Free Republic

While Russian admirals have been talking about building six aircraft carriers in the next decade, the president of Russia has recently ordered them to concentrate on smaller ships for the Black and Baltic Seas. The Black Sea fleet has been continually declining since the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. That decline is the result of new countries (like Ukraine and Georgia) inheriting old Soviet ships and bases. That was the dissolution deal. Whatever Soviet weapons or bases were normally were, belonged to one of the 14 new nations. Most of Russia’s high seas ships were based in northern Russia (the...

For the first time in a decade, Beijing on Thursday will showcase its latest armored vehicles, ballistic missiles and fighter jets in a demonstration of military ambition meant to befit the nation's economic rise. The display of hardware -- part of the nation's 60th anniversary celebrations -- will no doubt stoke national pride. But it's also a chance for China to show an international audience that the world's third-largest economy is investing heavily in defense technology, a strategic sector that Beijing believes will strengthen its regional security and global influence. Expected to be on display is a new generation of...

If the rumors are true, PetroChina, a Chinese “Government Controlled Entity” (pdf), is on the verge of buying McDermott International, a company that, as I understand things, is the U.S. Navy’s sole provider of nuclear fuel and nuclear fuel assemblies. McDermott, a Panama “based” corporate tax-avoider, also manages the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. (along with a lot of other critical national defense infrastructure. Take a look.)

The celebrated openness of the Internet -- network providers are not supposed to give preferential treatment to any traffic -- is quietly losing powerful defenders. Google Inc. has approached major cable and phone companies that carry Internet traffic with a proposal to create a fast lane for its own content, according to documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Google has traditionally been one of the loudest advocates of equal network access for all content providers. At risk is a principle known as network neutrality: Cable and phone companies that operate the data pipelines are supposed to treat all traffic...

The general also confirmed that a decision to build new aircraft carriers for the Russian Navy had been adopted. Russia's Navy commander, Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky, said in July that the Navy command had decided to form in the future 5-6 aircraft carrier task forces to be deployed with the Northern and Pacific fleets.

The USS Kitty Hawk will have to remain in the Pacific longer than initially planned after its replacement, the USS George Washington, was damaged by a recent fire, a Navy official said. The two carriers were to meet in Pearl Harbor next week for a "hull swap," with the newer George Washington taking over for the 47-year-old Kitty Hawk, the oldest active-duty warship in the fleet. About 900 Kitty Hawk sailors and the carrier’s air wing were expected to transfer to the George Washington. But a fire broke out on the George Washington on May 22, while the carrier was...

Two hundred years after the battle of Trafalgar, the navy could end up sharing the pride of its fleet with the French. Driven by spiralling budgets, the two navies began talks last week aimed at sharing their aircraft carriers. The government is expected to give the go-ahead for the Royal Navy’s two new aircraft carriers this week, part of a joint Anglo-French project to build a total of three. The French, who currently have only one carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, are questioning whether they can afford a replacement and are keen to explore closer co-operation with Britain instead. “We...

MEXICO CITY, April 30, 2008 – The movement of a second aircraft carrier into the Persian Gulf this week doesn’t signal an escalation of the U.S. naval presence -- but could serve as a “reminder” of it to countries in the region, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here last night. Gates did not specifically name Iran when responding to a reporter’s question about the arrival this week of USS Abraham Lincoln in the Gulf. “The size of our naval presence in the Gulf rises and falls constantly,” he said. “This deployment has been planned for a long time. I...

Carrier USS Kennedy decommissioned By RON WORD, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER,The Seattle Intelligencer, Friday, March 23, 2007. Sailors reach for a pallet of surplus equipment being unloaded from the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy, Tuesday, March 20, 2007, at Naval Station Mayport, Fla. The Kennedy is being decommissioned March 23. (AP Photo/Oscar Sosa) MAYPORT, Fla. -- Sailors in blue lined the deck of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy on Friday as guns boomed to commemorate the decommissioning of "Big John" after nearly 40 years of service. Officers gathered in front of a screen displaying a large American flag,...

The transcript of Part 2 of my eight part interview with Thomas P.M. Barnett, author of The Pentagon's New Map, is now posted, as is the audio. The transcript of Part 1 is here and the audio here, and the transcript of our short introductory interview is here, and the audio here. One teaser from yesterday's exchange: HH: Dr. Barnett, when we went to break, we were talking about China and the American Navy. We have these 10 Nimitz-class carriers out there, which are really our force projection power. If China develops the ability to attack from land via cruise...

