not necessarily holding out for, given the demands on the Navy�s resources. �Right now, for peace-time steaming operations, we are balanced about right with the forces that we have,� he said in an exclusivephone interview with Navy Times. �Would I like to have an [amphibious ready group/Marine expeditionary unit]? You bet. Would I liketo have more carrier presence here? You bet. The United States aircraft carrier and its five associated support ships are justphenomenal in their capabilities. But are there other theaters that need that capability? Yes.� Still, Foggo said, he and Ferguson have been trying to draw attention back to Europe. �If [more forces are] needed, you better believe that both Adm. Ferguson and I will ask,� he said. �But we are raising the level ofsensitivity, however, to what we see as increasing movement and forward-leaning operations of Russian forces. This is both on thesurface and in the undersea domain.� Russia�s subs have been steadily improving and their presence must be a focus, Foggo said. �They�ve become quieter and more capable adversaries,� Foggo said. �So we need to watch that more carefully and we need towatch our presence in the undersea domain.� For sailors, it means that the waters around Europe, for many years seen as an R& R stop on the way to the Middle East, aren�t quiteas uncontested as they used to be. And when they deploy to the region it�s apt to be ready for anything, Foggo said. �So when a sailor gets underway, we may have a set mission: say, intelligence preparation of the environment in the easternMediterranean,� Foggo said. �But you could be vectored off to do something different in a crisis � somewhere in the Black Sea,somewhere in the Adriatic or somewhere up North. �It�s a great training environment and it�s a maturing experience for a sailor operating out here.� In September, the destroyer Carney arrived in Rota, Spain, which joins the Ross, Donald Cook and Porter as forward-deployed shipsbased there. All four destroyers are equipped with missile defense systems and are the sea arm of the Obama administration�sEuropean ballistic missile shield; an Aegis Ashore installation is set to come online later this year in Deveselu, Romania. The addition of the four destroyers in Europe has quintupled the size of the 6th Fleet surface fleet, which previously only had thecommand ship Mount Whitney, home ported in Naples, Italy; ships on deployment in the region also report to 6th Fleet. �It�s a fantastic capability because we can keep two of those guys comfortably out to sea at any one time,� Foggo said of the newdestroyers. �I can send one up north, I can send one to the Eastern Med � I can be in hot spots in a matter of hours, not days,because we are in the theater.� Sailors can expect to contend with a sophisticated adversary, but it also means seeing more of theNavy�s friends around, said Royal Navy Vice Adm. Peter Hudson, the outgoing head of NATO Maritime Command. �What we are seeing is a much more confident, assertive and expeditionary Russian navy,� Hudson said in a Sept. 29 phoneinterview. �And operational activities in places like the Baltic and the Black Sea, Eastern Mediterranean, heading out across theIndian Ocean ... gives an indication of the emphasis that Russia is putting on its military forces.�So what does that mean for NATO? We�ll go about our legitimate business to ensure the cohesiveness of the alliance ... andwe�ll continue to go about the business of making sure that our unity of purpose � the strength of NATO as a collective defenseorganization � is suitably demonstrated.� In 2015, NATO increased its maritime exercises by 35 percent, Hudson said, and those have focused on the skills allied navies willneed to face an advanced opponent like Russia. �Just two weeks ago we did an [anti-submarine warfare] training exercise in the central Mediterranean, and seven submarines,including a U.S. [attack submarine] and a great bunch of surface ships and [maritime patrol aircraft] doing complex submarine-onsubmarine, surface ship-on submarine and MPA-on submarine undersea warfare exercises,� he said. �So we�re upping theante.� One thing is certain for sailors in the Med, Foggo said: �I can guarantee you one thing: life is always exciting here.�^ Putin's Navy Sends A Shot Across Obama's BowTobin Harshaw, Bloomberg View, Oct 16

Russia's attack on Syrian territory last week, using cruisemissiles fired from the Caspian Sea, led to a fair amount ofchuckling in the West, after U.S. reports that four of themissiles crashed in Iran. But this is no laughing matter. Arguingover the attack's effectiveness misses the point. If Moscow had only wanted to hit Bashar al-Assad's enemies inSyria, it has plenty of ships nearby in the Mediterranean to dothe job. Rather, the Russians launched the 26 missiles fromthe Caspian simply to show they were capable of doing so.The U.S. and its allies should be warned: Vladimir Putinnotched another success. Western militaries were already well aware that Russia hadcapable cruise missiles, which are self-propelled weapons thatcan fly great distances at supersonic speed and below radardetection. The West also knew that Moscow had deployedfour armed corvette warships in the Caspian, where it hasmaintained a naval presence for centuries.

