CHINFO NEWS CLIPSThursday, October 9, 2008

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TOP STORIES:TOP STORIES:1. Chief Of Naval Operations Sends Birthday Message To Fleet (NAVY.MIL 08 OCT 08) ... Admiral Gary Roughead

As we mark the 233rd birthday of our Navy, I thank all who serve today and have served before; Sailors, Navy civilians, and families. Our distinguished past is prelude to our great future; a future that is shaped by the honor, courage, and sacrifice of those who serve today. It is fitting that we take the time to reflect on our extraordinary heritage on the anniversary of our establishment.

2. Are Sonar Tests Harming Whales? The Supreme Court Weighs In (CNN 08 OCT 08) ... Bill Mears; Broadcast Clip

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court appeared conflicted Wednesday as it juggled national security and environmental concerns in a case over whether the U.S. Navy is doing enough to protect whales from underwater sonar tests it conducts.

3. CNN’S The Situation Room Coverage Of Navy Sonar Hearing (CNN 08 OCT 08) ... Transcript

JOHN ROBERTS: The U.S. Navy is locked in a battle with environmentalists over its use of sonar during exercises off of the Pacific Coast. At issue, whether the blasts of loud underwater noise are harming whales and other marine mammals.

4. The Sound And The Fury: Supreme Court Hears Sonar Case (NBC NIGHTLY NEWS 08 OCT 08) ... Brian Williams; Transcript and Broadcast Clip Link

BRIAN WILLIAMS: Finally here tonight, the case that brought creatures of the deep before the highest court in the land. This story involves whales and the U.S. Navy and the balance between protecting nature and protecting the nation.

5. CBS Evening News Coverage Of Navy Sonar Hearing (CBS 08 OCT 08) ... Transcript

KATIE COURIC: The Supreme Court waded into choppy waters today.

6. Supreme Court Weighs Navy Sonar Case (NEW YORK TIMES 08 OCT 08) ... Adam Liptak

WASHINGTON — On the one hand, there is "the potential for harm to marine mammals," Chief Justice John Roberts said Wednesday at a Supreme Court hearing over the Navy's use of sonar in training exercises off the coast of Southern California.

7. NOAA, Court Focus On Marine Mammals Ship Speed Limited; Sonar Use Debated(WASHINGTON POST 09 OCT 08) ... Jerry Markon and Juliet Eilperin

The government yesterday issued a long-delayed regulation imposing speed limits on East Coast ship traffic that threatens the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, while barely a mile away the Supreme Court wrestled with a dispute between the Navy and environmentalists over the impact of sonar exercises on whales and other marine mammals.

8. Supreme Court Hears Case On Navy Sonar, Whales The Justices Appear Divided On Whether Environmental Laws Can Protect The Marine Mammals During Military Exercises. A Ruling Is Not Expected For Several Months.(LOS ANGELES TIMES 08 OCT 08) ... David G. Savage

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court justices sounded closely split today on whether environmental laws can be used to protect whales and other marine mammals from the Navy's use of sonar off the coast of Southern California.

9. High Court Hears Navy Sonar Case (NPR ALL THINGS CONSIDERED 08 OCT 08) ... Nina Totenberg; Transcript

The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments in a case testing how far the president and his agencies can go in setting aside environmental laws in the name of national security — and how far the courts can go in intervening in such a controversy.

CURRENT OPERATIONS:CURRENT OPERATIONS:10. After Historic African Visit, TR Sails On (NAVY TIMES 08 OCT 08) ... Philip Ewing

The carrier Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group sailed from the South African city of Cape Town on Tuesday, having paused there for three days on its way to the Persian Gulf. The ship’s visit was part of an unusual trip for a Norfolk, Va.-based carrier, most of which usually steam across the Mediterranean and down through the Red Sea.

11. Abraham Lincoln Strike Group Arriving In Port (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE 08 OCT 08) ... Laura Embry

SAN DIEGO – The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and two locally based ships have arrived in San Diego Wednesday following a seven-month deployment.

12. All 5 Of Yokosuka’s Tugboats Return To Operational Status (STARS AND STRIPES 09 OCT 08)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan - The hard work paid off last weekend when all five of Yokosuka’s tugboats took to the water for the first "photo exercise" in 11 years.

13. Farragut Completes POA 08, Returns Home (THE MIRROR (NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, FLA.) 09 OCT 08) ... Lt. Jacob Steele

USS Farragut (DDG-99) returned to its homeport at Naval Station Mayport Oct. 5 after a six-month deployment with Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 40 in support of Partnership of the Americas 2008 (POA 08).

GLOBAL MARITIME ENVIRONMENT:GLOBAL MARITIME ENVIRONMENT:14. Kenya's Navy To Help Free Ukrainian Arms Ship Seized By Pirates (BLOOMBERG 08 OCT 08) ... Eric Ombok

Kenya's navy will help free a Ukrainian ship carrying a cargo of battle tanks that was hijacked by Somali pirates last month, Kenya's Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula said.

15. UK: Civilian Ships Must Be Armed Against Pirates Britain's Senior Royal Navy Commander In The Gulf Has Called For Merchant Shipping To Hire Mercenaries To Fight Off The Increasing Danger Of Piracy. (THE TELEGRAPH (UK) 08 OCT 08) ... Thomas Harding

At a time when there is a record number of ships being hijacked off the coast of Somalia, Commodore Keith Winstanley said he believed that the situation has become so serious that civilian vessels should be armed.

16. Gates Says Ukraine Wants Warships, But Has To Wait (STARS AND STRIPES 09 OCT 08) ... Jeff Schogol,

OHRID, Macedonia — Ukraine wants U.S. Navy warships, officials said Wednesday.

17. Russian Warships To Visit Libya: Navy (AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE 08 OCT 08)

MOSCOW — A group of Russian warships will stop in Libya next week before moving on to joint exercises with Venezuela and an anti-piracy mission off Somalia, a navy spokesman said Wednesday.

18. North Korea Ready To Fire More Missiles: Report (REUTERS 09 OCT 08) ... Jack Kim and Isabel Reynolds

SEOUL - North Korea has deployed more than 10 missiles on its west coast for what appears to be an imminent launch, a South Korean newspaper said on Thursday, two days after the North fired two short-range missiles into the Yellow Sea.

PERSONNEL:PERSONNEL:19. Ike Sailor Was Struck By Super Hornet (NAVY TIMES 08 OCT 08) ... Andrew Scutro

NORFOLK, Va. — The sailor killed Saturday night aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower was struck by an F/A-18F Super Hornet on the flight deck “during catapult launch,” according to the Naval Safety Center’s online mishap log.

20. Local Navy Submarine Officer Was A Warrior, Hero (CASPER (WY.) JOURNAL 07 OCT 08) ... Wyoma Groeneberg

Master Chief Petty Officer Kevin Page never bragged, so his parents didn’t know all of his accomplishments and missions while in the United States Navy.

FORCE STRUCTURE/PROGRAMS:FORCE STRUCTURE/PROGRAMS:21. Navy Needs Ships It Can Evolve To Meet Growing Ballistic, Cruise Missile Threats, Official Says (DEFENSE DAILY 09 OCT 08) ... Geoff Fein

The Navy has to move toward an open systems environment in its surface combatants if it wants to avoid retiring ships too early and to keep pace with the burgeoning ballistic missile threat, a top Navy official said.

22. Destroyer Passes Navy Test Truxtun Safely Fires Its Big Guns(MISSISSIPPI PRESS 08 OCT 08) ... Harlan Kirgan

PASCAGOULA Northrop Grumman shipbuilders and Navy sailors put the Truxtun through its acceptance trial in the Gulf of Mexico last week and reported that the destroyer passed all of its tests.

23. Navy Exploring How To Best Meet Growing Partnership Requirement As Outlined In Maritime Strategy(INSIDE THE NAVY 06 OCT 08) ... Zachary M. Peterson

The Navy continues to explore how to best meet its growing requirement to form and maintain maritime partnerships around the globe, but buying smaller ships is likely not the answer to achieve this objective, the Navy’s top programmer told Inside the Navy in a recent interview.

24. NAVAIR To Release RFP On Subsonic Missile Target Soon (INSIDE THE NAVY 06 OCT 08) ... Dan Taylor

Naval Air Systems Command plans to release a request for proposals this quarter for the development of a subsonic missile target to be used in testing naval combat systems in advanced fleet training, according to a notice posted last week on Federal Business Opportunities.

BASES / COMMUNITY OUTREACH:BASES / COMMUNITY OUTREACH:25. Sonar Range Proposal Draws Flak At Hearing Whales Might Face Harm, Environmentalists Tell Navy(FLORIDA TIMES-UNION 09 OCT 08) ... Steve Patterson

A Navy proposal to build a training range for underwater warfare off Jacksonville's coast has disturbed groups concerned about environmental damage.

26. Navy Ships Open For First Time Since 9/11 (NAVY TIMES 08 OCT 08) ... Andrew Scutro

NORFOLK, Va. — For the first time since the security crackdown after the 2001 terrorist attacks, Navy ships in Hampton Roads will be available for public viewing during Fleet Week.

27. Navy Is Ballast For Region's Economy (NORFOLK VIRGINIA-PILOT 09 OCT 08)

Amid all the signs of a depressed national economy - stalled home sales, a depreciating dollar, fewer jobs, falling stocks - Hampton Roads is still doing better than most regions across the nation.

28. Project To Save Navy $32 Million In Energy Costs (WVEC.COM (ABC HAMPTON ROADS) 08 OCT 08)

VIRGINIA BEACH -- Navy's colors may be blue and gold, but on Thursday, Dam Neck will go green.

29. Unanimous Vote: City Donates $5K To Sub Event (SEACOAST ONLINE.COM (PORTSMOUTH, N.H.) 08 OCT 08) ... Adam Leech and Deborah McDermott

PORTSMOUTH —- One week after stating the city’s contribution to the commissioning of the submarine New Hampshire would be in-kind services only, Mayor Tom Ferrini and the City Council unanimously voted to donate an additional $5,000 to the events.

30. Aviation Business Eyeing BNAS (TIMES RECORD (MAINE) 08 OCT 08) ... Seth Koenig

BRUNSWICK — A nationally recognized Maine firm that customizes private aircraft is gauging a move to Brunswick Naval Air Station property, and could represent the first potential civilian tenant at an airfield the Navy is scheduled to vacate in 2011.

31. Hundreds Run For Breast Cancer Awareness In Portsmouth (WVEC.COM (HAMPTON ROADS, VA) 08 OCT 08) ... Sandra Parker

PORTSMOUTH -- It was a beautiful day to take a run. At Naval Medical Center Portsmouth on Wednesday, about 600 people ran with a purpose.

NEWS OF INTEREST:NEWS OF INTEREST:32. Arctic Scramble U.S. Icebreaker Maps Ocean Floor For Science And Country(KODIAK MIRROR 08 OCT 08) ... Jan Huisman

When the legendary Revenue cutter Capt. Mike Healy patrolled the Bering Sea in the 19th century, it was a cruel, unforgiving and little known place. Sailing for months at a time, Healy saved whalers trapped in sea ice, supplied remote villages with food and medicine and chased illegal fur traders from his waters.

33. Painting Honors USS Oklahoma Sailors (ASSOCIATED PRESS 08 OCT 08)

OKLAHOMA CITY - A painting depicting the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor has been dedicated at the state Capitol.

34. Mullen: No JCS Enlisted Advisor (NAVY TIMES 08 OCT 08) ... William H. McMichael

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has decided not to name a new senior enlisted advisor, saying he’d rather reach out on his own for input and advice from the military’s enlisted community.

35. Bahrain Proposes Middle East Organization To Include Israel (5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES (LAWRENCE, N.Y.) 08 OCT 08) ... Hana Levi Julian

The foreign minister of Bahrain has suggested forming a Middle Eastern regional organization that would include both Israel and Iran in addition to all the Arab nations. Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said in an interview in the Arabic daily newspaper al-Hayat that such an organization would be a good way to resolve the dispute between them.

OPINION:OPINION:36. Attacking The Pirates May Be Too Costly (DAILY NATION (KENYA) 09 OCT 08) ... Editorial

The decision by the United Nations Security Council to sanction international navy vessels and military aircraft to use ‘‘all necessary means’’ to stamp out piracy off the coast of Somalia gives a seal of approval to those countries whose warships are surrounding the hijacked Mv Faina and to attack it and free the hostages and military hardware cargo.

37. We Shouldn't Pay For Sub Celebration (CONCORD (N.H.) MONITOR 08 OCT 08) ... John B. Andrews ; Letter to the Editor

The USS New Hampshire's Community Commissioning Committee is looking for the state and/or city of Portsmouth to pony up "at least" $50,000 to pay for breakfast, 3,000 lunches and a "commander's reception" at the exclusive Wentworth-by-the-Sea to celebrate our namesake sub's entry into service.

