Staff, Israel Hayom
3 December 2015
IDF cost-cutting recommendation would retire first Dolphin-class sub received by Israel after sixth submarine is delivered in 2019. Other programs targeted for budget cuts: military rabbinate, transport drivers, Bedouin trackers, military prosecutor.
The IDF's Gideon multiyear work plan makes no bones about cutting budgets and eliminating programs. One recommendation calls for the Israeli Navy to operate five submarines, rather than six. According to the recommendation, Israel's first Dolphin-class submarine will be retired after the Navy's sixth is delivered to Israel in 2019.
In addition to cutting the number of submarines in operation, the IDF intends to make an 11% cut to the upper echelon of officers and in programs such as the military rabbinate; educational outreach; behavioral sciences; the chief reserves officer; the budget wing; army transport drivers; the censor; the chief of staff's adviser on women's issues; the Bedouin trackers; the military prosecutor headquarters; and public information.
In contrast, the military will increase its activity in fields that have been active in recent years, such as cyber warfare. The IDF also plans to bolster its combat forces by adding a third mixed-gender combat battalion, adding F-35 fighter jets to its fleet, and stepping up air defenses, as well as establishing a commando brigade.
On Thursday, the military -- whose recommendations require government approval to be implemented -- was scheduled to hold another discussion to decide which programs should be prioritized for expansion.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Cozen submarine hulls to be built in Quonset
The new Virginia facility will create 2,300 jobs to build 560-foot-long hulls for new generation subs.
From Staff, The Jamestown Press3 December 2015
According to U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, the opening of the new General Dynamics Electric Boat facility is expected to create 2,300 jobs at the Quonset Point factory.
The plant officially opened on Nov. 20. The $47 million facility is 123,000 square feet. The plan calls for workers to build replacement hulls for 12 Ohio-class submarines. Reed called the replacement program for the aging submarines “the Navy’s number-one priority.”
Where's the story?PointsMentioned Map1 Points Mentioned
Designs call for the replacements to be 560-feet long and built for stealth. The submarines are engineered to serve for as long as 42 years without needing mid-life refueling.
Congress has established a special fund to pay for new nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines
Kris Osborn, Scout.com,
2 December 2015
Lawmakers are working on a special fund created to pay for the Navy's expensive next-generation nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines, the Ohio Replacement Program.
Members of Congress discussed the details of the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund, a special effort established in 2015, at a recent hearing on the topic. The fund was estalished as a way to allocate specific aquisition dollars to pay for the new submarines. In total, the Navy hopes to buy 12 of the new submarines to serve into 2085 and beyond.
The issue and challenges of the new fund were discussed at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee Seapower and Projection Forces Subcomittee chaired by Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va.
Production for the lead ship in a planned fleet of 12 Ohio Replacement submarines is expected to cost $12.4 billion — $4.8 billion in non-recurring engineering or development costs and $7.6 billion in ship construction, Navy officials have said.
The Navy hopes to build Ohio Replacement submarine numbers two through 12 for $4.9 billion each in 2010 dollars.
A key concern for lawmakers and Navy officials is to find a path forward for the new submarines without depleting the services' annual shipbuilding fund needed to build vital assets such as aircraft carriers, destroyers, amphibs and other submarines.
"If the Congress funded the purchase of the Ohio Replacement submarines through the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund, which was established in the fiscal year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, the Navy could potentially save several hundred million dollars per submarine by purchasing components and materials for several submarines at the same time," Eric Labs, Congressional Budget Office, told lawmakers.
"If the Navy is still constrained with the historical level of shipbuilding, $16 billion a year, and they must pay for the Ohio Replacement out of that…the result would be buying 192 ships over a 30 year period instead of 264, and that would lead to a 237 ship Navy by 2045 instead of the 305 ships the Navy envisions,” Labs added.
Forbes, Subcommittee Chairman, said the Pentagon will need to increase its overall budget to help support the new fund.
"While the Navy’s plan purports to achieve a 308 ship Navy by 2022, it assumes that there will be a significant expansion in the funding for shipbuilding beyond what we have seen in recent history. I think a more plausible alternative is to increase the overall Department of Defense topline and ensure that a credible Navy build plan is accommodated within this higher top line," Forbes added.
The new fund has several specific provisions designed to lower costs for the new fleet of submarines, including an "Economic Order Quantity Authority" which can help create larger bulk purchases or economies of scale. Other aspects of the fund allow for contracts to support advanced construction of the submarines and also create an ability for incremental funding to buy long-lead items needed years in the future.