The revelation was that Russia had combined the two: giving the relatively small ships � the Buyan-M class displaces just 950 tons� firepower comparable to much larger U.S. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class missile cruisers. By using thecorvettes and the Kalibr NK cruise missile system, the Kremlin sent a shot across America's bow, and in two ways. The first was showing off its increasing capability in what military analysts call distributed lethality warfare. The strategy here is to avoidgiving the enemy one big target, by spreading out the weaponry of war and the related technology, including guidance systems andsensors, to a host of smaller units. This creates two sets of problems for an adversary: Smaller targets are harder to find, and hittingjust one does little to undermine the enemy's offensive capability. Think of Hercules's Hydra on a regional or global scale. Read All ^ US Navy Revives Ancient Navigation as Cyber Threats GrowOctober 15, 2015 By Steve Mollman | QuartzSatellites and GPS are vulnerable to cyber attack. The tools of yesteryear are not.

Sometimes old school is best. In today�s U.S.Navy, navigating a warship by the stars instead ofGPS is making a comeback.

The Naval Academy stopped teaching celestialnavigation in the late 1990s, deeming the hard-to-learn skill irrelevant in an era when satellites canrelay a ship�s location with remarkable ease andprecision.

But satellites and GPS are vulnerable to cyberattack (paywall). The tools ofyesteryear�sextants, nautical almanacs, volumesof tables�are not. With that in mind, the academyis reinstating celestial navigation into its curriculum.Wooden boxes with decades-old instruments willbe dusted off and opened, and students will once again learn to chart a course by measuring the angles of stars.

Old school navigation pales in comparison to today�s high-tech systems. It�s both painfully difficult and far less precise. But it can get you whereyou need to go within about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers). That could be a matter of life and death in a scenario where modern technology has beencompromised.

