SEAPOWER, Volume 55, Number 10, October 2012

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October 2012 $5.00

NAVY LEAGUE OF THE
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T H E N AV Y S A I R S H I P / N O N - L E T H A L W E A P O N S T O D E T E C T, D E T E R , D E F E N D
SEAPOWER
Volume 55, Number 10, October 2012
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NAVY LEAGUE OF THE UNITED STATES
www.navyleague.org
DEPARTMENTS
3
Presidents Message
Editors Note
A Point of View
Intercepts
48
Program Snapshot
50
Seapower International
52
Historical Perspective
53
Ships Library
54
Navy League News
56
Council Digest
SPECIAL REPORT:
AIR WARFARE & FLIGHT OPERATIONS
14
INTERVIEW: Navy Rear Adm. William F. Bill Moran

Director of Air Warfare
BY RICHARD R. BURGESS
18
Arrival of UCAS on a Carrier Deck Will Usher in New Era

of Naval Aviation
BY DANIEL P. TAYLOR
20
Testing of Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft

Nears Completion
BY JOHN M. DOYLE
22
As Threat Evolves, So Must AIM-9 Sidewinder Air-to-Air

Missile Program
BY DANIEL P. TAYLOR
24
Marine Corps New AH-1Z Helicopter Completes Initial Deployment

28
8
Washington Report:
Election, lame-duck Congress
put defense spending decisions
in doubt
INTERVIEW: Navy Capt. David Silkey

Commander
Carrier Air Wing Two
FEATURES
3
Facing the Fiscal Cliff

BY PHILIP L. DUNMIRE
A Point of View
BY NORMAN POLMAR
32
As Sequestration Looms, Defense Companies Hope for the Best,

Prepare for the Worst
BY DAISY R. KHALIFA
36
Navys Airship Continues to Prove its Worth as an ISR,

Test Platform
BY WILLIAM MATTHEWS
40
Non-lethal Weapons Offer Options Between Shouting and Shooting

BY EDWARD LUNDQUIST
44
U.S.-flag Shippers Adapt to Changing Market, Economic Factors

BY JOHN C. MARCARIO
46
Marine Corps Light Armored Vehicles Will Be Staying Until 2035

BY JOHN M. DOYLE
64
36
In My Own Words
BY MARINE CAPT. REBECCA MASSEY
V-22 TEST PILOT
AIR AND TEST EVALUATION SQUADRON 21
PATUXENT RIVER, MD.
COVER PHOTO OF FLIGHT OPERATIONS ABOARD THE NIMITZ-CLASS AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS JOHN C. STENNIS IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN JULY 6 BY U.S. NAVY MASS
COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST SEAMAN NOLAN KAHN. COVER DESIGN BY AMY BILLINGHAM, PENSAR DESIGN GROUP LTD.
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Facing the Fiscal Cliff

By PHILIP L. DUNMIRE, Navy League National President
hile Republican and DemoW

cratic Party leaders rallied
the faithful at their respective
national conventions in Tampa,
Fla., and Charlotte, N.C., the nation
they so desperately want to represent continued its slide toward the
edge of a fiscal cliff called sequestration, a cliff these leaders created by
their failure to act.
And as they take their campaigns
on the road in the run-up to Election Day with the promise of jobs,
jobs, jobs, companies across this
nation that do business with the federal government from mom-andpop shops to multibillion-dollar corporations must take steps now to deal with federal
funding cuts that will take effect Jan. 2 if lawmakers fail
to do something to delay or stop our tumble over the
edge. Those steps will include layoffs in a fragile economy and the possible permanent loss of critical industrial
capabilities and expertise.
This is not a Republican problem. It is not a Democratic problem. This is a national crisis. Nothing could
undermine national security and economic prosperity
more than sequestration. In fact, programs related to
national defense and homeland security will absorb 50
percent of the sequestration cuts despite being just 19
percent of the federal spending budget.
The Budget Control Act of 2011 called for more
than $900 billion in cuts to discretionary spending
over the next decade. The Doomsday scenario that is
sequestration was triggered when the bipartisan Joint
Select Committee on Deficit Reduction the socalled Super Committee failed to agree on a deficitreduction plan, meaning an additional $1.2 trillion in
across-the-board cuts to discretionary spending over
that same decade.
For the defense and security sector, this means $487
billion in cuts already mandated by the Budget Control
Act and nearly $500 billion more over the next decade
should sequestration occur.
Jan. 2 may seem a long way off, but the federal
Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification
(WARN) Act mandates that companies notify their
W W W. S E A P O W E R M A G A Z I N E . O R G
employees 60 days in advance of

plant closings or mass layoffs
meaning pink slips on Nov. 2.
Who would this impact?
According to the U.S. Department of
Labor Employment and Training
Administration Fact Sheet, employers are covered by WARN if they
have 100 or more employees, not
counting employees who have
worked less than 6 months in the
last 12 months and not counting
employees who work an average of
less than 20 hours a week. Private,
for-profit employers and private,
nonprofit employers are covered, as
are public and quasi-public entities
which operate in a commercial context and are separately
organized from the regular government.
This not only will impact companies working
directly for the federal government, a shipbuilder or
service provider for a military base, for example, but
also the cities and towns in which their plants operate,
where their employees live and shop. Indeed, estimates
have ranged from hundreds of thousands to more than
1 million joining the ranks of the unemployed in this
country should sequestration go into effect.
Who can stop this? Your senators and representatives, many of whom are on the campaign trail and wont
return until after Nov. 6 for a lame-duck session of
Congress. This will leave precious little time to address
a looming crisis of epic proportions that will rock the
very foundation on which this country was built.
When you encounter your lawmakers or their campaign workers as they reach out to their constituents, tell
them the time is now to stop pointing fingers across the
political aisle, find a compromise and stop sequestration.
Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum,
make sure your voice is heard at the polls on Nov. 6.
Every Member Get a Member Involved!
SEAPOWER / OCTOBER 2012
EDITORS NOTE
Aviation Challenges
SEAPOWER
By AMY L. WITTMAN, Editor in Chief
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE

NAVY LEAGUE OF THE UNITED STATES
urrent
budget constraints
and the fiscal uncertainty for 2013 and
beyond compound
the challenges military decision-makers
face. For naval aviation, it all boils
down to manpower
and readiness.
In this fiscal environment, our ability to continue to
man, train, equip and provide the
force we need to be able to fight in a
future environment is the challenge, says Rear Adm. William F.
Bill Moran.
In his interview with Managing
Editor Richard R. Burgess, Holistic
Programming (page 14), Moran discusses the effort to keep legacy aircraft aloft as well as the development
and integration into the fleet of new
technologies and capabilities, such as
the F-35 Lightning II joint strike
fighter and unmanned air systems.
For our Air Warfare special report, Special Correspondents Daniel
P. Taylor and John M. Doyle take a
closer look at the interest in unmanned systems.
In his report, Unmanned
Landing (page 18), Taylor provides
an update on the Unmanned Combat
Air System-Demonstrator program
and looks at how its development
and testing will inform the Navys
Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike program, among others, in the future.
Doyle, in Small Bird, Big Job
(page 20), notes milestones reached
in the RQ-21A program. The Marine
Corps wants a small tactical unmanned aircraft system for Marine Expe-
ditionary Forces and

subordinate commands that can deliver dedicated intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance
data in real time.
Taylor also reports
on upgrades being
made to the popular
AIM-9X in Smart
Missile (page 22).
One of the biggest improvements to
new versions of the air-to-air missile,
he says, is the ability to acquire targets even in a cluttered background.
The AIM-9X coupled with the
helmet-mounted cueing system now
lets pilots do some really great work
in the dogfighting arena, says Capt.
John Martins, the program manager.
In the helicopter arena, Burgess
Eyes on Targets (page 24), looks at
the successful initial operational
deployment of the Marine Corps
newest gunship, the AH-1Z Viper, or
Zulu. The deployment also saw
the AH-1Z teamed with its UH-1Y
Venom counterpart for the first time.
Capt. David Silkey, commander,
Carrier Air Wing Two, in his interview with Burgess, Carrier Air Wing
Here to Stay (page 28), talks about
the plug-and-play nature of carrier
air wings (CVWs), the challenges of
extended deployments, how the
CVW has evolved and the next generation of aviators. He notes that the
training command and fleet readiness squadrons are producing a caliber of aviator that I could not compete with when I joined the fleet.
PUBLISHER
Philip L. Dunmire
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Dale A. Lumme
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Amy L. Wittman
awittman@navyleague.org
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Peter E. Atkinson
patkinson@navyleague.org
MANAGING EDITOR
Richard R. Burgess
rburgess@navyleague.org
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John C. Marcario
jmarcario@navyleague.org
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A POINT OF VIEW
Report on Ship Naming Falls Short

By NORMAN POLMAR
he Navy Department has isT

sued A Report on Policies
and Practices of the U.S. Navy for
Naming the Vessels of the Navy in
response to the biting criticism of
recent ship names assigned by
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus.
Three names, in particular, have brought forth criticism from naval historians, active as well as retired
Navy and Marine Corps personnel, and members of
Congress: John P. Murtha (LPD 26), Gabrielle Giffords
(LCS 10) and Cesar Chavez (T-AKE 14).
The report, prepared under the supervision of Undersecretary Robert O. Work, is a valuable reference document, explaining Navy ship naming procedures since
colonial ships of the American Revolution. The authors
of the document, released July 13, are professional naval
historians, all currently or previously employed by the
Navy Department.
While the report reads well, it fails to effectively rationalize the recent ship names selected by Mr. Mabus. First, it
divides the universe into two distinct schools: Orthodox
Traditionalists who believe that Navy ship names should
be chosen using fixed naming conventions, and Pragmatic Traditionalists who know that battle force ship
types, and classes within ship types, inevitably change due
to a variety of reasons chief among them technological
advancements [and] therefore reject the notion that a
fixed source of naming conventions for particular ship
types can possibly stand the test of time.
This artificial division is ridiculous. For example,
no one expected state names to be ignored for future
ships because they once were the name source for battleships long since retired from naval service.
Technology advances rarely were the chief reason for
name changes. For example, the first nuclear-propelled
cruiser (CGN) carried on the convention of naming cruisers for cities, the first nuclear frigates (DLGN) carried on
the tradition of naming destroyer-type ships for people,
and the first 59 nuclear attack submarines (SSN/SSGN/
SSRN) were named for fish and other marine life. USS Triton (SSRN 586) in this series was named for a Greek demigod who possessed a mans body above the waist and that
of a fish below. Nuclear propulsion was one of the principal technology changes of the Cold War era. Similarly,
guided missile-armed ships carried on traditional names.
6
Some technology advances did bring new name

sources for ships. For example, the 41 Polaris missile
submarines (SSBNs) were named for famous Americans,
although the nationality of a couple of these individuals
was questionable. The Trident SSBN program initiated
naming submarines for states. The development of the
amphibious transport dock (LPD) required a new name
source, as did the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and
mobile landing platform (MLP). Thus, it is difficult to
argue against new name sources for new types of ships.
Rather, the controversy over ship name selections by
Mr. Mabus centers around the specific names that he
selected that are (1) not in line with his own name selection procedures and (2) surround specific names that he
has chosen. The Navy report fails on both these issues.
LPDs going back 50 years to USS Raleigh (LPD 1)
have been named for cities, the early ships for cities
that also bore the names of explorers. Mr. Mabus chose
to change the procedure for the 26th ship, naming it for
the late U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha, D-Pa., a former Marine
and the first Vietnam veteran to be elected to Congress.
But other ship types have been named for members of
Congress submarines, destroyers and aircraft carriers.
Why break with the current tradition for naming
LPDs? What was the technology change? More significant, Mr. Murtha had publicly called eight U.S. Marines
cold-blooded killers for the deaths of 24 unarmed Iraqi
men, women and children in Haditha, Iraq, in 2005. The
case culminated with all but one Marine being found not
guilty, or having their charges dropped.
The Navy report seeks to justify the Murtha by saying the naming is completely consistent with the special cross-type naming for honoring famous American
elected leaders ... . That statement attempts to justify
any political naming decision.
Similarly, the naming of the ammunition cargo ship
T-AKE 14 for labor leader Cesar Chavez has brought
sharp criticism of Mr. Mabus. Chavez certainly could be
rated as an American hero, i.e., the name source for
these ships beginning with the USNS Lewis and Clark
(T-AKE 1). Mr. Chavez, however, called his time in the
Navy the worst two years of his life.
Mr. Mabus would have done better to have named a
building at a Marine base or Navy facility for Murtha
and Chavez. Or, the secretary could have prevailed
upon the administration to name a federal park or
A POINT OF VIEW
bridge for those men. Then, people who would have

wanted to honor those individuals could have done so,
without being assigned to serve in those ships.
The most undesirable naming action by Mr. Mabus
was to honor former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of
Arizona with the LCS 10. She was severely wounded in a
murderous attack in 2011. However, she had no congressional record of special legislation supporting the Navy
or Marine Corps during her brief career in the House of
Representatives, nor had she served in the military. Her
husband, Mark Kelly, is a Navy captain and astronaut.
The report states: By naming a ship in her honor, Secretary Mabus sought to pay tribute to all 535 members of
Congress a very select group of elected politicians who
serve and protect our Nation very day. The fact that Representative Giffords was a Navy spouse simply reinforced
the Secretarys desire. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, it is Secretary Mabus conviction that her story and spirit
would inspire all those who sailed on LCS 10.
Did neither the secretary nor any of the authors of the
report realize that scores of U.S. Navy destroyers, attack
submarines, ballistic missile submarines and aircraft carriers have been named for members of Congress and
could thus be considered to be a tribute to all 535 members of Congress? Mr. Mabus has named two of these
ships for former members of Congress, an aircraft carrier

and a destroyer, to honor John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B.
Johnson, respectively. Both were distinguished solons
who went on to become president of the United States.
The controversy over ship naming has led some
members of Congress to advocate that the procedure
be turned over to them. This would not be a valid solution, as those political types would certainly introduce their own distortions into the process. Rather, the
business of ship naming is a Navy matter and should
reside with the Secretary of the Navy possibly with
the advice, but not the consent, of Congress.
There is considerable useful and important material
in the report on ship naming and it should become a
standard reference work. However, the report does not
justify the recent name assignments.

To read the report, visit www.seapowermagazine.org and click
on the U.S. Navy Ship Naming Report button.
Author and naval analyst Norman Polmar has been a consultant
to several senior officials in the Navy and Department of Defense,
and to the director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The
views expressed here are the authors and not necessarily those of
the Navy League of the United States.
WASHINGTON
REPORT
Election, Lame-Duck Congress Put
Defense Spending Decisions in Doubt
will have time or the inclination during the lame-duck session following the November elections to take up the
annual bills that fund the Pentagon and set new policy.
The Defense Department and other federal agencies
currently are funded for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1
through a government-wide continuing resolution (CR)
that sets spending just slightly above last years levels.
The CR, which the House had approved and was
awaiting a Senate vote at press time, funds the government for the first six months of the 2013 fiscal year, providing the Pentagon and other agencies with some stability in an increasingly erratic and partisan era of budgeting. The longer-term funding agreement also will allow
lawmakers to let the dust settle after the November elections and to regroup in the new Congress.
In recent years, Congress has been unable to pass the
annual appropriations measure by Oct. 1. Instead, lawmakers have approved a series of short-term, stop-gap
CRs, at times bringing anxious government officials to the
brink of shutdown when the agreements came close to
expiring.
But the lengthy CR also calls into question whether
lawmakers will even attempt to pass a separate defense
appropriations bill for fiscal 2013 or simply renew the
CR before it expires on March 27.
Depending on the outcome of
the election, there almost certainly
will be no appetite for debating
appropriations bills in the lameduck session, particularly since
funding already is approved for the
first three months of the new
Congress. Lawmakers, meanwhile,
will be grappling with the threat of
sequestration across-the-board
cuts that will force the Pentagon to
8
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
ith precious few legislative days remaining in this

W
Congress and an end-of-year schedule that remains
a major question mark, there is no guarantee lawmakers
House and Senate Armed Services Committee members

are holding out hope that the annual defense authorization
bill will make its way to the White House by the end of the
year, despite more pressing concerns such as the looming
threat of sequestration. John McCain, R-Ariz., ranking
member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, shown
here during a March 7 hearing, is among the panel members
who recently solicited input from the countrys largest
defense contractors on the effects of sequestration.
carve nearly $55 billion from its

fiscal 2013 budget come January if
Congress cannot agree to a bipartisan deficit-reduction plan.
A CR even amid the partisan
rancor surrounding federal spending that has only heightened in the
weeks leading up to the election
is far from ideal for the Defense
Department. Most notably, defense
officials cannot sign contracts for
new-start programs, tying the

Pentagons hands on new procurement efforts.
But considering the threat of
sequestration looming over the
Defense Department and the uncertainty over funding levels for fiscal
2013 whether an appropriations bill
is approved or not, the relatively
long-term CR is far from the departments most significant worry.
WASHINGTON REPORT
If there is no deal on the deficit by

the new year, the Pentagon will be
dealing with how best to implement
the sizeable cuts for fiscal 2013,
which dont take effect until a quarter of the way into the year, while
also revising plans for fiscal 2014 to
reflect the additional cuts. The lack
of an actual appropriations bill likely will be little more than background noise for the departments
number-crunchers.
While the Pentagon spending bill
could be shelved for the remainder
of this Congress, House and Senate
Armed Services Committee members are holding out hope that the
annual defense authorization bill
will make its way to the White
House by the end of the year.
The House passed its version of
the measure in May, just as the Senate
Armed Services Committee was
marking up its bill. But the Senate
has yet to take up the committeeapproved measure, which typically
consumes several days of floor
debate.
Lawmakers in both chambers
will spend the weeks leading up to
Election Day in their states and
districts, with Congress adjourned
and legislative matters put on ice
until the lame duck.
Congress has approved and
the president has signed a defense
authorization bill every year for the
last half-century, making it a mustpass measure each year. Lawmakers
have in the past overcome scheduling hurdles, partisan divides over the
war, veto threats and even a few
vetoes to get the measure through.
The near certainty that the bill,
which sets Pentagon policy and prescribes defense spending levels, will
be enacted every year gives the armed
services panels more power and credibility than many of the oversight
committees on Capitol Hill.
But this year may prove more
challenging than most. It is unclear
whether lawmakers, returning to
Capitol Hill after an intense elecW W W. S E A P O W E R M A G A Z I N E . O R G
INTERCEPTS
My sense is that Im not going to be allowed to go below
182,000 [Marines], so that means my procurement accounts are
going to be hit disproportionately and my ability to reset all that
equipment coming out of Afghanistan. The units that go will be
the most trained and the most ready, but eventually Ill run out of
capacity. The force thats left behind will be challenged.
Gen. James F. Amos

Commandant of the Marine Corps
On the potential impact of sequestration on Marine Corps procurement.
Reuters, Sept. 10
The army still does the army thing, the police still does its
thing. What it becomes if you dont coordinate it is 6-year-old
soccer. Everybody just follows the ball. It moves in a blob. We
dont want that. We want people to play positions and be
ready to respond to each other if they have trouble.
Maj. Gen. Charles M. Gurganus

