March 28, 2024

No US Carrier in Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf
USS Theodore Roosevelt leads a formation through the Persian Gulf. Photographer: Mate 2nd Class Matthew Bash

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 reflectMorning Coffee logo those of the Leader’s owners or staff.

Sunday marked the start of the Iran Nuclear deal, reports the Huffington Post. And the Navy doesn’t have a carrier in the Persian Gulf, for the first time since 2008, reports The Hill. The Theodore Roosevelt pulled out days after Tehran’s controversial ballistic missile test. The Harry Truman, won’t arrive until winter, leaving a months-long gap without a visible symbol of American deterrence in the region.

No decision yet on surveillance vs strike as the Navy emphasizes long-range surveillance and Congress focuses on strike capability, reports Navy Times. Deliberations drone on regarding the hybrid Unmanned Carrier-Launched Aerial Strike and Surveillance program, versus going with one or the other; versus a separate platform for each.

President Obama sends 90 troops to Cameroon to help the government with airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance against Boko Harum and other violent extremists. About 300 troops could be sent, reports Pilot OnLine.

The Navy establishes an independent review panel to assess and explore alternatives to the troubled mine-hunting system for the littoral combat ship, reports Defense News. The system, 13 years in development, still proves inadequate.

Congressman Steny Hoyer, Maryland’s two senators, and other legislators encourage construction of the new FBI headquarters on one of the two sites proposed in Prince George County.

ICANN is meeting in Dublin. The US government is to  hand oversight of the Internet domain name system to the group and wants improved accountability from the organization. Learn about the ICANN meetings here.

By Sunday morning, flooding, winds and rains from Typhoon Koppu, cut off three towns in the Aurora province of the Philippines, including Casiguran, where the typhoon made landfall, reports CNN. NBC reports 16,000 villagers displaced.

 Rules protecting government workers make firing nearly impossible, even when employees commit egregious violations, says Foundation for Economic Freedom, reporting on a CBS report. From a CATO report, FEE says, federal employees made  78 percent more in total compensation than their private sector equivalents; state and local employees about 25 percent more. FedSmith takes exception to the manner the numbers are interpreted, but also questions the Federal Salary Council reporting federal workers as underpaid by an average of 35 percent. FedSmith concludes no one knows how federal pay compares to the private sector. Comments on the story suggest a valid comparison is impossible.

Huffington Post lays out the Republican rooster of whose running for president and adds in the top two Dems as well. The Hill reports, days after Donald Trump told the publication he should have a Secret Service detail, he received one. So did Ben Carson. And Hillary Clinton’s existing detail as the former-First Lady, was enhanced.

The Voyager spacecrafts launched in the 1970s to carry news of Earth into the Universe has time in this solar system and room for only one, final, 1,000 character text to update the initial information about Earth, humans, mathematics, even music compositions sent into orbit on gold plates, reports The Telegraph.

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