As it rebuilds the program, the Navy is getting help from the US Merchant Marine Academy, which never stopped teaching celestial navigation.According to instructor Timothy Tisch, �Knowledge of celestial navigation in the GPS era provides a solid back-up form of navigation in the eventGPS becomes unreliable for whatever reason. It is also good professional practice to use one navigational system to verify the accuracy ofanother.�The Naval Academy�s starry-eyed class of 2017 will be the first to graduate with the reinstated instruction ^ Japan Is Offering Secret Technology To Win Submarine ContractStaff, news.com.au, Oct 16 JAPAN was a late starter in the battle for the hearts and minds of Australian taxpayers and suppliers with its bold plan to build Australia�s futuresubmarine but it is moving fast to catch up. A high powered 12-man government and industry delegation travelled to Australia earlier this month in a bid to convince the nation of the merits ofJapan�s bid for the navy�s $20 billion future submarine build contract. It included Rear Admiral Naoto Sato from the Maritime Staff Office, senior executives from submarine builder Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and itwas led by senior government official Masaki Ishikawa. Japan has lagged behind both Germany and France in the public relations battle for the biggest defence contract in Australia�s history. From the start of the public blitz Mr Ishikawa dealt openly with all contentious issues including sovereign risk, the fact that Japan had never exportedmilitary technology and the cultural and language concerns that have framed the discussions about Australia buying a new version of Japan�s SoryuClass submarine. A full-scale mock-up of the proposed boat was to be named �Zero� but that was withdrawn when the WW2 fighter planesensitivities were pointed out to the delegation. These issues have overshadowed the fact that the 4000-tonne Soryu is the world�s biggest and most technically advanced conventional submarineand, unlike its rivals the Endeavour from German builder Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and the Shortfin Barracuda from Frenchgovernment firm DCNS, is actually operating at sea. This should be a major advantage in a competition against two �paper boats� but Japan has been unable to capitalise under the CompetitiveEvaluation Process (CEP) that ends in late November. From there either one or two builders will be chosen to proceed with the job or to a detailed two-horse contest under a formal tender process. While Germany and France have promised to do just about anything to win the work including creating submarine schools and dual design andsustainment centres in Adelaide and have offered up their most intimate secret technologies, Japan, until now, has been largely mute. All that changed in Sydney on the eve of the Pacific 2015 Maritime Convention when Mr Ishikawa told News Corp Australia that his country waswilling to release �100 per cent� of its submarine technology to Australia.�Our objective is to have everything available to transfer,� Mr Ishikawa said. Rear Admiral Sato from the Maritime Staff Office backed his colleague and said that all technologies would be released to enable Australia to buildthe submarine. However he said some intellectual property would need to be �controlled and protected� by Australia. The technologies on the table include advanced welding techniques, top-secret stealth capabilities, combat system integration, state-of-the-art highcapacity lithium ion batteries and a unique all-weather snorkel system that can gather oxygen for the diesels even during a typhoon. The plan also includes an option that would allow hundreds of Australian engineers and tradesmen to be sent to Japan for �on the job� trainingand to work on the mock-up to avoid pitfalls with a first of type. Mr Ishikawa said Japan was prepared to build all the boats in Australia or the first one at the Kobe shipyard in Japan under Australian supervision. Japan has built more than 50 submarines since World War 2 and two of its biggest companies Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki HeavyIndustries have cooperated to deliver six Soryu Class boats on time and on budget with four more to come. According to the delegation and to the few Australians inside the Japanese tent the vessels have achieved very high levels of reliability and availabilityunlike the world�s second biggest conventional sub � the Collins Class. Three build options have been investigated under the CEP, but a fully Australian build is now favoured by all three bidders. The competitors have engaged closely with local industry to maximise Australian involvement and the Japanese delegation will tour five states byNovember to spruik its �Australia First� supplier concept and to meet with up to 100 local firms from Cairns to Brisbane and Sydney to Perth. �There are many opportunities for Australian companies. We have to create a new supply chain for this new submarine,� he said. Germany and France have conducted similar roadshows and the new links could open doors to other global supply chains with whoever wins thejob. During his briefings in Sydney Mr Ishikawa was at pains to emphasise Japan�s close engagement with global companies such as Lockheed Martin,Raytheon and Thales. This includes work on the world�s most advanced stealth fighter jet the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Such relationships will be vital in ensuring that the combat management system or the brain, eyes and ears of the submarine is properly integratedinto the platform. All the big players were at the Pacific 2015 Expo and according to Lockheed Martin combat system expert Mike Oliver his company would behappy to work with any of the Sea-1000 platform competitors. Lockheed will compete with another US giant Raytheon to supply and integrate the future submarine�s combat system and for about $4 billionworth of work. The Commonwealth has said that it favours the US Navy�s BYG-1 combat management system for the submarines regardless of whether thevessels are German, Japanese or French and built in Australia. Lockheed supports 98 submarines around the world including 72 US Navy boats. Integrating the complex electronic systems is a huge task and it was the major technical challenges in the early days of the Collins Class project whenanother US firm, Rockwell Collins, was sacked after it failed to achieve a workable solution leaving the boats dangerously exposed. According to Mr Oliver the combat system is a collection of components where the sum of the whole is greater than its parts. �We have to be careful not to be over ambitious,� he said. That means identifying risk and ensuring that the system is delivered in tandem with the platform. To this end the firm will open a laboratory in Adelaide to identify problems and find solutions even before the steel is cut for the first submarine. �No single company has all the answers and we need to draw on expertise across the board,� Mr Oliver said.�The key is starting early in the design phase �.to avoid expensive modifications down the track.� With a long history of strategic engagement with the US and its combat system and weapons makers, the Japanese option is a leading contender forSea-1000. (Perhaps Canada, Australia and such should skip over the diesel submarine hoopla, and put their efforts into UW drones controlledremotely by mother ships, satellites etc., and do it themselves. Just a thought./ed) ^ New Menu at Naval Submarine Base Kings BayThe Brunswick News, Ga. | Oct 12, 2015 | by Gordon Jackson

ST. MARYS -- Quality meals aren't just a luxury for the Navy's submarine force. They're considered a necessity.