Commanding General for I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward
On ensuring coordination between Afghan national security forces as the U.S.
forces drawdown and leave more responsibility in their hands.
San Diego Union-Tribune, Sept. 4
tion season, will have any desire to

engage in a long debate over
national security issues on the
Senate floor. And, even if it made
its way to the Senate floor, the
House and Senate would then have
to negotiate differences in their
two versions of the bill, and pass a
final conference report.
The question of whether the
defense authorization will fall by
the wayside this year probably
wont be answered until December.
But its clear that Armed Services
Committee leaders in both chambers will fight to get the bill to the
presidents desk.
Industry Execs Respond
To Sequestration Queries
Arizona Sen. John McCain, the top
Republican on the Armed Services
Committee, has solicited input from
the countrys largest defense contractors on the effects of sequestration.
Letters also were sent by Sens. Joe
Lieberman, I-Conn.; Jim Inhofe, ROkla.; Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.; Kelly

Ayotte, R-N.H.; Lindsey Graham, RS.C.; and John Cornyn, R-Texas, all
members of the committee.
In various responses sent to
McCain this summer, most executives warned about the damaging
effect the across-the-board cut
would have on the defense industry and on national security.
In fact, the mere specter of
sequestration is already having an
adverse effect on investment and
employment within the defense
industrial base due to the additional uncertainty it represents for companies, Boeing Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) W. James McNerney
Jr. said in a July 30 letter.
But some firms may not be hit
so hard at least not right away.
Virginia-based shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries acknowledged that they are working off of
a $15.5 billion backlog on orders of
WASHINGTON REPORT
INTERCEPTS
We think that they kind of work but dont really have the
data to say exactly what effects they have. A lot of academic studies about drones try really hard to get at this, but
theyre ultimately not sufficient for making strategic judgments. From a broad perspective, we know that in several
places around the world, drones offer quick tactical victories
but dubious strategic benefits.
Joshua Foust
A senior fellow for asymmetric operations at the American Security Project
On whether drone strikes such as those handled covertly by the CIA in
Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia actually reduce the threat posed by terrorists.
National Defense, Aug. 21
Piracy is like an ancient disease that should be extinct in this
modern world. The cure is difficult and requires the disruption of pirate actions, building law and order and livelihoods
ashore, and making the merchant prey less vulnerable.
Although there are signs of remission, I would judge the medicine will be required for some time to come.
U.K. Royal Navy Commodore Simon Ancona

Deputy Commander of Combined Maritime Forces, which oversees the multinational counterpiracy effort Combined Task Force 151
Noting that the aggressive patrolling by international forces and increased vigilance by the commercial shipping industry that have helped dramatically reduce
attempted pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa must continue.
New York Times, Aug. 29
that will keep production lines

healthy for now.
Consequently, the prospective
impact of budget sequestration on
Huntington Ingalls Industries may
not be as significant near-term as it
may be for other industries, CEO
Mike Petters wrote to McCain in a
July 13 letter.
However, Petters also warned
that budget cuts could prompt production delays and, ultimately, cost
increases on Navy programs. The
highly consolidated shipbuilding
industry, he warned, is already
extremely fragile.
An additional downturn in
Navy shipbuilding could exacerbate material cost growth and promote further contraction of the
supplier base, Petters added.
10
Stackley Notes Challenges

Should Sequester Occur
Sean J. Stackley, assistant secretary of
the Navy for research, development
and acquisition, went before the
House Armed Services Oversight and
Investigations subcommittee Sept. 11
to talk about the status of the shipbuilding industrial base and what the
Navy was doing to sustain it.
But most of the questions from
the few members who showed up
focused on the possible impact on
Navy shipbuilding of the $500 billion in additional defense budget
cuts from sequester.
Subcommittee Chairman Rep.
Rob Wittman, R-Va., noted that the
shipbuilding industrial base is
essential to national security. But,
he said, many leaders in the indus-
try are troubled by the uncertainty

over the possibility of sequester and
are considering layoffs and delaying
investments [See story, page 32].
Stackley said the Navy was not
doing a lot of planning for sequester,
but was spending a lot of time trying
to figure out the impact if it occurs.
Although the law would appear to
require a 10 percent cut to every program line from the fiscal 2013 funding, Stackley noted the issue was
complicated by the fact that the calculations would be made not to a
normal appropriations bill, but to a
CR. Because Congress, at the time,
still was working on the final version
of the CR, he did not know how it
would treat some critical programs.
Areas of concern that he listed
include the multiyear agreements
to build Virginia-class attack
submarines and DDG 51s, the
partly completed refueling and
overhaul of the aircraft carrier USS
Theodore Roosevelt and the planned
beginning of that process next year
for USS Abraham Lincoln.
Stackley said he thought the
Virginia-class multiyear buy was in
pretty good shape because it had
been approved in the House and Senate versions of the defense authorization and appropriations bills and
was funded in the current fiscal year.
He appeared less confident about the
others, and said the Navy would be
able to pay for Theodore Roosevelts
work only through January or February without congressional action.
The Abraham Lincoln refueling,
because it would be a new start
that was not funded this year,
could not start without additional
action by Congress, he said.
Failure to start that multiyear
process on time would have an operational impact, because it would
affect the number of deployable carriers, and impact the Huntington
Ingalls shipyard at Newport News,
Va., and have cost impact, he said.
Stackley also noted that the
impact of sequester on fiscal 2013
WASHINGTON REPORT
funding would be compounded in

the 2014 budget, which department officials have been trying to
craft amid all the uncertainty.
Another future problem facing
the Navy, he said, was finding room
in the base budget to pay for the
additional ship maintenance that has
been funded by the separate supplemental or Overseas Contingency
Operations funds for the conflicts in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Those funds
are being phased out with the
planned drawdown in Afghanistan.
In his prepared testimony,
Stackley gave a health report on the
various sectors of the Navy shipbuilding industrial base. He said the
aircraft carrier, submarine and surface warship yards and suppliers
were in good shape, but expressed
concern about the amphibious and
auxiliary shipbuilders.
He appeared particularly concerned about the future of General
Dynamics NASSCO yard in San
Diego, which is finishing the last of
the T-AKE supply ships and working on the three authorized mobile
landing platforms, but has no work
after that.
Amos: 182,100 Marines
Rock Bottom Number
Gen. James F. Amos, the Marine
Corps Commandant, said Aug. 23
he has no plans to cut the services
personnel end strength below the
182,100 limit imposed by last years
long-term budget cuts, calling that
number absolutely the rock bottom force needed to carry out the
new national security strategy.
If Congress and the administration fail to find a compromise to
avoid sequester and the subsequent
additional $500 billion cut in
defense funds over the next decade,
the national security strategy would
have to be revised, Amos said. But
he could not say what changes that
would mean to the Corps.
We would take a disproportionate cut, he said.
The general stressed that he was

committed to keeping faith with
his Marines during the force reduction. That means not using any
involuntary separation methods
and allowing all enlisted Marines
and officers to complete their contracted time in service. But competition for retention would become
tougher, he added.
In an hour-long session with
defense reporters at the Pentagon,
Amos sketched out the plans for putting about 22,000 Marines in the
Pacific under the new strategy,
described the plans and status of the
Corps major procurement programs, including the F-35B Lightning II joint strike fighter, the Joint
Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) and the
Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV).
Asked about reports that Gen.
Joseph L. Dunford Jr., the assistant
commandant, is being considered
to replace Marine Gen. John R.
Allen as the top commander in
Afghanistan, Amos praised his
deputy as one of the finest officers
to ever wear this uniform. But he
said any new position for him
would be up to the defense secretary and the president.
Recently returned from a twoweek tour of the Pacific, Amos said
the renewed focus on the AsiaPacific region has a sense of going
home for older Marines because
of the Corps history there. But, he
noted, it would be a new experience for most of the younger
Marines, who have been fighting in
Iraq and Afghanistan.
The 22,000 Marines that are
planned for the Pacific would
include additional forces in Hawaii,
and about 4,500 on Guam and
2,500 in Australia mostly in units
that would rotate in rather than
being permanently assigned there.
The Marines on Okinawa, Japan,
would be reduced from the current
14,000 to just over 10,000, with
some moved to Iwakuni, Japan, and
others to Guam, he said.
On his major procurement programs, Amos said the F-35B is progressing well, and he expects to
stand up the first operational
squadron at Marine Corps Air
Station Yuma, Ariz., in November.
But he could not say when it would
achieve initial operational capability.
The commandant said plans to
buy about 5,000 JLTVs was part of a
ground tactical vehicle strategy that
will require the Corps to go with
whats good enough in light of the
constrained budgets. That policy
applies as well to the proposed ACV,
which would replace the aged AAV-7
amphibious assault vehicles. Amos
said he ordered another review of the
requirements for the ACV so he can
present the proposal to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus later this year as
absolutely what the Marines need.
The vehicle strategy calls for
buying the JLTVs before procurement starts on the ACV so they can
afford both within the limited procurement budget, Amos said.
CNO Establishes Pacific
Expeditionary Command
The Navy in October is establishing an expeditionary combat command for the U.S. Pacific Fleet to
mirror the fleet command relationships of other type commanders.
The action will involve the shift of
administrative command of some
riverine, explosive ordnance disposal, and Seabee units from U.S.
Fleet Forces Command on the East
Coast to the Pacific Fleet.
On Oct. 1, Commander, Navy
Expeditionary Combat Command
Pacific (CNECCP), was established
at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The new
command absorbs expeditionary
units based in the Pacific from
Commander, Navy Expeditionary
Combat Command (CNECC), based
in Virginia Beach, Va.
The new NECCP is commanded
by the same admiral as NECC under
a dual-hat arrangement, made easier by modern communications.
11
WASHINGTON REPORT
High-Level LCS Council

Organized by CNO
Greenert has set up a high-level
council to coordinate all administrative control responsibilities for
the Navys fleet of Littoral Combat
Ships (LCSs).
12
capability and missions starting the

first day of active service. The Littoral
Combat Ship is no exception.
The immediate focus of the LCS
Council will be the development
and implementation of an LCS Plan
of Action and Milestones, Greenert
wrote, adding that the plan must be
implemented by Jan. 31.
U.S. NAVY
As noted in the internal Sept. 10

establishment directive from Adm.
Jonathan W. Greenert, chief of naval
operations (CNO), the mission of
both expeditionary combat commands is to organize, man, train,
equip, and sustain Navy expeditionary combat forces to execute
combat, combat support and combat
service support missions across the
spectrum of joint, combined and
multinational operations in nearcoast, inshore and riverine environments, to include confronting irregular challenges and other shaping
missions that secure strategic access
and global freedom of action.
Some subordinate expeditionary
commands also are dual-hatted
under the new arrangement. Commander, Naval Construction Force
Command, now is named Commander, Naval Construction Force
Command Atlantic (and also named
First Naval Construction Division).
First Naval Construction Division
Pacific now is named Commander,
Naval Construction Force Command Pacific. Like the expeditionary combat commands, a single
admiral is dual-hatted as commanders of both.
These name changes reflect the
unity of the Naval Construction
Force that is led by a single flag
officer and mission requirements
that are distributed along traditional Atlantic and Pacific forces, the
directive said.
The dual-hat arrangement does
not extend to lower units. For example, Coastal Riverine Group One
and Explosive Ordnance Disposal
Group One, both based in San
Diego, and their subordinate units
are now units assigned to CNECCP.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm.

Jonathan W. Greenert has established
a council to coordinate administrative
control responsibilities for the Navys
Littoral Combat Ships. Hes shown
here during a June 27 press conference at the Pentagon to provide an
update on the status of Navy.
The LCS Council, ordered in an

Aug. 22 internal directive from
Greenert to Vice Adm. Richard W.
Hunt, director of the Navy Staff,
names Hunt as chairman of the
council, with members Vice Adm.
W. Mark Skinner, principal military
deputy to the assistant secretary of
the Navy for research, development
and acquisition; Vice Adm. Thomas
H. Copeman III, commander, Naval
Surface Forces; and Vice Adm.
Kevin M. McCoy, commander,
Naval Sea Systems Command. Hunt
is allowed to add members for specific matters as appropriate.
Greenert is implementing the
council as a response to several independent studies that assessed the
LCS across several aspects of the
man, train, equip and maintain
domain, and as a way to drive
action across the acquisition, requirements and Fleet enterprises of the
Navy, he said in the memorandum.
All Navy combat ships, even test
and evaluation platforms, he wrote,
referring to the two LCS lead ships
USS Freedom and USS Independence,
must be ready to meet assigned
NSC Hamilton
Reaches Milestone
The keel for the Coast Guards fourth
National Security Cutter (NSC),
Hamilton, was authenticated Sept. 5
by the ships sponsor, Linda Papp,
the wife of Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Robert J. Papp Jr.
Hamilton is scheduled to be
delivered in the third quarter of
2014. A fifth NSC, Joshua James, is
4 percent complete and is expected
to be delivered in the second quarter of 2015.
Bertholf, the lead ship of the fleet,
spent several months in Alaska over
the summer during Operation Arctic
Shield 2012. Waesche, the second
NSC, finished a 161-day Asia-Pacific
patrol on Sept. 1, where the crew
participated in Cooperation Afloat
Readiness and Training Operations
with the U.S. Navys Fifth Fleet. The
third NSC, Stratton, was out of commission for several weeks over the
summer as the service was forced to
repair rust holes in its hull.
The service raised eyebrows
when it released its fiscal 2013
budget request in February without
including funding for the seventh
and eighth NSCs. The NSC program of record is for eight cutters
they will replace the 1960s-era built
378-foot Hamilton-class highendurance cutters and service
officials have repeatedly said they
expect to build all eight.

Reporting by Seapower Correspondent
Megan Scully. Managing Editor Richard
R. Burgess, Associate Editor John C.
Marcario and Special Correspondent
Otto Kreisher contributed to this report.
S P E C I A L R E P O R T / A I R W A R F A R E & F L I G H T O P E R AT I O N S
Holistic Programming
Director of naval aviation integrates platform, weapon, manning requirements
As director of Air Warfare (OPNAV N98), on the staff of the chief of

naval operations (CNO), Rear Adm. William F. Bill Moran is
responsible for the development, programming and budgeting of all
U.S. naval aviation warfighting requirements. His portfolio includes
not only the aircraft, aircraft carriers, weapons and infrastructure, but
now also personnel requirements and training, a concept designed to
create an integrated approach to generating and programming aviation requirements.
LISA NIPP
Moran is a P-3 Orion maritime patrol pilot with three operational

squadron tours, including one as commanding officer, which involved
operations around the world. His other operational tours include flag
lieutenant and battle group tactical watch officer for a carrier group
commander. He has served extensively as an instructor pilot, including two tours with Patrol Squadron 30, the P-3 fleet readiness
squadron. He commanded Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Two in
Hawaii, and served in numerous shore assignments, including as executive assistant to the CNO and as commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group.
Moran discussed the status of naval aviation with Managing Editor Richard R. Burgess. Excerpts follow:
What are the main challenges for naval aviation today?
MORAN: The challenges for us are no different [than
for] any other service, frankly. Weve got an enormous

number of transitions going on in naval aviation. In this
fiscal environment, our ability to continue to man, train,
equip and provide the force we need to be able to fight
in a future environment is the challenge. Having the
resources to be able to put a forward program together
is the greatest challenge I think any of us have.
[In the recent] realignment of OPNAV [the Office of
the Chief of Naval Operations], we realigned the
resources for manpower and readiness along with the
procurement accounts. Its not lost on any of us that the
manpower challenges we see in the future are really
tough. Now that we, as a resource sponsor for aviation,
14
have complete visibility on the manpower accounts, as

well as the readiness accounts, the expectation from the
CNO is that we are able to pull a holistic view of everything it takes to man, train, equip the aviation side of
the Navy portfolio. For us, this year is a new year to
pull all that together. That just adds to the challenges
we see for naval aviation, to make sure that manpower
piece is well understood and accounted for.
What changes are in store for the carrier air
wing of the future?
MORAN: The capability of the air wing is going to change
over time [See story, page 28]. It depends on what timeframe that means. To me, the future is everything from
next year to 40 years from now. Certainly, we look forward to JSF [the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter]
being incorporated into the air wing.