“BBC (Block Buy Contracting) is an option for reducing the unit procurement costs of the first several Ohio replacement program ballistic missile submarines (SSBN[X]s), and both MYP and BBC are options for reducing the unit procurement costs of the latter ships in the class. If these contracting mechanisms were used across all 12 boats in the class, and if doing so reduced their unit procurement costs by about 10%, the effect would be to get a bit more than one of the 12 planned boats in the class for “free,” compared to procuring them with annual contracting," Ron O’Rourke, Congressional Research Service, told the Subcommittee hearing.
The Ohio Replacement Program, a so-called SSBN, is scheduled to begin construction by 2021. Requirements work, technical specifications and early prototyping have already been underway at General Dynamics Electric Boat.
Designed to be 560-feet– long and house 16 Trident II D5 missiles fired from 44-foot-long missile tubes, ORP will be engineered as a stealthy, high-tech nuclear deterrent able to quietly patrol the global undersea domain.
Navy officials explain that the Ohio Replacement submarines’ mission is one of nuclear deterrence.
Detailed design for the first Ohio Replacement Program is slated for 2017. The new submarines are being engineered to quietly patrol the undersea domain and function as a crucial strategic deterrent, assuring a second strike or retaliatory nuclear capability in the event of nuclear attack.
The Navy is only building 12 Ohio Replacement submarines to replace 14 existing Ohio-class nuclear-armed boats because the new submarines are being built with an improved nuclear core reactor that will better sustain the submarines, Navy officials have said.
As a result, the Ohio Replacement submarines will be able to serve a greater number of deployments than the ships they are replacing and not need a mid-life refueling in order to complete 42 years of service.
Electric Boat and the Navy are already progressing on early prototype work connecting missile tubes to portions of the hull, officials said. Called integrated tube and hull forging, the effort is designed to weld parts of the boat together and assess the ability to manufacture key parts of the submarine before final integration.
In 2012, General Dynamics Electric Boat was awarded a five-year research and development deal for the Ohio Replacement submarines with a value up to $1.85 billion. The contract contains specific incentives for lowering cost and increasing manufacturing efficiency, Navy and Electric Boat officials said.
The U.S. and U.K. are together immersed in a common missile compartment effort for ORP. In fact, the U.S. and U.K. are buying parts together for the common missile compartment and working on a $770 million contract with General Dynamics’ Electric Boat. The U.S. plans to build 12 ORPs, each with 16 missile tubes, and the U.K. plans to build four nuclear-armed ballistic submarines, each with 12 missile tubes.
The ORP is being designed with a series of next-generation technologies, many of them from the Virginia-Class attack submarine. In particular, the ORP will utilize Virginia-class’s fly-by-wire joystick control system and large-aperture bow array sonar.
The ORP will also use Virginia-class’s next-generation communications system, antennas and mast. For instance, what used to be a periscope is now a camera mast connected to fiber-optic cable, enabling crew members in the submarine to see images without needing to stand beneath the periscope. This allows designers to move command and control areas to larger parts of the ship and still have access to images from the camera mast, Electric Boat and Navy officials said.
2 December 2015
Lawmakers are working on a special fund created to pay for the Navy's expensive next-generation nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines, the Ohio Replacement Program.
Members of Congress discussed the details of the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund, a special effort established in 2015, at a recent hearing on the topic. The fund was estalished as a way to allocate specific aquisition dollars to pay for the new submarines. In total, the Navy hopes to buy 12 of the new submarines to serve into 2085 and beyond.
The issue and challenges of the new fund were discussed at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee Seapower and Projection Forces Subcomittee chaired by Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va.
Production for the lead ship in a planned fleet of 12 Ohio Replacement submarines is expected to cost $12.4 billion — $4.8 billion in non-recurring engineering or development costs and $7.6 billion in ship construction, Navy officials have said.
The Navy hopes to build Ohio Replacement submarine numbers two through 12 for $4.9 billion each in 2010 dollars.
A key concern for lawmakers and Navy officials is to find a path forward for the new submarines without depleting the services' annual shipbuilding fund needed to build vital assets such as aircraft carriers, destroyers, amphibs and other submarines.
"If the Congress funded the purchase of the Ohio Replacement submarines through the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund, which was established in the fiscal year 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, the Navy could potentially save several hundred million dollars per submarine by purchasing components and materials for several submarines at the same time," Eric Labs, Congressional Budget Office, told lawmakers.
"If the Navy is still constrained with the historical level of shipbuilding, $16 billion a year, and they must pay for the Ohio Replacement out of that…the result would be buying 192 ships over a 30 year period instead of 264, and that would lead to a 237 ship Navy by 2045 instead of the 305 ships the Navy envisions,” Labs added.
Forbes, Subcommittee Chairman, said the Pentagon will need to increase its overall budget to help support the new fund.