The rigors of deploying months at a time, confined inside a ballistic missile submarine, make good meals important to maintain highmorale.

Now, however, burgers, breaded chicken and anything that can go in a deep fryer are no longer a regular part of the menu for sailorsat Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay and the rest of the Navy.

The change is part of an initiative by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus to serve healthier, more nutritious meals to sailors. It's based on theSEALs' Fuel to Fight Program where more lean proteins, vegetables and complex carbohydrates are served.

Lt. Robert Haag, officer in charge of the galley at Kings Bay, said the goal is to prepare meals better without sacrificing quality.

"We're doing our part to provide healthy options," Haag said. "We try to make that as clear as we possibly can."

Other than seeing more fresh fruits and vegetables in the chow line, the menu hasn't changed that much. It's just the way the food isprepared.

"We've replaced fried food with acceptable replacements," he said.

Acceptable doesn't mean delicious meals can't be served, Haag said.

"Maintaining the level of customer satisfaction is important, or they'll go to McDonald's," he said. "The food is still good."

The galley also has a fast food line, but it has fewer items than in the past. On a typical day, sloppy joes and macaroni and cheesemay be the only items offered in the fast food line, though French fries are served occasionally.

Matthew Lewis, chief of the galley, believes Kings Bay may be ahead of the curve when it comes to promoting a healthier diet in otherways. The galley now serves what he call a "grab and go breakfast."

Some sailors have traditionally skipped breakfast because they aren't allowed to eat in the galley in the clothes they wear for physicaltraining. Now, they are allowed to come to the galley after physical training to grab a boxed breakfast to go.

The boxed breakfasts contain items such bagels, breakfast sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, fruit and high nutrition bars.

The galley has also expanded the hours it serves breakfast as a way to encourage sailors to start the workday on a full stomach.

"Grab and go revolves around convenience and PT," Lewis said. "We almost doubled the number of breakfasts served. It's acornerstone meal."

Haag said a sailor who eats breakfast will not have strong cravings for unhealthy food such as a cheeseburger or fries later in the day.

"It leads to better choices at lunch," he said. "You're able to go through and think more clearly."

Lewis said some of the equipment to prepare meals on submarines was changed so sailors at sea could still have healthy meals.

"They added different equipment on boats like steamers to cook healthier meals," he said.

Haag said around 1,000 meals a day are served at the base galley and the number is growing. He has noticed fewer sailors in the fastfood line and more of them are looking at the calorie listings for each portion on the menu.

"They have lots of options," he said. "Everything is designed around a healthy diet. ^ USSVI Scamp Base Offers 17 Plaques For Sale The USSVI Scamp Base is offering Subvets the opportunity to purchase 17 Submarine and NavyCommand plaques which were donated by J. Denver McCune, Captain, USN Retired. 100% of the proceeds will go to the Joe McGrievy Scholarship Fund. If more than one person wants an item, then the highest bid received after this email is sent willown the item. Go to photos for descriptions and asking price, or make an offer. Items may be picked up at a local base meeting or buyer can pay for shipping.

Please respond to David Kauppinen at subvet346@cox.net or call 760-639-0728 for moreinformation. ^

Sink or swim: Australia needs a Russian submarine fixOctober 13, 2015 Rakesh Krishnan Simha, special to RBTH Stealthy and super silent, Russian submarines also have global endurance � requirements clearly spelled out in Australia�s DefenceWhite Paper. After the Collins fiasco, Canberra needs to make a paradigm shift in its submarine strategy. Australia�s submarine fleet is in troubled waters. Plagued by reliability problems almost from the moment they hit the water in 1996,the six locally built Collins class boats are down to their last few gasps. However, modern replacements are a long way off because thecountry�s political and military leadership can�t decide what exactly they want.

The decision making limbo can be partly explained by Australia�s lack of experience with high-octane military hardware. The countryalso doesn�t have the cash to pay for the up to $36 billion replacement bill, which is expected to double or triple when you factor inlifetime operational costs.

But the more immediate reason is the country is exploring too many options from too many countries. It is talking to Japan while alsokeeping Germany, France and �a highly reluctant � America as options.