TOP STORIES:TOP STORIES:1. Chief Of Naval Operations Sends Birthday Message To Fleet(NAVY.MIL 08 OCT 08) ... Admiral Gary Roughead

As we mark the 233rd birthday of our Navy, I thank all who serve today and have served before; Sailors, Navy civilians, and families. Our distinguished past is prelude to our great future; a future that is shaped by the honor, courage, and sacrifice of those who serve today. It is fitting that we take the time to reflect on our extraordinary heritage on the anniversary of our establishment.

The men and women who have served since the days of sail in 1775 have exemplified the core values that are at the heart of our Navy, the most powerful and influential to ever sail the oceans.

Whether it was the sailor on deck in the War Of 1812, or Admiral Chester Nimitz leading in the Pacific, or Petty Officer Michael Monsoor fighting in Iraq, we have a storied past that makes it easy to understand why we have achieved greatness. That greatness continues in the lives of our Sailors, Navy civilians, and families

Today whose dedication and contributions to our current fight are ensuring stability, security, and our way of life. We operate across the full range of operations, in all corners of the globe, to make the world a better, safer place - our legacy is defined by our actions today.

I have seen the work you do around the world and I could not be more proud and inspired. Your service and sacrifice exemplify the character of our Navy and the ideal of service to our country.

Your dedication serves to inspire others and I encourage you to actively participate in the ,many celebrations that will commemorate this event. Whether you are attending a Navy Ball, having a command function, speaking with a local community group, or being interviewed by the media, a friend, or a neighbor, remember our proud past and how we build on it today.

Enjoy the day and the festivities, and take time to reflect on the privilege we have to serve in the greatest navy that has ever sailed. Happy Birthday, Shipmates.

-Admiral G. Roughead, Chief Of Naval OperationsTo watch or download the CNO's birthday message, and

to get other products that may help Navy command's efforts to recognize this year's birthday, go to www.navy.mil and click on the 'Navy Birthday Celebration Resources' button.

For more news from the Chief of Naval Operations, visit www.navy.mil/local/cno.

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2. Are Sonar Tests Harming Whales? The Supreme Court Weighs In(CNN 08 OCT 08) ... Bill Mears; Broadcast Clip

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court appeared conflicted Wednesday as it juggled national security and environmental concerns in a case over whether the U.S. Navy is doing enough to protect whales from underwater sonar tests it conducts.

The Supreme Court is weighing whether the Navy does enough to protect whales from undersea sonar tests.

At issue is the power of the president to issue executive waivers allowing such tests, and whether federal judges can issue preliminary injunctions blocking them.

Environmentalists successfully sued the Pentagon over the practice, forcing major changes the Navy's annual offshore training exercises in March. President Bush had issued an emergency waiver to allow the exercises to go on without the filing of an environmental impact study (EIS), but the lower court ruling blocked the use of sonar.

Military officials are asking the justices to intervene, arguing the restriction could hamper military readiness in time of war, since new sonar technology is needed to detect increasingly sophisticated enemy submarines.

Justice David Souter expressed repeated skepticism that an emergency existed allowing the president to try to bypass normal environmental reviews. "There was no 'emergency' here except one which was created by the Navy's apparently deliberate inattention" to file an EIS in a timely fashion, trying "in effect to sort of neutralize by keeping everybody in the dark until the last moment," he said.

But Justice Samuel Alito worried the executive constitutional authority is being eroded. "Isn't it incredibly odd about a single [federal] district court judge making a

determination [limiting exercises] that is contrary to the determination that the Navy has made?"

That federal judge, in ruling against the government last March, said it was "constitutionally suspect" for Bush to issue the national security exemption to allow skipping the EIS.

One of the environmental organizations that sued the Defense Department told the justices that the exercises had been planned in advance and that the Navy was required under law to conduct more extensive environmental tests than it had. Richard Kendall of the Natural Resources Defense Council also said the military appears to be able to work under the restrictions, since eight of 14 planned exercises have been carried out since the restrictions went into effect.

The Navy says the courts are protecting sea creatures rather than people.

"In ordering additional mitigation to reduce the risk to marine mammals, the order shifts the risk to sailors and Marines," Navy spokesman Capt. Scott Gureck told CNN in March.

Representing the military and the White House, Solicitor General Gregory Garre told the high court that the tests are "vitally important to the survival of our naval strike groups deployed around the world and therefore critical to the nation's security."

The waters of Southern California are home to dozens of species of whales, dolphins, seals, and sea lions, nine of them federally listed as endangered or threatened. Federal courts have cited scientific studies and the Navy's own conclusions that high levels of sonar can cause hearing loss and disorientation in the animals.

The U.S. Navy demonstrated for CNN in February its on-board procedures for turning down mid-frequency sonar when whales come within 1,000 meters, and shutting it off completely when they approach 200 meters.

The sonar sounds like a "ping, ping" noise, and it can be reduced as necessary, officers said.

But environmentalists say the sonar can hurt whales much further than 1,000 meters away. Kendall said the noise created by the sonar "was like having a jet engine in the Supreme Court multiplied 2,000 times, compensating for water."

In 2000, 16 whales beached themselves in the Bahamas, and the Navy concluded too many sonar ships had been operating in a narrow underwater channel.

The service says it is funding $16 million in independent research to minimize sonar's effect on marine mammals.

Justice Stephen Breyer seemed divided between the two sides, and his vote could prove crucial. He agreed with several of his colleagues that the whole point of an environmental impact study is to assess potential harm before exercises begin. "You have an EIS for the reason that the agency itself, once it reads it, might decide to do something else. That's the whole point of an EIS."

But the 70-year-old justice also noted the sonar tests are necessary to train crews to find enemy subs. "I see an admiral come along with an affidavit that says you've got to train people," he said "or there will be subs hiding there with all kinds of terrible weapons."

He added, "I am nervous about it."The case is Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council

(07-1239). A ruling is expected in a few months.. RT 0:50View Clip

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3. CNN’S The Situation Room Coverage Of Navy Sonar Hearing (CNN 08 OCT 08) ... Transcript

JOHN ROBERTS: The U.S. Navy is locked in a battle with environmentalists over its use of sonar during exercises off of the Pacific Coast. At issue, whether the blasts of loud underwater noise are harming whales and other marine mammals.

CNN’s Jamie McIntyre joins us now, not from the Pentagon, but outside the U.S. Supreme Court. The court hearing arguments in the case today, Jamie, any indication of which way the justices may be leaning?

JAMIE MCINTYRE: Well, the justices seem to be somewhat sympathetic to the Bush administration and, of course, the issue here is when can the president waive environmental laws in the name of national security.

U.S. NAVY CREWMAN: Two hundred meters out, moving port to starboard.

MCINTYRE: So far, it’s been smooth sailing for the environmentalists locked in litigation with the U.S. Navy over whether powerful sonar signals are driving whales to beach themselves. Up to now, lower courts have agreed with the National Resources Defense Council that sonar is a clear hazard to marine mammals.

JOEL REYNOLDS [National Resources Defense Council]: There is a very long list of where these strandings have occurred and yet the Navy for some reason that’s not supported by any evidence has been arguing that Southern California waters are somehow immune from that impact.

MCINTYRE: A federal judge ordered the Navy to curtail sonar use during training exercises off the California coast in

March. Now that the legal battle has reached the Supreme Court, the NRDC finds itself on the defensive. Several of the justices indicated the lower courts may not have given enough weight to military commanders, who insist the restrictions would make vital training impossible and jeopardize national security.

As Chief Justice John Roberts observed, at no point did the district judge undertake a balancing of the equities, putting on one side a potential harm to marine mammals and on the other side the potential a North Korean diesel electric submarine will get within range of Pearl Harbor undetected.

The Navy has made many concessions, noted Justice Breyer, who then asked the lawyer for the NRDC, Richard Kendall, why couldn’t you work this thing out? When Kendall replied, the Navy is focused on having it its way or no way, Chief Justice Roberts cut him off, saying that’s very unfair. There were six conditions imposed by the district court. The Navy didn’t even appeal four of them. That’s not insisting on having it their way.

Now, scientists are still debating how much of a hazard sonar really poses to the whales. But the justices don’t have to resolve that. They just have to decide to what extent the president can put warfare ahead of the welfare of sea mammals. John?

ROBERTS: All right. We’ll be looking forward to that decision. Jamie McIntyre at the Supreme Court today. Jamie, thanks.

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4. The Sound And The Fury: Supreme Court Hears Sonar Case(NBC NIGHTLY NEWS 08 OCT 08) ... Brian Williams; Transcript and Broadcast Clip Link

BRIAN WILLIAMS: Finally here tonight, the case that brought creatures of the deep before the highest court in the land. This story involves whales and the U.S. Navy and the balance between protecting nature and protecting the nation.

Here’s our justice correspondent, Pete Williams.PETE WILLIAMS: For more than 40 years the U.S. Navy

has trained sailors by running military exercise off the Southern California coast. But environmental groups say mounting evidence shows the Navy’s sonar is so powerful, it

can injure dolphins and even kill five types of endangered whales.

JOEL REYNOLDS [Natural Resources Defense Counsel]: We shouldn’t allow the U.S. Navy to practice war games in the middle of a national marine sanctuary. Whales and other marine life should not have to die for practice.

PETE WILLIAMS: To a whale, they say, the sonar sounds 1,000 times louder than a jet engine in a closed room. They say in sonar exercises elsewhere, whales developed

severe internal injuries, leading them to beach themselves and die.

U.S. NAVY CREWMAN:...sonar, the sonar has powered down by six decibels.

PETE WILLIAMS: Environmentalists won a court order forcing the Navy to turn down the sonar when whales and dolphins get too close. But last January, President Bush said because of national security, the military should not have to restrict its exercises.

The Navy says sailors must train under exactly the same circumstances they’d find in hostile waters.

REAR ADM. STEPHEN PIETROPAOLI, USN (RET.) [Navy League of the United States]: If a sailor is not able to train effectively, when it comes to wartime or it comes to a

shooting war, that sailor is not going to come home alive unless they have been practicing the way they expect to fight.

PETE WILLIAMS: Based on their questions today, a majority of the justices seem to think the courts went too far in ordering the Navy to restrict its training.

Isn’t there something incredibly odd, Justice Samuel Alito asked, about a single judge making a decision contrary to the Navy’s extensive findings? And Justice Stephen Breyer said he could find no basis for the judge’s order. That means the Navy will likely be allowed to continue full speed ahead unless more convincing proof is found that its sonar is killing whales.

Pete Williams, NBC News, at the Supreme Court.View Clip

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5. CBS Evening News Coverage Of Navy Sonar Hearing(CBS 08 OCT 08) ... Transcript

KATIE COURIC: The Supreme Court waded into choppy waters today.

David Martin reports it heard arguments in a case that pits the safety of whales against national security.

DAVID MARTIN: It’s a head-on collision between whales and the U.S. Navy and it brought America’s top admirals to the Supreme Court asking to throw out a ruling that restricts their use of sonar during training. The case is centered off the California coast, where the Navy practices finding enemy submarines.

Ships send out a sound wave looking for the silent subs. Here’s what it sounds like to humans. But to whales that sound can cause disorientation and even death. Eight years ago, 15 whales beached and eight died in the Bahamas after an antisubmarine exercise.

RICHARD KENDALL [Natural Resources Defense Counsel]: The sound intensity produced by sonar is 2,000 times louder that a jet engine.

MARTIN: When the Navy said tens of thousands of marine mammals could be injured off California, environmentalists sued and a federal court ordered the Navy to limit its sonar use.

Today at the Supreme Court, Gregory Garre argued for the Navy that in the middle of two wars, a federal judge can’t play commander-in-chief and, quote, “interfere with critical training exercises.”

The case will likely be decided this spring. And as Chief Justice Roberts put it, “It will have to balance potential harm to marine mammals against the potential a North Korean submarine might sneak up on Pearl Harbor.”

David Martin, CBS News, the Pentagon.Return to Index

6. Supreme Court Weighs Navy Sonar Case(NEW YORK TIMES 08 OCT 08) ... Adam Liptak

WASHINGTON — On the one hand, there is "the potential for harm to marine mammals," Chief Justice John Roberts said Wednesday at a Supreme Court hearing over the Navy's use of sonar in training exercises off the coast of Southern California.

On the other, the chief justice continued, there is "the potential that a North Korean diesel electric submarine will get within range of Pearl Harbor undetected" if Navy personnel are not properly trained in the use of sonar.

"Now, I think that's a pretty clear balance," Roberts said. Other justices also indicated an inclination to overturn a

decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals imposing limits on the exercises, saying either that national security concerns trumped environmental ones or that judges are not competent to weigh the competing interests.