"While the Navy’s plan purports to achieve a 308 ship Navy by 2022, it assumes that there will be a significant expansion in the funding for shipbuilding beyond what we have seen in recent history. I think a more plausible alternative is to increase the overall Department of Defense topline and ensure that a credible Navy build plan is accommodated within this higher top line," Forbes added.
The new fund has several specific provisions designed to lower costs for the new fleet of submarines, including an "Economic Order Quantity Authority" which can help create larger bulk purchases or economies of scale. Other aspects of the fund allow for contracts to support advanced construction of the submarines and also create an ability for incremental funding to buy long-lead items needed years in the future.
“BBC (Block Buy Contracting) is an option for reducing the unit procurement costs of the first several Ohio replacement program ballistic missile submarines (SSBN[X]s), and both MYP and BBC are options for reducing the unit procurement costs of the latter ships in the class. If these contracting mechanisms were used across all 12 boats in the class, and if doing so reduced their unit procurement costs by about 10%, the effect would be to get a bit more than one of the 12 planned boats in the class for “free,” compared to procuring them with annual contracting," Ron O’Rourke, Congressional Research Service, told the Subcommittee hearing.
The Ohio Replacement Program, a so-called SSBN, is scheduled to begin construction by 2021. Requirements work, technical specifications and early prototyping have already been underway at General Dynamics Electric Boat.
Designed to be 560-feet– long and house 16 Trident II D5 missiles fired from 44-foot-long missile tubes, ORP will be engineered as a stealthy, high-tech nuclear deterrent able to quietly patrol the global undersea domain.
Navy officials explain that the Ohio Replacement submarines’ mission is one of nuclear deterrence.
Detailed design for the first Ohio Replacement Program is slated for 2017. The new submarines are being engineered to quietly patrol the undersea domain and function as a crucial strategic deterrent, assuring a second strike or retaliatory nuclear capability in the event of nuclear attack.
The Navy is only building 12 Ohio Replacement submarines to replace 14 existing Ohio-class nuclear-armed boats because the new submarines are being built with an improved nuclear core reactor that will better sustain the submarines, Navy officials have said.
As a result, the Ohio Replacement submarines will be able to serve a greater number of deployments than the ships they are replacing and not need a mid-life refueling in order to complete 42 years of service.
Electric Boat and the Navy are already progressing on early prototype work connecting missile tubes to portions of the hull, officials said. Called integrated tube and hull forging, the effort is designed to weld parts of the boat together and assess the ability to manufacture key parts of the submarine before final integration.
In 2012, General Dynamics Electric Boat was awarded a five-year research and development deal for the Ohio Replacement submarines with a value up to $1.85 billion. The contract contains specific incentives for lowering cost and increasing manufacturing efficiency, Navy and Electric Boat officials said.
The U.S. and U.K. are together immersed in a common missile compartment effort for ORP. In fact, the U.S. and U.K. are buying parts together for the common missile compartment and working on a $770 million contract with General Dynamics’ Electric Boat. The U.S. plans to build 12 ORPs, each with 16 missile tubes, and the U.K. plans to build four nuclear-armed ballistic submarines, each with 12 missile tubes.
The ORP is being designed with a series of next-generation technologies, many of them from the Virginia-Class attack submarine. In particular, the ORP will utilize Virginia-class’s fly-by-wire joystick control system and large-aperture bow array sonar.
The ORP will also use Virginia-class’s next-generation communications system, antennas and mast. For instance, what used to be a periscope is now a camera mast connected to fiber-optic cable, enabling crew members in the submarine to see images without needing to stand beneath the periscope. This allows designers to move command and control areas to larger parts of the ship and still have access to images from the camera mast, Electric Boat and Navy officials said.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Australia gets 3 bidders for huge submarine contract
Japan expresses confidence it will win $36 billion contract to replace Australia's aging Collins Class submarines.
Staff, Japan Today1 December 2015
Three international bidders are seeking a contract worth up to A$50 billion (U.S.$36 billion) to build a next-generation submarine fleet for Australia, it was confirmed Monday.
Submissions have been received from DCNS of France, Germany’s TKMS and the Japanese government, Australia’s Defense Minister Marise Payne announced as the deadline closed.
The contract is to replace the nation’s current diesel and electric-powered Collins Class submarines.
Besides matching their range and endurance, the next generation of subs are expected to offer superior sensor performance and stealth capabilities.
The tender process has been politically sensitive, with Canberra keen to maximise Australian industry involvement and jobs. There are fears that any off-the-shelf purchase could kill off the domestic shipbuilding industry.
Payne said in a statement the assessment of the bids “will include the level of Australian industry involvement that will be possible under each option”.
