Morning Coffee: AirLand Chair Advocates Full F-35 Funding
Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the Leader’s owners or staff.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), the incoming chairman of the AirLand subcommittee, stated on Tuesday that the best approach to the controversial F-35 stealth fighter program is to fully fund it, reports the Marine Corps Times. The powerful subcommittee has an important role in determining whether development problems with the Lockheed Martin F-35 are resolved in time to avoid more cuts to the program. Sen. Blumenthal said, “I’m a supporter of the Joint Strike Fighter . . . and I’ll continue to be. A lot of the problems have been resolved. I’m hoping it will [avoid] any further obstacles or funding challenges.”
Vice Adm. Michael Roger, US Cyber Command nominee, took an “open approach” to answering written questions during his Tuesday Senate confirmation hearing, according to Defense News. Unlike his predecessor, US Army Gen. Keith Alexander, Adm. Roger did not provide any answers in a classified format. The move to transparency can be tied to Obama administration efforts to alleviate recent concerns about the power of Cyber Command and its surveillance activities. Adm. Rogers wrote, “The US possesses superior military might across all warfighting domains, cyberspace included. In truth, however, there has been no large scale Cyber conflict yet in history, and the state of strategy and execution of Cyber warfare is evolving as we speak.”
The Navy’s decision to change the way it counts ships took heat in Congress Wednesday, according to The Hill. Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) said it amounted to adding “paper ships” to the fleet and was an accounting trick to cover the Navy’s inability to meet the requirements of combatant commanders. NavSec Ray Mabus said the change in ship counting procedures allowed the counting of ships routinely requested by commanders.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert discussed details of the Navy’s fiscal 2015 budget request this week while appearing on “Conversation with a Shipmate”, reports America’s Navy. Adm. Greenert covered compensation issues including pay, Basic Allowance for Housing and tuition assistance and said, “Compensation is about half of our budget. We’d like to keep it to one half. The idea is to limit the growth, not take out.”
The US Senate passed a bill 97-0 on Monday to cut sexual assault in the military, but some say the legislation doesn’t go far enough. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), author of the bill, stated on MSNBC that, “We’ve now passed, with this passage yesterday, 35 major sweeping reforms as it relates to sexual assault in the military. We now have created the most victim friendly organization in the world.” NPR has provided a relevant transcript from the “Tell Me More” show featuring Military Times reporter Leo Shane III which analyzes the content and impact of the bill, which still faces debate and a vote in the House.
DefSec Chuck Hagel announced Tuesday that Vice Adm. John W. Miller, commander of US 5th Fleet, has been nominated for Deputy Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon, reports Stars and Stripes. If confirmed by the Senate, Adm. Miller would be responsible for CNO operations, plans, and strategy.
The USS Coronado, a 418-foot Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), had a close encounter with whales last weekend in California, according to the Orange County Register. A local civilian whale-watch captain realized that the new combat ship was heading straight for a whale pod and radioed a warning. The LCS impressed onlookers by “stopping on a dime” which allowed the whales to pass by unharmed. The captain said, Navy officers “. . . couldn’t have been more courteous on the radio, or in their actions.”
Lockheed Martin was awarded $698.9 million in funding this week to perform basic seaframe construction of two Navy Littoral Combat Ships, reports The Motley Fool. The now funded contact was awarded in Dec. 2010 and includes the purchase of select systems equipment for installation aboard the vessels along with integration and testing. The contract runs through Aug. 2018.