Thats a huge capability improvement for a lot of different reasons,
some of which I cant go into. Slowly
but surely, we will add JSF capability
to every air wing in the fleet.
VFA-101 [Strike Fighter Squadron 101, the F-35C fleet readiness
squadron] was stood up to start
building that cadre of experts and
instructors who are going to be able
to train [pilots] in that aircraft when
it starts to show up in numbers [sufficient] that we can start transitioning the first fleet squadron. We
expect to start that training process
independently with VFA-101 in the
2016 timeframe. So, three to four
years from now, youll see routine
training occurring in JSF transition
squadrons.
[Regarding] all the other transitions that are occurring, were in the middle of them.
The P-8 [Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft] transition
started just a month ago down in VP-16 [Patrol
Squadron-16], the first squadron. Were halfway
through, give or take, all of the helicopter transitions in
Romeo [MH-60R] and Sierra [MH-60S]. Weve got E-2D
[Advanced Hawkeye radar early warning aircraft] in test
and its going to be a phenomenal capability that were
really looking forward to. You are aware of the Growler
[EA-18G electronic attack aircraft] and its successful
fleet introduction and employment operationally overseas. It was a key player in the operations against Libya.
Effectively, well be done with the fleet transition of
everything but JSF by the end of this decade, which is
pretty impressive when you think about the number of
airplanes, the number of people it affects, the training
that goes into it.
The Navy is converting more legacy Hornet
strike fighter squadrons than originally planned
to the Super Hornet. Do you expect that trend
to continue?
MORAN: Yes. Were programmed to transition about 31
of our 35 legacy squadron airplanes to [F/A-18E/Fs] by

2016. That number went up as JSF was delayed in its
introduction. We were supposed [to reach] IOC [initial
operational capability with] that airplane sooner than
the 2016-2018 timeframe. We had to do additional procurement of [the] E/F to make sure we had capability in
the air wings to do the operations we needed to do. So
with the F/A-18E/F, were still buying them, and theyll
be in production through 2013 in our current budget.
LISA NIPP
Is the Navy still planning on extending the

service life of 150 legacy Hornets for the
Navy and Marine Corps?
MORAN: Were going to continue to extend the life of
the legacy airplanes as long as we need to and that

changes year to year depending on the news we get out
of [the] JSF [program]. It depends on the ability of the
Marine Corps to move to its F-35B because the Marine
Corps flies all legacy Hornets and we have to make
sure we have enough capacity in the fleet. Part of the
strategy is to be able to extend the life of the legacy
Hornets to meet that capacity challenge. So, its a combination of levers that we pull, that being one of them.
Is the EA-18G Growler making an impact in
carrier air wing operations now?
MORAN: Theres no doubt about it. The Growler, with its
commonality with the [Super Hornet], makes for more

efficient capability on the carrier to support that airplane,
with reduced maintenance man hours per flight hours.
So its a readiness enhancer. Youve got a better readiness
statistic if you look at the availability of that airplane
compared to the [EA-6B] Prowler. The Prowler has been
around a long time. Its done a great job.
The Growler is really going to be a game-changer
especially when you combine that capability with its
AESA [active electronically scanned array] radar and its
cockpit configuration. And, if you combine that with
Next Generation Jammer which is coming out near the
end of this decade, that, I believe will fundamentally be
an operational game-changer for the air wing and for
our capabilities in the air dominance mission.
15
Were going to continue to extend the life of the legacy airplanes as long
as we need to and that changes year to year depending on the news we
get out of [the] JSF [program]. It depends on the ability of the Marine
Corps to move to its F-35B because the Marine Corps flies all legacy
Hornets and we have to make sure we have enough capacity in the fleet.
Part of the strategy is to be able to extend the life of the legacy Hornets
to meet that capacity challenge. So, its a combination of levers that we
pull, that being one of them.
What is the status on the next-generation

strike fighter, F/A-XX?
MORAN: I would describe our Request for Information
[RFI] as a way to start having a conversation with

industry about what they think the future of naval aviation ought to look like. [Department of Defense]wide, were moving into unmanned [aviation], which
is a really exciting area for all of us, but we dont really
know what the art of the possible is.
When I think about the future as far as 2030 or
2040, what does that propulsion system need to be in
terms of endurance, persistence, speed, range, altitude?
All of those things are unknown to us at this point. The
response from industry has been very positive; a lot of
great conversation about technology they see coming.
We also have to think about the CONOPs [concepts of
operations] and what it means to the air wing.
The life of the largest component of the air wing, the
[F/A-18E/F], those airplanes start to fall off in the late
20s. And, so, if you back up the normal acquisition
timeline for new capability, were in the middle of the
early stages of trying to understand what that should
be. Were excited about continuing that conversation
with industry and seeing what the art of the possible is,
make sure our S&T [science and technology] efforts
and our acquisition timelines are aligned.
What will be the impact of the Unmanned CarrierLaunched Airborne Strike and Surveillance System (UCLASS) on the carrier air wing?
MORAN: Were very interested in what UCLASS can
do. We see it as a complementary capability to the air

wing in terms of ISR [intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance] ability. To be able to provide COP [a
common operational picture] for the CSG [carrier
strike group] commander will be very important. To
my knowledge, we still havent completely defined
16
what the requirements would be for UCLASS, but we

certainly see the potential in what unmanned or
optionally manned choices might be in the future.
With the MH-60R/S helicopters well into production, are you starting to look at a next-generation
helicopter?
MORAN: Its never too early to think about the future.
There is an OSD- [Office of the Secretary of Defense-] and

Joint Staff-led effort to look at future vertical-lift capabilities. Were involved in that effort because it looks at new
technologies from propulsion to lift, to range, endurance,
payload capacity. The Army is a little earlier to need than
we are, but we think there is an advantage to being tied at
the hip with the Army and understanding what industry
can develop, much the way we are with looking at the
COD [carrier-onboard delivery] and at fighter capabilities
in the future.
What is the E-2D going to give the air wing as
opposed to the E-2C?
MORAN: This is not [an N98] program, but we are
very closely aligned with N2/N6 [deputy CNO for

information dominance] on understanding what that
capability is going to be. Everything we see coming out
of the program office is a game-changer in terms of
radar range up to two times what we see in the current [E-2C] legacy platform and its ability to manage multiple tracks and information networked around
the air wing is substantially greater than what we see
today with E-2C.
What is the status of a replacement for the
C-2 COD aircraft?
MORAN : Weve just started looking at the COD
replacement. Those airframes start to fall off in the mid

to late 20s, so we have done an analysis of alternatives
looking at multiple different alternatives

inside
that
study.
Obviously, we want to go after
something thats mature and
affordable. Well eventually get to
the RFP [Request for Proposals]
stage of the normal acquisition
process, but were not there yet.
Under the TACAIR Integration Plan, is the Marine Corps
back on track to supply five
strike fighter squadrons to
the fleet?
month to month, year to year,

depending on their requirements
to support the COCOMS [combatant commanders]. In the last 10
years, with as much combat support we, as a nation, had to do, that
number has gone up and down.
Were in agreement to obtain five at
some point, but, right now, were
roughly averaging about three
squadrons across the fleet.
LISA NIPP
MORAN: Thats the goal. It varies
How rapidly will the P-8 replace the P-3 in the

fleet? What about the Littoral Surveillance
Radar System (LSRS) in some P-3s?
MORAN: We started with our first P-8 transition this
year and, in subsequent years, it will be two squadron

transitions per year until about 2018, given that acquisition profiles and procurements stay on track. Theres
[an LSRS] replacement capability built into the P-8
program and that capability shows up at the end of this
FYDP [Future Years Defense Plan], but the numbers
are on par with what we currently have in the fleet. We
may have to extend some [P-3s with LSRS] for a couple years until we have the full production capability of
its replacement onboard the P-8.
What new aerial weapons are in development?
forward-firing [20mm] gun that is going to be very

effective to go after the same threat profile.
Weve got AARGM [Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided
Missile] coming on line, the next generation of HARM
[High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile]. We added a better
seeker and better guidance system to that to make it
more effective. We hope to IOC AARGM in the 2014
timeframe. Were looking the next round of air-to-air
capability, the AMRAAM Delta [Advanced MediumRange Air-to-Air Missile, AIM-120D] mid-this decade to
get that out to the fleet. AIM-9X Block II, the next version of the Sidewinder, is doing very well in tests.
Weve got Laser JDAM [Joint Direct-Attack
Munition], basically JDAM with a laser so we can hit
moving targets at speed. Thats going to be a great capability coming to the fleet.
MORAN: Theres always something new. I cant talk
about some of it because were still very much in the

early stages, but we are introducing new capability to
counter swarming boats. Were introducing APKWS
[Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System] to the air
wing; it should IOC in about 2015. It is already out
there with the Marine Corps for land-based targets.
Today, weve integrated 2.75-inch rockets into the
Sierra MH-60S to be able to put a little volume [of fire]
out there, but theyre unguided [and] not as precise as
APKWS. Weve also outfitted the Sierra with a fixed
Are any next-generation trainer aircraft in the

works?
MORAN: No. The T-6 has finished out its transition in
Pensacola, [Fla.,] and has started the transition at

Corpus Christi, [Texas,] to replace the venerable T-34s.
The rest of [the training aircraft] are all in steady state,
but were making significant upgrades on all those
platforms, going from analog to digital cockpits and
displays because all of our future capabilities are digital
and we need to train to that.

17
Unmanned Landing
The arrival of UCAS on a carrier deck in 2013
will usher in a new era of naval aviation
By DANIEL P. TAYLOR, Special Correspondent
tion executed by the [UCAS-D]

program, including digitized carrier air traffic control, initial shipThe Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstrator (UCAS-D) proboard concept of operations, congram will inform the Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne
tingency management approaches,
Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) effort, among other programs.
precision landing navigation solu UCAS-D was never meant to be a fleet asset, just a means to
tions and maneuvering the drone
demonstrate technologies.
on the carrier flight deck.
The last item may be a particular It will fly for the first time from a carrier next year.
ly challenging technical issue that
The program will end after probe-and-drogue aerial refueling
the UCAS program is hoping to
tests in fiscal 2014
solve before UCLASS testing even
begins. The Navy will need to figure
out how to operate an unmanned
aircraft on a flight deck buzzing
ore than 100 years after the Navy first landed
with the constant movement of manned aircraft.
an aircraft on the deck of a ship, the sea service
Capt. Jaime Engdahl, UCAS program manager, told
is fast approaching another seminal moment
reporters at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., on
in its history the first landing of a fixed-wing
July 31 that the Navy would be testing ways to control
unmanned aircraft aboard an aircraft carrier.
UCAS when it starts testing aboard the carrier deck. He
The date is still uncertain, as is the carrier that will host
also showed reporters a type of mechanical arm that
such a moment. But what is certain is that at some point
could be used by someone on the deck to control the
in 2013, the Navy will land the Unmanned Combat Air
aircraft remotely.
System-Demonstrator (UCAS-D) aircraft a Northrop
The UCLASS program will seek to leverage more
Grumman-built fixed-wing aircraft aboard a carrier
than the UCAS program, Nava said. The program also
deck to set off the next generation in naval aviation.
will seek to take lessons learned from other programs
The UCAS program, worth about $1 billion, will have
across the Pentagon to control costs and reduce scheda short life. Its first flight from a carrier will be next year,
ule risks, he added.
and the Navy will close out the program after conducting
Some of these systems include existing ship-qualified
subsequent carrier recovery testing and then doing probemission control system hardware and common interfaces
and-drogue aerial refueling tests in fiscal 2014, as the proand standards so that the UCLASS payload data can be
gram only was envisioned to demonstrate technologies
shared across end users, he said. Coordination with
rather than become an actual fleet asset.
these other programs is an ongoing activity and will conBut those test results will have major ramifications for
tinue throughout the UCLASS program.
the future of naval aviation and inform development of
Once UCLASS reaches the field, it will enhance carrier
future programs, most notably the Unmanned Carrier
capability and versatility by providing the carrier air wing
Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS)
with a platform that is persistent and flexible, Nava said.
program, which the Navy hopes to field in about 2020.
Exactly how the Navy will use UCLASS is yet to be
Charlie Nava, Navy UCLASS program manager, said
determined. The Navy has begun examining what will
the nascent program is leveraging technology maturareplace the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet down the road.
Leveraging Technology
18
U.S. NAVY
An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System-Demonstrator (UCAS-D) launches from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.,
for a 35-minute flight over the Chesapeake Bay July 29. The Navy plans to conduct launch and recovery tests of a
UCAS-D aircraft aboard an aircraft carrier next year.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced earlier this year

that the service had begun pre-Milestone A activities for
the F/A-XX concept.
Rather than being a single aircraft, however, the
Navy is leaning toward a family of systems to fill the
F/A-XX role. Mabus told the House Appropriations
defense subcommittee in March that options include
additional F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighters, the
UCLASS or a new manned/unmanned platform, or a
combination of those options.
Mabus acknowledged in his written testimony that
there had been some challenges with the program.
While we remain committed to the first-generation
UCLASS, which will provide a low-observable, longrange, unmanned ISR [intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance] strike capability that will enhance the carriers future ability to project power in anticipated A2/AD
[anti-access/area-denial] threat environments, he wrote,
the target date for limited operational capability has shifted by two years from 2018 to 2020 to reduce schedule and
technical risk, as well as to meet the savings targets mandated by the BCA [Budget Control Act of 2011].
A successful UCAS effort could go a long way to making sure UCLASS stays on track, and Northrop Grumman
is making its own preparations for the critical upcoming
milestones. The company is working on software right
now in advance of the carrier landing next year.
Weve got the next drop of software for the airplane,
said Tighe Parmenter, Northrops business development
manager for UCAS. Its going through its final approvals.
We finished testing in the lab and now the Navy, very
carefully, as you can imagine, is going through all the ones
and zeros to make sure they are happy with it.
Northrop was responsible for designing the

mechanical arm-like control for the aircraft, which is
called the Control Display Unit.
The Navy set the requirement to develop a way to
maneuver the aircraft through remote devices on the
carrier deck, Parmenter said. They gave that to
Northrop, and it was up to us to design.
Its the first time ever something like this has been
designed and developed, he said. There will
undoubtedly be huge leaps of lessons learned once we
put it in the hands of the capable operators of the
United States Navy.
Northrop will have personnel aboard when the
UCAS begins operations aboard the carrier, although
they will serve primarily in a supporting role, he said.
Northrop will provide flight test people and mission
operators, and then the people to maintain the aircraft
while its at sea doing the testing, he said. However, the
aircraft carrier, the air traffic control organization
thats all provided by the Navy, so we are coming with our
equipment and our airplane, and we will integrate into
that operating environment.
Aerial refueling later in the program also will be a
major step. Northrop used surrogate aircraft to demonstrate the UCAS software late last year and earlier this
year in St. Augustine, Fla. An autonomous refueling
capability would give the Navy an aircraft that can either
stay on station for a long time or have an extended range
with multiple refuelings, Parmenter said.
Thats kind of the leap that is the most important
after integration on the carrier, he said. The next time
we do flight tests, it will be with the real airplanes and it
will be in 2014 on the Navy contract.

19
Small Bird, Big Job

Testing of Marine Corps latest small
tactical unmanned aircraft nears completion
By JOHN M. DOYLE, Special Correspondent
Hartman said operational testing

and evaluation should take about a
year, with initial operational capaThe RQ-21A small tactical unmanned aircraft system (STUAS)
bility expected to be reached near
Tier III, a multimission drone, is nearing the end of developmental
the end of 2013. Shipboard testing
and operational testing.
also is expected to begin next year.
The drone is a bigger, heavier and more capable version of the
Current acquisition plans call
ScanEagle unmanned aircraft that has logged thousands of hours
for the Marine Corps to buy 32
with the Marine Corps and Navy in Iraq and Afghanistan.
RQ-21A systems, with another
four to be acquired by the Navy.
Like the ScanEagle and the Integrator drone, the RQ-21A can
The Marines want them for a
be launched and recovered on land or aboard ship.
number of missions, including land The Marines want it for tactical intelligence, surveillance and
and sea-based tactical reconnaisreconnaissance missions. The Navy likes it for maritime domain
sance, surveillance and target acquiawareness and force protection in theater.
sition (RSTA) data collection. The
RQ-21A will provide Marine
Expeditionary Forces and subordinate commands, such as divisions
he RQ-21A, the latest small tactical unmanned
and regiments, with a dedicated intelligence, surveillance
aircraft system (STUAS) developed for the
and reconnaissance (ISR) system capable of delivering
Marine Corps and Navy, is nearing the end of
data directly to the tactical commander in real time.
a 27-month development and testing period, on its way
The Navy version will provide persistent RSTA supto limited initial production.
port for tactical maneuvering decisions and unit-level
The 135-pound, twin-boomed unmanned air vehicle
force defense and/or force protection for Navy ships,
(UAV), manufactured by Insitu Inc., a Boeing subsidiary,
Marine Corps land forces, Navy Expeditionary Combat
completed its first one-hour test flight July 28 at an
Command forces and Navy special warfare units.
Insitu facility in eastern Oregon.
In announcing the first flight in August, the proWeve been flying ever since, said Ryan Hartman,
gram manager, Marine Corps Col. James E. Rector, said
Insitu senior vice president of Integrator Programs.
the organic ISR capability the RQ-21A provides to
Now the UAV is at Naval Air Weapons Station China
the Marine Air Ground Task Force will be a huge
Lake, Calif., to complete developmental and operational
enabler of our Marine Expeditionary Units and the
testing. That should wrap up in December, he said.
Navy and Marine Corps team afloat.
After that stage is completed, the Navy is slated to
Rector is manager of PMA-263, the Naval Air Systems
consider purchasing a low-rate initial production verCommand office overseeing the STUAS program for the
sion of the RQ-21A one system for land-based testNavy and Marine Corps. It also manages the Shadow and
ing, another for shipborne testing. The RQ-21A can be
Raven programs of record, as well as ISR services and the
launched and recovered from land or sea. Each system
smaller T-Hawk and Wasp programs.
consists of five unmanned aircraft with a ground conInsitu was awarded a $43.7 million contract for the
trol station, launch and recovery systems, and support
STUAS program in July 2010 to provide persistent
equipment.
maritime and land-based tactical ISR data collection
A Multimission Flying Truck
20
U.S. MARINE CORPS
tle downtime. It is expected to take

a crew of four Marines or Sailors to
operate an RQ-21A system
While the militarized RQ-21A
has been in development, Insitu
provided a commercial version of
the Integrator to the Marine Corps
for testing at the Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms,
Calif., and at Naval Air Station
Patuxent River, Md. Those aircraft
have been flying since early 2011.
At Twentynine Palms, the UAS
has totaled more than 152 flight
hours in support of Enhanced
Mojave Viper, the Corps combined
arms exercise that prepares Marines
for deployment to Afghanistan.
Although the basic concept has
An early version of the RQ-21A small tactical unmanned aircraft system is prebeen around for years, Hartman said
pared for launch during a sneak preview of the system Jan. 22 for Marine
the first flight of the RQ-21A was sigUnmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadrons 2 and 3 at Marine Corps Air Ground
Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.
nificant because it tested all of the
improvements that we made,
and dissemination. The RQ-21A is a larger, follow-on
including new avionics, new sensor, propulsion module
version of Insitus Integrator UAS, which in turn grew
unit improvements and the communications relay payout of the ScanEagle that Marines and Sailors have
load. It was the first flight of all those systems, he added.
been using in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2004, logging
Both the Integrator and ScanEagle are launched by a
more than 600,000 combat flight hours.
pneumatic catapult and recovered by a cable on a
The Integrator is designed to carry a bigger payload
SkyHook that snags the UAVs wingtip. Both the
than ScanEagle, including day/night full-motion video
launcher and SkyHook, which require neither nets nor
cameras, infrared marker, laser range finder and
runway, can be used aboard surface ships. The ScanEagle
Automatic Identification System (AIS) receivers for
has logged 24,500 combat flight hours off destroyers
identifying surface vessels for situational awareness.
such as USS Mahan. Future plans call for flying the
Multimission payloads are expected to provide ISR,
STUAS off San Antonio-class amphibious assault ships.
communications relaying for up to 15 hours a day, and
The RQ-21A currently packs a sensor payload in its
a short surge capacity of 24 hours.
nose or a gimbaled ball below the nose. Hartman said
Hartman said he had no problem with the descripit does have hard points under each wing to carry sention of the RQ-21A as a flying truck to carry whatevsors, extra fuel or other payloads. He declined to specer modular mission payloads are needed.
ify whether the UAS was capable of carrying offensive
In fact, we designed the system around that exact
or defensive weapons, saying only, Our requirement
trend. When we were looking at the design parameters
for STUAS is ISR and maritime domain awareness, and
and carving out our trade space for design, we looked
thats what were concentrating on now satisfying
at it as a cyclical environment, in that air vehicles are
the mission that weve been asked to design a system
good for 10 years before new technologies enable you
around. As that mission evolves, as the customers
to design a better air vehicle. But new payloads are
requirements evolve, this system will evolve with it.
becoming available, if not every year, then every other
As yet, the RQ-21A does not have a name and
year. Weve proven that with ScanEagle. So, yeah, we
Hartman hopes it keeps the Integrator designation.
are a flying truck, he said. Its a flying truck thats
Three prospective names proposed by the Navy and
going to be around for a long time
Marine Corps, Hartman wont say what they were,
The RQ-21A has an air speed of 80 knots (80 nautiwere all rejected by the Air Force.
cal mph), a service ceiling of 15,000 feet and a range of
The Air Force has the final authority in approving
50 nautical miles. It has a length of 7.2 feet, with a wing
the name of aircraft. I think its back to square one. We
span of 16 feet. Payload bays are designed to be plug
kind of like the name Integrator and, hopefully, theyll
and play to handle a wide variety of missions with litgo with that, he said.
21
Smart Missiles
As the threat evolves, so must the AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile program
By DANIEL P. TAYLOR, Special Correspondent
9Xs do not need to be pointed in