"I don't know anything about this," Justice Stephen Breyer said. But he said he was inclined to believe, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, a sworn statement from an admiral saying the restrictions would harm military preparedness.

Richard Kendall, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which had sued the Navy over the exercises, insisted that courts have an important role to play in protecting

whales and dolphins even when the executive branch asserts a national security interest.

"The Navy cannot be judge of its own cause," Kendall said.

The two sides agreed that sonar can harm marine mammals, but they disagreed about how much. Kendall said sonar produces noise as loud as 2,000 jet engines and that some whales die or become stranded in their frantic efforts to avoid it.

Gregory Garre, the U.S. solicitor general, said the impact on the animals was minor and passing.

"They hear the sound, and they go in the opposite direction," Garre said. "It can also mean that they could have some temporary effect on their feeding or breeding patterns."

In February, the 9th Circuit upheld a trial judge's order that the Navy suspend sonar use if it detects a marine mammal within 2,200 yards.

The questions before the court in the case were tangled. Is an agency called the Council on Environmental Quality — "more or less an office in the White House," in Roberts' words — permitted to override a court order? Did the lower courts use the wrong standard in entering an injunction? Must the

environmental group prove harm to an entire species rather than to individual animals?

But at the heart of the case were arguments about the role of the courts in matters of national security.

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7. NOAA, Court Focus On Marine MammalsShip Speed Limited; Sonar Use Debated(WASHINGTON POST 09 OCT 08) ... Jerry Markon and Juliet Eilperin

The government yesterday issued a long-delayed regulation imposing speed limits on East Coast ship traffic that threatens the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, while barely a mile away the Supreme Court wrestled with a dispute between the Navy and environmentalists over the impact of sonar exercises on whales and other marine mammals.

North Atlantic right whales, which were intensely hunted in the 1800s during the height of the U.S. whaling boom, now number fewer than 400 and rank among the most endangered animals in the world. The rule issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration requires large ships to slow to 10 knots (11.5 mph) during parts of the year when they come within 20 nautical miles of several East Coast ports in areas where the whales feed, reproduce and migrate.

In July 2006, NOAA scientists proposed buffer areas extending 30 nautical miles, but shipping interests said that would cost them too much time and money, and they lobbied the White House to scale back the regulation. Aides to Vice President Cheney and National Economic Council Director Keith Hennessey weighed in on the issue, questioning the benefits of establishing a wider buffer.

NOAA Administrator Conrad C. Lautenbacher said the new rule, along with existing measures aimed at preventing the whales from becoming entangled in fishing gear, would help protect the species. "The ship strike rule, based on science, is a major addition to NOAA's arsenal of protections for this endangered species," he said in a statement.

Researchers at NOAA's Fisheries Service estimate that about 83 percent of right whale sightings in the mid-Atlantic region are within 20 nautical miles of shore, while the 30-mile limit would encompass 90 percent of all sightings.

Scientific experts said yesterday that the rule, which will go into effect in early December, could help protect the right whales even if it does not go far enough. On Monday, the International Union for Conservation of Nature cited ship strikes as a major factor in why nearly a third of the world's marine mammals are at risk of extinction.

Randall Reeves, chairman of the union's cetacean specialist group, praised the 10-knot restriction in an interview, saying that a 30-nautical mile buffer "would have been nice, but 20 is better than nothing."

Since NOAA first proposed the regulation in 2006, at least three right whales have died from ship strikes, and two have been wounded by propellers.

During oral arguments before the Supreme Court yesterday, Justice Stephen G. Breyer expressed frustration at the dispute over the Navy's use of loud, mid-frequency sonar during submarine exercises off the Southern California coast.

Environmental advocates say the exercises violate the law, citing evidence showing that the sonar disorients whales and other marine mammals, sometimes leading them to strand themselves and die. The Navy says the exercises are needed to train sonar operators to detect quiet new submarines deployed by China, North Korea and other potential adversaries. It calls the training vital to national security in a time of war.

"I don't know anything about this. I'm not a naval officer," Breyer told an environmental lawyer during the arguments. He later said: "Why couldn't you work this thing out? . . . You are asking us -- who know nothing about whales and less about the military -- to start reading all these documents to try to figure out who's right."

As laughter echoed in the marble-and-velvet courtroom, Breyer added: "I think the whole point of the armed forces is to hurt the environment. . . . On a bombing mission, do they have to prepare an environmental impact statement first?"

The comments from Breyer, a member of the court's liberal wing, indicated that the decision in Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council might not fall along ideological lines. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. sharply questioned both sides, calling a key part of the Navy's argument "odd" but said environmentalists are being "very unfair" because the Navy is trying not to cause harm.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. questioned whether a lower court judge who halted the use of sonar, but then allowed it with restrictions that the Navy opposes, is "an expert on anti-submarine warfare." "Isn't there something incredibly odd about a single district judge making a determination on that defense question that is contrary" to the Navy's, he said. Although much of the argument focused on the potential harm to whales, legal experts said the case raises broader questions about the military's obligation to obey environmental laws as well as the constitutional separation of powers. The dispute centers on 14 training exercises off the California coast that began in February 2007 and are scheduled to end in January. The Natural Resources Defense Council filed suit in federal court to stop or modify the use of sonar. The Bush administration, seeking to overturn an appellate court ruling that upheld the restrictions on sonar use, is relying on arguments it has offered in other national security cases since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The administration's attorneys said the judiciary must defer to its determination that the exercises constitute a national security emergency that overrides the requirements of several environmental laws. Environmentalists say the Navy must adhere to the law. They say that an adverse ruling could free the government to take other actions that could harm the environment without studying their effects.

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8. Supreme Court Hears Case On Navy Sonar, WhalesThe Justices Appear Divided On Whether Environmental Laws Can Protect The Marine Mammals During Military Exercises. A Ruling Is Not Expected For Several Months.(LOS ANGELES TIMES 08 OCT 08) ... David G. Savage

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court justices sounded closely split today on whether environmental laws can be used to protect whales and other marine mammals from the Navy's use of sonar off the coast of Southern California.

A Bush administration lawyer urged the high court to throw out a Los Angeles judge's order that requires the Navy to turn off its high intensity sonar whenever a whale or dolphin is spotted within 1.2 miles of a ship.

This order disrupts the Navy's war-game exercises, which are "critical to the nation's security," said U.S. Solicitor Gen. Gregory Garre. He also disputed claims that the piercing sound of the sonar causes severe harm to the whales.

But Los Angeles lawyer Richard B. Kendall described the sonar as like the sound of "a jet engine in this room multiplied by 2,000 times." He said beaked whales, in panic, dive deeply to escape the sound, and they sometimes suffer bleeding and even death when they try to resurface.

Kendall also said the judge's order has had a minimal impact on the Navy. It has conducted 13 extended training exercises off California in which Navy officers practice detecting enemy submarines. Only on a few occasions have ships been forced to turn off their sonar, he said.

But the case has turned into a major dispute over whether judges, acting on a suit brought by environmentalists, have the power to stop the government from conducting a crucial exercise because it had not carried out an environmental impact statement.

In this case, the Natural Resources Defense Council in Santa Monica sued the Navy, and asserted it had failed to conduct an environmental impact assessment to see whether its use of high-intensity, mid-frequency sonar would harm

marine mammals. U.S. District Judge Florence Marie Cooper in Los Angeles agreed with the NRDC, but she did not order the Navy to halt its training exercises. Instead, she ordered the Navy to take steps to protect these mammals, including by turning off the sonar when they were spotted nearby.

Justice Antonin Scalia suggested the judge had exceeded her power. He said the law was merely "procedural" and did not give environmentalists or judges the authority to halt a government operation.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. appeared to agree. Is Judge Cooper an expert on the Navy? he asked, adding that the judge should have deferred to the Navy's view that its exercises would not hurt the whales.

But Justices John Paul Stevens and David H. Souter wondered how the Navy could know its sonar would not harm the whales until it had studied the matter. "The whole point of doing an EIS [Environmental Impact Statement] is we don't know what the harm will be," Stevens said.

Sounding frustrated, Justice Stephen G. Breyer wondered how the court is supposed to resolve the conflicting evidence on whether the sonar will or will not harm marine mammals. "Why couldn't you work this out?" he asked Kendall, rather than having a court resolve the dispute.

"The Navy is focused on having it its own way," Kendall replied.

"That's not fair," Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. interjected. The Navy had taken steps to protect the marine mammals, he said, and the judge gave it little credit for doing so. "No good deed goes unpunished," he added.

The justices are likely to hand down a ruling in the case, Winter vs. NRDC, in several months.

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9. High Court Hears Navy Sonar Case(NPR ALL THINGS CONSIDERED 08 OCT 08) ... Nina Totenberg; Transcript

The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments in a case testing how far the president and his agencies can go in setting aside environmental laws in the name of national security — and how far the courts can go in intervening in such a controversy.

At issue is the long-running dispute over the Navy's use of mid-frequency sonar in training exercises off the California coast. Environmental advocacy groups contend that federal law requires the Navy to assess the damage that could be caused to whales and dolphins and to adopt steps to minimize that damage.

The president and his council on environmental quality have gotten around that requirement by ordering environmental laws suspended in the name of a national security emergency.

The federal courts, however, concluded that there was no emergency — that the military knew for years that it had a problem and ignored it.

The lower courts ruled that the executive branch cannot simply waive federal environmental laws on its own. But the

Bush administration won a temporary reprieve while it appealed.

On the steps of the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Paul Kamenar of the Washington Legal Foundation argued that the courts cannot trump the president's powers in a case like this

"The president is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and the Navy. It's his judgment — and his admirals' judgment — on how best to train our seamen in this time when we have two wars going on," Kamenar says.

But Richard Kendall of the National Resources Defense Council countered that even though these exercises are almost over, much is at stake for the future.

"If the executive branch can say after an Article III court has ruled 'Your ruling doesn't count. Now you have to go back, and do it again because we disagree,' then our constitutional framework would have just undergone an earthquake," Kendall says.

Inside the courtroom, Justice Samuel Alito asked the government's chief advocate just how many marine mammals have been killed or injured. Solicitor General Gregory Garre contended there has been no serious harm.

Justice Ginsburg: I thought there are records of 564-beaked whales suffering severe harm.

Garre: Our best evidence is that that harm has not been permanent.

Much of the argument focused on the Navy's refusal to produce an environmental impact statement before it began the exercises.

Justice Souter: You've known since before the exercises began in 2007 that this was a requirement, and you still didn't produce it. Why shouldn't we say the only emergency was created deliberately by the Navy.

Justice Breyer: The reason the law requires the environmental impact statement is that once the agency reads it, it might decide to do something different. That's the whole point.

But it was Kendall, representing environmental groups, who took the real beating Wednesday.

Justice Alito: There's something incredibly odd about a single district court judge making a judgment contrary to the determination the Navy has made.

Kendall: The judge was extraordinarily deferential to the Navy, but the evidence showed that the Navy could, without

any major problems, conduct these exercises in a way that minimized damage to marine mammals.

Justice Kennedy: The president and the Defense Department deserve some deference, too. Justice Breyer: The Navy is saying, "If we can't train personnel using these levels of sonar, we can't train people to find submarines where they hide.' This makes me very nervous."

Chief Justice Roberts: We should stop the Navy from doing this just because we think there is likelihood they might be inflicting unneeded damage?

Kendall: Yes … the Navy cannot be the judge of its own cause. There's a limit to deference..... The evidence is overwhelming that beaked whales are being stranded by sonar and killed. Autopsies show they are hemorrhaging and dying.

Justice Breyer: That the whole purpose of the military is to hurt the environment. You go on a bombing mission. Do you have to prepare an environmental impact statement?

Kendall: No, of course not in combat. But here in a training exercise the military is supposed to minimize the damage.

Click on link to listen to the broadcast.

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CURRENT OPERATIONS:CURRENT OPERATIONS:10. After Historic African Visit, TR Sails On(NAVY TIMES 08 OCT 08) ... Philip Ewing

The carrier Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group sailed from the South African city of Cape Town on Tuesday, having paused there for three days on its way to the Persian Gulf. The ship’s visit was part of an unusual trip for a Norfolk, Va.-based carrier, most of which usually steam across the Mediterranean and down through the Red Sea.

The TR was the first nuclear-powered carrier to visit Cape Town, and the first U.S. carrier to visit since the conventionally powered flattop Franklin D. Roosevelt arrived in 1967. According to reports in the South African press, there were concerns until just days before the TR arrived about whether the country’s regulators would issue the ship a special nuclear permit so it could drop anchor in Table Bay.

Once it did, the strike group was evidently a hit. Thousands of people turned out to see the carrier and its escorts.