In Tokyo, a defense ministry official said Japan’s proposal includes plans to build the submarines in Australia.
The official said Tokyo was “confident” its bid would win but disclosed no details.
During his visit to Australia earlier in November, Japan’s Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said picking Tokyo could help ensure maritime security in the Asia-Pacific.
He alluded to the importance of regional allies such as the US, Japan and Australia working together in the face of China’s growing military might.
Nakatani added that if Japan were chosen, it would be a “model for strategic cooperation between Australia, U.S. and Japan”.
For Australia, however, cooperation with Japan—whose Soryu is widely seen as the best submarine of its type -— risks angering its biggest trading partner China.
The French and German bidders have also said they would build a large part or all of the new submarines in Australia.
Increasing pace of Arctic melt has U.S. Navy thinking more underwater drones
Kris Osborn, SCOUT.COM MILITARY
30 November 2015
The pace of melting ice is leading the Navy to prepare sooner for more Arctic activity
The Navy is analyzing research findings from efforts to deploy underwater drones beneath the ice in the Arctic Ocean to assess how quickly the ice is melting and understand how soon the U.S. and Russia will be competing for new strategic waterways in the region.
The drones had been measuring the temperature and salt content to help scientists develop more accurate computer models with which to predict the anticipated future pace of melting ice, Martin Jeffries, science advisor to the Office of Naval Research, or ONR, told Scout Warrior.
The Navy's unveiled its Updated Arctic Road Map that explains how increasing water temperatures and decreasing ice layers mean the service will need to increase the number of ships in the region over the next 20 years, Jeffries said.
Less ice in the Arctic means more open water, waterways and shipping routes in the region. More open water naturally leads to increased maritime transportation and greater competition for natural resources such as oil and gas mining.
As a result, Navy scientists are using unmanned underwater autonomous robots, or drones, to examine what's called the marginal ice zone – the portion of frozen ocean's packed ice that meets open water, Jeffries explained.
Alongside the drone research, ONR scientists have also been studying the impact of the waves upon the ice cover, water temperature and surrounding atmosphere.
“Waves can be damaging to the ice cover when they crash into the ice. It can accelerate the melting,” Jeffries said.
The idea behind the research is to assess the pace of change in the Arctic environment as a way to better predict the pace of melting ice. Faster ice melting means the opening up of new strategic waterways, passage routes and overall activity in the region among nations.
“What we're seeing as the sea ice retreats and we are exposing more ocean surface to the atmosphere - then we are seeing the surface waters become warmer due to absorption of solar radiation,” Jeffries told Scout Warrior in an interview.
Jeffries explained the scientific basis for the phenomenon by pointing to what's called the ice "albedo
feedback mechanism," a term used to describe the reflectivity of the surface ice. Surface ice has a much higher "albedo," allowing it to reflect sunlight and solar radiation back into the atmosphere.
Jeffries explained that water is much darker and has a low ‘albedo' – it absorbs a lot more solar radiation which heats up the water. Warmer waters then, in turn, lead to the melting of more ice.
Underwater Drones Beneath the Ice
Navy scientists have had success in the Arctic using an underwater drone called the Seaglider, a 110-pound, 2.8-meter autonomous underwater robot able to lower acoustic sensors to depths of 1,000 meters. The Seaglider, originally developed by the ONR for open ocean data collection, can be used to gather information beneath the surface of the ice, Jeffries explained.
By the end of the summer in 2014, the science team had deployed over 100 robotic platforms in the ice and the ocean, Jeffries explained.
The Seagliders were programmed to receive acoustic signals or "pings" from underwater sources suspended on cables beneath buoys frozen into the ice at fixed locations, providing precise latitude and longitude information for the drones, Jeffries explained.
An acoustic signal was sent to help us determine where in the water column below the ice the Seaglider was located so that we know accurately where each temperature and salinity measurement is, Jeffries said. Scientist then learned temperature and salinity content in the water column from the surface down to depths of 1,000 meters, he added.
Having less ice in the summer means arctic waters have greater exposure to wind and sunlight, factors which can further compound the quickening pace of melting ice, Jeffries explained.
Measuring the temperature of the water beneath the ice helps scientist understand how much greater exposure to wind and sunlight is mixing up the water column and potentially raising the water temperature.
Knowing the precise temperatures of water beneath the surface of the ice and water can provide scientists with valuable information about the extent to which wind is mixing up an otherwise highly stratified water column, moving up warmer water from deeper beneath the surface.
Warmer water currents from both the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean currently flow into the Arctic region; warm waters from the Pacific are roughly 50 meters below the surface, whereas warmer waters from the Atlantic flow as deep as 200 to 250 meters below the surface, Jeffries said.
