Tag Archives: Navy

U.S. says it will stay in Black Sea despite Russian warning

Navy missile destroyer in Black Sea

By Steve Scherer

ABOARD THE USS MASON (Reuters) – The United States will maintain its presence in the Black Sea despite a Russian warning that a U.S. destroyer patrolling there undermined regional security, the U.S. Navy Secretary said.

The USS Porter entered the Black Sea this month, drawing heavy criticism from Moscow. Turkey and Romania are expected to push for a bigger NATO presence in the Black Sea at the NATO summit in Warsaw next month.

Aboard the USS Mason, another U.S. destroyer, in the Mediterranean on Thursday, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus told Reuters that it was the U.S. Navy’s job to deter aggression and keep sea lanes open.

“We’re going to be there,” Mabus said of the Black Sea. “We’re going to deter. That’s the main reason we’re there — to deter potential aggression.”

Mabus spoke days after Russia criticized NATO discussions about a creating a permanent force in the Black Sea.

“If a decision is made to create a permanent force, of course, it would be destabilizing, because this is not a NATO sea,” Russian news agencies quoted senior Foreign Ministry official Andrei Kelin as saying.

Russia, which annexed Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014, has its own Black Sea Fleet based at Sevastopol.

The NATO summit takes place as relations between Russia and the alliance are severely strained over Moscow’s role in the Ukraine crisis and in Syria. While Russia says it poses no threat to alliance, NATO is considering what to do to counter what it sees as growing Russian aggression.

Mabus said the United States follows the rules of the Montreux Convention, which states that countries without a Black Sea coastline cannot keep their warships there for more than 21 days. NATO members Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria are all Black Sea Basin countries.

Bulgaria appeared to buckle to Russian pressure on Thursday. Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said he would not join a proposed NATO fleet in the Black Sea because it should be a place for holidays and tourists, not war.

Also increasing tensions with Moscow is the U.S. Navy’s deployment of two aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean ahead the NATO summit as Washington seeks to balance an increase in Russian military activities in the Mediterranean.

“We’ve been in the Mediterranean continuously for 70 years now, since World War Two,” Mabus said. “We’ve been keeping the sea lanes open…It’s what we do.”

(Reporting by Steve Scherer; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

U.S. military leaders say women should have to register for draft

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. armed forces leaders said on Tuesday that women should be required to register for the military draft, along with men, as the military moves toward integrating them fully into combat positions.

Congress should begin to look at legislation requiring women to register for the Selective Service, they told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on women in combat.

“I think that all eligible and qualified men and women should register for the draft,” said General Robert Neller, the commandant of the Marine Corps.

The U.S. military is currently an all-volunteer force, but young men are still required to register in case the draft is reactivated.

The military leaders at the hearing said it would take years for women to be fully integrated into combat units, although they generally voiced strong support for the plan to skeptical committee members.

“Full integration will likely take several years,” Patrick Murphy, acting secretary of the Army, said.

Mark Milley, the Army chief of staff, estimated that full integration of women would take “no less than one to three years of deliberate effort.”

President Barack Obama’s defense secretary, Ash Carter, announced in December that the military would let women serve in all combat roles, a historic announcement greeted with intense skepticism by many Republican members of Congress.

Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, the committee’s chairman, objected to the announcement at the time. He said it would have “a consequential impact” on U.S. forces and their war-fighting capabilities.

At Tuesday’s hearing, McCain again expressed doubts, saying he worried there had not been enough planning before the announcement. “I am concerned that the department has gone about things backwards,” McCain said.

Some Republican critics of the plan have said they fear it would lead to the imposition of quotas mandating a specific number of women in some units, such as Marines in positions that might require hand-to-hand combat.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus rejected that suggestion as “unacceptable,” adding, “It would endanger not only the safety of Marines, but also the safety of our nation.”

Many Democrats have expressed strong support.

Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the panel, said physical abilities alone do not determine whether a military unit is effective.