the general direction of the target.
The AIM-9X coupled with the
With the popular AIM-9X Sidewinder missile, the Navy is looking to
helmet-mounted cueing system
replace obsolete components and improve performance.
now lets pilots do some really
The first block of AIM-9Xs entered service in 2003 and the
great work in the dogfighting
missiles need a new computer and redesigned fuse.
arena, he said. You now dont
have to point the whole plane to
One of the biggest enhancements for the Block II and Block III
shoot the bad guy.
missiles will be the ability to pick out targets even with a cluttered
The first block of the AIM-9X
background.
entered service in 2003, and is in
Block II entered operational testing in May and has had three
need of an update, which is why the
successful live-fire tests.
program is working on Block II and
Block III versions that take advantage of the latest technologies.
For one thing, obsolete computhe AIM-9 Sidewinder has been the heat-seeking,
ers in the Sidewinders will be replaced with new ones.
air-to-air missile of choice for the nations fighter
Also, the missile needs a redesigned fuse one that is
aircraft for so long, pilots might be forgiven for
improved so it will not do things like detonate on
taking it for granted. But behind the scenes, work is being
clouds, for example.
done to make sure it can handle evolving threats.
But one of the biggest enhancements is the ability of
Because countermeasures systems to combat the
the new versions to pick out targets even with a clutAIM-9s abilities are improving, the program is worktered background.
ing on the latest iteration of the missile one that
The old AIM-9X, the Block I, it had what we call,
would allow it to pick out the tiniest of targets even in
lock on after launch, Martins said. You squeeze the
a cluttered environment. The program is seeking to
target, it doesnt see it on the rail, but it will find the tarturn the Sidewinder into less of a missile and more of
get on its own. If you challenged it with a high-clutter
an unmanned aircraft with a warhead.
background, such as a cloud, it wouldnt do very well.
Fighter aircraft have been using the AIM-9Ms since the
The AIM-9X with the new computers can do very
1980s, but the versions the program is getting ready to
well on its own, he added. So you can basically tell it
roll out in the next few years are AIM-9Xs Sidewinders
to go out a long distance and look for a target.
with better computer systems and ability to track targets,
Block II entered operational testing in May and the
said Capt. John Martins, the program manager.
program has conducted three live-fire tests, the first
The older AIM-9M tracked raw heat, so thats hot
one being against a target that was behind the aircraft
metal or exhaust, he said. Now, the AIM-9X uses a
firing the missile, using a Link 16 data link with thirdfocal plane array to create pictures. So its really an
party targeting from an E-2 or other aircraft to shoot
imaging seeker that uses IR [infrared] to create that
down a bad guy whos chasing them down, the capimage. Because it sees everything, its harder to decoy
tain said.
with infrared countermeasures.
The other two tests were against small cruise missileBut there is another significant improvement: AIMtype targets at low altitudes. The tests were successful,
Adapting to Evolving Threats
22
U.S. NAVY/COURTESY OF LOCKHEED MARTIN
crew to get the missile safely on

and off the plane.
The AIM-9X will come standard
on the F-35 Lightning II joint
strike fighter, he noted.
Meanwhile, manufacturer Raytheon Missile Systems is continuing to do its own work on the missile in conjunction with the program office. Steve Anderson,
Raytheons business development
manager for the AIM-9X program,
said the company tries to keep in
contact with the program office
almost daily, and has been successful in selling the missile to 11
other countries.
He said the hardware is virtually
the same for all versions of the AIM9X, and the main concern is obsolescence of computers and circuitry.
Weve had a lot of people
spending a lot of man-hours on
what is going obsolete and trying
to mitigate that, Anderson said.
Work on the Block II led to
improvements in the reliability of
The carrier variant of the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter flies for the first
the fuse, as well as the incorporatime with external weapons June 27 over Patuxent River, Md. Navy test pilot
tion of new data link capabilities.
Lt. Christopher Tabert flew CF-1 with inert AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air misThe main focus of our followsiles on the port and starboard pylons to measure flying qualities and aircraft
vibrations. The AIM-9X will be standard equipment on the F-35.
on investigations is to try and
prove the kinematics as much as
and Block II should wrap up operational testing in fall
we can, Anderson said. I think most of our effort
2013, Martins said.
right now is looking at how do we improve max range
For Block III, the program wants a missile that can
and do it with even longer legs?
do everything Block II does, but even better, he said,
After that, the company is seeking a way to drive the
so it is aiming to improve the computers, make the
cost back down on the Block II, which ended up more
missile safer to handle and even extend the range. The
expensive than the Block I, he said.
Block III will achieve initial operational capability in
The program was able to bring the costs of Block II
2014.
missiles down to $468,000 per copy with the most
Martins does not envision a new version of the misrecent lot. A December Selected Acquisition Report
sile anytime soon. The Navy would prefer to simply
shows that the Navy was able to buy 3,097 Block I misupgrade what it has and does not see the need to seek
siles for $911.6 million, or about $300,000 per copy,
a radically new missile.
although that does not include $561.2 million in
The missile has a lot of growth potential and a long
research and development.
life ahead of it, in that its very hard to fool and its perMoving forward, the focus remains on improving the
forming very well for us, he said.
reliability of the data link and the sensitivity of the seekFor the most part, the AIM-9X is adaptable to any
er, Anderson said, a process that is easier with a missile
strike fighter platform, although there is some integrathat is software-based and wont require major hardware
tion work left to be done with the Air Forces F-22
refreshes to match the current threat. For now, however,
Raptor, which at the moment can only carry AIMthe vast majority of the focus for Raytheon has been on
9Ms. The program is in the process of writing the softsimply completing the flight tests.
ware for a missile that must fly internally on a very
Were happy with performance thus far in [operafast jet, as well as some hardware changes to allow the
tional test], he said. Its looking really good so far.
23
Eyes on Targets
The Marine Corps new AH-1Z helicopter completes its initial deployment
By RICHARD R. BURGESS, Managing Editor
AH-1Z and UH-1Y program manager. Because were still delivering

them at fairly a low rate not quite
For the first time, the AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopters teamed up in
one a month we just cant build
a Marine Expeditionary Unit.
up a squadron with 15 of them to
Zulus and Yankees complement each other in tag teams.
get to where they need to be to train
and then pack up and deploy. So,
The AH-1Zs Target Sight System allows target identification
were still filling the Cobra role in
at long ranges.
Afghanistan with AH-1Ws.
The production rate precludes rapid widespread deployment
Right now, the only active
of the AH-1Z.
HMLA that has the Zulu is 267,
and what theyre doing is building
up detachments so they can source
MEUs, he said. Theyre going to
he Marine Corps has rated the initial operado that for the next couple of years until we start delivtional deployment of its new helicopter gunering Zulus at a sustained high rate to transition entire
ship a success.
squadrons. And then, at that point, theyll look at
The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU),
pushing the Zulu out on full squadron deployment.
embarked with the USS Makin Island amphibious ready
The AH-1Z Zulu and UH-1Y Yankee, which is
group, returned to the West Coast in June after a sevenreplacing the UH-1N November in HMLA squadmonth deployment to the Indian Ocean and Western
rons, are products of the H-1 Upgrade Program, which
Pacific Ocean. A detachment of four AH-1Zs from
is an extensive effort to sustain and improve an armed
Marine Helicopter Light Attack Squadron 367 (HMLAhelicopter capability for the Marine Corps. Both air367, later assigned during deployment to HMLA-267)
craft types are in full-rate production.
had joined Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268,
The Marine Corps plans to procure a total of 189 AHthe air combat element of the MEU for the deployment.
1Zs and 160 UH-1Ys, of which 25 and 63, respectively,
The deployment also for the first time saw the AH-1Z
had been delivered by July. The AH-1Z total includes 37
teamed with its UH-1Y Venom counterpart.
rebuilt from AH-1Ws and 152 new-production aircraft.
The AH-1Z Viper, or Zulu, built by Bell Helicopter
We pushed the Yankee out ahead of the Zulu because
Textron, is slowly replacing the AH-1W Super Cobra verwe were really having some challenges with the old UHsion, but, according to current near-term plans, it is not
1Ns, so we wanted to replace those things as quickly as
likely to see combat in Afghanistan. The rate of transition
possible, Hewson said. Thats why the Zulus seem like
of Marine HMLA squadrons to the new helicopter is such
theyre a step behind. That was a conscious decision.
that deployment of the AH-1Z to Afghanistan is unlikely
The Yankee is [coming off the production line]
before President Barack Obamas planned withdrawal of
roughly one-and-a-half per month, he said. The Zulu
U.S. combat forces from that country in 2014.
is a little slower, not quite one per month coming off of
The only way that would happen in the near term is
the production line.
if an MEU goes ashore off the boat to go and do some
The current production contract with Bell Helicopter
sort of reinforcing or supporting operations in there,
for fiscal 2011 Lot 8 aircraft is for 31 helicopters for
said Marine Col. Harry Hewson, the Navy Departments
$550 million, said Hewson, who noted that the contract
Team Effort
24
U.S. MARINE CORPS
An AH-1Z Viper supports a counterpiracy training mission near Southern Californias San Clemente Island Sept. 7. The attack
helicopter is with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (Reinforced), the aviation combat element for the 11th Marine
Expeditionary Unit. The unit embarked the amphibious assault ship Makin Island and amphibious transport dock New Orleans
in San Diego to begin its second seagoing exercise since becoming a complete Marine Air Ground Task Force in May.
price does not include government-furnished equipment, which amounts to approximately one-third more.
After an initial MEU deployment, the UH-1Y has
been deployed to Afghanistan since November 2009 in
company with AH-1W Whiskey gunships, and with
West Coast MEUs. The AH-1Z reached initial operational capability on Feb. 25, 2011.
On the 11th MEU deployment, the AH-1Z and UH-1Y
did everything we were expecting them to do, Hewson
said. They never went ashore in combat type of role, but
they did plenty of exercises around the Pacific and
Middle East area. The systems on the Zulu and the
Yankee did everything we expected them to do, particularly the [Top Owl] Helmet Sight System [on both helicopter types] and the [AAQ-30] Target Sight System on
the Zulu really improved the capabilities of the Marines
to get eyes on targets. They did some anti-piracy type
work around the Indian Ocean. The aircraft had very
high levels of readiness throughout the entire deployment. The feedback has been nothing but positive.
The Zulu [and] Yankee, theyre very closely matched
in speed and range, which is great, he said. The operating concept for the helicopter squadron now is to tag
team one Yankee and one Zulu, or maybe one Yankee
and two Zulus, depending on the mission, to go out and
work together. Just the nature of how the aircraft are set
up makes them very complementary. The Yankee can do

initial scouting [and] some forward air control-type
work and then bring the Zulu for the heavy punch with
Hellfire missiles.
The AH-1Z provides either twice the range or twice
the payload of the AH-1W, but the level of integration
of systems and the amount of tactical information presented to the pilots is an even more important upgrade.
The Target Sight System (TSS), built by Lockheed
Martin, is an extremely stable sight with a very nice
digital color TV camera and a very capable [forwardlooking infrared] that is heads-and-shoulders above
what any pilot had on the AH-1W, Hewson said. This
gives the pilots the ability to standoff from threat, identify targets well beyond the range of that threats
weapons systems, and then either close into the maximum range of the missile and still engage with a very
high probability of hit, or designate from standoff distances for fixed-wing aircraft to destroy the target. The
whole package is much more integrated and really
focused on giving the Marines the best tactical advantage we can give them.
The Top Owl Helmet Sight System, built by Thales,
gives the pilot all of the flight, aircraft performance and
targeting information all right in front of his face both day
and night, Hewson said. It also blends night vision.
25
U.S. MARINE CORPS
about spare parts, tooling, support

equipment, publications, the
amount of training that you have
to give to a technician, that sort of
thing is really significantly reduced
over the old Whiskey-November
package.
Hewson said some of the lessons learned on the AH-1Zs first
deployment involved improvements on support equipment, like
trying to smooth out with the
blade-fold racks that support the
blades when theyre folded on the
shipboard.
The HMLA TMS Team report
noted that the amount of rain and
humidity of the monsoon season
in the tropical environment in
Cambodia and Malaysia created
challenges for the H-1, which
were not specified but classified as
surmountable.
Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167 at Marine Corps Air Station New
The readiness rates were very
River, N.C., became the first East Coast squadron to add the UH-1Y Venom
high throughout the entire first
to its arsenal on Sept. 29, 2011. The Venom, commonly referred to as the
deployment, Hewson said. Despite
Yankee for the letter Y in its designation, is an upgrade from the older UH-1N
November version and features many new components.
being on a ship where youre away
from an instant supply chain, the airAccording to a report issued in June by the HMLA
craft did very, very well. There are no significant redesign
Type/Model/Series (TMS) Team at Headquarters
efforts or any major changes we have to make to the airMarine Corps in Arlington, Va., The enhanced sensor
craft. Theyre ready to go for their next deployment.
capability has also contributed to integration between
Although already deployed in combat on the UH-1Y,
the Blue-Green [Navy-Marine] team in the form of
the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS),
maritime interdiction and defense of the amphibious
a laser-guided, 2.75-inch-diameter rocket, has not yet
task force.
been deployed on the AH-1Z.
The HMLA TMS Team report praised the performance
The Zulu has a different fire-control system for its
of the AH-1Z and UH-1Y in VBSS (visit, board, search
rockets than the Yankee does, so it needs some modifiedand seizure) and GOPLAT (gas/oil platform) missions.
flight and fire-control software, Hewson said. Its going
The TSS allowed the [Zulus] early acquisition of
to take about another 12 to 18 months to finish out the
target vessels well outside audible and visual range,
work on that where we do some test and evaluation at
the report said. The increased power and agility of the
China Lake, [Calif.,] to finish up that fire-control soluUH-1Y allowed for safer and more flexible employtion. I would say probably late-2013 well see APKWS on
ment of the aerial sniper within the VBSS/GOPLAT
the Zulu.
template, thereby providing a higher level of security
One remaining program milestone for the H-1
and response to the Maritime Raid Force.
Upgrade Program is the establishment of the Naval Air
One advantage of the AH-1Z/UH-1Y program is the
Systems Commands ability to maintain the AH-1Z and
large degree of commonality in systems. For example,
UH-1Y at the depot level. The goal for attaining that
the mission software is identical.
capability is September 2015.
Eighty-five percent of the systems on the aircraft,
So far there have been no Foreign Military Sales
anything that is significantly spareable, maintenancecases for the AH-1Z.
wise, are identical, so the aircraft are very largely comHowever, the Zulu is currently in competition in
plementary in an expeditionary environment, Hewthe Republic of Korea for their heavy attack helicopter
son said. Thats probably the biggest thing is getting
competition and I think it stacks up pretty favorably
our expeditionary footprint down. When were talking

and so well see how that goes, Hewson said.
26
Carrier Air Wing

Here to Stay
CVW-2 commander highlights recent around-the-world deployment
U.S. NAVY
Capt. David Silkey led Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) during its
recent nine-month deployment as the air arm of the USS Abraham
Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG). As the strike warfare commander
for the CSG, he was responsible for providing airborne power projection from the carrier in support of combatant commanders during the
deployment in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans, the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf.
Silkey has served in four F/A-18 strike fighter squadrons, including a
tour as commanding officer of one. Prior to that, he was a CVW landing signal officer, an instructor pilot and a pilot with the Blue Angels,
the Navys Flight Demonstration Squadron. He also coordinated training with regard to tactical jet coordination and control for SEALs in
the Navy Special Warfare Development Group, and served in the
Pentagon as the executive secretary for the secretary of defense.
Silkey, whose aviator call sign is Wolfy, has accumulated more than
3,900 flight hours in two different F/A-18 aircraft types and conducted more than 700 carrier arrested landings. In a telephone interview
from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., where CVW-2 is based, he discussed the role of a carrier air wing
commander with Managing Editor Richard R. Burgess. Excerpts follow:
Did you feel well-prepared for command of a

carrier air wing?
SILKEY: From my personal experience, the Navy did a
phenomenal job of getting me ready for command [of an

F/A-18 squadron]. In every training session, everybody
always said, Do what got you here, Wolfy, and that
seemed to work OK in [a squadron] command. The transition to [CVW] command, no one provides any more
guidance, and so you go in with the mindset of, Do what
got you here, Wolfy. And that doesnt necessary apply,
the reason being is because Ive got 16 handpicked rock
stars [squadron commanding officers (COs) and executive officers (XOs)]. They dont want to do business the
way that Dave Silkey ran his squadron, nor should they.
When I first started as air wing commander, I probably was a little bit overly directive and didnt give
28
them the opportunity to get to their Sunday [objectives

their way]. There are seven different ways to Sunday
and each one of them works, so that was a bit of a
growth industry for me. But once we were able to do
that and let the rock stars do their job the way that
they wanted to, I felt like we were successful.
Air wings across the spectrum of the force are very
standardized. An air wing can plug and play on any
carrier in the U.S. Navy with minimum friction because
we are so standardized.
What are the main challenges of leading a carrier air wing today?
SILKEY: One of the challenges we face as we deploy is
aligning higher headquarter guidance down to the very

junior tactical level. Guys come out of the training comW W W. S E A P O W E R M A G A Z I N E . O R G
mand fired up about getting to do

the job that they get the privilege to
do. There are some big responsibilities on the strategic level about flying
in Afghanistan and operating in the
Fifth Fleet [area of responsibility].
Trying to effectively communicate
that down to the lowest level so that,
when we give them the keys to the
car and they go away for six hours,
we have every degree of confidence
that theyre going to execute the mission in alignment with higher headquarters guidance armed conflict,
rules of engagement, tactical directive [is one challenge]. We are
Capt. David Silkey, commander, Carrier Air Wing Two, holding the flag at right, gathasking a lot of these junior officers.
ers with his air wings commanding officers (COs), and the commanders of Carrier
Ensuring that we were good stewStrike Group 9 and the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, aboard Lincoln in the Arabian
ards with the nations treasure preGulf to mark the final day of Lincoln Carrier Strike Group operations over Afsented some challenges: making sure
ghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom July 9. From the left are: Cmdr.
that we flew exactly what we needed
Brent C. Gaut, CO of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 77; Cmdr. Christopher
G. Bailey, CO of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 12; Cmdr. Stephen A. Flaherty,
to and not necessarily more because
CO of Electronic Attack Squadron 131; Cmdr. Robert E. Loughran, CO of Strike
we were an extended deployment
Fighter Squadron 151; Capt. John D. Alexander, CO, USS Abraham Lincoln; Rear
and we wanted to make sure we had
Adm. Troy M. Shoemaker, commander, Carrier Strike Group 9; Silkey; Capt. Louis
the assets, the flight hours and the
J. Schager, CO of Strike Fighter Squadron 34; Cmdr. James S. Bates, CO of Strike
funding available to do what we
Fighter Squadron 2; Cmdr. Jeremy D. Brunn, CO of Strike Fighter Squadron 137;
and Cmdr. Paul M. Dale, CO of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 116.
were required to do and do it safely
and effectively.
positions of aircraft and other pictures on the surface
[Another challenge was] integration of the entire
space electronically is significant. Communication suites
strike group with the multiple missions and responsihave changed. Full-motion video that helicopters are
bilities we had. OEF [Operation Enduring Freedom] is
able to provide the strike group commander in his battle
ridiculously hard and, from the air wing and squadron
watch space is remarkable. Laser/[Global Positioning
commander perspective, there is nothing more imporSystem]-guided munitions. Our sortie completion rate
tant than supporting our ground forces in Afghanistan.
and the ability of the F/A-18 to come back aboard the
I dont think that focus should necessarily change. But
ship allows me to sleep a little easier at night.
there are competing interests and its a challenge to
I grew up working in [Operation] Desert Storm and
manage those on a daily basis.
supporting OIF [Operation Iraqi Freedom] for quite a
The final challenge for us, [after five months of a
long period of time, and now were exclusive to OEF.
planned six-month deployment with a May 2 return
Weve always planned and trained to major combat
date], we were extended for about a month-and-a-half
operations, but we are starting to look more at specific
and then we got another extension that took us out
threats and allocation of resources in that regard.
through Aug. 8. Just the uncertainty both at the Sailor
Restricted water space, specifically the Strait of
level as well as the officer level and, most importantly, the
Hormuz, is a significant challenge for air wings.
family level presented some challenges. It was those 16
OEF is a mature battle space. Naval aviation is aligned
XOs and COs who led their squadrons exceedingly well
extremely well and the training that we receive [is] rethat allowed us to be relatively successful in that realm.
markable and allows us to operate very effectively in OEF.
How has the CVW changed over your career?
With the Swifty [Strike Fighter Weapons and
SILKEY: With the exception of the EA-6B Prowler, every
Tactics, or SWFT] program early on in the mid-90s,
single platform has gone through major modifications or
there was reluctance of commanding officers to afford
has been replaced: The F-14 with the F/A-18 Super
JOs [junior officers] to drive tactics as much as they do
Hornet. The SH-60s with the MH-60s, both [MH-60S]
today. In my opinion, the single greatest source of sucSierras and [MH-60R] Romeos. Command and concess for naval aviation is the Swifty program. It has
trol nodes i.e., Link 16 the ability to communicate
aligned in every single air wing in the way we execute
29
U.S. NAVY
tanker, [because its radar, with Link

16 has] the ability to look down at a
display from a Gods-eye perspective
to see where the carrier is and see
the entire recovery ongoing as
planes are coming down.
What is your impression of
the MH-60R and MH-60S helicopters?
SILKEY: They are a huge force mul-
U.S. NAVY
tiplier for the entire strike group.