Re-Broadcast Times for "Dogfights" episode of "Death of The Japanese Navy" are EASTERN time: Tuesday January 16 11:00 PM Wednesday January 17 03:00 AM (from a "Dogfights" webpage) In one of the most amazing yet lopsided naval battles in history, a mighty Japanese fleet led by the Yamato, the biggest battleship in the world, versus Taffy 3, a small U.S. task unit of tin can destroyers and baby flat-tops. The U.S. fleet is made up of ships too weak to fight and too slow to run. David battles Goliath in a fight for survival, with the lives of thousands of...

US Navy as of June 19, 2006 Carriers: USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) - Philippine Sea USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) - Philippine Sea USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) - Pacific Ocean USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) - Philippine Sea

Chinese Naval Buildup Surprising, But Not Yet Alarming, Says AdmiralDefense Daily, June 8, 2006 The pace of Chinese naval expansion is faster than expected, but is not alarming yet, although Chinese intentions are not evident, a U.S. Navy admiral said last week. "Clearly...we kind of continue to be surprised by the growth of the Chinese Navy," said Rear Adm. Joseph Walsh, director of Submarine Warfare (N77), on June 1 during a speech on the future of the U.S. Navy at a symposium in Washington, D.C. "That is clearly something we watch." Walsh said the Chinese are focusing on fielding surface...

In most places around the country, consumers are limited to zero, one or two choices for broadband connections to the Internet. I, for example, live in a metro area and have two choices: DSL from the phone company and cable from -- er -- my cable provider. My neighbors to the north have exactly one choice for broadband: DSL. And with the mergers among the carriers, we're down to two telephone companies and a handful of cable operators. Which doesn't leave anyone interested in competition with a warm and fuzzy feeling. The Carriers: Dedicated to Reducing Choice The market for...

Milford taking harsher stance against illegals than Framingham By Andrew Lightman / Daily News Staff Thursday, May 4, 2006 - Updated: 01:15 AM EST Officials say there are hundreds of illegal immigrants in Milford. Estimates peg them in the thousands in Framingham. Yet when it comes to illegal immigration, it’s Milford that’s taking the tougher stance right now. Illegal immigrants from Brazil and Ecuador have been targeted by Milford in recent months, as the town attempts to crack down on their growing population, and keep it from negatively affecting local public health. Concerns were sparked last summer, when the Board...

The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, which typically handles just one aircraft carrier at a time, will be home to three carriers at once this fall, said Navy Capt. Joseph Campbell, the yard's commanding officer. The three carriers make up one-quarter of the nation's flattop fleet and are scheduled to be in the yard simultaneously for several weeks. The USS Harry S. Truman arrived at the yard Jan. 9. It will be joined by the USS Theodore Roosevelt in September and the USS George Washington in October. The Truman is scheduled to depart in November.

Wireless carriers have lost their focus and are concentrating on the wrong priorities, like trying to recruit as many new subscribers as possible, rather than properly serving those customers they have already contracted with, experts tell United Press International's Wireless World. Mobile-phone-network operators are under competing pressures this year. New technologies are coming to market, like 3G cellular networks, next-generation network Internet Protocol multimedia subsystems -- so called NGN/IMS technologies. By Gene Koprowski

A defense contractor charged with failing to register as a Chinese agent admitted passing data on U.S. Navy arms technology to China for 22 years, including information on next-generation destroyers, an aircraft carrier catapult and the Aegis weapons system, according to new court papers in the case.

This week, many an unsuspecting American family will travel to Walt Disney World, where they will find themselves at the epicenter of a recurring cultural earthquake. There, at America's favorite family destination, hordes of homosexuals will congregate at Pleasure Island for an annual exercise in societal entropy. "Gay Days at Disney" they call it -- though it is anything but. "Gay" in the current vernacular is, of course, the term used by the fashionably PC to describe homosexuals. In dictionaries just a couple of decades ago, however, this same adjective meant "happy" or "a state of high spirits." A century...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy wants to base a second carrier in the Western Pacific — either in Guam or Hawaii — but debate remains on when, or even if, that will happen, said one of the Navy’s top leaders at the Pentagon. “The discussion has been about Hawaii and Guam, but it has centered principally on Hawaii,” Vice Adm. Joseph Sestak, the deputy chief of naval operations for warfare requirements and programs, told reporters Tuesday. “The specifics of that are interesting, in that the ability to be in the Western Pacific like we are in Japan gives us speed...

The new shipbuilding strategy could spell trouble for Northrop Grumman Newport News. WASHINGTON -- The Navy is considering shrinking its fleet of aircraft carriers to as few as 10 ships within the next 30 years, a move that would produce the smallest carrier fleet in at least a half-century.