“Fighting and winning wars, as I’m sure our panelists know well, involves much more than that,” Reed said.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Dan Grebler and Jonathan Oatis)

Iranian drone flew over U.S. carrier in ‘unprofessional’ move, Navy says

WASHINGTON/ANKARA (Reuters) – An unarmed Iranian drone flew directly over a U.S. aircraft carrier operating in international waters in the Gulf this month in a move that was “abnormal and unprofessional,” the U.S. military said on Friday.

Iranian state television said a surveillance drone flew over a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Gulf and took “precise” pictures during an Iranian naval drill on Friday.

But a U.S. Navy spokeswoman only confirmed an incident on Jan. 12, when an unarmed Iranian drone flew directly over the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman. She could not confirm if it was the same incident reported by Iranian media.

The Jan. 12 overflight took place the same day Iran detained 10 U.S. sailors who it said had entered Iranian territorial waters by mistake.

The drone initially flew toward the French carrier the Charles de Gaulle, and then flew directly over the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman, said the spokeswoman, Lieutenant Commander Nicole Schwegman, in an e-mailed statement. The U.S. carrier was not conducting flight operations at the time, Schwegman said.

“The UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was unarmed and posed no risk to the carrier’s flight operations,” Schwegman said. “While the Iranian UAV’s actions posed no danger to the ship, it was, however, abnormal and unprofessional.”

Both the American and French carriers were operating in international waters in the Gulf, Schwegman said.

The commander of Iran’s navy, Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, said the drone overflight reported by Iranian media as occurring on Friday was a sign of the Iranian navy’s “readiness and bravery,” according to state television.

An Iranian submarine was also deployed to the area on Friday and took pictures of the drone and the U.S. carrier, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

(Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati and Parisa Hafezi; Editing by David Alexander and Andrew Hay)

Officials find no sign of reported shooting at Naval Medical Center

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) – A report of an active shooter and shots fired at the U.S. Naval Medical Center in San Diego triggered a heavy law enforcement response on Tuesday but was apparently unfounded, Navy officials said.

A lone witness reported hearing three shots at about 8 a.m. PST in the basement of a building at the sprawling medical center, the officials said.

Police interviewed the witness and continued to clear the building into Tuesday afternoon but there was no sign of foul play.

“We did an initial clearing of the building and found nothing that would indicate any kind of dangerous situation,” Navy Captain Curt Jones, commanding officer of the Naval facility, told a news conference.

California and the United States remain on edge after a married couple inspired by Islamist militants shot and killed 14 people last month in San Bernardino, about 100 miles north of San Diego.

The city is home to the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet.

Seven law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Marshals, SWAT teams and an armored car from the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department were involved in the response to the reported shooting.

Police with rifles and dogs searched the building where the shots were reported, as workers filed out with their hands in the air.

“As of right now, we have found absolutely nothing that indicates there were any shots fired,” Jones said.

A post on the medical center’s Facebook page had earlier advised occupants to “run, hide or fight,” the protocol advised by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in response to an active shooter.

All non-emergency response staff were asked to stay away from the compound. The shooter was reported in building #26, which is home to a “wounded warrior” program to help seriously injured and ill Navy sailors and members of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The medical center, about two miles north of downtown San Diego, includes a 272-bed hospital and a staff of more than 6,500 military and civilian professionals, the center’s website said.

A local middle school and two high schools in the area were initially placed on lockdown as a precaution.

(Reporting by Marty Graham in San Diego Additional reporting by Suzannah Gonzales in Chicago, Alex Dobuzinskis and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and David Alexander in Washington; Editing by Tom Brown)

Iran detained American sailors at gunpoint, U.S. military says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The 10 U.S. sailors who were briefly detained by the Iranian military last week were held at gunpoint and had a verbal exchange with Iranian personnel before they were released, the U.S. military said Monday.

Just two days after the United States and other world powers lifted sanctions on Iran, the military released its most comprehensive timeline to date of the events surrounding the sailors’ brief detainment.

In a news release, the military said the sailors also had two SIM cards pulled out of their satellite phones, but that there was no gunfire exchange.

There were no details on the verbal exchange the sailors had with the Iranians.