Theres a significant growth opportunity in not only capability, but mission and training for both the Romeo
and the Sierra. [In the past,] the helicopter squadron was crucial to have
but you didnt integrate well with
them because the missions werent
well aligned. Now, I call our helicopAn F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Kestrels of Strike Fighter Squadron 137,
ters the low, slow fighters because
one of Carrier Air Wing Twos nine squadrons, launches from the Nimitz-class aircraft
they are absolutely engaged in the
carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea July 2. The Lincoln Carrier Strike
fight, specifically, in restricted water
Groups deployment, which was extended from May 2 to Aug. 8, took it to the
Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans, the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf.
space and, even more specifically, the
Strait of Hormuz.
tactically [and] has tremendous application throughWhat they brought to Carrier Strike Group 9 was pheout the battle space. I can take any aviator from any air
nomenal. I think we moved the ball significantly in tacwing, integrate them into CVW-2, and they could start
tics, techniques and procedures for the use of heliborne
flying combat operations tomorrow with us.
forces, from the full-motion video capability to the integration with the Romeo in the hunter role with the Sierra
How do you conduct mission planning?
in the killer role. They were integral on surface combatSILKEY: Were very mature in our planning processes. We
ants in counterpiracy and they performed significant missay, OK, I want to take out this specific target and we
sions in the struggle against violent extremism, interceptdeep dive what is required to take out that specific target.
ing platforms that were smuggling weapons to various
We start there and then we work back; that will drive the
locations throughout Fifth Fleet AOR [area of responsiresourcing required to get the aircraft required and the
bility]. Theyre crucial to [developing] the maritime picordnance on the aircraft with reliability rates and whatnot
ture for the [destroyer squadron] commander and I think
to accomplish that mission. We continually step back furtheyre going to be crucial in the strike coordination and
ther until weve answered all possible contingencies and
reconnaissance mission.
that will eventually dictate what the resourcing requireWhat types of weapons did your wing employ
ment is. Along the way, we continue to build contingency
during the deployment?
operations and we have go/no go criteria that will tell
SILKEY: LMAVs (Laser Mavericks); GBU-12 laserus, You have the assets available and the capability to
guided bomb; GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition
continue the mission or you dont [and] withdraw.
(JDAM); GBU-54, a JDAM with laser capability in the
As a strike fighter pilot, do you fly every type
end game. Its great against a stationary target that may
of aircraft in the air wing?
potentially move and it will update its coordinates.
SILKEY: That is the best part about this job. I get to fly
20mm [cannon]. Every air wing looks at those
everything in the air wing, [including] a significant
weapons a little bit differently and configures their airamount of helicopter time. The Super Hornet is a
craft a little bit differently. We tended to put all the
tremendous strike fighter, very capable, [with] plenty of
GBU-54s on the legacy Hornets and GBU-12s and
growth opportunity for it to be sustainable for the years
GBU-38s on the Rhinos [Super Hornets]. We retain
to come. From a payload perspective, the Super Hornet
the Laser Mavericks for possible follow-on usage
is a very viable platform. It also is phenomenal as a
should the need arise on the waterspace.
30
With the Swifty [Strike Fighter Weapons and Tactics, or SWFT] program early
on in the mid-90s, there was reluctance of commanding officers to afford
JOs [junior officers] to drive tactics as much as they do today. In my opinion,
the single greatest source of success for naval aviation is the Swifty program. I can take any aviator from any air wing, integrate them into CVW-2,
and they could start flying combat operations tomorrow with us.
What wish list of emerging technologies do you

have for a CVW?
SILKEY: It has always bothered me growing up in the

Navy that we look at what is currently available and
say, Boy, Id really like that. In my opinion, the Air
Force has always been very forward-leaning in getting
the weapon-to-target pairing right and moving out
quickly with it. Their sensor capabilities have always
been somewhat ahead of the Navy. Its harder to put on
ordnance and hang pods on carrier-based aircraft than
on land-based aircraft.
If I were King for the Day, I would like: a longer
range and a launch-and-lead capability with an air-toair missile and an air-to-surface missile. I would like an
area denial weapon that we could put in the waterspace that allows us to attack the swarm of FACs [fast
attack craft] that may be coming at the carrier; more
self-defense capability; increased capability for fullmotion video, not only from the aircraft to the battle
watch captain for the admiral, but reciprocity on that.
I would like to be able to see exactly what strike coordination and reconnaissance is seeing we can slew
via Link 16, but to see exactly what hes seeing that
may be an impossible bridge and very difficult from a
bandwidth perspective.
What is your impression of the junior aviators
coming to the wings squadrons from the training units?
SILKEY: The JOs of today are absolutely remarkable,
not only professionally, but [in] personal conduct. For

an eight-month deployment, for an air wing to go and
have zero liberty- or alcohol-related incidents, an
entire strike group to go with zero incidents is remarkable. And were not saying zero reportable, were saying
zero incidents.
From an operational level, we had two air space
violations, but thats it. For an eight-month deployment, we had three separate periods where we were on
the line for 45 days supporting operations in
Afghanistan. That day starts out at 0630 and it didnt
end until about 1100 at night. If you flew that day, you
came into a hot wash-up at 1030. And, so, that op
tempo is ridiculously hard to sustain and these kids
were able to do that. They deployed with 100 percent
compliance with the tactical directives outlined by
Gen. [John R.] Allen [commander, International
Security Assistance Force-Afghanistan], whose goal is
zero civilian casualties, which changed recently to
minimizing civilian casualties. [That] is a significant
responsibility for these aircrews to have to deal with
and they executed flawlessly.
Hats off to the [the training command] and the fleet
readiness squadrons. They are producing a caliber of
aviator that I could not compete with when I joined
the fleet.
How would you describe the importance of the
carrier air wing in the national defense strategy?
SILKEY: Its a big clich, isnt it, where anytime theres
a significant conflict, national command authority will

ask, Where are the carriers? The current demand signal for carrier presence in the Fifth Fleet AOR it is significant.
Look at the last 10 years of carrier [operations] and
how theyve supported the humanitarian assistance
disaster relief mission in Japan, in Indonesia and even
at home during Hurricane Katrina. We bring tremendous capability in the medical role, certainly in command and control, and then in logistics with our heliborne force.
In counterpiracy, there is nothing more capable. The
carrier air wing, specifically, its heliborne forces in supporting [special operations forces] and other assets, is
certainly a significant force multiplier. In the struggle
against violent extremism and [interdicting] the
weapons required to do that, we have a role in that.
The carrier air wing is here to stay for quite some
time. The secretary of defense and everybody else
agrees that the force structure is probably exactly
where it needs to be. Its just a tremendous capability
that is here for the long haul.

31
DEFENSE SPENDING
Down to the Wire

As threat of sequestration looms, defense companies
hope for the best, prepare for the worst
By DAISY R. KHALIFA, Special Correspondent
but with a pledge to reduce the

deficit by about $2 trillion over 10
years through federal spending cuts.
Responding to questions from members of the Senate Armed
Accordingly, it outlines two types
Services Committee relating to the implementation of sequestraof reductions in the near and long
tion, defense industry officials expressed concern about the
term, one of which involves spendindiscriminate nature of how cuts would be applied, the long-term
ing caps, or limits on overall diseffect on the industrial base and the ability of their suppliers to
cretionary spending that reduce
weather the cuts.
spending by about $841 billion over
Already facing $487 billion in spending cuts over 10 years as
10 years. The DoDs share is $487
part of the Budget Control Act of 2011, the Defense Department
billion over the next decade.
would bear an additional $500 billion in cuts under sequestration.
The other is sequestration, which
involves automatic spending cuts
The challenge for those in the defense industry has been how
totaling $1.2 trillion over 10 years,
to process and share accurate projections as to potential job
split between defense and nonlosses and other impacts without yet having a grasp themselves
defense discretionary accounts that
of where the cuts stand.
were to go into effect unless a bipar Defense industry observers are concerned about partisan politisan, 12-member Joint Select Comtics and rhetoric on Capitol Hill, and warn that playing it down to
mittee on Deficit Reduction, or
the last seconds on the shot clock to reach some sort of deficitSuper Committee, could produce a
reduction compromise is an exceptionally high-risk strategy.
deficit reduction plan of its own.
About $500 billion of those cuts were
to be borne by defense accounts.
The Super Committee, however,
egardless of who wins the White House this
failed to produce any deficit reduction legislation by its
November, a certainty facing the Department
Nov. 23 deadline, setting the sequestration clock into
of Defense (DoD) and nearly every U.S. fedmotion.
eral agency is spending cuts aimed at offsetting the
The Office of Management and Budget, in its report
nations deficit over the next 10 years, according to
to Congress Sept. 14 as required by the Sequestration
terms set forth in the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA).
Transparency Act of 2012, revealed that no amount of
What is not certain is another set of across-theplanning can mitigate the effects of the arbitrary cuts.
board federal budget cuts slated to go into effect Jan. 2
Sequestration is a blunt and indiscriminate instruunless Congress does something to stop it. This threat
ment, the introduction to the 394-page report says. It
of cuts under a mechanism called sequestration
is not the responsible way for our Nation to achieve
looms large for companies that do business with the
deficit reduction.
federal government and, if it takes effect as scheduled,
Policy experts from all sides have weighed in on the
will hit defense companies particularly hard. Defense
potential impact of sequestration within the defense
spending cuts in 2013 alone could top $50 billion.
sector, and on the economy as a whole, and how workThe BCA, signed into law by President Barack Obama
ers, jobs and small businesses in the defense industry,
in August 2011, allows for an increase to the debt limit,
among others, might be affected.
Uncertainty Ahead
32
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DEFENSE SPENDING
Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, second from

right, meets with members of the Aerospace Industries
Association, National Defense Industrial Association and
Professional Services Council in Arlington, Va., July 23.
Panetta and the group met to discuss the potential
impacts of sequestration on the Department of Defense
and the defense industrial base.
And while there are disparate opinions as to the impact

of the cuts in terms of job-loss projections and economic
growth, there is one matter on which policy experts seem
to agree: sequestration should not happen, and need not
happen if lawmakers can put aside their partisan bickering and agree to some sort of debt-reduction compromise.
The point of sequestration was as a forcing mechanism for [legislators] to sit down and put their programs on the table. It was to force them to compromise, said Peter W. Singer, director of the 21st
Century Defense Initiative and a senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington.
The defense budget is not the primary cause of the
nations $16 trillion in debt, he said, and while he would
prefer not to see the defense budget cut, it is a reality.
Like it or not, and to be clear, I dont like it, it will
be one of the victims, said Singer, who suggests that
perhaps only those very close to budget dealings in the
defense community can see what the cuts might be
under a best-case scenario, which is a budget deal that
is signed into law. The key is we have a choice. This
trend could become a catastrophe, as it is often painted. But it need not be. What matters most is not the
amount, but how this process in managed.
Defense companies are bracing for a catastrophe. In responses sent in July to questions from members of the Senate Armed Services Committee relative to the implementation of sequestration, chief executive officers (CEOs)
from Huntington Ingalls Industries, Honeywell Aerospace,
EADS North America, General Dynamics, Boeing and ITT
Exelis acknowledged the necessity of some spending
reductions but noted the difficulty in predicting with any
certainty the likely outcomes. They also expressed concern about the indiscriminate nature of how cuts would be
applied, the long-term effect on the industrial base and the
ability of their suppliers to weather the cuts.
Singer believes lawmakers are taking a chance by waiting until the end of the year to reach a budget compromise. And, like other defense industry observers, he feels
that the heated partisan politics and rhetoric on Capitol
Hill, fueled more so by the final months of the presidential race, hamper understanding and mislead the public
as to the nations budget crisis and, in particular, the
impact of sweeping Defense Department cuts.
It is an exceptionally high-risk strategy to wait for
[a budget deal], because you are literally playing it
down to the last seconds on the shot clock, he said.
Singer, however, added there is a danger in describing
sequestrations potential impact as catastrophic and that
the military will be unable to carry out a single mission.
What is happening in defense policy right now is
people will throw around things that have no basis,
that they know are not true, and yet they will be out
there pushing them. This kind of bad analysis and
heated partisan rhetoric makes that [budget] compromise far less likely to happen, he said.
The challenge for those in the defense industry has
been how to process and share accurate projections as to
potential job losses and other impacts without yet having
a grasp themselves of where the cuts stand. Nonetheless,
the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the
nations largest manufacturing association, issued a
report earlier this year that looks at the combined impact
of the BCAs budget caps and the automatic spending
cuts. The group said the cuts will cost the U.S. economy
more than 1.2 million jobs, including 130,000 manufacturing jobs and 200,000 military jobs in 2014.
The report, Defense Spending Cuts: The Impact on
Economic Activity and Jobs, predicts not only that the
nations gross domestic product (GDP) will be 1 percent
lower in 2014, but unemployment will rise .7 percent.
Among those hit hardest will be the ship and boat industry, losing 3.3 percent of its jobs, and the search and navigation industry, losing 9.3 percent of its jobs.
In a Sept. 7 statement, issued in response to the Bureau
of Labor Statistics jobs report for August released that day,
Jay Timmons, NAM president and CEO, said, Any meaningful action on the approaching fiscal abyss has stalled,
and manufacturers are feeling the effects. Massive tax
increases and indiscriminate spending cuts threaten to
undercut any minimal economic gains we have seen. This
is unacceptable, and despite the excitement surrounding
the recent political conventions, manufacturers are growing more pessimistic by the day about our economic
future. Unless policymakers shelve the rhetoric, roll up
their sleeves and take action to end the unfavorable busiSEAPOWER / OCTOBER 2012
33
U.S. NAVY
DEFENSE SPENDING
about a military budget that will be