WASHINGTON -- President Bush's plan for the Navy calls for buying fewer ships, while China, a potential security hot spot, is increasing and repositioning its fleet. It's a prospect that concerns some lawmakers. The plan is contained in Bush's 2006 budget proposal, which Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Thursday defended, saying the military was closely watching China's moves but that the U.S. Navy remains the pre-eminent fleet. "The United States Navy ... is the Navy on the face of the Earth that is a true blue water navy," Rumsfeld told the Senate Armed Services Committee. "On the other hand,...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Pet hamsters are a potential source of serious infection, U.S. health officials warned on Thursday. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) (CDC) describe the case of a 3-year-old boy from Colorado who came down with tularemia after being bitten by a pet hamster. Tularemia is caused by the bug Francisella tularensis, which is one of the most infectious germs known and for that reason is considered a potential biologic terrorism agent. As outlined in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the boy's family purchased six hamsters...

January 04, 2005 Defence chiefs forced to choose between fighters and carriers By Michael Evans, Defence Editor THE Government’s two most expensive defence projects, Eurofighter and the future large carrier, are at the centre of an unprecedented battle for resources between the Armed Forces. Senior insiders at the MoD say it is no longer feasible or affordable for the Government to go ahead with the full order for both programmes. Under present plans, the Government is politically committed to buying 232 Eurofighters at a total cost of more than £19 billion, and two 60,000-tonne aircraft carriers with 150 Joint Strike...

THE US military said today it had diverted an aircraft carrier, other ships, at least 20 aircraft and thousands of sailors and marines to Asian countries struck by devastating tsunami waves. The men and material were dispatched by US Pacific Command with many of the aircraft heading for Thailand and Sri Lanka, two of the worst hit countries. Logistical problems hampered a massive humanitarian relief operation along Asia's devastated shores as the death toll from a huge earthquake and deadly tidal waves surged past 55,000. “We have diverted the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier and its five ships. They left Hong...

"...After sharply criticizing President Bush for the invasion of Iraq and his post-war policies, delegates at the APWU convention on Aug. 23-27 approved a resolution that stated: "Resolved, the AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION, AFL-CIO calls for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the implementation of a plan to turn over sovereignty to the people of Iraq as soon as possible, and the return of U.S. troops to their homes and families."...

No Mail or Telephone Calls for Troops? Communication Workers & Postal Workers Oppose War in Iraq

Would someone please tell me what in the world does providing the best education for our kids have to do with a pro-choice march in Washington, D.C., this Sunday, April 25? Why does the powerful and influential National Education Association feel it should have any role whatsoever in co-sponsoring such an event—to the point of allowing the NEA headquarters near the White House to act as a hospitality center for the “March for Freedom of Choice,” while the nation’s nearby state affiliates in New Jersey and elsewhere organize buses to bring in demonstrators for the all-day affair? So, tell me,...

...'The carriers have proven their value, but the claims of some carrier proponents frequently defy reality. Carrier effectiveness, though significant, has been inflated to mythic proportions. Dramatic film footage of carrier-based aircraft being catapulted into the skies frequently dominates televised coverage of periodic US crises with Iraq, even though that image does not reflect actual composition of the joint US force in the region. In early 1998, Rear Adm. John B. Nathman, commander of Task Force 50 aboard USS Nimitz in the Gulf, actually declared, "I attribute the cessation of Iraqi no-fly zone violations to our presence" in the ...

<p>Florida prison officials say inmates pay higher costs for collect call services because higher security is needed for those conversations, but a magazine that advertised discount phone services says the issue is not security, it's cold hard cash.</p> <p>Prison Legal News magazine is suing the Florida Department of Corrections, charging the state agency with censorship after its magazines were pulled from the prisons because it ran ads offering cheaper phone services through another carrier.</p>

National Security & Defense PEACE THROUGH STRENGTHU.S. Need for Naval Power Will Not Diminish by Joseph A. D'AgostinoPosted Oct 27, 2003 Where Aircraft Carriers Were For Iraq War   PEACE THROUGH STRENGTHThe Long, Partisan Road to National Missile Defense   Panel of Judges for the 'Ten Decisions That Won the Cold War'   PEACE THROUGH STRENGTHDuncan Hunter: U.S. Cut Military Too Deeply   The U.S. Navy, powerful as it is now, faces big decisions and spending hurtles in the next decade if it is to maintain the ability to meet the threats that may face America in the coming years, say defense experts. Despite...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

The UK Royal Navy may have to accept a sharp reduction in the size of its two new aircraft carriers after BAE Systems warned it could not build the designs to budget. The company, which is Britain's biggest defence contractor, has told the Ministry of Defence that it would cost up to £4bn to construct the pair, compared with the £2.8bn costing in January. BAE won the lead role on the programme to build the warships - the biggest ever to be built in Europe - after a bitter battle with Thales of France. The navy has been told there...