The U.S. sailors, who were aboard two patrol craft, were detained by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on January 12 when they inadvertently entered Iranian territorial waters. They were released the next day after being held for about 15 hours.

The U.S. military said the Americans were intercepted after the diesel engine in one of their boats developed a mechanical problem, although it was unclear if the crew was aware of their precise location.

The sailors were released unharmed and are in good health.

Their prompt release came just days before world powers lifted crippling sanctions on Iran in return for Tehran’s implementation of a deal curbing its nuclear program.

The Obama administration has said their speedy release shows the power of diplomacy and the promise of its new engagement with Iran.

Republicans, however, have been critical of the deal with Iran, and some say the detainment of the sailors shows how little regard Iran has for America.

Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz has been among some of the vocal critics. On Fox News Sunday, Cruz said the only reason the sailors were seized was because of the “weakness of Barack Obama.”

In a speech at Liberty University on Monday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump also lambasted the administration over the incident with the sailors.

“Those young people were on their hands and knees in a begging position with their hands up and thugs behind them with guns, and then we talk like it’s OK. It’s not OK. It’s lack of respect.”

Secretary of State John Kerry said on CNN that once he heard about the sailors’ detention, he was “very frustrated and angry”, and that “I raised it immediately with the Iranians.”

He declined to give the content of his conversation, but added: “Suffice it to say that I made it crystal clear how serious this was. It was imperative to get it resolved.”

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Ian Simpson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Nick Zieminski)

Pentagon Opens All Military Positions to Women

Women will be allowed to hold any job in the United States military — including those in combat units — following a historic announcement by Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday.

Carter said at a news conference that for the first time ever, women in the U.S. military will be allowed to do jobs from which they were previously barred, given they meet specific standards.

“They’ll be allowed to drive tanks, fire mortars and lead infantry soldiers into combat,” Carter reportedly said, according to a recap posted on the Department of Defense’s official website. “They’ll be able to serve as Army Rangers and Green Berets, Navy SEALs, Marine Corps infantry, Air Force parajumpers and everything else that was previously open only to men.”

The jobs will formally become available to women next month, according to the Department of Defense posting, though Carter acknowledged that it will take some time for full integration.

Carter said at the news conference that leaders from all branches of the military had spent the past three years studying the assimilation of women into the previously men-only positions, according to the Department of Defense. Leaders from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Special Operations Command didn’t indicate that women should be barred from any job.

While the Marine Corps reportedly asked that certain jobs be kept men-only, like machine gunner and fire support reconnaissance, the Department of Defense quoted Carter as saying “we are a joint force and I have decided to make a decision which applies to the entire force.”

The news wasn’t immediately welcomed by everyone.

Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), the chairmen of the Armed Services Committees in their respective legislative houses, released a joint statement in which they said Carter’s decision “will have a consequential impact on our servicemembers and our military’s warfighting capabilities.” They said they want time to review the materials that played into Carter’s decision, including a 1,000-page report from the Marine Integrated Task Force.

One of the findings of that report, according to a September 2015 news release, was that all-male units generally outperformed integrated units in tests designed to simulate combat situations.

“We expect the Department to send over its implementation plans as quickly as possible to ensure our Committees have all the information necessary to conduct proper and rigorous oversight,” McCain and Thornberry said in the statement, adding that they also wanted to see the department’s stance on if changes to the Selective Service Act might now be required.

White House Reports U.S. Jets Intercept Russian Warplanes near Korean Peninsula

Four fighter jets were launched by the U.S. Navy to intercept Russian warplanes that were flying one nautical mile away from the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

According to White House spokesman Josh Earnest, the USS Ronald Reagan was performing a military exercise with South Korea in the Sea of Japan. Korean jets first intercepted the Russian warplanes. The Navy also stated they tried to communicate with the Russian planes, but never received a response.

Yahoo! News reports that Earnest stated the situation was “not a particularly threatening encounter,” as there was no evidence that the Russian planes posed any threat to the aircraft carrier or the ships that were escorting it.