“It was a manic, fantastic and unbelievable turnout,” waterfront marketing manager Penny Randall told The Independent newspaper. “The waterfront was absolutely packed and traffic kept streaming in.”

The South African news media covered the ship’s visit extensively, referring to the TR as the “USS Theodore” and by a nickname used by its crew, “Big Stick.”

“The Big Stick, whose range is limited only by food, has 3,200 naval personnel, which is nearly half the size of the South African Navy, and 2,480 air wing personnel onboard, along with 90 aircraft and helicopters, which is almost the size of the South African Air Force,” wrote Graeme Hosken on the news site IOL.

One columnist, Brian Ingpen, wrote in the Cape Times that he hopes South African authorities agree to dredge the channel coming into Cape Town so that more American warships can visit as they pass between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. He cited “the US Navy’s fine record with its nuclear-powered ships, as well as the positive economic and military spinoffs for South Africa of these visits.”

While the TR was near port, its crew members took wine tours, hiked the nearby Table Mountain and went on safaris, according to a Navy announcement. They ate warthog, crocodile and gazelle steaks. Sailors also took part in a “bushman experience,” in which they visited an ostrich farm and a South African village, where bushmen showed them some traditional skills.

“It was crazy to see how other parts of the world live," said Storekeeper Seaman Lacy Frye. “My favorite part was definitely sitting on an ostrich. That is something you do not get to do back home.”

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11. Abraham Lincoln Strike Group Arriving In Port (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE 08 OCT 08) ... Laura Embry

SAN DIEGO – The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and two locally based ships have arrived in San Diego Wednesday following a seven-month deployment.

The Lincoln will return to its homeport of Everett, Wash., after dropping off personnel and aircraft in San Diego, according to the Navy's Third Fleet public affairs office.

Joining the carrier as part of the Abraham Lincoln Strike Group will be the San Diego-based guided-missile cruiser Mobile Bay and guided-missile frigate Curts, according to the Navy.

During its stop in San Diego, the Abraham Lincoln will also host a change-of-command ceremony. Rear Adm. Scott Swift will relieve Rear Adm. Scott Van Buskirk as commander of the strike group.

During it's deployment, pilots from the Abraham Lincoln flew more than 7,100 sorties in support of coalition ground forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the Third Fleet.

It also stopped at ports in Singapore, Brunei, Bahrain, Thailand, Australia, Palau, Saipan, Cyprus and Oman, according to the Navy

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12. All 5 Of Yokosuka’s Tugboats Return To Operational Status (STARS AND STRIPES 09 OCT 08)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan - The hard work paid off last weekend when all five of Yokosuka’s tugboats took to the water for the first "photo exercise" in 11 years.

Middle age — the average tugboat in the fleet is 40 years old — and difficult repairs took their toll on the boats. At one point last year, none of the tugs was operable.

The concerted effort to get the tugs running paid off Saturday, Port Operations Officer Lt. Andrea Zenn said.

"If anything, this has an impact on our personnel as they could see the fruits of their labor and what a large change they made over a matter of months," Zenn said.

The tugboats will continue to rotate into scheduled maintenance periods because "they don’t want to stress out the tugs too much," Zenn said.

Yokosuka is one of the only Navy ports that operates tugboats and is unique in that "a first class petty officer can be the CO of a ship," Zenn said.

The tugs move warships around the port and are responsible for jobs Japanese contract tugs won’t do, such as moving ordnance and submarines and working outside the Yokosuka operational limit line boundary.

Using Navy tugs is less expensive than using the Japanese tugs, Yokosuka’s base commander said this summer.

All five of the tugs are now considered "active," Zenn said. "The sailors were elated."

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13. Farragut Completes POA 08, Returns Home(THE MIRROR (NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, FLA.) 09 OCT 08) ... Lt. Jacob Steele

USS Farragut (DDG-99) returned to its homeport at Naval Station Mayport Oct. 5 after a six-month deployment with Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 40 in support of Partnership of the Americas 2008 (POA 08).

Farragut departed Mayport Apr. 7 on the first leg of their route to circumnavigate South America.

In Rio, Farragut participated with DESRON 40 ship USS Kauffman (FFG-59) and embarked Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 42 Detachment 7 as well as USS George Washington (CVN-73) in the Atlantic Phase of the multi-national UNITAS exercise.

Another important component of the Partnership of the Americas engagement were the Theater Security Cooperation (TSC) missions, which Farragut conducted in each one of the13 ports it pulled into during the deployment. TSC Missions feature Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE), Distinguished Visitor tours, receptions, and sporting events which promote goodwill and esprit de corps between the U.S. Navy and Partner Nation navies.

Consistently, one of the most powerful acts of goodwill in which Farragut Sailors participated were the Community Relations (COMREL) projects, which were a part of every TSC mission. During COMRELs, Farragut Sailors helped paint and rebuild schools, orphanages, and elders' residences in 13 cities throughout the Caribbean and Central and South America.

In conjunction with the COMREL projects, Farragut distributed donated goods from Project Handclasp, an official U.S. Navy program which coordinates delivery of humanitarian, educational and goodwill material, to all 13 cities they visited.

Upon completion of UNITAS Atlantic Phase, Farragut conducted TSC visits in Montevideo, Uruguay, and Ushuaia, Argentina, before transiting the Straits of Magellan and entering the Pacific Ocean.

"The inland passages near the Straits of Magellan are some of the most beautiful and dangerous waters in the world," said Farragut Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Scott Dugan. "We are privileged to have sailed there and faced the challenges the climate, seas, and weather the narrow passages provided for us. Few Sailors in the world have gone there, and to do so for such a worthwhile purpose made it only better."

Farragut then participated in the Submarine Warfare exercises "EJAS Norte" (Spanish for Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercise North) with the Chilean Navy and Silent Forces Exercise (SIFOREX) with Peru before pulling into port in Lima, Peru, to prepare for UNITAS Pacific Phase. UNITAS Pacific included the Navies of Colombia (who has participated in all 49 annual UNITAS exercises held so far), Ecuador, Peru, and Chile.

The also participated in TSC events in Cartagena, Colombia, and then to Colon, Panama, to participate in the largest multi-national joint exercise in this hemisphere, PANAMAX, which focuses on bringing many nations together to practice defending the Panama Canal, a vital and vulnerable passage for commercial and military ships from all over the world. Over 20 nations and 35 ships participated this year along with Farragut.

After successfully completing PANAMAX, Farragut returned to conducting TSC missions in the Caribbean, spreading goodwill to Curacao, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, and Martinique.

Most recently, Farragut conducted 14 days of Counter-Illicit Trafficking Operations in the Caribbean in support of Joint Interagency Task Force South. On Oct. 1, Farragut intercepted a vessel with an initial tally of three metric tons of cocaine onboard.

"Interdictions such as Farragut's, which discourage cartels from shipping illicit drugs, encourage legal trade between nations, and perhaps most importantly, keep drugs off of American streets, are key to our safety as a nation and to regional stability and our ongoing cooperation with Partner Nations," said Capt. Rudy Laco, DESRON 40 Commodore.

"As Farragut returns home to friends and family, her Sailors can look back on a deployment full of achievement, success, faith and goodwill towards all of our Southern Neighbors," said Dugan. "Interoperability, cooperation, and partnership cannot be surged. Farragut can be proud that she has made enormous steps for the United States towards just those goals, and towards ensuring stability throughout the region for years to come.'

During the deployment, Farragut was under operational control of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO)/U.S. 4th Fleet conducting TSC missions, and counter-illicit trafficking operations in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of focus, which encompasses the Caribbean, Central and South America, and surrounding waters. Once the ship returned to Mayport, U.S. 2nd Fleet took over operational control.

NAVSO, the Naval Component Command of SOUTHCOM, directs U.S. Naval Forces operating in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions and interacts with partner nation navies within the maritime environment. Various operations include counter-illicit trafficking, Theater Security Cooperation, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, military-to-military interaction and bilateral and multinational training.

Fourth Fleet is the numbered fleet assigned to NAVSO, exercising operational control of assigned forces in the SOUTHCOM area of focus.

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GLOBAL MARITIME ENVIRONMENT:GLOBAL MARITIME ENVIRONMENT:14. Kenya's Navy To Help Free Ukrainian Arms Ship Seized By Pirates (BLOOMBERG 08 OCT 08) ... Eric Ombok

Kenya's navy will help free a Ukrainian ship carrying a cargo of battle tanks that was hijacked by Somali pirates last month, Kenya's Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula said.

``The Kenyan navy is already engaged with our partners in the process of trying to liberate this ship,'' Wetangula told reporters today in the capital, Nairobi.

Somali pirates seized the Faina, a Belize-flagged vessel with a crew of 17 Ukrainians, three Russians and one Latvian, on Sept. 25, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. One of the Russians died soon after the hijacking. The ship was carrying at least 30 Soviet-designed T-72 tanks to Kenya.

The Faina is under surveillance by U.S. warships, including the USS Howard. A Russian warship, the Neustrashimy, or Intrepid, is also on its way to Somalia. France, Germany and six other European Union governments said on Oct. 1 that they will deploy additional warships off the coast of Somalia to fight piracy as soon as next month.

The United Nations Security Council yesterday voted 15 to zero to adopt a resolution, drafted by France, that seeks deployment to the area of naval vessels and military aircraft to use ``the necessary means, in conformity with international law'' to engage pirates.

``The ship that is under illegal custody of these pirates, will very well be one of those that will be liberated in furtherance and giving mean to the UN resolution,'' Wetangula said today.

Piracy may force ships to avoid the Gulf of Aden and Suez Canal in Egypt, increasing the costs of oil and other goods from Asia and the Middle East. Lloyd's of London reclassified the Gulf of Aden on May 2 as a war-risk area, meaning it is as dangerous as Nigeria, Iraq and parts of Indonesia.

The Somali pirates who hijacked the Faina are demanding a $20 million ransom to release the vessel and its crew.

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15. UK: Civilian Ships Must Be Armed Against Pirates Britain's Senior Royal Navy Commander In The Gulf Has Called For Merchant Shipping To Hire Mercenaries To Fight Off The Increasing Danger Of Piracy. (THE TELEGRAPH (UK) 08 OCT 08) ... Thomas Harding

At a time when there is a record number of ships being hijacked off the coast of Somalia, Commodore Keith Winstanley said he believed that the situation has become so serious that civilian vessels should be armed.

He said that private security companies deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan could be better used guarding ships, which in pirate-infested regions need a "visual deterrent" such as mounted heavy machine guns. "This coalition headquarters is advocating that as an option," he said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.

If his plea is adopted then it will be the first time that merchantmen have been significantly armed since the Second

World War when the U-Boat menace was sinking dozens of ships a week.

With insurance rates for ships spiralling as the kidnappers move on to seizing major vessels - some the size of aircraft carriers worth $5 million (£2.85 million) or more in ransom - the problem is having an effect on international market prices.

There are currently 12 commercial ships being held by pirates along the Somali coast, the most prominent of them a Ukrainian ship with 33 T72 Russian tanks on board, along with 240 crew held hostage, which is locked in a stand off with the US Navy.

A flotilla of German, Danish, US and now British ships have deterred up to 15 attacks in the last six weeks. The Type 23 frigate HMS Northumberland has joined the force this week as the first dedicated British anti-pirate ship.

But Cdre Winstanley, who commands the 11 Royal Navy ships in the region from his headquarters in Bahrain, said that greater efforts are needed to stop the current surge in piracy while the brigands are "holding more targets than they have held at any other time".

"We have never seen as many ships hijacked or crews held hostage. Last year they went for large fishing dhows or small coastal vessels well now they are attacking and seizing vessels over 70,000 tonnes," he said.

With 22,000 shipping movements passing through the area each year it is important to the world economy to keep it secure.

Cdre Winstanley said: "There is a very active debate at the moment about whether or not the international shipping community employs armed security detachments.

"It is a measure we are encouraging people to at least consider. This has got to be a business decision and its going to cost money."

The commander also advised ships to use "speed and manoeuvre" when accosted by the smaller pirate ships who use AK47 assault rifles or rocket-propelled granades (RPGs) to force the vessels to halt. Some ships have rigged fire hoses as a last line of defence.

The naval coalition in the region has recently sunk two pirate skiffs, and destroyed or seized a large quantity of machine guns, RPGs and equipment such as large boarding ladders. Dozens of Somali criminals have also been detained.

If piracy continues shipping companies might be forced to send ships round Africa rather than through the Suez Canal on a costly 20-day diversion.

A Chatham House report has estimated that up to £17 million has been paid to the pirates who have links to fundamentalist Islamic movements in Somalia.

Lloyd's insurers also raised premiums this summer from zero to 0.25 per cent of the vessel's worth for each journey.