Public health officials struggled to keep about 1,500 teenagers in quarantine yesterday, a task that proved insurmountable when some left their confinement to have fun. On the first day of quarantine for students of Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy, just north of Toronto, one was already out shopping, while another invited friends to a concert where he was going to be playing last night. Murray McQuigge, a spokesman for York Region's public health department, knows all too well that grounding an entire school without any supervision is far from easy. "I'm sure that after this the parents of those kids...

During the "Operation Iraqi Freedom" and for a while afterwards, I could access certain web pages that contained military information. Some was not too sensitive, but with the "War on Terror", it was still information. For example, there was a web page that listed the senior officers in the US Navy, and their current assignments and biographies. That is now inaccessable, along with other web sites. I really don't have a "need to know", and it really is dangerous to allow too much lead time for when a carrier might dock or where that US Navy aircraft might dock. Shortly...

CVN 21 said to offer biggest changes in decades, seeking a ‘leap ahead’ in technology by Harold Kennedy The U.S. Navy is moving ahead with plans for its much-debated, next-generation aircraft carrier, now called CVN 21. The service has requested $1.5 billion in its fiscal year 2004 budget for research, development and engineering and advanced procurement for the ship. CVN 21 is scheduled to begin construction in 2007 and to be delivered in 2014, according to Rear Adm. Dennis M. Dwyer, the Navy’s program executive officer for aircraft carriers. The budget for the entire project “now stands at $11.7 billion,”...

How attached are you to your cellular telephone number? And has the thought of losing your number ever kept you from changing cellular carriers? The cellular industry must think so, because it's in court challenging an FCC requirement to make wireless telephone numbers "portable"--that is, to let you keep the same phone number when you go from, say, AT&T Wireless to Sprint PCS (as I happen to be doing right now). I LOVE writing these occasional updates on the FCC and the cellular industry, because it gives me the repeated opportunity to point out how the cellular companies are stalling...

The USS Abraham Lincoln must be much closer to Hawaii than the Philipines at this point. It is unclear how far it is from San Diego, which I believe is this ship's home port. It seemed to take quite a while to transit from the Arabian Gulf to the Arabian Sea to the Indian Ocean. Now it is listed as being in the Pacific Ocean -- a very large body of water. But let us hope that it is very close to the ship's home port as this is being written, and will be there before next Sunday -- God...

Dear Lord, There's a young man far from home, called to serve his nation in time of war; sent to defend our freedom on some distant foreign shore. We pray You keep him safe, we pray You keep him strong, we pray You send him safely home ... for he's been away so long. There's a young woman far from home, serving her nation with pride. Her step is strong, her step is sure, there is courage in every stride. We pray You keep her safe, we pray You keep her strong, we pray You send her safely home...

Two More U.S. Carriers, 37,000 Troops Going to Gulf Tue Jan 21,12:12 PM ET By Charles Aldinger and Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon has ordered two more U.S. aircraft carriers and another 37,000 combat troops to deploy to the Gulf region for a possible war with Iraq, defense officials said on Tuesday. The moves by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will bring to four the number of U.S. carriers within striking distance of Iraq and boost to more than 100,000 the number of U.S. troops ordered to the Gulf this month, the officials told Reuters. The USS Abraham Lincoln...

Northern FrontJonathan Rhodes21 January 2003Negotiations between Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Turkish military leaders in Ankara, have resulted in agreement to base US troops in Turkey to control northern Iraq airspace and protect the Kurds from Iraqi attacks once the invasion begins from the south.  Meyers was quoted: "Turkey has been a very cooperative partner. I would expect them to be in the future as well." The US Army 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), (Ivy Division) the most advanced heavy division in the arsenal, equipped with Abrams tanks, attack helicopters and artillery, is heading a...

China's navy is developing a Taiwan-scenario strategy to defeat U.S. naval forces by luring them into predetermined target areas and ambushing them with an array of anticarrier attack forces. Recent Chinese military exercises and military commentaries have illustrated in detail how Beijing plans to achieve this goal. Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) naval and coastal exercises in 2001 and 2002 near Taiwan and along China's southern coast were three-phased operations depicting information warfare attacks, coordinated air and missile strikes on Taiwan's airfields and seaports, and attacks on U.S. naval forces coming to Taiwan's assistance. The purpose of the 2001 exercise,...

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The USS Kitty Hawk successfully completed a compressed series of sea trials last week and is ready for its upcoming fall deployment, Navy officials in Yokosuka said Monday. The Kitty Hawk, which went though a major upheaval when its commanding officer was replaced unexpectedly in early September, is back in port at Yokosuka after four days of under-way tests. While at sea, the crew conducted live-firing exercises, started the carrier qualification process for air wing pilots, did numerous damage-control drills and completed a series of man-overboard drills. Monday morning, many Kitty Hawk sailors said that...