Academies Teach Loyalty to Constitution

U.S. Navy photo by Stacy Godfrey

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 reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

US military academies are emphasizing to the next generation of military officers that their loyalty must be focused on the nation’s democratic underpinnings rather than on any individual. Military.com reports it is a reflection of how the armed forces are being forced to deal with America’s deep political polarization at a time when trust in traditional institutions is eroding. Their loyalty is “not about particular candidates,” MAJ Joe Amoroso tells his students at the US Military Academy. “It’s not a particular person or personality that occupies these positions. It’s about the Constitution.”

DefSec Lloyd Austin was released on Monday from a two-week stay in the hospital. He’d been receiving treatment for complications from prostate cancer surgery he’d also kept secret from President Joe Biden and senior administration officials, along with his hospitalization. Biden called Austin’s secrecy a lapse in judgment, Military Times reports, but expressed confidence in his Pentagon chief.

Lawmakers in the House are seeking to amend federal law to require all members of the National Security Council to provide notification within 24 hours of any planned or emergency medical incapacitation. The bill was introduced this week by Reps. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) and Don Davis (D-NC), both members of the House Armed Services Committee, reports Stars and Stripes.

In a 72-11 vote, the Senate opposed leveraging US military aid to compel an assessment of whether Israel committed human rights violations during its three-month-long Gaza offensive, reports Defense News. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) forced a floor vote on his resolution which would have required the State Department to report to Congress within a month on allegations of Israeli human rights violations. Failure to submit the report would have frozen Israel’s annual $3.8 billion in US military aid.

South Africa says more than 50 countries have expressed support for its case at the United Nations’ top court accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in the war in Gaza. Stars and Stripes reports that other nations have strongly rejected South Africa’s allegation that Israel is violating the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Many more have remained silent.

US Central Command reported the two missing Navy SEALs were conducting a nighttime seizure Jan. 11 of a vessel in the Arabian Sea that was filled with “lethal aid” provided by Iran, according to Scripps News. The missing SEALs’ names and base have not been released as the search continues. AP reports the vessel was carrying components for medium-range Iranian ballistic missiles headed for Somalia. The Navy recognized the boat, which had a history of transporting illegal weapons from Iran to Somalia.

Houthi militants struck the US-owned Gibraltar Eagle carrier ship with a ballistic missile on Monday south of the Port of Aden. The group vowed to continue attacks after US and British strikes on its sites in Yemen. Stars and Stripes reports the Gibraltar Eagle was struck with an anti-ship missile, causing a fire in a hold but no injuries on board. Ship-tracking data on Monday showed at least 15 tankers altering course in response to the escalating conflict. QatarEnergy, the world’s second largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, has joined those avoiding the Red Sea.

The Philippines have announced plans to develop islands and reefs in the South China Sea that are the subject of contesting claims from China, Aljazeera reports. The upgrades seek to make them liveable for troops, Manila’s military chief Romeo Brawner said on Monday. The announcement came amid simmering tensions between the Philippines and China.

The US has approved the potential sale of 246 Javelin anti-tank missiles to Kosovo for an estimated cost of $75 million, reports Defense News, making Kosovo the third Javelin customer in the region along with Albania and Romania. The news was met with “deep disappointment” in Serbia, reports ABC News. Kosovo is a former Serbian province which declared independence in 2008. The US and most Western nations recognize Kosovo’s statehood, Serbia, its ally Russia, and China do not.

Belarus announced this week a new military doctrine to provide for the use of nuclear weapons, reports Defense News. Russia last year stationed an unknown number of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which Russia says it controls. The short-range weapons with comparatively low yields are intended for battlefield use.

Lockheed Martin won a $97.3m contract modification to integrate legacy missiles on all iterations of the F-35, due to a shortage of the upgraded version of the AGM-88G HARM, an air-to-surface tactical missile designed to seek and destroy a target with minimum aircrew input, according to NavalTechnology.com. The contract also includes reprogramming laboratory development of the latest F-35 aircraft in Australia, Canada, Italy, Norway, and the UK.

The Navy has recovered an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter that crashed into the San Diego Bay on Jan. 11, reports USNI. All six crew members – two pilots and four aircrew — underwent medical evaluation and were released in good condition on Jan. 12.  The helicopter’s body was pulled from from 15 feet of water during a 10-hour retrieval and offloaded it onto a pier at Naval Base Coronado.

The US Navy completed its first deployment of four unmanned ships, which spent five months in the Pacific testing ways to integrate their capabilities into crewed fleet operations, reports Defense News. The Sea Hunter, Sea Hawk, Mariner, and Ranger departed Southern California on Aug. 7 and returned Jan. 15.

AP News shares views from the secretive Airborne Warning and Control System, or AWACS, aircraft. An AP journalist joined 26 military personnel on a 10-hour reconnaissance mission peering with electronic eyes across southern Ukraine, the Black Sea to Russian-occupied Crimea, and beyond.

NASA has unveiled an experimental quiet supersonic aircraft hoping to open faster-than-the-speed-of-sound, commercial air travel. The Engineer reports the X-59 developed in partnership with Lockheed Martin, is expected to fly at 1.4 times the speed of sound, or 925 mph while generating a quieter sonic thump. Loud sonic booms are why rules prohibit commercial supersonic flight over land. At 99.7 feet long and 29.5 feet wide, the aircraft’s shape and the technological advancements it houses will make quiet supersonic flight possible.

Contracts:

Calibre Systems Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, was awarded a $14,795,239 firm-fixed-price contract to support models and database tools used to cost Army organization structure and capabilities. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 19, 2029. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-24-D-0013).

Science Applications International Corp., Reston, Virginia, was awarded an $18,985,464 modification (P00040) to contract W91QVN-20-F-0157 for information technology support services. Work will be performed in South Korea, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 31, 2025. Fiscal 2024 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $9,786,732 were obligated at the time of the award. 411th Contracting Support Brigade, Seoul, South Korea, is the contracting activity. (Awarded Jan. 15, 2024)