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16. Gates Says Ukraine Wants Warships, But Has To Wait (STARS AND STRIPES 09 OCT 08) ... Jeff Schogol,

OHRID, Macedonia — Ukraine wants U.S. Navy warships, officials said Wednesday.

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is based partly in ports on Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula — a source of tension between the two countries.

Ukraine’s interest in U.S. ships came up when Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with the Ukrainian Defense minister Wednesday at the annual South-Eastern Europe Defense Ministerial, Gates said.

"I explained that process to the minister including the need for Congressional approval," Gates told reporters. "I also advised that it would be some time before ships — U.S. ships of interest to Ukraine — would be available for transfer."

Gates also said both sides agreed to talk about the matter further at an upcoming meeting between U.S. and Ukrainian officials in December in San Diego.

Ukrainian Minister of Defense Yuriy Yekhanurov dismissed a reporter’s question on the subject.

"As usual, [the] press knows better what needs to be done in the military, so thank you very much for this advice," Yekhanurov said, speaking through a translator.

Gates did not specify what ships Ukraine wants, but a senior Defense official said they are Oliver Hazard Perry Class frigates.

First deployed in December 1977, Perry Class frigates’ armaments include torpedoes, a 76 mm gun and a Phalanx Close-In Weapons System, according to the Navy. Their

missions include anti-submarine warfare and supporting amphibious expeditionary forces.

But Anne-Marie Slaughter, dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, said the United States should proceed with caution.

"This is not a road we should be going down," Slaughter said in an e-mail to Stars and Stripes. "It’s a classic security dilemma, where one side (Ukraine) feels threatened and takes action that will be interpreted by the other side as aggressive, which in turn leads it to take action that will increase the perceived threat. The answer here is not arms, but creative and committed diplomacy by the U.S. And the EU together."

The U.S. Navy has transferred decommissioned frigates to Poland, Egypt, Bahrain and Turkey, which borders the Black Sea, along with both Ukraine and Russia.

Also Tuesday, Gates said he reaffirmed U.S. support for Ukraine joining NATO.

But recent political events in Ukraine have raised questions about whether Ukraine will become a member of the alliance. Last month, the ruling coalition collapsed, and the country’s new prime minister has indicated she favors stronger ties with Russia.

Gates said the U.S. government’s position toward Ukraine joining NATO remains unchanged in principle.

"Of course, we all have to deal with political realties," he added.

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17. Russian Warships To Visit Libya: Navy(AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE 08 OCT 08)

MOSCOW — A group of Russian warships will stop in Libya next week before moving on to joint exercises with Venezuela and an anti-piracy mission off Somalia, a navy spokesman said Wednesday.

"The ships of the Russian Northern Fleet and the frigate Fearless are going to stop in Tripoli to obtain supplies from October 11 to 13," navy spokesman Igor Dygalo told AFP.

The Northern Fleet ships, led by the massive nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great, will "fulfil several

tasks in the Mediterranean Sea" before moving on to the Caribbean, Dygalo said, without giving further details.

Meanwhile the Fearless is headed to the coast off Somalia "to ensure the security of Russian vessels" in pirate-infested waters, a mission it was sent on after Somali pirates seized a Ukrainian cargo ship last month, Dygalo said.

On Sunday, the spokesman told Interfax news agency that the Northern Fleet ships had crossed through the Gibraltar Straits and would call at several Mediterranean ports before setting sail for Venezuela.

Russian media have speculated that the warships might stop in Syria, a former Cold War ally of Moscow.

The Russian warships, which include the destroyer Admiral Chabanenko and escorting ships, are expected to arrive in Venezuela in late November at the invitation of the country's leftist firebrand president, Hugo Chavez.

Once there, they are scheduled to take part in joint exercises with the Venezuelan navy near US waters, something which has not been done since the Cold War.

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18. North Korea Ready To Fire More Missiles: Report(REUTERS 09 OCT 08) ... Jack Kim and Isabel Reynolds

SEOUL - North Korea has deployed more than 10 missiles on its west coast for what appears to be an imminent launch, a South Korean newspaper said on Thursday, two days after the North fired two short-range missiles into the Yellow Sea.

It would be an unprecedented test if the North fired all of the surface-to-ship and ship-to-ship missiles, but intelligence sources quoted by the Chosun Ilbo paper said they thought the North may launch five to seven of them.

The North has forbidden ships to sail in an area in the Yellow Sea until October 15 in preparation for the launch, an intelligence source told the paper.

The North fired two missiles on Tuesday in routine military drills, South Korea's defense minister said on Wednesday.

"If the North fires a large number of missiles, it would be difficult to see it as routine exercise," the source was quoted as saying.

A South Korean defense ministry official declined to comment on the report but said the government had no indications of unusual activities in the North.

A senior U.S. nuclear envoy visited the North Korean capital last week in a bid to convince the state to return to a disarmament-for-aid deal and halt plans to restart an aging nuclear plant that makes bomb-grade plutonium.

Washington is reviewing the discussions U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill held in Pyongyang to see if it can begin verifying statements the North made about its nuclear program, an official in Seoul familiar with the talks said.

A U.S. military commander played down any escalation of the threat posed by the North, which recent reports have said conducted engine tests this year at a new missile launch site.

"We have seen no increased movement or military activity in North Korea, nor have we responded in any way with any military posture changes," Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, told reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.

The United States was keeping the area under close observation he said, but declined to comment on the missile reports.

"Hypothetically, if North Korea were to fire off 10 missiles in short order, that would be very unusual," he said.

North Korea has a history of timing its missile launches at periods of increased tension to show that it is ready to take a hard and defiant line, analysts say.

North Korea fired seven ballistic missiles in July 2006 including a long-range Taepodong-2 off its east coast. Three months later, it conducted a nuclear test.

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PERSONNEL:PERSONNEL:19. Ike Sailor Was Struck By Super Hornet(NAVY TIMES 08 OCT 08) ... Andrew Scutro

NORFOLK, Va. — The sailor killed Saturday night aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower was struck by an F/A-18F Super Hornet on the flight deck “during catapult launch,” according to the Naval Safety Center’s online mishap log.

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Aircraft Handling) 2nd Class (AW) Robert Lemar Robinson, 31, of Detroit, was killed. The matter remains under investigation according to 2nd Fleet

spokeswoman Lt. Courtney Hillson. She said the ship remains at sea.

Hillson said Robinson was killed during flight operations off the coast of Cherry Point, N.C.

Robinson leaves behind three children. He joined the Navy on Sept. 24, 1998. He previously served aboard the aircraft carrier Enterprise.

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20. Local Navy Submarine Officer Was A Warrior, Hero(CASPER (WY.) JOURNAL 07 OCT 08) ... Wyoma Groeneberg

Master Chief Petty Officer Kevin Page never bragged, so his parents didn’t know all of his accomplishments and missions while in the United States Navy.

While Bob Page and Judy Steffens of Casper probably never will learn everything about their 39-year-old son’s

military career, they discovered a lot at his two funeral services in Hawaii.

Kevin, a 1987 NCHS graduate, died Aug. 27 in Honolulu from his second battle against leukemia and after receiving two bone marrow transplants.

Following services held at the Submarine Memorial Chapel at Pearl Harbor and the Punchbowl National Memorial Cemetery, his parents said that Kevin’s commanding officers and shipmates lined up to talk to them about their son.

“That young man was dedicated to our country, to our freedom, and he really wanted to give 30 years (to the Navy), but with his sickness and all, he only ended up with 22,” Robert said about his son.

In talking with others, his step-mother Judy said the words used to describe Kevin that really caught her attention were “great warrior.”

“(Kevin) is my hero, will always be my hero,” she said, but noted that she never had seen him as a warrior, because Kevin never told his parents much about his Navy achievements.

They did know that Kevin, a submariner, had reached the highest enlisted rank in the Navy, a master chief petty officer. After serving aboard three subs, he completed qualifications to become a chief of the boat (COB).

So about a year ago, he was named COB of the USS Cheyenne, the first Wyoming citizen to earn that appointment. Kevin even designed his own coin, which submariners often do, his parents said.

They also believe he was being primed by the Navy to work at the Pentagon.

Bob said that Kevin never thought he was better than anybody, and he always encouraged them to be better or “to go for it.”

Judy explained that they taught their seven kids from their first marriages that “everyone has a right to be on this Earth” no matter what race, sexual orientation or anything.

Happy celebrationThe family is planning a celebration of Kevin’s life at 2

p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Ramada Plaza Riverside.There will be some formal parts in the service, but the

celebration will continue as long as people stay, Judy said, adding that there will be food.

They’re asking for Hawaiian or casual attire, and everyone is invited to share memories of Kevin. His step-brother, Michael Steffens, will perform guitar solos and his longtime friend, Chad Lore, also will be on hand with entertainment.

His wife, Lisa, who will be moving back to the mainland soon, and his siblings, Stephanie, Dennis, Ben and Heidi

won’t be attending this service. But his step-sister, Linda Harrison, will along with her brother.

An all-around good guyAccording to Mike Colling, a former neighbor of the

Pages and a member of the Casper Police Department, Kevin was a “fine young guy … responsible and really caring.”

At one point when Kevin started hanging out with the “wrong crowd,” the Pages gave credit to Colling for helping get their son back on track.

In addition to Bob’s ultimatum that Kevin would join a military branch, his parents noted that Colling talked with Kevin about the military.

Colling hadn’t seen Kevin for about 20 years, but said Bob was proud of his son and kept Colling up to date about Kevin’s life.

Mike Gaither, a childhood friend, remembered Kevin as fun-loving, friendly and adventurous and shared memories confirming his thoughts.

Gaither recalled days when they played at Nancy English Park, wearing their fathers’ military uniforms n Bob was in the Marine Corps and Mike’s dad, Jim, had been in the Army.

In junior high, he said, a group of friends would gather to perform in their “air band,” playing recorded music and then imitating playing imaginary instruments that the band would have used to produce the song.

Gaither said Kevin usually was the drummer, but the guys periodically would switch instruments n easy enough to do when they aren’t real.

Their first job in high school was mowing lawns around town. However, some of their work entailed whistling at girls who were passing by, Gaither said.

He knew that Kevin’s naval career was going well when he got a call from the Navy, asking questions about Kevin’s character for a background check to be used for security clearance.

The last that Gaither had heard was Kevin’s leukemia was in remission, so he was shocked to hear about his death.

About Kevin’s death, Judy said, losing a son in the military, whether it’s at war or to an illness, is classifying death, something she doesn’t believe in doing.

“Loss is loss … he was defending our country,” she said. “We never gave up hope in believing in miracles.”

Kevin was told he had nine weeks or nine months to live; he only lived for five weeks after the diagnosis.

But Judy believes her prayers for a miracle were answered.

“Mine was that he didn’t have to suffer any more than he had to. … Kevin was sick, but he did not suffer.”

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FORCE STRUCTURE/PROGRAMS:FORCE STRUCTURE/PROGRAMS:21. Navy Needs Ships It Can Evolve To Meet Growing Ballistic, Cruise Missile Threats, Official Says (DEFENSE DAILY 09 OCT 08) ... Geoff Fein

The Navy has to move toward an open systems environment in its surface combatants if it wants to avoid retiring ships too early and to keep pace with the burgeoning ballistic missile threat, a top Navy official said.

"When you build a ship, you have to be able to evolve it over the course of its life to meet changing threats. You

wouldn't want to build a ship that was tapped out from a stability standpoint, cooling standpoint, electric generation capacity standpoint, the day it was launched," Vice Adm. Barry McCullough, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Integration of Capabilities and Resources, told Defense Daily in a recent interview.

"You need the ability to grow systems, for a reasonable cost, to meet the changing security McCullough pointed to the Navy's past of decommissioning surface ships before they reached their estimated service life.

"The 993-class DDGs were decommissioned because we couldn't evolve the combat systems much further from where they were to meet an evolving security threat. So they were decommissioned at 17 years or about half their life," he said.

The same thing occurred with the Ticonderoga-class Baseline I, McCullough said. "We couldn't evolve the combat system at a reasonable cost to meet evolving threats, so they got decommissioned at 20 years."

The same thing happened with the Spruance-class destroyers. Those ships went out at an average of about 22 years, McCullough added.

The average price of a complex surface combatant is around $1.8 billion today. You can't be making that kind of investment and then taking it out of service half way through its life," he said.

The Navy has been able to evolve the combat systems aboard the DDG-51-class ships, McCullough noted.

The USS Arleigh Burke (DDG0-51) first deployed in 1991. McCullough notes that the Arleigh Burke is nowhere near the ship that DDG-112 will be.

"With the proliferation of ballistic missiles, the improvement in capability of ballistic missiles, and just the sheer numbers, we were able to adapt that combat system through the addition of some adjunct processors and different computing code to be able to engage ballistic missiles. That was never envisioned when that ship was built,"

McCullough said. "So that combat system has shown the ability to evolve and as we go into these ACBs (Advanced Capability Build) it will be able to continue to evolve."