Wind-mixing could break down this water stratification and bring heat from deeper into the ocean up closer to the surface, creating warmer water which leads to more ice melting, Jeffries said.
Jeffries explained that the wind creates more turbulence in the water column which can mix up the water column and reduce the stability – allowing heat warmer water from deeper down to come up to the surface.
The Office of Naval Research is also exploring technologies designed to improve the Navy’s ability to operate in the cold, snow, ice and fog of the Arctic waters.
These efforts include technologies that allow weapons and sensors to better operate in an arctic environment and using special gear to “knock” ice off of the superstructure of a surface ship. This could also include working on technologies to build heating elements into the superstructure of the ship itself, White said.
Tensions With Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent aggressive stance in Ukraine has added to the urgency of this research as the Russian Navy also has plans to increase their presence in the region. More Arctic Ocean waterways mean quicker and more prevalent routes for Russian ships to North America.
The largest existing Arctic shipping route, called the Northern Sea Route, largely parallels the Russian border with the Arctic. This route has seen a large increase in traffic in recent years, officials said.
The Russians operate numerous large “ice-breaker” ships designed to escort commercial vessels through ice-patches by breaking up and separating the ice. Ships wishing to pass through the Northern Sea Route are charged a fee by the Russians for the ice-breaking vessels they provide for safe passage.
The Navy's Arctic Road Map addresses these threats and explains how the U.S. will require more ships in the region as the ice melts away. Predicting how quickly it will melt helps Navy leaders plan how many ships that will entail, Jeffries said.
The Navy has updated its 2009 Arctic Road Map which includes mission analysis and “fleet readiness” details for the Arctic environment, including search and rescue, maritime security, C4ISR, cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard, strategic sealift and strategic deterrence, among other things.
“The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe. While significant uncertainty exists in projections for Arctic ice extent, the current scientific consensus indicates the Arctic may experience nearly ice free summers sometime in the 2030’s,” the text of the 2009 Arctic Road Map states.
An assessment done by the Navy’s Task Force Climate Change determined that the rate of melting has increased since the time of this report. Therefore, part of the new, “updated” roadmap is to bring the most current scientific projections regarding the changing ice and water conditions in the Arctic.
Although the thinning of the Arctic ice was reported by Navy submarines in the 1990s, there have been considerable changes to the Arctic environment since that time, Robert Freeman, public affairs officer for the oceanographer of the Navy, said last year.
30 November 2015
The pace of melting ice is leading the Navy to prepare sooner for more Arctic activity
The Navy is analyzing research findings from efforts to deploy underwater drones beneath the ice in the Arctic Ocean to assess how quickly the ice is melting and understand how soon the U.S. and Russia will be competing for new strategic waterways in the region.
The drones had been measuring the temperature and salt content to help scientists develop more accurate computer models with which to predict the anticipated future pace of melting ice, Martin Jeffries, science advisor to the Office of Naval Research, or ONR, told Scout Warrior.
The Navy's unveiled its Updated Arctic Road Map that explains how increasing water temperatures and decreasing ice layers mean the service will need to increase the number of ships in the region over the next 20 years, Jeffries said.
Less ice in the Arctic means more open water, waterways and shipping routes in the region. More open water naturally leads to increased maritime transportation and greater competition for natural resources such as oil and gas mining.
As a result, Navy scientists are using unmanned underwater autonomous robots, or drones, to examine what's called the marginal ice zone – the portion of frozen ocean's packed ice that meets open water, Jeffries explained.
Alongside the drone research, ONR scientists have also been studying the impact of the waves upon the ice cover, water temperature and surrounding atmosphere.
“Waves can be damaging to the ice cover when they crash into the ice. It can accelerate the melting,” Jeffries said.
The idea behind the research is to assess the pace of change in the Arctic environment as a way to better predict the pace of melting ice. Faster ice melting means the opening up of new strategic waterways, passage routes and overall activity in the region among nations.
“What we're seeing as the sea ice retreats and we are exposing more ocean surface to the atmosphere - then we are seeing the surface waters become warmer due to absorption of solar radiation,” Jeffries told Scout Warrior in an interview.
Jeffries explained the scientific basis for the phenomenon by pointing to what's called the ice "albedo
feedback mechanism," a term used to describe the reflectivity of the surface ice. Surface ice has a much higher "albedo," allowing it to reflect sunlight and solar radiation back into the atmosphere.
Jeffries explained that water is much darker and has a low ‘albedo' – it absorbs a lot more solar radiation which heats up the water. Warmer waters then, in turn, lead to the melting of more ice.