$100 billion higher than it is today.
Singer said the discussion about
sequestration in the political environment has wrongly given way to
extreme scenarios of either
sequestration: big, massive, meat
axe cut or no cut. Politicians, he
said, go for cheer lines that in the
long term undermine peoples
understanding and trust. By claiming a base will close or that a segment of jobs in a certain district
will be cut before defense companies know what is going to happen
ultimately have a harmful effect on
the economy, he said, because of
the uncertain climate it breeds.
We are already feeling some of
Service members and civilians gather to watch the Lewis and Clark-class dry
the effects of these potential job losscargo ship USNS Cesar Chavez be christened and launched at General
es without sequestration happening,
Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co.s shipyard in San Diego May 5.
and the rhetoric around it only
There are disparate opinions on the potential impact of sequestration on workers, jobs and small businesses in the defense industry.
makes it worse, Singer said. If you
look at what the [congressional] suness climate that manufacturers face today, we will see our
per committee was talking about, it was a range of $200
jobs crisis continue and economic growth grind to a halt.
[billion] to $300 billion more in cuts, so they werent talkLikewise, a study released in mid-July by Stephen S.
ing about zero defense cuts. It was more measured and
Fuller, the Dwight Schar faculty chair and director in
more strategic. The most likely outcome is probably somethe Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason
thing in the middle, and, here again, no one is being intelUniversity, Fairfax, Va., assesses the economic impact
lectually honest and talking about it that way.
based on all the cutbacks under the BCA for defense
Nonetheless, a trace of optimism surfaced at a recent
and non-defense agencies.
U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command
Commissioned by the Aerospace Industries Asso(SPAWAR) roundtable in San Diego. At the quarterly
ciation, the GMU report, The Economic Impact of the
SPAWAR-Industry Executive Network (SIEN) on Aug.
Budget Control Act of 2011 on DoD and Non-DoD
23, a panel of industry, government and academic profesAgencies, forecasts that 1.09 million jobs with a total
sionals explored the importance of sustaining partnerlabor income of $46.5 billion would be lost because of
ships among the three sectors in order to bridge innova2012-2013 Defense Department cuts.
tion gaps, while forecasting what military operations
The Washington-based Cato Institute contradicts
may be like under sequestration.
some of these catastrophic projections, and explains its
Im a bit of a contrarian because I see opportunity on
reasoning in a video the organization released in early
the horizon, Rear Adm. James H. Rodman Jr., SPAWAR
August entitled The Truth About Sequestration. The
chief engineer, said during a SIEN panel discussion. If
group argues in the video that even with a sequester in
we synergize the intellectual capital available in our com2013, the outcome in 10 years is marginal, noting that
munity, we can find creative and fiscally responsible ways
instead of spending $5.7 trillion on defense over the next
to meet emerging needs. Our partnerships will enable us
decade, the government will spend about $5.2 trillion.
to address some of these impending budgetary issues.
Furthermore, Christopher A. Preble, vice president
Singer said the issues being debated in sequestration
for defense and foreign policy studies at Cato, said in the
arent going away in the next few weeks, months or
video that the cuts under sequestration occur mainly in
even years, and the public will see a changing long2013, and after 2013 the budget begins to climb again, a
term financial situation in this country.
fact outlined as well in the GMU report.
You can have sequestration hit in a way that everyAll were doing is shaving the rate of growth of governbody worries about, where you whack the good and
ment if you have a sequester, Daniel J. Mitchell, senior
the bad by the same amount, or, you can engage in key
fellow at Cato, says in the video. And you are still talking
areas of strategic reform, he said.
34
THE FLEET
Aviation Niche
Navys airship continues to prove its worth as an ISR, test platform
By WILLIAM MATTHEWS, Special Correspondent
Agency and the Navy all are working on experimental airships. And
the Army and Air Force each built
Airships are ideal for testing advanced sensors, including video
large unmanned airships for inand infrared cameras, radar, computers and other components of
telligence gathering.
the next generation of airborne sensing equipment.
The Armys airship, a 300-foot The Navys MZ-3A is the U.S. militarys only operational airship.
long Long Endurance MultiIntelligence Vehicle, or LEMV,
Virtually vibration free, the engines of the MZ-3A can be throtcompleted its first flight on Aug. 7
tled back to come to a halt in the sky.
about a year and a half behind
A slow-moving or even motionless airship provides time to
schedule. It is designed to fly at
check, recheck and fine-tune sensor performance.
20,000 feet for three weeks at a
time, using cameras, radar and
other sensors to gather intelligence
on targets below.
low, slow approach to landing the MZ-3A airThe Air Force version, the 350-foot-long Blue Devil 2,
ship feels quite natural to Bert Race. From the
was canceled this summer amid construction delays and
co-pilots seat at the front of the 178-foot Navy
technical difficulties.
blimps gondola, the approach feels familiar and safe.
So far, only the Navy has an airship in everyday use.
Helicopter guys are very comfortable with the
The MZ-3A serves mainly as a flying testbed for
gradual descent, he said.
sophisticated sensors and communications gear, but it
Some fixed-wing pilots find it freaky. Their initial
can do more. In 2010, for example, it was called into
reaction is fear of stalling, said Race, who flew SH-60B
service to help monitor the 2010 Deepwater Horizon
submarine-hunting helicopters in the Navy and now
oil spill and cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico.
is project manager for the U.S. militarys only operaIts a fleet of one; no more are planned. Dont look
tional airship.
for a return to the days when more than 100 Navy
Its fitting that the MZ-3A is a Navy airship. Flying it
blimps searched for German submarines during World
is like driving a big boat, Race said. We are a displaceWar II or scanned the skies for Soviet missiles during
ment vessel. Surface warriors and submariners seem to
the Cold War. The last of those blimps retired in 1962
grasp the technology faster than most aviators.
and there is no plan to bring them back.
Buoyed by lighter-than-air helium and ballasted by 25MZ-3A, which belongs to the Naval Research Laborapound bags of shot, the MZ-3A (alas, it has no catchy
torys Scientific Development Squadron One (VXS-1)
nickname) moves through the air more like a ship through
based at Patuxent River, Md., has a more modest task
the sea than a plane or helicopter that depends on thrust
conducting science and technology research.
and the Bernoulli principle to keep from crashing to Earth.
Airships, it turns out, are ideal for testing the
When ship operators, particularly submariners, fly
advanced sensors, including video and infrared camin the blimp, they get it right away, Race said. Its the
eras, radar, computers and other components of the
airborne analogue of a submarine.
next generation of airborne sensing equipment.
Military airships are making a tentative comeback.
MZ-3A flies virtually vibration free and, if need be,
The Army, the Defense Advanced Research Projects
the engines can be throttled back to idle so that even
Sailing the Skies
36
U.S. COAST GUARD
THE FLEET
helicopters, the slow-moving, virtually silent airship did not spook

already stressed animals below,
Race said.
One evening, after working offshore all day, the MZ-3A motored
stately along the beach to return to
Gulf Shores airport. Gathered on
the sand below, the public gave us
a standing ovation, Race recalled.
Last winter, MZ-3A was deployed to Dunnellon, Fla., to test
intelligence, reconnaissance and
surveillance (ISR) sensors that were
being readied for the Armys LEMV.
Along with a high-tech payload
of cameras and computers, the airship carried a crew of sensor engineers. The gondola windows had
been blacked out to exclude prying
eyes, Race said, and the ride was so
smooth that the engineers almost
forgot they were in the air.
There was no turbulence, no air
sickness and the engineers were
able to rewrite computer code for
the sensors literally on the fly.
We exceeded their expectations, Race said.
The same tests on a fixed-wing
aircraft or a helicopter would have
required multiple landings, refuelings, takeoffs and a fair amount of
bumping around in tight quarters.
Staying Aloft
Despite such successes, by early
2012 the Navy was ready to deflate
The U.S. Navys MZ-3A airship flies oil surveillance duty over Gulf Shores, Ala.,
MZ-3A. Its not that the blimp wasnt
July 20, 2010, during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup effort. U.S. Coast
performing well, it simply lacked a
Guard aerial observers onboard directed cleanup vessels of opportunity below
to oil slick locations.
mission. The airship flew to Joint
Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in
forward motion ceases. Dwell time can be important
New Jersey in February to be put into storage.
when testing sensors, and a slow-moving or even
At the last moment, the Army stepped in. With the
motionless airship provides time to check, recheck and
LEMV behind schedule, the service needed a platform
fine-tune sensor performance.
to continue testing LEMV sensors. So MZ-3A was back
But there also is a certain mystique about airships.
in business. The Army is providing enough money to
Race recounts a particularly satisfying mission in 2010.
keep it flying through March.
MZ-3A was deployed to Gulf Shores, Ala., to
The Army also signed up the airship for testing comrespond to the Deepwater Horizon oil well blowout.
munications gear, and soon MZ-3A was flying daily sixThe blimp made daily flights out over the Gulf of
hour missions over Fort Dix, serving as an airborne node
Mexico, carrying Coast Guard observers to search for
for service experiments in network integration.
oil slicks, direct oil skimmers to clean the slicks up and
Now another potential customer has emerged the
monitor the effects of the oil on wildlife. Unlike noisy
Navy itself is interested in using MZ-3A to support
37
NORTHROP GRUMMAN
The U.S. Armys Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) flew for the first time from Joint Base McGuire-DixLakehurst, N.J., on Aug. 7. The LEMV is designed to fly at 20,000 feet for three weeks at a time, using cameras, radar
and other sensors to gather intelligence on targets below.
upcoming fleet exercises. Essentially, the blimp would

be loaded with video sensors, radar and digital data
relay equipment to serve as a multimission sensor platform and communications node, Race said.
And in August, a deal was being finalized between the
Navy and the Joint IED Defeat Organization (JIEDDO)
for up to two years worth of work testing advanced surveillance and reconnaissance equipment.
As part of the deal, JIEDDO will pay to reconfigure
the blimps gondola so the MZ-3A crew can more
quickly install and uninstall equipment designed to
counter improvised explosive devices (IEDs), Race
said. For an organization like JIEDDO, time is critical
when testing gear that is headed to the battlefield.
Testing the same equipment on helicopters or fixedwing aircraft could mean delays while waiting for airworthiness assessments, Race said. Flight clearances
for MZ-3A are generally quicker to obtain because the
blimps inherently low-G flight regime reduces fabrication, engineering and analysis requirements.
Its really hard to beat us for getting stuff in the air
quickly and safely, Race said.
Cost is another factor in the MZ-3As favor.
Fuel consumption on the airship is one to two orders
of magnitude less than any other air platform carrying an
38
equivalent payload, Race said. An order of magnitude is

a term scientists use to mean a factor of 10.
The MZ-3A has been averaging around nine gallons of gasoline an hour, Race said. The Armys most
widely used helicopter, the Black Hawk, consumes
about 150 gallons of fuel an hour.
Maintenance-wise, the MZ-3A also is a bargain. It is
a relatively simple aircraft. Built by American Blimp
Corp., it has two gasoline-powered 180-horsepower
Lycoming engines that turn propellers to propel the
blimp to a top speed of almost 50 knots.
An envelope filled with 170,000 cubic feet of helium provides lift for the airship and a payload of up to
2,500 pounds. The gondola passenger compartment
accommodates a pilot and nine passengers, or various combinations of crew and test gear. MZ-3A can
easily remain aloft for more than 12 hours. Most flights
are shorter than that due to crew endurance. The airship has an altitude ceiling of 9,500 feet.
Although there is a single pilot seat and one set of
controls, the Navy typically sends two pilots on each
mission so they can relieve one another at the controls,
Race said.
It has a greater than 99 percent readiness rate, he
said. Thats possible because of the blimps simplicity
THE FLEET
and the way it flies, he added. Theres not a lot of stress

on the platform, so it just stays ready all the time.
An airships nemesis is wind.
Every aircraft is affected by weather, but blimps
have to be concerned about the wind, Race said.
Pilots and ground crews are constantly watching the
weather.
Before you go to bed at night, you already have a
good idea what to expect the next day, he said, and first
thing in the morning, you check the weather again.
Thats not to say the MZ-3A is strictly a fair-weather
aircraft.
Typically, we fly six hours a day, five days a week,
Race said. We dont fly in thunder storms, but on days
when you wouldnt ordinarily see airships flying, the
Navys pilots dont hesitate. That reliability is part of
the package MZ-3A sells to its customers.
Our pilots are the best-trained airship pilots in the
country, Race said.
They are not Navy pilots, but contract employees who
work for Maryland-based Integrated Systems Solutions
Inc. In addition to a lot of daytime flying, these pilots
maintain night and instrument proficiency.
The services base contract with Integrated Systems
Solutions is approximately $4 million a year for up to
120 flight hours per month. The figures can vary
depending on the number of transiting locations and
extra engineering work to support the test mission,
according to the Navy.
After the early morning weather check, the crew
prepares the blimp for flight. It takes a crew of 12 to 14
to man the ropes and other flight stations that secure
the airship until it is ready to launch. They also prepare
the gondola, which carries the instruments and personnel, and add or remove ballast to balance the heliums lift against the payload and anticipated weather
conditions rain and sunlight can both affect the
ships lift, Race said.
Then, after a very short takeoff run, the MZ-3A is
pulled aloft by its twin five-bladed propellers.
The real lifting is done by the helium, however, and
thats getting harder to obtain. Since 1960, the United
States has maintained an underground Federal Helium
Reserve in porous rock formations in Texas. But the
reserve proved expensive, and in 1996 Congress
passed the Helium Privatization Act requiring that the
stored helium be sold off by 2015.
The plan was to let private enterprise take over the
helium business, but the price to sell off the reserves
helium was set so low that companies had no incentive
to develop new supplies.
Now, a decade and a half later, the supply in the
reserve is dwindling, prices are rising and shortages are
cropping up.
Helium is used to fill party balloons and produce silicon

chips. It cools the magnets in medical magnetic resonance
imaging machines and helps melt metal in arc welding.
Airships use a miniscule amount of helium compared to what industry uses, Race said.
Reports of helium shortages have increased steadily
since 2007. But the Navy still can get the gas it needs
through the Defense Logistics Agency, which has priority in obtaining it.
Even as MZ-3A is securing its role in research and
development, other ambitious military airship programs have gone bust.
The Armys HALE-D, a $150 million high-altitude,
long-endurance demonstrator built by Lockheed Martin,
crashed in 2011 during its maiden flight and received no
more funding.
HiSentinel, a disposable Army airship designed to operate above 60,000 feet, has flown three times since 2005,
but not without problems. One flight was cut short when
the airship sprang a leak, and a second flight was aborted
when the ships solar-powered propulsion system failed.
As a result, future funding for HiSentinel also appears unlikely, said John Cummings, spokesman for
the Army Space and Missile Defense Command.
HALE-D and other High-Altitude Platforms have
demonstrated potential, Cummings said. However,
current resource levels make it difficult to mature fully
the required technologies.
The Air Forces Blue Devil 2 was designed to fly at
20,000 feet as an unmanned ISR platform, but it was
canceled in June after multiple missed deadlines, technical setbacks and cost overruns.
Three other high-altitude airship programs remain
in early stages of development: the Navys Star Light airship, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agencys
ISIS and the Armys High-Altitude Shuttle.
The failures have not dimmed the promise of airships.
High-altitude airships, which can operate at 60,000
feet or higher, are still the crown jewel if someone can
achieve it, Race said. You get satellite effects without
the cost of putting a satellite in space.
But building airships that can operate at more than
11 miles above the ground has proven difficult. The
materials science alone is daunting. Ultraviolet radiation at that altitude can quickly degrade materials that
make up an airships helium-filled envelope.
Temperature swings complicate helium handling, and
propulsion must be provided by intricate closed-loop
systems.
There are a lot of technical challenges, Race said.
So while others struggle with the high-altitude elements, the MZ-3A continues to putter along at under
10,000 feet, testing sensors and proving that there still is
a niche in aviation for lighter-than-air craft.

39
N AT I O N A L S E C U R I T Y
Non-lethal Apps
We need something between shouting and shooting
By EDWARD LUNDQUIST, Special Correspondent
are explicitly designed and primarily

employed to immediately incapacitate targeted personnel or materiel,
Militaries and law enforcement agencies around the world are develwhile minimizing fatalities, permaoping non-lethal weapons (NLWs) to detect, deter and defend.
nent injury to personnel, and unde NLWs can provide operating forces with escalation-of-force
sired damage to property in the taroptions that can minimize casualties and collateral damage.
get area or environment. Non-lethal
weapons are intended to have
NLWs have both physical and psychological bioeffects on people.
reversible effects on personnel and
Researchers are studying approach/avoidance behavior, and
materiel. Non-lethal weapons are
how people make a yes-or-no decision to press forward when
designed and employed to achieve
warned or confronted.
military objectives while minimizing human casualties or damage to
property and equipment.
Retired Italian Navy Rear Adm.
on-lethal weapons are not just weapons. In
Massimo Annati is chairman of the European Working
fact, most are not weapons at all. On the kinetic
Group for Non-Lethal Weapons (EWG-NLW), a forum
warfighting spectrum, less-than-lethal systems
for exchanging information and promoting cooperaoffer more alternatives to the warfighter than killing.
tion among European nations currently 13 counIn the insurgency wars being fought today, most people
tries created in 1999. While not affiliated with the
on the battlefield are not belligerents, so its important to
European Union or NATO, the EWG-NLW comprises
take every step possible to communicate, warn and deterofficial organizations, institutions and public bodies.
mine intent before escalating to lethal means. Thus, many
Policies vary among nations, Annati said. For examweapons available for asymmetric warfare are designed to
ple, the Italian military can use tear gas, but not Tasers,
deliver outcomes that range from a mere attempt to influblunt trauma munitions or dazzling lasers. In the United
ence behavior up to a real disabling effect.
Kingdom, the opposite is the case. Tasers can be carried
Militaries long have used tools such as tear gas and
by civilians in France and the United States, whereas
pepper spray for crowd control, and various other
only the police can use them in the United Kingdom,
chemical agents that traverse the spectrum from irritatAustria, Germany and Portugal, and they are illegal in
ing to deadly. International law proscribes the use of
Italy and Sweden.
chemical weapons, including the non-lethal riotAnnati said there also are differing definitions.
control agents, for warfare, but permits such agents for
The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.K., both
riot (outside combat situation) or prisoner control.
military and law enforcement, prefer a term like lessThese tools are important to warn or stop people, and
lethal weapons to underscore that fatal outcomes are a
according to the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Programs
possibility, though less possible than [with] traditional
(JNLWPs) website, non-lethal weapons can provide
arms, Annati said. The European Unions Defence
operating forces with escalation-of-force options that
Agency uses non-lethal capabilities, to include not
can minimize casualties and collateral damage.
only weapons, but also other solutions, such as barriThe U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) defines noners. The German MoD [Ministry of Defence] went for
lethal weapons as weapons, devices and munitions that
non-lethal means.
Asymmetric Alternatives
40
U.S. MARINE CORPS
and that motivation plays a big role.