The initial ACB, McCullough explained, known as ACB 08, separated the hardware and software. The first ship to undergo this effort was the USS Bunker Hill (CG-52).

McCullough acknowledges that the software on Bunker Hill is not fully open yet, but by the time the The Navy also plans to introduce integrated air defense and missile defense at extended ranges with the follow-on family of missiles from the Standard Missile (SM)-2 in ACB 12, McCullough said.

Raytheon [RTN] makes the Standard Missile. "It will have in-stride ballistic missile defense (BMD)

with a multi-mission signal processor, and the launchers get the appropriate upgrades to fire SM-3s," he explained. "When we looked at where we were going with the DDG-51s and [DDG-]1000s, that modification program we put together for DDGs will allow that combat system, the ACB 12 combat system, to be dropped right into DDG-113, which will be the first new DDG under our revised DDG plan."

Those new ships that the Navy has proposed buying instead of additional DDG-1000s would be built with extended range area air defense with SM-6s and in-stride BMD and would help the Navy get at the capability gap it sees evolving, McCullough said.

The Navy has been taken to task by Congress for what appeared to be a sudden change in direction, moving away

from the Zumwalt class of advanced combat ships and restarting the Arleigh Burke production line.

McCullough said a lot of frank discussions went into making that decision.

"I have had several classified briefings with staffers and members to explain how rapidly the threat has changed over the last three years. It's hard to talk about that in an open hearing," he said. "I've told the acquisition and technical authority people this repeatedly, 'the DDG-1000 was an evolution from arsenal ship to Surface Combatant 21 to DD(X) to DDG-1000, and the capability requirement for that ship was developed in the early '90s and matured as its design went along.

But it's predominately a land attack ship and that's what it was built for."

There are some things that have changed in the global security environment in a rapid pace that outstripped the capability set that DDG-1000 was designed to combat, McCullough said. "Once we got to that point, we really had to look at what we were doing with our future force structure and were we buying the right things to meet the evolving capability gaps that we saw? And we weren't."

"Once I [was] able to sit down with folks in a classified environment and talk to them about what's happened, while everybody acknowledges the decision was difficult and some may agree or not agree, they understand why we made the decision, and so I think that's gone some way in buying back what some may perceive as a credibility crisis," McCullough added.

McCullough added that the process the Navy undertook to make its decision was done right.

"First we conducted an in-depth evaluation [within] the Navy. Once we came to the conclusion that rendered the decision that the Navy made then we socialized this with OSD, because we want to have a solidified Navy position and then we wanted a solidified 'big' department-wide position. Once we received approval from OSD to go forward, that's when we took it to Congress," he explained. "That's the right way to do it."

It wasn't approval of the plan, McCullough added, it was the approval to go to Congress with the Navy's proposal. "That's what we did. We think that's the right way to do business."

"From the outside, it looks like the timing was bad. The timing was hard and we realized that, but we wanted to make sure we had the decision right and then we wanted to make sure we briefed OSD on where we wanted to take the Navy and then go to Congress," McCullough said.

"As I look back on it, I really think we did it right, and it's required some intense socialization with industry, with members of Congress that have an interest in it from an industrial base concern.

"Congress was generous in the '09 appropriations, giving us $200 million in advanced procurement for DDG-51s to start that line up again in FY '10, should that decision be approved by OSD," he added.

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22. Destroyer Passes Navy Test Truxtun Safely Fires Its Big Guns

(MISSISSIPPI PRESS 08 OCT 08) ... Harlan KirganPASCAGOULA Northrop Grumman shipbuilders and

Navy sailors put the Truxtun through its acceptance trial in the Gulf of Mexico last week and reported that the destroyer passed all of its tests.

All major systems and equipment on the DDG 103 were tested during the acceptance trial, conducted Tuesday through Friday, according to a news release from Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding of Pascagoula.

"The Aegis combat system, main propulsion and auxiliary systems operated smoothly, culminating in two successful missile engagements and 5-inch, gun-firing demonstrations," said Navy Capt. Pete Lyle, DDG-51 program manager.

"Truxtun's acceptance trial was dynamically and safely executed by the NGSB and SUPSHIP Gulf Coast Team, despite conducting the last DDG acceptance trial almost two years ago."

The Navy is scheduled to accept delivery of the ship Oct. 24, according to Northrop Grumman spokesman Bill Glenn. The crew is scheduled to move aboard Dec. 8, and the Truxtun will be commissioned in the spring, he said.

"NGSB did an outstanding job of operating and presenting the ship to the Navy for inspection," said Navy Capt. Beth Dexter, supervisor of shipbuilding, Gulf Coast. "The coordination of trial events was well organized and managed to meet customer requirements. Truxtun's performance during acceptance trials was exceptional, and her crew is looking forward to their chance to take her back to sea."

The Truxtun is the 25th Aegis guided-missile destroyer built by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. The ship's cost was

about $1.1 billion, according to Tom Kiss, military legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Bay St. Louis.

The previous DDG-51 built at Pascagoula was DDG 100, the USS Kidd, which was delivered to the Navy on Dec. 18, 2006, and commissioned in Galveston, Texas, on June 10, 2007.

In September, the Truxtun completed two days of builder's sea trials in the Gulf of Mexico. Northrop Grumman planned a quick turnaround after what the company said was the suc cessful sea trial, according to Michael Petters, president of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding.

The Truxtun is one of four DDG-51 class destroyers in the Pascagoula shipyard, according to Glenn.

Northrop Grumman describes the DDG 103 as a multi-mission ship, capable of a variety of operations from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection.

"Truxtun will be capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains a myriad of offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century," a Northrop Grumman news release said.

The 510-foot, 9,200-ton Truxtun has an overall beam of 66.5 feet and a navigational draft of 31 feet. Four gas-turbine propulsion plants will power the ship to speeds above 30 knots.

The ship was named for Commodore Thomas Truxtun, captain of the first U.S. Naval ship, the USS Constellation.

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23. Navy Exploring How To Best Meet Growing Partnership RequirementAs Outlined In Maritime Strategy(INSIDE THE NAVY 06 OCT 08) ... Zachary M. Peterson

The Navy continues to explore how to best meet its growing requirement to form and maintain maritime partnerships around the globe, but buying smaller ships is likely not the answer to achieve this objective, the Navy’s top programmer told Inside the Navy in a recent interview.

“We like our ships to be self-deployable for a lot of reasons and when we start getting into a 100-foot ship, its ability to be self-deployable becomes a limiting factor,” Vice Adm. Barry McCullough, deputy chief of naval operations for integration of capabilities and resources, said in a Sept. 24 interview when questioned about the possibility of the service procuring smaller ships to work better with nations that have limited naval capabilities.

“We’ve got the [Littoral Combat Ship] program, we think that will get at a lot of our ability to our building partnership requirements and theater-security cooperation requirements,” he noted. “And we’re just going to have to see how all that comes together.”

Both LCS hull designs are more than 300 feet long.In an interview earlier this year, the director of warfare

integration told ITN that the Navy was mulling a smaller, “green-water” ship to better serve the need of working with foreign partners in Africa and Latin America.

“We’re contemplating a green-water craft of some kind,” then-Rear Adm. Bruce Clingan said in a May 19 interview at

the Pentagon. “That’s one of the things that we will explore” in the next Quadrennial Defense Review, Clingan, who is now a three-star admiral and commander of 6th Fleet, said.

Further, McCullough said last month that the leased high-speed vessel Swift could be used for engagement missions by putting a military detachment aboard the vessel, which is normally operated by civilian mariners under the jurisdiction of Military Sealift Command.

“There’s potential we can put a [military detachment] on [Swift] and use [the ship] as part of our global fleet stations,” he said. “So, we’re looking at a variety of things to try and answer that growing requirement.”

Swift (HSV-2) took part in the initial deployment of the Africa Partnership Station (APS) in West Africa, which began in late 2007 and finished this spring. The ship carried training teams and personnel from European navies, the Coast Guard, the State Department and nongovernmental organizations. The engagement included visits to Senegal, Ghana, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe and Liberia. The amphibious dock landing ship Fort McHenry (LSD-43) was the APS flagship.

The frigate Elrod (FFG-55) is in West Africa this fall continuing the APS initiative.

This week, the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) will anchor off South Africa, marking the first time a

nuclear-powered carrier has visited the country. The last carrier to visit South Africa was the conventionally powered Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) in 1967, according to Navy

spokesman Lt. Sean Robertson. The cruiser Monterey (CG-61) will be pier-side in Capetown, Robertson noted. -- Zachary M. Peterson

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24. NAVAIR To Release RFP On Subsonic Missile Target Soon(INSIDE THE NAVY 06 OCT 08) ... Dan Taylor

Naval Air Systems Command plans to release a request for proposals this quarter for the development of a subsonic missile target to be used in testing naval combat systems in advanced fleet training, according to a notice posted last week on Federal Business Opportunities.

The subsonic aerial target (SSAT) system will be “a recoverable aerial target vehicle capable of realistically representing enemy threats that operate in the subsonic regime,” according to the Oct. 2 notice, which says an RFP will be released in the first quarter of fiscal year 2009.

“The SSAT will be launch-capable from ashore, at sea or by air and will be remotely controlled,” the notice adds.

NAVAIR will hold an industry day for the SSAT development program Oct. 21 in California, MD.

A Sept. 11 sources sought notice describes the system as .9 to .95 Mach-capable.

The notice adds that follow-on production should begin in FY-11, and will cover a 15-year period at a rate of about 45 vehicles a year.

The Navy has also been developing a supersonic target for use in training. Last month, the sea service awarded a $97 million contract to Alliant Techsystems to develop the multi-stage supersonic target (MSST), which will be used to simulate sea-skimming, anti-ship cruise missiles.

The MSST is meant to ensure that ship self-defense systems can defend against more advanced cruise missile threats. Its initial operational capability is set for 2014.

“The most important use of targets nowadays is to be sure you can accurately emulate the threats so that you can test your defensive systems,” Rear Adm. William Shannon, the program executive officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons, said in an Aug. 18 interview with Inside the Navy.

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BASES / COMMUNITY OUTREACH:BASES / COMMUNITY OUTREACH:25. Sonar Range Proposal Draws Flak At HearingWhales Might Face Harm, Environmentalists Tell Navy(FLORIDA TIMES-UNION 09 OCT 08) ... Steve Patterson

A Navy proposal to build a training range for underwater warfare off Jacksonville's coast has disturbed groups concerned about environmental damage.

The range, about 50 miles offshore, would be used by planes, helicopters and ships using sonar systems to practice hunting submarines.

But some environmental advocates worry training in that area could harm endangered right whales, which give birth and nurture calves near the coastline each winter.

"We couldn't have picked a worse site for the whales," Vicki Cornish, vice president for the Ocean Conservancy, a national environmental advocacy group, said Tuesday.

It's one of four areas the Navy is still considering as potential sites, with a final decision expected by summer. Navy officials consider Jacksonville their preferred choice. But Cornish said a site off North Carolina would pose less risk because whales migrate through but don't winter there.

Submarine warfare involves so-called active sonar systems, which locate underwater objects by creating bursts of sound and measuring the echoes they produce.

That sound is thought to cause tissue damage in whales under some conditions.

Some whales found dead after sonar exercises elsewhere have had bleeding around their brains and ears, and agencies including the International Whaling Commission have expressed concern about how and where sonar is used.

A Navy hearing on the project Tuesday night at the University of North Florida attracted around 50 people, a mix of worried environmental advocates, range supporters and conflicted Beaches residents.

Range supporters said right whales generally stay close to shore and probably wouldn't be affected. They said the Navy watches closely for whales anyway, widely reports its sightings and moves military exercises to stay clear.

But the sailors and aviators need a training range soon."They are at risk today because we do not have a proper

training facility," said Ed Froehlich, a retired Navy captain who is executive director of the Jacksonville Area Ship Repair Association.

"We've needed that range for the last decade," he said.Froehlich and others said Florida's coast reflects the

settings where submarine operations have shifted since the end of the Cold War.

Instead of chasing Soviet-era ballistic missile subs that hid deep in the ocean, Navy crews now often look for diesel-powered subs running closer to shore. Iranian submariners have operated in the Persian Gulf, near areas where Jacksonville-based sailors routinely deploy.

The range, which would cover about 500 square nautical miles, would have an ocean floor wired with devices that receive and send acoustic signals. Those would collect information to evaluate crews' performance.

One of the chief advantages of the Jacksonville site is its closeness to the bases where many anti-submarine units are already stationed.

"Off the coast of Jacksonville has really become the training area for the East Coast fleet," said Dan McCarthy, Jacksonville's director of military affairs.

