Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Gortney named Head of U.S. Fleet Forces


. President Obama has nominated Vice Adm. Bill Gortney as the next commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, a move that if approved by the Senate would likely occur this summer.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta made the announcement Monday.
Gortney, director of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, would be promoted to admiral and replace Adm. John Harvey, who has commanded what was once known as U.S. Atlantic Fleet since July 2009. Gortney reported to the Pentagon in July 2010.
Harvey, with three years on the job come summer, is expected to retire.
Naval observers and industry insiders told Navy Times in late December that Gortney appeared to have the inside track on the job, saying he possesses the right combination of experience in preparing ships and aircraft to deploy, knowledge of overseas combatant commander requirements and understanding of wartime fleet operations.
Gortney will bring extensive experience in the war theater of operations to the job; since 2002, he’s commanded Carrier Air Wing 7 and Carrier Strike Group 10, both of which operated in the Central Command area of operations, and U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain. He also has a previous hitch at Fleet Forces Command under his belt, having served as deputy chief of staff for global force management and joint operations from 2004-2006.
Gortney’s current job is his second go-round on the Joint Staff; he worked at the J-33 Joint Operations Department, Central Command Division, from 1998-1999.
That pallet of experience, particularly in the war zones, will serve him well at the helm of Fleet Forces, says retired Vice Adm. Peter Daly, chief executive officer of the U.S. Naval Institute and a former Fleet Forces deputy commander under Harvey.
“It’s very important because Fleet Forces … generates all the forces coming off the East Coast, and also has a special responsibility for standards for training all strike groups, East and West Coast,” said Daly, reached in San Diego, where USNI is holding its annual West Coast Conference and Symposium. The commander of Fleet Forces Command, Daly said, has to be someone “who understands what it takes to get there, what’s needed and what’s required when they’re at the tip of the spear. And Bill Gortney represents that.
“He’s an affable guy, but he’s no-nonsense when it comes to the warfighting piece,” Daly said. “I think he’s an excellent choice.”
In addition to its responsibilities for manning, training and equipping all Navy forces east of the Mississippi and providing same to overseas combatant commanders, Fleet Forces Command advises the chief of naval operations on all integrated warfighter capability requirements. It also handles the Navy’s anti-terrorism/force protection, individual augmentee and sea basing programs for the CNO.
Gortney is a 1977 graduate of Elon College in North Carolina. He earned a commission in the U.S. Naval Reserve in September 1977 and, in December 1978, was designated as a naval aviator. He has flown more than 5,360 “mishap-free hours,” according to his official biography, and made 1,265 carrier-arrested landings, primarily in the A-7E Corsair II and the F/A-18 Hornet.

Nominees Announced for 4 Pentagon Posts


The White House has asked Congress to approve nominees for four key U.S. Defense Department positions, including undersecretaries for acquisition, policy and personnel.
President Barack Obama has nominated Frank Kendall to be the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, James Miller to be the undersecretary of defense for policy and Erin Conaton to be the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.
In addition, Obama nominated Jessica Lynn Wright to be assistant secretary of defense for Reserve affairs.
Kendall previously served as the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for acquisition and is now the Pentagon’s acting acquisition executive. If confirmed, he would fill the slot previously held by Ashton Carter, now the deputy defense secretary.
Miller is currently the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy. If confirmed he would replace Michèle Flournoy, who is stepping down as undersecretary of defense for policy on Feb. 3.
If confirmed, Conaton, the current undersecretary of the Air Force, would replace Clifford Stanley, who resigned last fall.
Wright is currently the deputy assistant secretary of defense for manpower and personnel.

USAF to get 5 more Globemasters


The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing a $693 million firm-fixed price contract modification to buy five additional C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifters.
The original compact was an indefinitely-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract that was awarded on May 13 to buy the first five planes in the Air Force’s 2010 requirement. The contract was issued by the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
The aircraft will be built at Boeing’s Long Beach, Calif., factory and work should be completed by March 20, 2013, according to a Pentagon release.

KMW buys Armoured Vehicle Manufacturer


BONN — German tank maker Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) has reached an agreement with the EDAG Group to take over its production of armored civil vehicles.
KMW announced the deal Jan. 23, saying the purchase of the German automotive development specialist still requires approval by the cartel authorities.
The acquisition is a move by KMW to strengthen its role in the market for protected military wheeled and tracked vehicles using EDAG’s technologies, as well as developing activities in the highly protected civil vehicles sector.
The acquisition also complements KMW’s strategic activities to establish itself in Central and South America. EDAG manufactures its protection systems at sites in Ingolstadt, Germany, as well as a facility in Mexico.
“The extension of our numerous protection activities through the EDAG protection branch is a logical step and, with a view to the site in Mexico, a consistent continuation of our Central and South America strategy,” Frank Haun, chief executive and president of KMW, said in a press statement.
The EDAG protection business develops and integrates ballistic protection systems for civil vehicles produced by a range of global manufacturers

