Army Corps Leads Effort on Bridge Cleanup
The US Army Corps of Engineers is deploying more than 1,100 personnel to Baltimore, following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge into the Patapsco River on Tuesday. Naval Sea Systems Command is contracting out a variety of vessels to the harbor to help with clearing and reopening of the channel after a tanker struck the bridge.
Veterans Day Originally Commemorated Peace
Nov. 11 is Veterans Day, begun as Armistice Day commemorating the end of fighting in World War I, in the US the day now honors all those who have served in the military, past, or present. The United States’ official day of national remembrance of those killed in action is Memorial Day, which predates World War I.
2nd US Aircraft Carrier Deploys to Mediterranean
Five thousand sailors are headed to the Mediterranean Sea aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the flagship of the Ike carrier strike group. The ship deployed Saturday from Norfolk, VA. The Eisenhower’s deployment comes amid rising tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. The strike group will join the USS Gerald R. Ford already in international waters off of Israel.
State AG Files Lawsuit Against MetCom Over Sewage Overflows
The Maryland Attorney General’s Office filed a civil complaint Thursday in the Circuit Court for St. Mary’s County against the St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission over continued sewage overflows from its sanitary sewer system.
Pearl Harbor’s Water Still Unsafe
The Navy urged 93,000 residents of Pearl Harbor, HI, to boil water for drinking and cooking as a precaution against bacteria, and also continue to conserve water after a fourth water main break on Monday followed three breaks on Friday of the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickman system. These same residents faced fuel contamination of their water last year from fuel leaks from JBPHH. The Navy was to begin draining that fuel Monday, but the broken mains prevent that.
3 Options in Navy’s New Shipbuilding Plan
The Navy is sifting through three options for its shipbuilding plans — only one gets to the goal of 355 ships.
First Woman Nominated to Lead Armed Service
US Coast Guard ADM Linda Fagan will become the first woman to lead a branch of the US armed services if her nomination to lead the US Coast Guard is confirmed. Fagan has been the Coast Guard’s No. 2 since June and was the first woman in the service to be promoted to four stars.
Gilday: Larger Fleet Means Larger Share of the Budget
With more ships needed in more places around the world, the US Navy needs a larger fleet and a larger share of the defense budget, says Chief of Naval Operations ADM Mike Gilday. That would mean changing the historical split of funding among the services.
Navy Will Shut Red Hill Fuel Facility
The decision to permanently shut the Navy’s massive Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii that leaked petroleum into Pearl Harbor’s tap water was based on a new Pentagon assessment, but also is in line with an order from Hawaii’s Department of Health to drain fuel from the tanks.
N.Korean Missile Snaps Earth Pix
Amid a busy month of missile test launches, on Jan. 30 North Korea released a photo taken of Earth, reporting the image was captured from a Hwasong 12 intermediate-range ballistic missile “by a camera installed at the missile warhead.”