"It seems only fitting that we would add one more component," McCarthy said.

A Navy analysis anticipates no right whales would be seriously harmed by sonar near Jacksonville, but says there's some chance of lesser disturbances that could affect their behavior and cause temporary hearing loss.

The same analysis says some dolphins in the area could be seriously affected, and said there was some risk for other whales.

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26. Navy Ships Open For First Time Since 9/11(NAVY TIMES 08 OCT 08) ... Andrew Scutro

NORFOLK, Va. — For the first time since the security crackdown after the 2001 terrorist attacks, Navy ships in Hampton Roads will be available for public viewing during Fleet Week.

Non-military visitors will be allowed into Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek this coming Sunday and Monday and are invited aboard the dock landing ship Whidbey Island and the coastal patrol vessels Monsoon and Thunderbolt.

At Naval Station Norfolk on those same days, holders of Defense Department identification and their guests are invited

aboard amphibious transport dock Ponce, destroyer Laboon, frigate Nicholas and attack submarines Newport News and Montpelier.

Beth Baker, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic spokeswoman, said the week of events beginning this Thursday has been widely advertised and a large turnout is expected.

“It’s weather dependent, but we put out the word pretty widely,” she said. “It’s a chance to see the Navy up close.”

Visit the Fleet Week Hampton Roads 2008 Web site for more information.

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27. Navy Is Ballast For Region's Economy(NORFOLK VIRGINIA-PILOT 09 OCT 08)

Amid all the signs of a depressed national economy - stalled home sales, a depreciating dollar, fewer jobs, falling stocks - Hampton Roads is still doing better than most regions across the nation.

An analysis by Moody's Economy.com showed that about two-thirds of the country's 381 metropolitan areas are in recession and another 20 percent, including Richmond, are at risk of recession. In Hampton Roads, however, Moody's found that the economy was expanding.

That's not a misprint.For that, we can thank the Department of Defense, which

generates more than 40 percent of our regional income. Old Dominion University's annual State of the Region report, released recently, found that regional economic growth this year has been about 1.7 percent. That's well below our 35-year average of 3.4 percent, but it's still growth.

Defense spending in Hampton Roads, including pay and procurements, is $18.3 billion this year and is responsible for more than 70 percent of the economic growth in the region since 2000.

The rate of unemployment here is below the national average, and per capita income is above average. Tourism, predictably, has slowed after steady increases during the past decade.

Here's the bad news: Population growth has virtually stopped, and the ripple effect is a decline in home construction and new jobs. Authors of the ODU report predict Hampton Roads will see the economy bottom out in the middle of 2009.

The report concludes: "All things considered, things definitely could be worse."

As we hear about businesses closing, homes lost to foreclosure and food pantries with bare shelves, that's worth remembering.

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28. Project To Save Navy $32 Million In Energy Costs(WVEC.COM (ABC HAMPTON ROADS) 08 OCT 08)

VIRGINIA BEACH -- Navy's colors may be blue and gold, but on Thursday, Dam Neck will go green.

The Navy will cut the ribbon on a project designed to save more than $32 million in energy costs over 17 years.

The system, which is funded through operational savings, included upgrades to 36 buildings with new geothermal water source heat pumps. That replaces the inefficient central steam plant on Dam Neck Annex.

With the new Dam Neck Energy Savings Performance Contract, the Navy is saving more than $5 million each year in Hampton Roads by having this newer, more energy efficient equipment installed.

The same contract is also in place at Naval Air Station Oceana and Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek.

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29. Unanimous Vote: City Donates $5K To Sub Event(SEACOAST ONLINE.COM (PORTSMOUTH, N.H.) 08 OCT 08) ... Adam Leech and Deborah McDermott

PORTSMOUTH —- One week after stating the city’s contribution to the commissioning of the submarine New Hampshire would be in-kind services only, Mayor Tom

Ferrini and the City Council unanimously voted to donate an additional $5,000 to the events.

“It was clear (the Community Commissioning Committee) are trying to make the event successful and we

believed the donation was appropriate given the positive influence it will have on the city,” said Ferrini.

Councilor Ken Smith, who worked with Ferrini to bring the measure to the council, said he hopes the city’s contribution will prompt other communities, such as Somersworth, Rochester and Dover, to donate to the ceremonies.

The committee still needs to raise $50,000 in the next few weeks before the Oct. 25 commissioning.

“I am hoping that doing this will also encourage other surrounding communities with more (Portsmouth Naval) Shipyard workers to step up to the plate,” said Smith. “It’s a one-time event that will really show off the city of Portsmouth ... and the Shipyard.”

In addition to the monetary donation, the city’s in-kind contributions — including the services of police, fire and public works employees — are estimated to cost the city between $10,00 and $15,000, according to Smith.

While the city has made a donation, the state of New Hampshire will not be contributing to the commissioning events. Bruce Clark, chairman of the Community Commissioning Committee, said Wednesday that Gov. John

Lynch called him recently to tell him personally that the state would not be able to participate financially.

“He told me there was a $200 million shortfall in the budget and we’re not even into the next biennium yet. The state’s hurting. He just can’t open the pursestrings. That’s it. Cut and dry,” said Clark. “He told me he’d be more than willing to help in any other way he can, any non-monetary way. I was hopeful, but life is what it is. We’re just going to have to make up the shortfall otherwise.”

With the city’s $5,000 donation as a backdrop, Clark said, he and the committee members are hoping to entice other towns and cities to contribute.

“I’m really glad the city stepped up,” he said. “Hopefully, it’s a springboard that will pay dividends for us. It’s a good, solid beginning.”

He said the committee intends to seek donations from communities within a 50-mile radius of the yard, including those in Maine. He’s already been in touch with a number of town and city managers, and will be making more calls in the coming days.

“Portsmouth broke the ice. We’ll be using Portsmouth to issue a challenge to other towns,” he said.

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30. Aviation Business Eyeing BNAS (TIMES RECORD (MAINE) 08 OCT 08) ... Seth Koenig

BRUNSWICK — A nationally recognized Maine firm that customizes private aircraft is gauging a move to Brunswick Naval Air Station property, and could represent the first potential civilian tenant at an airfield the Navy is scheduled to vacate in 2011.

Oxford Aviation's link to the base property was first reported by the trade publication Flight Daily News on Tuesday and subsequently confirmed to The Times Record by John Richardson, state commissioner of economic and community development.

Richardson also serves on the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority's board of directors and heads the authority's aviation subcommittee.

He was reached Tuesday by telephone while in Orlando, Fla., to attend the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) annual conference. According to a woman who answered the phone at Oxford Aviation, the company's owner, James Horowitz, was also attending the conference.

"I know that Oxford has approached MRRA, and has shown interest in the reuse of the base," said Richardson. "I think that's about as far as it's gone so far. But obviously, that's the kind of job creation that we'd be looking to consider.

"The refurbishing world is where the action is," he continued. "They're looking to expand and move to the next level, and that's exciting no matter where they go, whether it's in Sanford or Brunswick or somewhere else."

Richardson was quick to say that he didn't "want to overstate the issue," because even though the company is interested in base property, the Navy is still three years away from leaving Brunswick and turning its assets over for civilian redevelopment.

In previous interviews, MRRA executive director Steve Levesque said he hoped companies might be able to move into

the base's state-of-the-art airport facilities earlier than the 2011 turnover of the bulk of the base property. Military use of the airfield, he said, would cease by the first quarter of 2010.

When reached Tuesday, MRRA deputy director Jeffrey Jordan said he couldn't confirm or deny talks with any particular company until there's been a deal finalized for the company to expand or relocate at the base.

A 2007 study done by consulting firm Edwards & Kelcey reported that the Navy's aviation facilities would be best reused for, among other things, aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul — a burgeoning industry the firm said could help generate as many as 3,150 jobs and $485 million in annual economic benefit for the Mid-coast region. Job creation is considered important by those planning for the redevelopment of the base, because the Navy's departure is expected to strip the region of more than 6,000 jobs.

Oxford Aviation fits comfortably in Edwards & Kelcey's vision for the airfield's reuse. According to the company's Web site, the nearly 20-year-old Oxford Aviation "has provided premium custom paint refurbishment, modification, and completion services to over 4,000 private and business airplanes and helicopters." The company operates three locations: maintenance facilities in Oxford and Fryeburg, and a 70,000-square-foot business jet and corporate design facility currently under construction in Sanford.

On Tuesday, Flight Daily News called Oxford Aviation the "first user of the (BNAS) facility with what president Jim Horowitz describes as (the company's) 'newest, most sophisticated and most capable facility in its 21-year history.'"

Tuesday afternoon, Richardson called an actual move by Oxford to base property "a ways off," but offered: "To hear that they're interested is encouraging."

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31. Hundreds Run For Breast Cancer Awareness In Portsmouth (WVEC.COM (HAMPTON ROADS, VA) 08 OCT 08) ... Sandra Parker

PORTSMOUTH -- It was a beautiful day to take a run. At Naval Medical Center Portsmouth on Wednesday, about 600 people ran with a purpose.

Retirees, those on active duty, dependents and breast cancer survivors got moving in the third annual Pink Ribbon 5K Fun run/walk.

"Having the survivors here is a real plus because that's what it's all about, bringing awareness to what they went through," said Dexter Nesbit, fitness coordinator for Naval Medical Center Portsmouth.

The survivors say they’re inspired by the support. "It makes me feel good to know other people are on the

band wagon," states Delores Hawkins. That’s true as well for Barbara Mann.

"It makes me feel wonderful just to know someone else cares. That's why I'm out here to let people know that I care and I will do everything I can to encourage others to get out there and fight."

First Class Petty Officer Paige Weifert lost her sister to breast cancer.

"It can happen to any family, even if there is no history of breast cancer. Uou can't tell when it's going to come. So everyone needs to be aware of the different types of breast cancer and the different symptoms because it can strike at any time,” she noted.

While awards were given to those who crossed the finish line, it’s the breast cancer survivors who came out were the real winners.

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NEWS OF INTEREST:NEWS OF INTEREST:32. Arctic ScrambleU.S. Icebreaker Maps Ocean Floor For Science And Country(KODIAK MIRROR 08 OCT 08) ... Jan Huisman

When the legendary Revenue cutter Capt. Mike Healy patrolled the Bering Sea in the 19th century, it was a cruel, unforgiving and little known place. Sailing for months at a time, Healy saved whalers trapped in sea ice, supplied remote villages with food and medicine and chased illegal fur traders from his waters.

Today a Coast Guard icebreaker named in honor of Healy carries on his legacy in the Arctic, providing security, enforcing law and above all, uncovering the unknown.

Healy made port in Kodiak Tuesday on its return to Seattle after a four-month scientific mission in the Arctic. The 420-foot Healy is a Coast Guard Arctic research vessel used by the National Science Foundation for scientific purposes.

Some 50 defense attaches from international military institutions were in Kodiak Tuesday on a tour of Alaska. Healy officers and crew gave the dignitaries a tour of the ship and presented some of the research conducted this summer.

Healy is one of just two large icebreakers currently operating in the U.S. fleet. As the only icebreaker equipped to undertake scientific missions, Healy has an integral role in American efforts to map the Arctic and claim economic rights to the region.

The Arctic scramble As warming oceans shrink the ice cap, the Arctic is more

accessible to shipping and the exploitation of resources. For the first time in recorded history, the Northwest Passage was open for several weeks this summer.

Healy’s executive officer Dale Bateman expects commercial traffic to increase in the Arctic since the Northwest Passage can save millions of dollars in shipping costs between Asia and Europe.

Scientists aboard the Healy this summer used advanced sonar technology to map the Arctic seafloor.

“The Arctic, up until very recently, wasn’t a viable seaway for anyone,” Bateman said. “So there was no particular need to have accurate charts of the ocean floor.”

“Many of the charts that are used throughout the world have data that dates from Capt. Cook,” he said.

The mapping data, gathered in cooperation with the Canadian icebreaker Louis S. St. Laurent, also may be used by the U.S. government to lay claim to the Arctic seafloor.

“At some point in the foreseeable future, the United States and Canada will both submit a claim under the Law of the Sea Convention to the extended continental shelf,” Bateman said.

Under the convention, a country has sole rights to the economic resources stored within its continental shelf, such as oil or minerals. Despite broad support from diverging interest groups, the U.S. has not ratified the convention over concerns regarding national sovereignty.

Now that Arctic waters are becoming accessible and exploitation of its resources could become feasible, many northern countries are making excursions into the Arctic to lay symbolic claim to the region.

A Russian submarine made headlines last year by diving under the ice cap and planting a Russian flag on the ocean floor at the North Pole.

Dispute also exists over the Northwest Passage, which Canada says is an internal strait. Denmark and the United States consider the passage international waters over which Canada should not be able to exercise authority.