Underwater Drones Beneath the Ice
Navy scientists have had success in the Arctic using an underwater drone called the Seaglider, a 110-pound, 2.8-meter autonomous underwater robot able to lower acoustic sensors to depths of 1,000 meters. The Seaglider, originally developed by the ONR for open ocean data collection, can be used to gather information beneath the surface of the ice, Jeffries explained.
By the end of the summer in 2014, the science team had deployed over 100 robotic platforms in the ice and the ocean, Jeffries explained.
The Seagliders were programmed to receive acoustic signals or "pings" from underwater sources suspended on cables beneath buoys frozen into the ice at fixed locations, providing precise latitude and longitude information for the drones, Jeffries explained.
An acoustic signal was sent to help us determine where in the water column below the ice the Seaglider was located so that we know accurately where each temperature and salinity measurement is, Jeffries said. Scientist then learned temperature and salinity content in the water column from the surface down to depths of 1,000 meters, he added.
Having less ice in the summer means arctic waters have greater exposure to wind and sunlight, factors which can further compound the quickening pace of melting ice, Jeffries explained.
Measuring the temperature of the water beneath the ice helps scientist understand how much greater exposure to wind and sunlight is mixing up the water column and potentially raising the water temperature.
Knowing the precise temperatures of water beneath the surface of the ice and water can provide scientists with valuable information about the extent to which wind is mixing up an otherwise highly stratified water column, moving up warmer water from deeper beneath the surface.
Warmer water currents from both the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean currently flow into the Arctic region; warm waters from the Pacific are roughly 50 meters below the surface, whereas warmer waters from the Atlantic flow as deep as 200 to 250 meters below the surface, Jeffries said.
Wind-mixing could break down this water stratification and bring heat from deeper into the ocean up closer to the surface, creating warmer water which leads to more ice melting, Jeffries said.
Jeffries explained that the wind creates more turbulence in the water column which can mix up the water column and reduce the stability – allowing heat warmer water from deeper down to come up to the surface.
The Office of Naval Research is also exploring technologies designed to improve the Navy’s ability to operate in the cold, snow, ice and fog of the Arctic waters.
These efforts include technologies that allow weapons and sensors to better operate in an arctic environment and using special gear to “knock” ice off of the superstructure of a surface ship. This could also include working on technologies to build heating elements into the superstructure of the ship itself, White said.
Tensions With Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent aggressive stance in Ukraine has added to the urgency of this research as the Russian Navy also has plans to increase their presence in the region. More Arctic Ocean waterways mean quicker and more prevalent routes for Russian ships to North America.
The largest existing Arctic shipping route, called the Northern Sea Route, largely parallels the Russian border with the Arctic. This route has seen a large increase in traffic in recent years, officials said.
The Russians operate numerous large “ice-breaker” ships designed to escort commercial vessels through ice-patches by breaking up and separating the ice. Ships wishing to pass through the Northern Sea Route are charged a fee by the Russians for the ice-breaking vessels they provide for safe passage.
The Navy's Arctic Road Map addresses these threats and explains how the U.S. will require more ships in the region as the ice melts away. Predicting how quickly it will melt helps Navy leaders plan how many ships that will entail, Jeffries said.
The Navy has updated its 2009 Arctic Road Map which includes mission analysis and “fleet readiness” details for the Arctic environment, including search and rescue, maritime security, C4ISR, cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard, strategic sealift and strategic deterrence, among other things.
“The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe. While significant uncertainty exists in projections for Arctic ice extent, the current scientific consensus indicates the Arctic may experience nearly ice free summers sometime in the 2030’s,” the text of the 2009 Arctic Road Map states.
An assessment done by the Navy’s Task Force Climate Change determined that the rate of melting has increased since the time of this report. Therefore, part of the new, “updated” roadmap is to bring the most current scientific projections regarding the changing ice and water conditions in the Arctic.
Although the thinning of the Arctic ice was reported by Navy submarines in the 1990s, there have been considerable changes to the Arctic environment since that time, Robert Freeman, public affairs officer for the oceanographer of the Navy, said last year.
U.S. Task Force 72 commander makes sure intell keeps flowing
P-3 Orion and P-8a Poseidon flights in Western Pacific are the key.
Michael Fabey, AEROSPACE DAILY & DEFENSE REPORT30 November 2015
As tension increases between the U.S. and China in the Western Pacific, proper intelligence is becoming increasingly important, and some of the most detailed, accurate and timely data and other information about that realm is the result of continued flights by P-3 Orion and P-8A Poseidon flights. As the commander of Task Force 72 aircraft and operations for the 7th Fleet area of operations, Capt. Richard Prest has to make sure the intel keeps flowing. Prest discusses some of those operations with Naval Editor Michael Fabey.