Iraq considers Czech made Fighter jets


PRAGUE — The Czech Republic is looking to sell dozens of Czech-made L-159 subsonic jet fighters to Iraq, Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra said after talks Jan. 23 with his Iraqi counterpart in Prague.
"The talks are very intensive ... and concern dozens of planes," Vondra told reporters after meeting Iraq's acting Defence Minister Saadun al-Dulaimi. Al-Dulaimi said Iraq was "really very interested in the planes," which it wants as soon as possible.
Vondra said the Czech side was offering new fighters made by Czech manufacturer Aero Vodochody, as well as 36 unused L-159s, which the defense ministry has been trying to sell for years.
"Iraq is logically interested in new planes ... but it also wants the fighters as fast as possible, so we can use at least part of the unused planes owned by the defense ministry," Vondra said, refusing to give details about the price of the planes, which are facing competition from Britain's Hawk and South Korea's TA-50.
Aero Vodochody, controlled by Czech-Slovak private equity group Penta, is the largest Czech aircraft producer and a subcontractor for Sikorsky, Saab and EADS and other manufacturers.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Russian Nuclear Sub Sails under Indian Crew


NEW DELHI — Indian navy personnel will take command of the country's first nuclear-powered submarine in two decades on Monday after collecting the vessel near the Russian port of Vladivostok, an official said.
Moscow offered the Russian-built Chakra II to the Indian navy on a 10-year lease, a move that has angered India's archrival and nuclear-armed neighbor Pakistan.
The Akula II class craft is the first nuclear-powered submarine to be operated by India since it decommissioned its last Soviet-built vessel in 1991.
"INS Chakra II is being handed over to Indian personnel in the east, near Vladivostok," a senior navy source in India said, asking not to be named because Russia will formally announce the transfer.
The 8,140-ton submarine, capable of firing a range of torpedoes, as well as nuclear-tipped Granat cruise missiles, will sail under the Indian flag to its base at Visakhapatnam in the Bay of Bengal.
India is currently completing the development of its own Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic submarines and the Russian delivery is expected to help crews train for the domestic boat's introduction into service next year.
The submarine was due to be handed over to India in 2009 but has been hit by various problems during testing.
During trials in the Sea of Japan in November 2008, 20 sailors were killed when a fire extinguisher released a deadly chemical that had been accidentally loaded into the system.
The INS Chakra was commissioned by India in 2004 and has seen the South Asian nation pay $650 million in construction costs.
Earlier newspaper reports in India said New Delhi may end up paying as much as $900 million under the terms of the deal. Russia's RIA Novosti news agency valued the contract at $920 million.
Russia supplies 70 percent of India's military hardware, but New Delhi has been unhappy about delays to arms orders from Moscow and has looked to other suppliers, including Israel and the U.S., in recent years.

American Carrier crosses Strait Of Hormuz Unharmed


The USS Abraham Lincoln  aircraft  carrier passed  through  Strait of Hormuz on Jan. 22 and is now in the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon said, after Tehran threatened to close the strategic shipping route.
"USS Abraham Lincoln ... completed a regular and routine transit of the Strait of Hormuz ... to conduct maritime security operations as scheduled," Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. John Kirby said in an email to AFP. "The transit was completed as previously scheduled and without incident." 
The carrier, which can have up to 80 planes and helicopters onboard, was escorted by the guided-missile cruiser Cape St. George and two destroyers.
Earlier, Britain's Ministry of Defence said a British Royal Navy frigate and a French vessel had joined the carrier group to sail through the waterway.
While allied ships often participate in U.S. naval exercises and sometimes are part of joint naval flotillas, the presence of British and French ships seemed to be a message to Tehran about the West's resolve to keep the route open.
"HMS Argyll and a French vessel joined a U.S. carrier group transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, to underline the unwavering international commitment to maintaining rights of passage under international law," said a spokesman from Britain's MoD.
He said Britain maintained "a constant presence in the region as part of our enduring contribution to Gulf security."
Iran's military and political leaders had warned they could close the strait — a key transit route for global oil supplies — if increased Western sanctions over Tehran's suspect nuclear program halt Iranian oil exports.
The Islamic republic's navy had also warned it would react if the U.S. tried to redeploy one of its aircraft carriers to the waterway.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has repeatedly said closing the strait would cross a "red line." Two of the 11 U.S. aircraft carriers are in the region.
Since then, Iran has tried to ease tensions, with Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi saying last week that Tehran had never tried to close the strait.
“We want peace and stability in the region," Salehi said.
European Union foreign ministers meeting Jan. 23 in Brussels are expected to agree to sanction Iran's central bank and announce an embargo on buying Iranian oil.
The U.S., France, Britain and Germany accuse Iran of seeking to build a nuclear bomb, but Tehran says its nuclear drive is peaceful.