Pure science Bateman said the Coast Guard and scientists aboard the

Healy were interested in the mapping data for reasons of their own.

“I feel very comfortable we’re doing pure science,” he said. “It’s not politically motivated at all.”

Larry Mayer, director of University of New Hampshire Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, said mapping work on the Healy was funded by the Extended Continental Shelf Task Force chaired by the State Department, the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“This is a wonderful example of being able to do things that are good for the nation at the same time that science is being advanced,” Mayer said.

Mayer said certain “morphological and geological criteria” must be met in order for a nation to claim sovereign rights over the seafloor beyond the usual 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone.

“That’s why we are mapping,” Mayer said, though he said the research also holds great scientific value.

“Inasmuch as the Arctic is the least mapped ocean basin in the world, everything we collect is important to our further understanding of the evolution of the Arctic and the history of ice and climate,” he said.

Mayer said they mapped more than 10,000 square nautical miles on his leg of the trip alone, the fourth such mission since 2003.

As ships start trying to navigate the Northwest Passage from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, Bateman said, the need for Coast Guard rescue missions will likely increase.

“Right now it’s a dangerous route,” Bateman said. Three vessels in the oil industry were stuck in ice near

Barrow in August, but were able to free themselves as the ice melted.

“That’s the scenario that the Coast Guard in particular has an interest in,” Bateman said. “Quite apart from any Law of the Sea Convention claims, for the United States Coast Guard it really is a matter of being able to be there to do traditional Coast Guard missions.”

U.S. fleet lacking Bateman said the Coast Guard leadership advocates for

expansion of the U.S. icebreaker fleet to meet the rising demand for Arctic missions. Russia operates seven large icebreakers while the Canadian Coast Guard has six.

A provision passed last week in a federal spending bill provides for the reactivation of the vessel Polar Star, bringing the number of large U.S. icebreakers back up to three.

Coast Guard commandant Adml. Thad Allen testified to a House of Representatives committee recently that America’s icebreaker fleet was losing ground and needed improvement.

“We are losing ground in the global competition,” Allen told the House committee. “I’m concerned we are watching our nation’s ice-breaking capabilities decline.”

The U.S. Coast Guard temporarily opened bases in Barrow and Prudhoe Bay this summer to support Arctic operations.

Yet, Bateman said an Alaska-based icebreaker is not a likely option. Icebreakers require frequent maintenance and repairs that are cheaper and easier to carry out in Seattle.

“The transit from Seattle to Kodiak is four days,” Bateman said. “So it’s cheaper for the Coast Guard and we’re able to leverage those resources by putting them in Seattle rather than Kodiak.”

The Healy family The Healy made headlines and rocked the Kodiak Coast

Guard community in August 2006 when two divers died in an accident 500 miles northwest of Barrow.

Lt. Jessica Hill and Petty Officer 2nd Class Steven Duque, both from Florida, became unconscious while diving and could not be revived after they were pulled to the surface.

Bateman said the crew of Healy still mourns the tragedy every day, but it does not keep crewmembers from doing their job. He said there are still some crewmembers on the Healy who were on board during the accident.

“I think it highlighted for the ship the need to make sure that we were always doing things by the book, double and triple checking that we’re operating safely,” Bateman said.

The Coast Guard is reorganizing its dive program “largely as a result of the accident,” he said.

“I don’t think that it’s ever very far from anyone’s mind on board, but it’s not constantly in our face,” Bateman said. On the one-year anniversary of the accident a memorial service was held aboard the Healy, which was at sea at the time, he said.

Bateman said the crew of a Coast Guard ship tends to become a family over the course of their tours.

“I find that to be particularly true of the icebreakers,” he said. “We go away for so long and go to places where we’re it. So you really do become a family.”

“I don’t want the ship to ever forget the loss of those two lives,” Bateman said. “Especially since we operate in places (where) if we’re not careful it can happen again. If we’re not careful, people can get hurt.”

“What we do is not inherently dangerous,” he said. “But where we go is absolutely unforgiving.”

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33. Painting Honors USS Oklahoma Sailors(ASSOCIATED PRESS 08 OCT 08)

OKLAHOMA CITY - A painting depicting the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor has been dedicated at the state Capitol.

The painting, by Oklahoma City artist Christopher Nick, honors the 429 sailors killed or missing after the Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941.

Ed Vezey of Center, Colo., and Paul Goodyear of Casa Grande, Ariz., survivors of the attack, are shown in the painting.

Also shown are members of the Claremore High School ROTC, who took part in the dedication of the memorial last Dec. 7 in Honolulu.

Vezey and Goodyear were on hand for Wednesday's unveiling of the painting in the state Senate chamber.

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34. Mullen: No JCS Enlisted Advisor(NAVY TIMES 08 OCT 08) ... William H. McMichael

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has decided not to name a new senior enlisted advisor, saying he’d rather reach out on his own for input and advice from the military’s enlisted community.

The decision leaves vacant a position established by Adm. Mike Mullen’s predecessor, Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, and filled by Army Command Sgt. Maj. William Gainey for 2½ years before his April retirement after 33 years of service.

“He’s made this decision after long and careful consideration, and consultation with the senior enlisted advisors of the four services,” said Navy Capt. John Kirby, Mullen’s spokesman. “He has decided that it would serve him best to not necessarily fill that position with an individual, but continue to reach out on a regular and concerted basis with the senior enlisted advisors of the services and the combatant commands.”

Gainey spent the final seven months of his tour advising Mullen. Kirby said Mullen’s Oct. 1 decision had nothing to do with the quality of Gainey’s service or Pace’s decision to create the job.

“They had a very good working relationship, and Adm. Mullen has nothing but respect for Sgt. Maj. Gainey, his service and the job that he did here on the Joint Staff,” Kirby said.

Mullen’s decision is not a statement on Pace’s original concept or Gainey’s performance in the job, Kirby said. “This has nothing to do with them,” he said. “This has to do with Adm. Mullen’s particular leadership style, and the goals and objectives he set as chairman.”

Kirby said Mullen took so long to decide whether to fill the job after Gainey retired — five months — because “he really wrestled with it. … He wanted to make sure that he was making it for the right reasons.”

One of Mullen’s concerns, Kirby said, was that the chairman did not want to take any of what he called “these top, hard-charging enlisted leaders” and “bring them to the Pentagon in a time of war and great uncertainty for the troops and their families if he couldn’t ensure that that position was going to be 100 percent impactful. I think he came to the conclusion that that senior enlisted talent is better placed in the field and in the fleet.”

Mullen will tap into that expertise “as often as he can, rather than have one of those talented individuals simply reside here in the Pentagon with him,” Kirby said.

The top enlisted Marine said he has no quarrel with that decision.

“The chairman knows his situation best,” said Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlton Kent. “If he feels the mission can be accomplished without filling that billet, I have full confidence in that decision. Admiral Mullen has made it known that he wishes to work closely with the senior enlisted of all services, so I stand ready to give my support and sound advice when called upon.”

The Navy’s top sailor said he is also comfortable with Mullen’s decision.

“Admiral Mullen has voiced a desire to establish a closer relationship” with the services’ senior enlisted advisors, said Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Joe Campa.

“I wholeheartedly support that,” Campa said. “Our services are working more jointly than at any time in our nation’s history, and we have the responsibility to ensure our

men and women are well supported through a broad spectrum of operations. Feedback from the senior enlisted leaders working in our combatant commands and our joint task forces is equally critical.”

Mullen has a habit of reaching out personally to enlisted service members. On trips to the field, he frequently makes time to meet not only with senior enlisteds of all the services but with younger troops and their families — meetings in which they are encouraged to speak candidly.

“His main job is to advise the secretary of defense and the president on issues of military matters and national security,” Kirby said. “This is a question he asks every day — how best do I give that advice? And he does believe that input from the troops and their families is vital to him being able to give that advice.”

Kirby said Mullen has spoken with the services’ senior enlisted advisors and met with them just prior to making his decision to “explain his thought process.”

“He does intend to reach out to them on a more frequent, regular basis, now that he’s made this decision,” Kirby said, adding that Mullen understands and respects the relationship between the service chiefs and their enlisted advisors and will not try to circumvent that

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35. Bahrain Proposes Middle East Organization To Include Israel(5 TOWNS JEWISH TIMES (LAWRENCE, N.Y.) 08 OCT 08) ... Hana Levi Julian

The foreign minister of Bahrain has suggested forming a Middle Eastern regional organization that would include both Israel and Iran in addition to all the Arab nations. Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa said in an interview in the Arabic daily newspaper al-Hayat that such an organization would be a good way to resolve the dispute between them.

One day earlier, al-Khalifa also made the recommendation in his speech to the United Nations’ General Assembly, where he called for a Middle East organization that would include all the nations in the region “without exception.”

Only Egypt and Jordan currently have peace treaties with the Jewish State, although Bahrain became the first Arab nation in the world to appoint a Jewish woman as its ambassador to Washington D.C. earlier this year.

The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet is stationed in Bahrain, a small island

kingdom in the Persian Gulf strategically located east of Saudi Arabia and north of Qatar. The small American ally, which is also a member of the Arab League and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, is ruled by Sunni Muslims, although populated by a Shi’ite majority.

The Bahraini foreign minister was quoted as suggesting, “Why don’t we all sit together even if we have differences and even if we don’t recognize each other? Why not become one organization to overcome this difficult phase?” Al-Khalifa recommended the group should include Turkey, which has been brokering indirect talks throughout the summer between Israel and Syria, as well as the rest of the nations in the region. “Let them all sit together in one group,” he said. “This is the only path to solve our problems.”

5 Towns Jewish Times is a weekly independent newspaper out of Lawrence, NY.

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OPINION:OPINION:36. Attacking The Pirates May Be Too Costly (DAILY NATION (KENYA) 09 OCT 08) ... Editorial

The decision by the United Nations Security Council to sanction international navy vessels and military aircraft to use ‘‘all necessary means’’ to stamp out piracy off the coast of Somalia gives a seal of approval to those countries whose warships are surrounding the hijacked Mv Faina and to attack it and free the hostages and military hardware cargo.

However, whether that is a practicable solution to this particular act of piracy is not clear. After all, had the issue been that simple, the standoff that has lasted a fortnight now would have been over long ago.

The hesitation, it can be assumed, could be because in the event of such an attack, the human collateral damage would prove to be too high — at least 20 innocent crew members — and the lesson learnt by the pirates too little to be of much use.

What is even more disconcerting is Foreign minister Moses Wetang’ula’s statement that the Kenya Navy will ‘‘fight the pirates anywhere and everywhere” to keep the high seas safe, and would patrol Somalia’s territorial waters to secure the Indian Ocean coast.

Such bravado would make sense if only he could prove that our navy is equipped well enough to sail into the murky waters of international crime.

Nevertheless, something has to give. But it is not clear whether paying the ransom demanded — scaled down to $8 million from a high of $20million two weeks ago — will be the solution either.

What is not negotiable is that the 33 T-72 tanks and huge cache of high-calibre rifles on board must not fall into the hands of the lawless warlords in Somalia, for that would upset the balance of power, not only in Somalia, but in the whole of eastern Africa.

What is required is a solution to the problem, which will lead to as little loss of life as possible. And instead of sabre-rattling in a situation as fraught with danger as this, maybe the United Nations should be thinking of employing the services of negotiators skilled in the art of handling hostage situations.

Once the hostages are free, and the deadly cargo secured, then the international community must strike once and for all and rid the Somali coast of this growing and extremely costly menace of piracy.

At the moment, precipitate action is certainly not advised — too much is at stake, whether we are dealing with an organised international criminal syndicate, or a ragtag bunch of pirates employing the services of high-velocity grenade launchers and communicating through satellite phones.

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37. We Shouldn't Pay For Sub Celebration (CONCORD (N.H.) MONITOR 08 OCT 08) ... John B. Andrews ; Letter to the Editor

The USS New Hampshire's Community Commissioning Committee is looking for the state and/or city of Portsmouth to pony up "at least" $50,000 to pay for breakfast, 3,000 lunches and a "commander's reception" at the exclusive Wentworth-by-the-Sea to celebrate our namesake sub's entry into service.

We're told that "many of these events are required by the secretary of the Navy when he chooses a site for a commissioning." I wonder if the cities of Bath, Maine; Newport News, Va.; or Pascagoula, Miss.; come up with this kind of money whenever they commission a ship of the line.

Somehow, I doubt it. Methinks the commissioning committee over-promised and now wants to tap public treasuries that, themselves, are running under water.

One of the folks helping raise the money is a prosperous owner of a chain of McDonald's restaurants. McDonald's

traditionally provides breakfast for each governor's inaugural. Let them eat Big Macs. Millions (billions . . .trillions) for defense but not one cent for tribute.

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