Even when presented with an
unambiguous warning, or even
warning shots, bad people can be
highly motivated to continue to
approach their objective. Pepper
spray will likely turn back innocent
bystanders, but probably wont stop
a suicide bomber, he said.
HECOE is researching the visual
sensory effects of broadband and
laser light. Because of how extremely sensitive and finely tuned
the human visual system is,
HECOE is studying that boundary
between non-lethal intended effect
and injury. For example, in addiU.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Frank Torres, field radio operator, front, reacts as his
tion to being a good warning
group is hit by a wave of hot air from the Active Denial System during a demondevice, laser dazzlers can degrade
stration at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., March 9. The system is a non-lethal
weapon that projects a long range reversible heating sensation to the skin.
an adversarys ability to aim and
fire with accuracy.
The main role of military NLW has shifted from
Lasers cause people who are shooting at you to
riot control to force protection of check points or conmiss, Ashworth said.
voys; determining intent; stopping vehicles and boats;
Non-lethal weapons can help detect, dissuade and
and for counter IED [improvised explosive device]
deter, said Dr. Michael Qin of the Naval Submarine
purposes, Annati said.
Medical Research Laboratory (NMSRL) in Groton, Conn.
If a craft, after having been warned, maintains a
We need something between shouting and shootpotentially threatening behavior, then it is qualified for
ing, he said.
further actions, being either lethal or non-lethal,
Underwater acoustic devices can defend against swimaccording to the situation and the rules of engagement
mers or divers. According to Qin, the differences between
issued, he said.
acoustic signals in water and air and, in particular, how the
acoustic energy coupling between the human body and
Human Effects
water is nearly optimal, so acoustic signals in water have a
Dr. Alan Ashworth, chief scientist for the Air Force
significantly more profound effect on the body. But before
Research Laboratory (AFRL) Human Effects Center of
the operators are provided a non-lethal weapon, it is thorExcellence (HECOE), emphasized the pivotal role that
oughly evaluated to determine its effects on humans.
bioeffects research plays in fielding NLW, noting it is a
Were looking for bioeffects, both physical and psymandate that every significant decision point in the
chological, Qin said.
acquisition process for a DoD NLW program must be
Non-lethal Arsenal
informed by bioeffects.
The U.S. Coast Guard is an active participant in the
For example, AFRL has conducted 12 years of bioJNLWP, according to Lt. Cmdr. Ty Nagie, the services
effects research on the Active Denial System (ADS), a
non-lethal weapons central action officer with the
directed energy system capable of precisely applying a
Office of Specialized Capabilities at Coast Guard
98 gigahertz radio frequency energy beam that causes
Headquarters, Washington.
extreme discomfort at a very long standoff range.
The vision of the Coast Guards NLW program is to
HECOE is the DoD Joint Executor for bioeffects reprovide systems, weapons and munitions that span the
search on non-lethal weapons, and is located at the AFRL
services Use-of-Force continuum as may be needed to
Bioeffects Division at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio.
detect, classify and neutralize threats, Nagie said.
Ashworth noted that researchers are studying
The JNLWP has funded development of past, presapproach/avoidance behavior, and how people make
ent and future systems used by the Coast Guard, to
a yes-or-no decision to press forward when warned or
include the LA51 Warning Device, Running Gear
confronted.
Entanglement System (RGES) and Small Naval
The models must account for the fact that human
Arresting Rope Entangler (SNARE), he said.
sensory, perceptual and cognitive systems are not linear,
41
U.S. COAST GUARD
Petty Officer 1st Class Ekahi Lee, operations supervisor,

stands with the 12-gauge military shotgun and LA51 signal and warning shells at Coast Guard Station Honolulu,
April 26.
The LA51 is a signal and warning device fired from

a 12-gauge shotgun to produce a visible and audible
signal at ranges up to 100 meters. The Coast Guard will
use the warning device for migrant-interdiction operations, counterdrug operations, security zone enforcement, and ports, waterways and coastal security missions when other methods fail to get the attention of
mariners who may be in violation of local and federal
laws or regulations.
While other warning methods for communicating
with mariners such as lights, siren and marine-band
radio still will be used, Nagie said it is a safer and
more effective way to get a boaters attention than firing a stitch of warning shots from an M-16 across the
bow. Together, these means can get a vessel operators
attention and determine intent before escalating levels
of force.
These flash-bang devices are not new theyve
taken eight years from requirement to fleet-wide
deployment. Introduced this year for use by the Coast
Guard, Nagie said the service is conducting a major
outreach campaign to inform the boating community
about the device in all of its districts.
Coast Guard crews have received extensive training on using the device safely and properly as one of
several options for responding to potential maritime
threats, he said.
Stopping a boat, either to prevent it from penetrating a
security area or from escaping or evading arrest, is another challenge. The Coast Guards pneumatically launched
RGES is being phased out in favor of the SNARE. RGES
was a net that wrapped around a boats propeller.
42
SNARE travels about 100 yards in front of a boat,

spreads out, and becomes an underwater spike strip.
A boat runs over it and comes to a complete halt,
Nagie said.
The Navy and Coast Guard are investigating the manportable Hailing Acoustic Laser and Light Tactical
System (HALLTS) that integrates a non-lethal laser, spotlight and acoustic hailer into a single controller. Nagie
said size matters, so the Coast Guard favors a very compact unit so it can be carried aboard its small boats.
Were working with the Navy to investigate adding
a blue light to HALLTS, so people will recognize our
boat as a law enforcement platform, he said.
Nagie also said the Coast Guard would like to coaxially mount HALLTS with a mounted automatic
weapon to allow lethal and non-lethal capabilities from
the same mount.
Another combination unit sponsored by the JNLWP,
the Distributed Sound and Light Array, is a non-lethal
acoustical and optical device that provides hailing and
warning capabilities. Still in the developmental stage,
the device uses the combined effects of two integrated
sensory stimulators: a distributed, high-output, phased
acoustic array and a distributed, high-output, coherent
(laser)/non-coherent (bright white light) optical array.
A non-lethal tool designed to stop people from
approaching is the ADS, which transmits a focused millimeter-wave beam that can penetrate the first 1/64th of
an inch of the skin and stimulate the pain receptacles. The
natural inclination is to move away to avoid the discomfort, but it causes no permanent damage.
It feels like youre on fire. Id rather be peppersprayed 1,000 times than get in the way of that beam,
said Nagie, who has experienced both.
As it stands today, ADS is too large for Coast Guard use.
Its too big for our 419-foot National Security Cutter,
so it sure isnt going to fit on a 25-foot Response BoatSmall, Nagie said.
The Coast Guard also is evaluating a Non-Lethal Penetrator, a 40mm round that can be fired from the M203 or
M79 grenade launcher and injects a payload (OC powder, warning sound devices, flashing light devices, prerecorded messages) into a fiberglass vessel to get people
out. Nagie said this round will be especially useful against
drug-running subs and semi-submersibles.
We want to get the operators out of the vessel
before they have the chance to scuttle or dive, giving
us the opportunity to seize the crew, contraband and
the vessel, he said.
Industry Responds
A number of industry-funded development efforts are
producing non-lethal tools for law enforcement and
the military.
U.K.-based Sonardynes automated tracking sonar can detect

and classify swimmers underwater
at long ranges. It can be dropped
over the side to protect a single
ship, or networked to provide protection for a port.
Ship Protection System from
FarSounder Inc., Warwick, R.I.,
offers 360-degree diver protection in
port and forward navigation underway. It can track and classify threats
and present them on a bridge display to indicate the estimated time
of arrival for each threat. Protection
for ports also is available via multiple stationary networked sensors.
Rob Hopkins, president of
Lasersec Systems Corp., Oviedo,
Fla., said his companys SeaLase II
a multifunctional beam director
and surveillance platform can
be equipped with an optional
built-in laser rangefinder to ensure
the correct amount of laser power
is used to illuminate each target.
Instead of laser dazzlers, which
emit a narrow coherent beam of light,
Genesis Illumination Inc.s StunRay
produces a bright-white incoherent
light beam that can be used to safely
overwhelm a subjects optical nerves.
According to Todd Eisenberg, director of engineering for the San Diegobased company, the StunRay XL2000 painlessly immobilizes an
adversary for minutes, without causing optic or other physical harm.
It can temporarily and safely
incapacitate at a distance of 30 to
150 feet; distract and deter aggressive behavior between 150 and 600
feet; warn groups or individuals
between 600 and 1,000 feet; and
illuminate and identify potentially
violent intent at 5,000 feet. The
larger, more powerful, shipmounted array, the ShipRay BBL-3,
provides ships a visual and infrared
illumination to the horizon, as well
as nighttime stun capability to 0.5
nautical miles as a deterrent and
protection against piracy and ter
rorist attacks.
SHIPPING
Challenging Times
U.S.-flag shippers adapt to changing market, economic factors
By JOHN C. MARCARIO, Associate Editor
Corp. We have to do a lot of different things in the maritime space

but we are going to survive and
The U.S.-flag shipping industry has been forced to adjust its busithrive in challenging times.
ness model over the past decade as many factors have affected
There are 58 U.S.-flag carriers
business opportunities and revenue.
operating a total of 195 vessels.
As the war in Afghanistan winds down and international shipThese vessels are given preference
ping opportunities decline, carriers are brainstorming new ways to
over non-flag carriers with regard
attract business.
to shipping within the United
States and for military cargo ship A record number of export finance loans have been authorized
ping through the Jones Act, Cargo
by the U.S. Export-Import Bank over the last three years to help
Preference Act of 1904 and Cargo
the U.S.-flag shipping business.
Preference Act of 1954.
There are 58 U.S.-flag carriers operating a total of 195 vessels.
Crowley maintains a fleet of 200
vessels of which two are U.S. flag
and has $1.6 billion in annual revenue while employing 5,300 people.
n the face of continued economic volatility, shrinkRoberts said he is quite bullish on the future of the
ing opportunities and a tougher regulatory climate,
domestic market because there are growth opportunities
U.S.-flag carriers must look at building a more
given the resources and development being invested by
diverse portfolio and think of ways to bring in new
the government through grants and financing loans. His
business, industry and shipping officials said.
optimism does not stretch to the international market.
Some carriers have depended on international shipping
I think the issues are more challenging [internationto supply and support U.S. military operations Iraq and
ally]. [The future] depends, largely, on the maritime secuAfghanistan, but as they wind down those opportunities
rity programs and on the government cargo sales to proare dwindling. Other carriers will be affected by recent legvide opportunity in the international segment, he said.
islation that will reduce overseas food aid transportation
The Maritime Administration (MARAD) is the fedby U.S. ships by 25 percent over the next two years.
eral agency that provides assistance in locating U.S.Some of the larger carriers continue to stay away from
flag vessels for the carriage of domestic and internainternational shipping opportunities due to increased
tional cargo for the shipping public.
fees for security from pirate attacks off the coast of
Developing and maintaining a solid domestic fleet
Somalia. At home, some of the smaller carriers continue
of U.S.-flag vessels is a priority for MARAD. This
to deal with rising costs and scheduling delays due to
industry is a partnership that daily supports our U.S.
recent historic flooding and droughts in the Midwest.
shipyards, provides employment for mariners, shipThe reality is the amount of government cargo
builders and other industries that contribute to our
being shipped is dropping with the drawdown in
maritime transportation system. All across the country,
Afghanistan and Iraq, and I think thats a concern that
weve been making major investments in our ports and
there will be less cargo to provide to U.S.-flag vessels,
waterways that will benefit us for years to come,
said Michael Roberts, senior vice president and general
David T. Matsuda, MARAD administrator, said in an ecounsel for Jacksonville, Fla.-based Crowley Maritime
mail response to Seapower questions.
Murky Waters
44
U.S. NAVY
SHIPPING
Sailors assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion

11 offload cargo from the U.S.-flag Roll-on/Roll-off ship
M/V Alliance New York in June 2009. The equipment was
being staged for transport to Camp Mitchell, Spain, and
equipment was being delivered to help re-establish Camp
Mitchell as a main body site for forward-deployed Seabee
units. M/V Alliance New York has since been renamed M/V
Prestige New York.
Maersk Line Limited, a division of A.P. MollerMaersk Group, is the worlds largest ocean carrier. The
company has more than 600 vessels 56 of which are
U.S.-flag ships and two headquarters one in
Norfolk, Va., and another in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Kevin Speers, the companys senior director of marketing, said Maersk Line has tried to show the U.S.
government it can be a trusted shipper by playing a
large role in shipping military cargo to the Middle East
over the last four years.
We know these volumes will decline, Speers said.
President Barack Obama has said he wants all the
U.S. troops home from Afghanistan by 2014.
The shipping industry also confronted another
international shipping setback in early July when
Obama signed a $105 billion transportation bill into
law. It dropped the amount of American food aid that
is shipped by U.S.-flag vessels from 75 percent to 50
percent over the next two years. Under U.S. law, the
majority of American food aid must be shipped by
U.S.-flag vessels.
That will definitely hurt the business of U.S.-flag
carriers, Speers said.
To find U.S.-flag shipping opportunities, Maersk
Line is looking at new business created by increases in
U.S. Export-Import Bank financing as U.S. cargo preference rules apply to that financing.
According to MARAD, the cargo preference program

works to promote and facilitate U.S. maritime transportation. It oversees the administration of, and compliance with, U.S. cargo preference laws and regulations.
Those laws require shippers to use U.S.-flag vessels to
transport any government-impelled ocean-borne cargo.
U.S-flag carriers benefit from companies that get
financing breaks because they use U.S.-flag shipping.
There are more opportunities for shipments as more
companies get the lower rates.
I dont think it can offset the military cargo that
was moving during the height of those [war] operations, but its certainly a bright spot, Speers said.
The bank has given out a record number of these
loans over the past three years, although it does not
have specific statistics, said Phil Cogan, senior vice
president of communications.
A condition for financing one of these loans is that
the vessel be a U.S.-flag ship.
There has been what you would say is a logical
increase in the number of U.S.-flag vessels that are carrying cargo from the U.S. because of that, Cogan said.
Maersk Line also is diversifying its asset base by
continuing to improve its container line and adding
multipurpose, heavy-lift ships and tankers.
Continuing to find new ways to build our revenue
base, from a marketing standpoint, will be an important asset, Speers said.
Some U.S.-flag shipping companies, particularly the
smaller ones, however, have not been able to maintain
enough business to stay afloat.
The family owned Seaboats Tugboat and Barge
Marine Transportation Co. had to sell out to rival
Kirby Inland Marine, Channelview, Texas, in
December because it could not turn a profit.
Theres a tremendous incentive to get out [of the business], Don Church, the former Seaboats owner, said.
The former Fall River, Ma., carrier was getting,
taxed and regulated to death and could not sustain a
consistent business model, he said.
Those same sentiments were echoed by Yonges,
S.C.-based Stevens Towing Co. Inc., which has 100
employees and 30 vessels.
The experience we are having is demand is going up,
but the concern is the regulatory side of the business,
where regulations are getting more and more difficult to
comply with and its driving up the cost of American-flag
shipping, said Bos Smith, Stevens operations manager.
He described the future of the U.S.-flag shipping
industry as, cloudy and hard to see, but said hes trying
to stay in business by providing specialized capabilities
super heavyweight lift support and focusing on a
concentrated area the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway
between Norfolk, Va., and Jacksonville, Fla.

45
THE CORPS
On the Road Again

Marine Corps Light Armored Vehicles will be staying until 2035
By JOHN M. DOYLE, Special Correspondent
money for the wholesale replacement of the 1980s-era LAV, an eightwheeled, diesel-powered infantry
Because of tight budgets and shifting priorities, the Marine Corps
combat vehicle that can fill more
Light Armored Vehicles (LAVs) will have to remain in active servthan a half dozen missions as part of
ice for another two decades.
the Corps traditional expeditionary
The eight-wheel, diesel-powered combat infantry LAVs first
warfare role. Instead, the Marine
entered the Marine inventory in 1983 and have had two serviceCorps plans to upgrade the mobility
extending upgrades since then.
and survivability of its LAV fleet to
extend its service life until 2035.
All of the more than 900 LAVs will get blast-protected seats
The more than 900 LAVs in the
and other upgrades to improve survivability against roadside
Marine Corps inventory come in
bombs and vehicle crashes.
seven variants, from the LAV-25
Three of the seven LAV variants are in line for additional
the most common vehicle, a fourupgrades to weapons systems, satellite communications or towMarine combat scout carrier armed
ing, power and repair equipment.
with an M242 25mm chain gun and
two 7.62mm machine guns to the
LAV-C2, a command-and-control
vehicle with advanced communicafter providing the Marine Corps with recontions capabilities. The others are the LAV-AT, an anti-tank
naissance, infantry support, anti-tank protecplatform equipped with a M901A1 weapons system that
tion, troop and supply transport and electronfires TOW-2 missiles; the LAV-L, a logistics variant that
ic warfare capabilities for 29 years, the Light Armored
can carry ammunition, food and other supplies on the batVehicle (LAV) is going to be needed for another two
tlefield; the 81mm mortar-equipped LAV-M; a LAV tow
decades because of tight budgets and shifting priorities
truck; the LAV-R, equipped with a crane, winch and genfollowing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
erator; and an electronic warfare version, previously
As we explore options to adjust to changing fiscal
known as the LAV-MEWSS (for Mobile Electronic Warfare
realities, there is a clear imperative for our Corps to reset
Support System), capable of intercepting radio transmisportions of our legacy equipment while modernizing
sions and performing other electronic warfare missions.
to guarantee our dominance and relevance against
Originally built by General Motors Defense Systems
future threats, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James
of Canada, which was acquired by General Dynamics
F. Amos told the House Appropriations defense subcomin late 2002, the first LAVs entered the Marine Corps
mittee in March.
inventory in 1983 and were shipped to the 2nd Light
Navy and Marine Corps officials estimate it will cost
Armored Reconnaissance Battalion at Camp Lejeune,
more than $3 billion to reset necessary equipment.
N.C., in May 1985.
Amos called the LAVs one of the programs vital to
Since then, LAVs have seen action in Panama in 1989,
our ground combat elements.
Iraq and Kuwait in 1991, Somalia in 1992-1993, Kosovo
However, the Marine Corps highest ground vehicle
in 1999, and Iraq and Afghanistan over the last decade.
priority is a replacement for the 1970s-era Assault
The LAV line originally was slated to be replaced by
Amphibious Vehicle. That means there is little or no
2015, then by 2025, at least partly by the Marine
(Almost) New and Improved
46
Personnel Carrier and Joint Light

Tactical Vehicle both of which
are just entering the development
stage with potential contractors.
LAVs now are going to have to
last until 2035, James Streberger,
Survivability III team leader in the
LAV program, told an industry conference in Detroit this summer. The
Corps plans several upgrades for all
of the LAVs, with as much work as
possible being done at Marine Corps
maintenance depots in Barstow,
Calif., and Albany, Ga., in part because of budget constraints.
We know were going to take
hits, Streberger told the July conference, sponsored by the Institute
U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Joshua S. Lum, platoon commander for 3rd Platoon, E
for Defense and Government
Company, 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, keeps watch from his
Advancement. And we need to
Light Armored Vehicle-25 (LAV-25) in Helmand province, Afghanistan, April 16,
reduce our total full ownership
2011, as part of Operation Rawhide II. The LAV-25, a four-Marine combat scout
costs across the fleet.
carrier operated by a crew of three and armed with an M242 25mm chain gun
and two 7.62mm machine guns, is the most common of the seven LAV variants.
There have been two significant
upgrades to the LAVs since 1983: the
service life extension program of the older LAV-A1s from
However, some reconfiguring will have to be done
1998-2002 and the LAV-A2 Survivability Upgrade that
for the LAV-25 variant. Bigger, blast-resistant seats
ran from 2006 to 2010. General Dynamics Land Systemswill not fit in at least one location, the rear where the
Canada was awarded a $42 million contract last year to
scout sits atop the fuel cells. Streberger said a separate
produce 33 upgraded LAV-A2s in various configurations.
project is being evaluated to tackle the LAV-25 seat
In total, 240 LAV-A2 vehicles have been ordered by the
problem.
Marines since 2007. All but four of the Marines AuThe LAV-A2 anti-tank variant is slated to receive
thorized Acquisition Objective (AAO) of 930 LAVs are
mission suite upgrades that include multiple reload
operational and all are LAV-A2s. The Corps will support
capability and the ability to acquire targets while on
an AAO of 930 vehicles through a combination of depotthe move, a precision long-range capability to destroy
level repair and new procurement where depot-level repair
tanks, an improved thermal sight, and an advanced
is not cost-effective, said Capt. Nicole Fiedler, public
fire control system capable of firing current and nextaffairs officer for Marine Corps Systems Command.
generation heavy anti-armor missiles. Raytheon
However, more than 700 units of the earlier LAV-A1
Network Centric Systems in McKinney, Texas, in
continue on operational deployment today.
April was awarded an engineering, manufacturing
This has been a pretty easy platform to upgrade,
and development cost-plus-fixed-fee contract worth
Streberger said. Its held up very well.
$19.7 million.
All LAVs will benefit from a second survivability
The LAV-C2 will be getting improved satellite comupgrade project that includes added appliqu and belly
munications, a new vehicular intercommunication
armor, which increased the LAV-A2s gross vehicle weight
system, an onboard network with five computer
by 4,000 pounds. Blast-resistant seats and an improved
workstations, software and hardware for situational
suspension system to make the better-armored vehicle
awareness and fires support systems, and stationary
more maneuverable also are planned. The project also
command operations center capability.
will add anti-lock brakes and a central tire inflation sysAnd the LAV-R is slated for an upgraded power taketem and other measures to improve ride quality.
off winch, pump, hydraulic generator and Hub 30
The seat upgrade will provide improved survivability
Braden barrel winch. The new generator will supply
with lower compression rates on crew and passengers
more power for electric tools and the welding system.
spines, leg bones and necks. The new seats will have fourBut plans for modernizing the LAV-Ms indirect fire
or five-point seat restraints, making the LAVs interiors
capabilities for the 81mm stowed mortar were shelved
more protected from front, rear and side collisions.