Aviation Week Intelligence Network: What is the importance of the P-8A Poseidon for the U.S. strategy in the region?
Prest: The P-8As will support the rebalance through its enhanced capabilities over the P-3. The P-3 has been a workhorse for decades, but the P-8 will bring new and advanced capability across the full range of maritime, patrol, and reconnaissance mission areas. The aircraft and crews are performing very well, and there’s a lot to be excited about. We operate around the clock in international airspace in accordance with international laws to enhance relationships with regional partners and allies.
AWIN: What is the number of aircraft available for such patrols?
Prest: The number shifts, depending on global force management, which is determined by Navy leadership. Every six months we get a new allocation of aircraft in theater. While fairly steady, it varies based on any number of variables – especially as we continue our transition from the P-3 aircraft to the P-8A Poseidon.
AWIN: With everything going on in the region, are you expecting to get more P-8As?
Prest: The next cycle is in the spring. We’re going to see an increase in aircraft. But it’s really about the capability – not the airframe numbers.
AWIN: How many P-8As are expected in the region in the future?
Prest: The number of the end state deployed is still to be determined, based on operational requirements within the theater. That’s constantly being re-evaluated and refined as we continue to build P-8 inventory and transition from the legacy P-3 aircraft.
AWIN: How far-ranging are the missions?
Prest: Depending on our base of operations, our crews can go as far north as the Sea of Okhotsk and the northern Pacific, as far west as the Indian Ocean, and as far south as Australia. Mission profiles can last anywhere from 8 to 12 hours depending on the tasking. Sometimes we extend (time) on station, as required. It can be a very dynamic and exciting environment.
AWIN: What do you mean by “dynamic?”
Prest: We can by dynamically re-tasked in flight depending on emerging requirements. We pride ourselves on being operationally agile and flexible. If we are out on a mission to establish ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) and a submarine requirement should emerge, we are able to take action on that tasking after coordinating with our headquarters. That’s one of the benefits of our community and the P-8A or P-3 platforms – we have the capability and agility to respond to those emerging operational requirements.
AWIN: How do the missions differ, operationally?
Prest: The missions are very different. The ASW (antisubmarine warfare) mission is very dynamic, very fast-moving and requires a lot of focus from all crewmembers. The ISR, if not our primary tasking, is always going on in the background and also requires a high level of focus. You have to maintain a constant situational awareness of where you are operating the aircraft, especially in places like the Spratlys, Paracels and South China Sea writ large.
It requires keen situational awareness to make sure we maintain our flight profile in international airspace in accordance with international law. Along with anti-submarine warfare and ISR, our other primary mission area is anti-surface warfare. Additionally, our aircraft are well-suited for search-and-rescue and humanitarian assistance disaster relief missions. Leadership often refers to us (the Seventh Fleet) as “911” due to our versatility, responsiveness and range.
AWIN: What are some of the other operational concerns about such flights?
Prest: No specific concerns, but safety of flight is always a priority. On a mission of 10-plus hours, we can’t have the same two pilots in the seats. The crews have three pilots and rotate at hour-and-half intervals to make sure all pilots retain focus. But with other crew positions we don’t have that luxury. At certain times of the mission, such as transit to and from on station areas, certain crewmembers are able to rest, but that has to be tightly managed. There are always tasks on board that have to be done.
U.S. budget deal could slow bomber, nuke sub programs
Staff, Defense Daily
30 November 2015
Some major modernization programs, including the Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) and Ohio-class nuclear submarine replacement, will be slowed as the Defense Department absorbs a $15 billion cut after fiscal year 2017, the Pentagon's chief accountant said Nov. 30.
Pentagon bean counters are not thrilled with the budget deal passed at the 11th hour, but recognize that two years of relative financial stability is as good as the Defense Department's budget outlook is going to get until a new administration arrives in 2017. The deal will cut about $15 billion from the base budget laid out in the Pentagon's fiscal year 2017 plan.
"One of the ways we will accommodate this $15 billion cut is there will probably be slowdowns in some modernization programs, and of course LRS-B had a little delay driven by its own schedule dynamics anyway,"
Pentagon Comptroller Mike McCord said during a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. "I think that there will be some slowdowns in a few places."
The final two fiscal year budgets prepared under the Obama administration will be only the third in the past eight years without a continuing resolution. The Pentagon has operated under continuing resolutions for at least part of the past six fiscal years, which McCord said was the worst record in three decades. McCord said the administration was right to plant its feet during budget negotiations.
"In the end. I think that we were right to hold out for a deal and not just go along with this one-time maneuver that would help us for one year," McCord said. "In the end, although we didn't get all the money we wanted out of this deal, we felt good about the outcome.Our reluctance to just go for the short-term easy solution helped, produce the outcome that we got in this budget deal."