The situation comes after an agreement was signed between Russia and the United States on October 10 that established protocols for flying over Syria. The agreement was to avoid any crashes between pilots.

Today’s incident isn’t the first time the U.S. and Russia has experienced encounters like this in 2015. A video was released by the Navy in June that showed Russian jets flying near the guided missile destroyer USS Ross. On July 4, Russian fighter jets located off the coasts of Alaska and California were intercepted by the United States, according to CNN.

Iranian Naval Vessels Confront US Navy Daily

US naval ships operating in the Strait of Hormuz have been reporting daily contacts with Iranian vessels and aircraft.

“US Naval forces are routinely approached by Iranian warships and aircraft as they operate in the region, with the majority of all interaction by the Iranians conducted in a safe and professional manner,” a Pentagon official confirmed to the Washington Free Beacon. “This happens on a near daily basis.”

The Strait is considered a vital shipping lane for the region and US forces have patrolled the area to keep ships safe from interference from Iran and terror groups.

The Iranian ships and drones appear to be videotaping the US forces.  An Iranian government news agency released footage of some of the flights including a close up inspection of a US aircraft carrier.

“The latest IRGC operation is a mission to identify an American aircraft carrier passing through the region, carried out by a navy reconnaissance plane called the Harbin Y-2,” the report said.

Pentagon officials say they are recording the incidents.

“During these interactions we, too, capture imagery for the record,” the official said. “Safe, professional, and routine interactions are of no concern, and we are fully confident in the ability of US Naval forces to defend themselves. We also publicly acknowledge those interactions with the Iranians which we consider to be unsafe.”

Iranian officials have restated their intent to support groups that will attack Israel or the US.

“I officially declare that under no circumstances will we refrain from providing material and moral support to Hezbollah, or to any group of the resistance to the US and Israel,” said Hossein Dehghan, Iran’s defense minister, earlier this month.

ISIS Claims Rocket Attack That Struck Egyptian Military Ship

Islamic terrorist group ISIS says their affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula fired a guided rocket at an Egyptian Navy vessel near Rafah that burst into flame.

The military confirmed a frigate had been pursuing ISIS terrorists near Rafah and had “engaged in gunfire” with the extremists and the ship experienced a fire but said no one had been killed.

The terrorists, however, released a series of photos that appear to show a rocket flying toward an Egyptian frigate, causing a massive explosion and fire.  The terrorists claim everyone on board was killed.

The SITE Intelligence Group told the BBC the missile appeared to be an anti-tank missile.  Witnesses say that other Egyptian military craft rushed to the side of the stricken vessel.

The attack is believed to be the first time the terrorist group has launched a missile attack on a ship.  It raises concerns that they would attempt to disrupt shipping traffic through the Suez Canal.

ISIS has been particularly active in Egypt over the last four weeks.  The group claimed the assassination of the country’s top prosecutor, killing 21 soldiers in the town of Sheikh Zuwaid and Saturday’s bombing of the Italian Consulate in Cairo.

Navy Chaplain Dismissed For Standing For Jesus Elected To State House

A Navy chaplain discharged for praying in Jesus’ name while he was in uniform is heading to the Colorado State House.

Gordon Klingenschmitt was elected in Colorado’s 15th District with 70% of the vote in a district that is only 43% Republican.

“I owe a great debt to our volunteers and donors, and I am humbled by the voters’ support. As perhaps the only ordained minister elected to our state Republican caucus, I will work hard to represent all people of my district, regardless of political or religious belief. As a Chaplain, veteran, and PhD in Theology, I will defend everybody’s First Amendment rights,” Klingenschmitt said in his victory address.

Klingenschmitt was dismissed after 16 years as a Navy Chaplain for praying in Jesus name in public events and for attending partisan events in his naval uniform.  After being removed from the service, he started the “Pray In Jesus’ Name” project to reaffirm the rights of chaplains and Americans to pray in Jesus’ name in public.

Some liberal media outlets have denounced Klingenschmitt as being a “radical” for saying that American law needs to reflect God’s law and that we should base our lives and decisions on the Bible.