Plan A was to go for Japan�s Soryu class submarine. However, with the ouster of former Prime Minister Tony Abott, who was backingthe Japanese boat, the Australian defence establishment is watching which way new Premier Malcom Turnbull will swing � East orWest Australia�s wish list

Australia�s 2013 Defence White Paper lays out rather steep requirements for the country�s future submarine. The key requirementis that it must be able to undertake strategic missions where the stealth and other operating characteristics of highly capable advancedsubmarines would be crucial. �The boats need to be able to undertake prolonged covert patrols over the full distance of our strategicapproaches and in operational areas. They require low signatures across all spectrums, including at higher speeds,� the paper says.

And it adds: �The future submarine will have greater range, longer endurance on patrol, and expanded capabilities compared to thecurrent Collins class submarine. It will also be equipped with very secure real‑time communications...�Russian stealth Down Under

Currently, the only submarines in the world that meet this requirement aremade in Russia. Moscow�s latestNovorossiysk submarine � also known as the Black Hole � ischaracterised by advanced stealth technology. Boasting cutting edgediesel-electric propulsion, this super silent submarine is virtuallyundetectable when submerged, which explains the nickname.

Even the US Navy � which claims it tracks Russian subs 24/7 � cannotdetect the Black Holes. These submarines can freely approach thecoastlines of the United States without fear of being detected.

In the nuclear powered class, Russia has the Akula, which it has leased toIndia. In 2012, an Akula class vessel armed with long-range land attackmissiles sailed around the Gulf of Mexico for several weeks without beingdetected. Read All ^

Is Caspian Sea Fleet a Game-Changer?By Christopher P. Cavas - defensenews.com WASHINGTON � Few naval strategists would count Russia�s Caspian Sea flotilla among significant units in an order of battle. Theinland sea features naval forces from the four bordering countries � Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan in addition to Russia � butmost vessels are small missile-armed or patrol craft, nearly all well under 1,000 tons. The forces have been viewed purely as localcraft.

But that changed on Oct. 7, when four Russian warships in the Caspian Sea launched a reported 26 Kalibr SS-N-30A cruise missilesat targets in Syria, nearly 1,000 nautical miles away. While most analysts dismissed the military effects of the missile strikes, the factthat such small, inexpensive and relatively simple craft can affect ground operations that far away is significant.

�It is not lost on us that this launch from the Caspian Sea was more than just hitting targets in Syria,� said a US official. �Theyhave assets in Syria that could have handled this. It was really about messaging to the world and us that this is a capability that theyhave and they can use it.�The Kalibr missile used in the strikes is an improved version of the Granat land-attack cruise missile, similar to the US Navy�sTomahawk, that travels at subsonic speeds. Designated 3M-14T by the Russians � SS-N-30A is the NATO designation � the Kalibrlong-range version has only recently reached operational status. A submarine-launched version is in service, along with a ship-launched version equipping larger ships, including the Project 1161K Gepard-class light frigate Dagestan, which took part in theoperation. But until now it was not clear that smaller ships, including the Project 21631 Buyan-M corvettes that also took part in theOct. 7 attacks, could operate the weapon.

�This was not a missile seen as being normally carried by the corvettes, which had [shorter-range] Klub missiles as opposed to theland-attack version,� said Bryan Clark, a naval analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington. TheKalibr, he said, �changes it from being a sea-control ship to one with distributed lethality. The US has been aspiring to that, but theRussians have shown they already have it.� Read All ^ Close Up Footage of Stealth Bomber Refueling http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=0bc_1428285879

Utah Air National Guard members from the 191st Air Refueling Squadron execute an air refueling missionfrom a KC-135 Stratotanker on Feb. 18, 2015. A B-2 Spirit from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB,Missouri participated during this training mission. UNCLASSIFIED

Video Credit: SSgt Erin Mills ^

Navy Pilot's Testimony - In My Seat on 9/11 Click here: IN MY SEAT (yes, you need your speakers on) ^

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) looks through a window of a researchbathyscaphe while submerging into the waters of the Black Sea as he takes partin an expedition near Sevastopol, Crimea, August 18, 2015. Source: RIA Novosti/Kremlin

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