The Defense Department is focused on investing in modernization, though McCord said the money to back up Secretary Ashton Carter's Force of the Future initiative could be scarce. That includes funding for the extremely expensive LRS-B and Ohio replacement programs, McCord said.
"I wish I could say that I had long-term budget stability or predictability to underwrite the investments that we want to make as a department," McCord said. "I do not have that, of course. We do know some of the big issues on our plate.One of which is the big bill that is coming to recapitalize our nuclear deterrent."
The deal reached by Congress in October does not prevent a future government shutdown and it provides no guidance about military spending beyond fiscal year 2017. Defense contracting analysts Capital Alpha partners said the deal covering fiscal years 2016 and 217 is "good for DoD, but it is not out of the woods in terms of long-term needs and likely resources."
Combining the Pentagon's base budget projections and Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding, the budget deal left DoD with 99 percent of its budget request for fiscal 2016 and 97 percent of its proposal for fiscal 2017, which McCord said was "a good day."
The deal gives DoD $8 billion in relief by moving funds to OCO funding, an account that is immune to federal budget caps but not sequestration. However, that relief margin has been cut to about $5 billion because of the need to pay for troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2016, McCord said.
The budget proposal to be submitted in February is two to three weeks from completion, McCord said. Left to iron out are the OCO appropriation, military compensation and spending on the military's renewed presence in Europe called the European Reassurance Initiative, or ERI, aimed at bolstering NATO allies against further Russian expansion on the continent.
ERI spending will be on more troops rotations through the continent, prepositioning of supplies and an uptick in military exercises with NATO allies, McCord said.
30 November 2015
Some major modernization programs, including the Long-Range Strike Bomber (LRS-B) and Ohio-class nuclear submarine replacement, will be slowed as the Defense Department absorbs a $15 billion cut after fiscal year 2017, the Pentagon's chief accountant said Nov. 30.
Pentagon bean counters are not thrilled with the budget deal passed at the 11th hour, but recognize that two years of relative financial stability is as good as the Defense Department's budget outlook is going to get until a new administration arrives in 2017. The deal will cut about $15 billion from the base budget laid out in the Pentagon's fiscal year 2017 plan.
"One of the ways we will accommodate this $15 billion cut is there will probably be slowdowns in some modernization programs, and of course LRS-B had a little delay driven by its own schedule dynamics anyway,"
Pentagon Comptroller Mike McCord said during a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. "I think that there will be some slowdowns in a few places."
The final two fiscal year budgets prepared under the Obama administration will be only the third in the past eight years without a continuing resolution. The Pentagon has operated under continuing resolutions for at least part of the past six fiscal years, which McCord said was the worst record in three decades. McCord said the administration was right to plant its feet during budget negotiations.
"In the end. I think that we were right to hold out for a deal and not just go along with this one-time maneuver that would help us for one year," McCord said. "In the end, although we didn't get all the money we wanted out of this deal, we felt good about the outcome.Our reluctance to just go for the short-term easy solution helped, produce the outcome that we got in this budget deal."
The Defense Department is focused on investing in modernization, though McCord said the money to back up Secretary Ashton Carter's Force of the Future initiative could be scarce. That includes funding for the extremely expensive LRS-B and Ohio replacement programs, McCord said.
"I wish I could say that I had long-term budget stability or predictability to underwrite the investments that we want to make as a department," McCord said. "I do not have that, of course. We do know some of the big issues on our plate.One of which is the big bill that is coming to recapitalize our nuclear deterrent."
The deal reached by Congress in October does not prevent a future government shutdown and it provides no guidance about military spending beyond fiscal year 2017. Defense contracting analysts Capital Alpha partners said the deal covering fiscal years 2016 and 217 is "good for DoD, but it is not out of the woods in terms of long-term needs and likely resources."
Combining the Pentagon's base budget projections and Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding, the budget deal left DoD with 99 percent of its budget request for fiscal 2016 and 97 percent of its proposal for fiscal 2017, which McCord said was "a good day."
The deal gives DoD $8 billion in relief by moving funds to OCO funding, an account that is immune to federal budget caps but not sequestration. However, that relief margin has been cut to about $5 billion because of the need to pay for troops to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2016, McCord said.
The budget proposal to be submitted in February is two to three weeks from completion, McCord said. Left to iron out are the OCO appropriation, military compensation and spending on the military's renewed presence in Europe called the European Reassurance Initiative, or ERI, aimed at bolstering NATO allies against further Russian expansion on the continent.
ERI spending will be on more troops rotations through the continent, prepositioning of supplies and an uptick in military exercises with NATO allies, McCord said.
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