earlier this year.
47
U.S. MARINE CORPS
THE CORPS
PROGRAM SNAPSHOT
Boeing Moving Ahead

With P-8A Production
BACKGROUND
The P-8A Poseidon is a long-range

anti-submarine warfare (ASW),
anti-surface warfare, intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance
(ISR) aircraft capable of broad-area,
maritime and littoral operations.
The P-8A is being developed for the
U.S. Navy by a Boeing-led team comprising CFM International, Northrop
Grumman, Raytheon, GE Aviation,
BAE Systems and Spirit AeroSystems. The Navy plans to purchase
117 P-8As to replace its P-3C Orions.
In January 2011, Boeing received a
$1.6 billion contract for low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the first six
aircraft, spares, logistics and training
devices. Initial operational capability
is slated for next year. In November
2011, Boeing received a $1.7 billion
LRIP award for seven P-8As.
TIMELINE
The first test aircraft began formal

testing at Boeing Field, Seattle, in late
2009 and ferried to Naval Air Station
Patuxent River, Md., in April 2010,
to continue testing. Six P-8A test aircraft currently are in flight test.
Boeings first production P-8A was
delivered to the Navy March 4. The
second was delivered July 17 and a
third in September. The Navy will
receive two more by years end. The
last of the six planes from the January 2011 LRIP contract will be delivered in early fiscal 2013. The aircraft
from the second LRIP contract will
be delivered during fiscal 2013.
WHOS WHO
James Detwiler is Boeings P-8A

business development manager.
48
U.S. NAVY
SCOPE
A P-8A Poseidon test aircraft conducts a test flight from Naval Air Station
Patuxent River, Md., in October 2011 during which it made the programs first
launch of an Mk54 torpedo over the Atlantic Test Range.
The P-8A is a new lease on life for the entire maritime patrol community, as you [get] some significant increases in sensor capability. So the
ability of the U.S. Navy to conduct the operations that they are presently
doing, and anticipate doing in the future, is going to be greatly enhanced.
One of the takeaways of working this program, something that differentiates the P-8A from other commercial derivative military aircraft, is the fact
that we have a first-of-kind inline production. In the past, when you want to
take a commercial aircraft and make it into a military one, youd have to
essentially produce it on a commercial line, take it to a chop shop, where you
would disassemble it and then put on what you want and then reassemble it.
Well, we actually build the P-8A from the ground up as a military aircraft on the same commercial production lines, using the same commercial
production system. We are using the same workforce and the same suppliers and it makes it very efficient and very cost effective for us to produce
these aircraft in the quantities we are.
Overseas, the Indian Navy is on contract for eight aircraft plus four options,
and then the Royal Australian Air Force is in a cooperative program with the
U.S. Navy, which will ultimately lead to a contract with their Air Force as well.
The P-8A is a true multirole, multiplatform aircraft. It provides the U.S.
Navy with a scalable and flexible platform with which to conduct ASW
and ISR missions.
The P-8A also excels from a performance standpoint in its ability to get
quickly to an on-station tasking area and operate in higher altitudes that
are required if you have mountain terrain. The P-8A was also designed,
from the outset, to function in rough terrain and weather conditions. You
really have the ability to do both missions much better than its
predecessor.
S E A P O W E R I N T E R N AT I O N A L
Norway Takes Initial Steps

In New Submarine Program
By AMI INTERNATIONAL INC.
submarine program to replace the

existing force of six Ula-class
diesel-electric submarines (SSKs).
The Ula-class boats were commissioned in the early 1990s and are
scheduled to be replaced by 2025.
The new construction effort will
be conducted as the Project 6346
Ny Ubat (New U-boat) Program,
also known as the Arctic-class
Stealth Submarine.
Initial information indicates that
the Norwegian Navy was leaning
toward the Swedish A26 Submarine
Program (Nasta Generation Ubat)
for the replacement sub design, as
that program has a timeline that
also would fit Norways requirement. Norway and Sweden were
partners under the Viking Submarine Program before it was terminated in the early 2000s.
Norway also needs a construction
partner for any new-build sub program as it only has the ability to
build modules in country and needs
a foreign location to assemble and
integrate the submarines. Although
Sweden has been mentioned as a
possible partner, and the A26 already
is under development at Kockums in
Malm, other European suppliers
such as Frances DCNS with the
Scorpene design, Spains Navantia
with the S80 and Germanys
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems with
the Type 214 also are considered
legitimate contenders.
With
the
Project
6346
Submarine RfI already on the
street, the program is on track
toward its next milestone design
selection in 2015. If the program
50
comes to fruition, a request for proposal for final design and construction could occur in 2016 and contract in 2017. This would allow the
first boat to enter service in 2020.
With this program still in the early
stages, Norway will not need to
commit significant funding until
around 2016.
By then, the Ministry of Defense
will have to make decisions regarding total hull numbers (now at six)
and construction timeline. Both of
those decisions are likely to be
affected by continuing budget
pressures now affecting a wide
number of naval construction programs in Europe and the United
States. Assuming the program is
funded at six units beginning in
2017; all six hulls could be in commission by 2025.
Like the previous Viking program, it is possible Project 6346

could be terminated. Norways fallback option would be service life
extension and perhaps modernization to allow the Ula class to serve
beyond its projected decommissioning dates.
Peru Developing Sub
Capabilities Requirements
The Peruvian Navy (Marina de
Guerra del Per, or MGP) is in the
early stages of a new submarine program to replace its six Angamos/
Islay-class (Type 209/12001) submarines that were commissioned in
the 1970s and 1980s. The MGP currently is developing the submarines
capabilities requirements, indicating
a construction contract date likely is
three to four years away; around
U.S. NAVY
he Royal Norwegian Navy has

T
released a request for information (RfI) for a new-construction
The Peruvian Navy is developing capabilities requirements for a new submarine program to replace its fleet of six Angamos/Islay-class boats. BAP Angamos is shown
here arriving at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., for a scheduled port visit in July 2010.
S E A P O W E R I N T E R N AT I O N A L
2016. Four submarines are expected

to be built to replace the six Type
209/1200s.
In April, the Peruvian government signed a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) with South
Koreas Daewoo Shipbuilding and
Marine Engineering (DSME) for
submarines and amphibious ships,
in the event that a South Korean
solution is selected for these naval
projects. However, despite the
MoU, the fact that the capabilities
requirements have yet to be finalized leaves the window of opportunity open for other suppliers.
For Peru, which has been considering a new submarine since 1998,
offsets and financing will be the key
in determining the winner for this
program. South Korea already is
aggressively pursuing this program,
as evidenced by the MoU very early
on, and did include new amphibious
ships that the MGP also is in desper-
ate need of. A package of submarines and amphibious vessels, in

combination with price, financing
and offsets, could set South Koreas
offer apart from the others.
However, a better deal from
another company could prompt
Peru to look at shifting to a new
submarine supplier, as has been the
case recently in Chile and Brazil. In
both cases, those navies opted for
Scorpenes from DCNS to replace
Type 209s.
U.K. MARS Tanker
Program is Under Way
The U.K. Ministry of Defense has
signed $706.5 million contract with
DSME for the construction of four
Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) tankers. The ships are
based on the BMT Defence 37,000ton Aegir design and are 200.9
meters (659 feet) in length with a
double hull in accordance with
international agreements. They will

be manned by a crew of 63.
The MARS tankers will be
specifically optimized for supporting the new Queen Elizabeth-class
aircraft carriers and have three
abeam replenishment at sea (RAS)
stations for diesel fuel, aviation
fuel and fresh water, one solid RAS
station for up to 2 tons. They also
will be fitted for future installation
of one stern refueling rig and there
will be a flight deck and hangar for
the operation of one vertical
replenishment-capable helicopter.
With the construction contract
now in place, the four-unit class will
commission into service with the
Royal Fleet Auxiliary by 2019 at a
cost of $176.6 million per unit.
AMI International Inc., Bremerton, Wash.,
is an international consulting and naval
intelligence services company located on
the Web at www.amiinter.com.
51
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Few Ships Remain as Legacies

Of the Cuban Missile Crisis
By DAVID F. WINKLER
a climactic moment during the Cuban Missile

IfromnCrisis,
on Oct. 26, 1962, a party with participants
the destroyers USS Joseph P. Kennedy and John R.
Pierce boarded what is often described as the Soviet
freighter Marucla. The boarding occurred four days
after President John F. Kennedys announcement that
the U.S. Navy would implement a quarantine around
the island of Cuba in response to the Soviet introduction of medium-range ballistic missiles there.
Though the Soviets did charter the ship to haul
materials to Cuba, Marucla carried the flag of Lebanon,
was British owned, and actually had been constructed
during 1943 in Baltimore and placed into service as
Ben H. Miller, one of more than 2,700 Liberty ships
built to transport allied materials during the struggle
against the Axis powers.
In 1947, Ben H. Miller was acquired by the Ellerman
& Bucknall Steamship Co. of London and flew the
British merchant marine flag as City of Shrewsbury. In
1959, another London shipping firm, Marcou and
Sons, acquired the ship, renamed it Marucla, and
placed it under the flag of Lebanon.
After the U.S. Navy boarding party found no missile
components or suspicious materials during its search,
Marucla was allowed to continue to Cuba, but U.S.
forces had demonstrated that they did indeed intend to
enforce the quarantine.
Fifty years later, it is possible to visit Joseph P. Kennedy,
one of a few Cuban Missile Crisis veterans that are preserved in Americas naval historic ships fleet. Now designated a National Historic Landmark and member of the
Historic Naval Ships Association, Kennedy is open to the
public at Battleship Cove, Fall River, Mass.
Another Cuban Missile Crisis veteran vessel available for touring is the display ship Barry, which rests
pierside at the Washington Navy Yard. As with Joseph
P. Kennedy, it was homeported at Newport, R.I. Its
duties during the crisis included operating as a screening vessel and plane guard for the aircraft carrier Essex,
doing anti-submarine warfare surveillance on a
Foxtrot-class submarine, and performing an inspection
on the Soviet-registered Metallurg Anosov following the
Soviet decision to withdraw its missiles from Cuba.
The destroyer The Sullivans, located at the Buffalo and
Lake Erie County, N.Y., Naval and Military Park, also
participated as one of the quarantine ships during the
52
Cuban Missile Crisis. It, too, had been homeported in

Newport.
Another major combatant that played a role in the crisis is awaiting disposal at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
at Bremerton, Wash., is the aircraft carrier Independence.
It, however, is not available for public touring.
One mothballed ship that may one day be open to
the public is Charles F. Adams, which currently is located at the Navys Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility in
Philadelphia. Adams is being sought as a floating museum by a group in Jacksonville, Fla. The Navys first
keel-up built guided-missile destroyer, it had been
involved in the recovery of astronaut Walter Schirra in
Mercury 8 in early October 1962 before being reassigned to support the Cuban Missile Crisis quarantine
operation.
And though Marucla was cut up in a Hong Kong
scrapyard in 1969, it is possible to tour World War IIvintage Liberty ships at three locations. Overseas,
Hellas Liberty is on display near Athens. It had been
laid up by the Maritime Administration for decades in
Virginias James River as SS Arthur M. Huddel and was
acquired by Greece in 2008 to serve as a museum ship
to tell the story of Greeces merchant marine heritage.
In the United States, both the Baltimore-based John W.
Brown and San Francisco-ported Jeremiah OBrien enable
visitors to walk the decks of sister ships of Marucla.
These two historic ships are unique in that both still are
operational and offer excursions to the public.
As with Marucla, John W. Brown traces its lineage to
Baltimores Bethlehem-Fairbanks Shipyard.
One other major combatant involved in the Cuban
Missile Crisis is not available to the public because it is
still serving at least for now. USS Enterprise, the
other attack aircraft carrier involved in the crisis, will
be returning to homeport in Norfolk, Va., following its
final deployment to the Fifth Fleet in the Middle East.
Enterprise is scheduled for inactivation on Dec. 1. A
final opportunity for Enterprise Sailors, family, fans and
friends to visit and tour the aircraft carrier will be Nov.
27-30.
To register for the first-come, first-served tours, visit
www.enterprise.navy.mil.
Dr. David F. Winkler is a historian with the Naval Historical
Foundation.
S H I P S L I B R A RY
New Books Highlight Naval Aviation

By RICHARD R. BURGESS, Managing Editor
BLUE MOON OVER CUBA:

Aerial Reconnaissance During
the Cuban Missile Crisis
FLOAT PLANES & FLYING

BOATS: The U.S. Coast Guard
and Early Naval Aviation
By Capt. William B. Ecker USN
By Capt. Robert B. Workman Jr.,
(Ret.) and Kenneth V. Jack. Oxford,
USCG (Ret.). Annapolis, Md.: Naval
U.K.: Osprey Publishing, 2012.
Institute Press, 2012.
287 pp. $25.95
324 pp. $41.95
ISBN: 978-1-78096-071-5
ISBN: 978-1-61251-107-8
The Cuban Missile Crisis of

October 1962 meant high drama
for the top levels of the U.S. government, but historical
accounts largely have overlooked the courageous
photo-reconnaissance pilots of the Navy, Marine Corps
and Air Force who unarmed and unafraid flew
the jets that detected and tracked the progress of the
Soviet ballistic-missile deployment in Cuba. The
authors, both members of Light Photographic
Squadron 62 during the crisis Ecker was the commanding officer tell the stories of the pilots and the
missions they flew through the flak in their RF-8A
Crusader jets to obtain the photographs President John
F. Kennedy needed to make the informed decisions
needed to avert a nuclear war with the Soviet Union.
Of the three branches of U.S. naval

aviation, the Coast Guard is the least chronicled, a situation now much rectified by this new book on the establishment of Coast Guard aviation from 1911 through
1938. The author acknowledges the pioneers of naval
aviation, including the first Coast Guard aviator, Elmer
Stone, as visionaries who launched new technologies
and concepts of operations that established aviation as
an integral part of the three services. Aviation proved a
natural for search and rescue and maritime law enforcement. The book also describes the aircraft mostly
float planes and flying boats that equipped the air stations and ships of the Coast Guard.
THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY
By Craig L. Symonds. New York:
NAVAL AVIATION IN THE

KOREAN WAR: Aircraft,
Ships and Men
By Warren Thompson. South
Yorkshire, England: Pen & Sword
Aviation, 2012. 175 pp. $50.00
ISBN: 978-1-84884-488-9
The grinding air war over Korea during 1950-1953 included daily missions flown against well-defended
troops and logistic lines, often at night or in bad weather,
that were exceptionally dangerous, especially when they
ended with a carrier landing in the Sea of Japan. Naval
aviators, many Reservists and World War II veterans,
persevered with determination to provide cover for U.N.
forces on the ground. The author has dug up anecdotes
of the flyers and unpublished photos including many
in full color of the carrier-based aircraft that enrich
this account. The book also is well-stocked with appendices, including lists of carrier deployments, aircraft losses and aerial victories. The significant Marine Corps contribution will be featured in another book.
Oxford University Press, 2011.

452 pp. $27.95
ISBN: 978-0-19539-793-2
The Battle of Midway in June 1942

continues to fascinate students of
naval and aviation history, as more
facts are discovered and new perspectives are formed. The battle,
fought mostly by aircraft against ships, was a shattering defeat of the Imperial Japanese Navy by a smaller
U.S. Navy force supplemented by Marine Corps and
Army Air Corps aircraft only six months after the raid
on Pearl Harbor. The author, a history professor at the
U.S. Naval Academy, incorporates new research,
including Japanese records, and corrects some earlier
misconceptions about the battle. While he sets the
stage for the battle narrative with the events and strategies leading up to the clash, he also tells the stories of
the ordinary and extraordinary men who made the vic
tory possible.
Seapower does not review works of fiction or self-published books.
53
N AV Y L E A G U E N E W S
Navy Days L.A. Exposition

Showcases STEM Education
By PETER ATKINSON, Deputy Editor
bout 1,000 students and young people took part

A
in an inaugural Navy League-hosted Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Exposition
GRANT IVEY
during the kids only days at Navy Days L.A. 2012 at

the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro Aug. 15-16.
Groups from the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps (NSCC),
Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, Devil Pups, Boys
and Girls Clubs, Police Activities League, YMCA and
scout groups in Ventura County, Orange County,
Riverside and surrounding communities attended the
event. The STEM Expo was organized to educate students, parents and members of the public touring the
ships taking part in Navy Days L.A. about the importance of STEM education, and the Navy and the countrys
need for more graduates with STEM skills.
The 16th Navy Days L.A. showcased the Arleigh
Burke-class destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer, which is
named for the father of the Aegis Integrated Combat
Weapons System that is installed on Navy guidedmissile destroyers and cruisers, and the U.S. Coast
Guard 175-foot coastal buoy tender George Cobb,
which is based in San Pedro.
Visitors watch a video presentation at one of 12 stations set

up as part of a Navy League-hosted Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math Exposition at Navy Days L.A. 2012 at
the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro Aug. 15.
54
The STEM Expo was set up in the ports World

Cruise Center as a lead-in to a tour of the ships. It featured a dozen booths that introduced visitors to practical problem solving, engineering questions and realworld applications of STEM to the Navy and
Department of Defense community through video presentations and introductory remarks from tour guides
and exhibitors, according to a Navy News Service
report. About 5,000 people passed through the Expo
during the public tour days Aug. 17-18.
Corporate exhibitors at the STEM Expo included
Raytheon Co., General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, L3 Communications, Dow Chemical, Sikorsky Aircraft
Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. They offered presentations on naval gun systems, Seahawk helicopters,
the Aegis combat system and the DDG 1000 Zumwaltclass destroyer.
Other exhibitors included the CyberPatriot high
school competition that is sponsored by the Air Force
Association, the NSCC (which recently signed on to
participate in CyberPatriot), the Navy League, the
Kahn Academy, the SeaPerch remotely operated
underwater vehicle program and Iridescent, a nonprofit organization that helps engineers, scientists
and high-tech professionals bring cutting-edge science, technology and engineering to children and
their families.
It gave them a lot of different ideas to think about
and showed them that there are a lot more resources
available for learning and applying STEM skills than
just what they might get in the classroom, Grant Ivey,
a Navy League national director with the Santa
Barbara Council and the president of Navy Days L.A.,
told Seapower.
Navy Days L.A. is a Navy League nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public about the U.S.
sea services, their serving members and their needs
through tours, demonstrations, distinguished visitor
embarks and media coverage of the events.
STEM Expo tours were conducted 20 participants at
a time with trained guides. Participants spent a few
minutes at each exhibit, or station, viewing its video
presentation. When a whistle blew noting that times
up, they moved on to the next station. Iridescent also
offered interested participants the opportunity to use
remotely operated vehicles.
N AV Y L E A G U E N E W S
U.S. NAVY
Reiterating that need, Ivey said,

was the STEM Expo video presentation by Andrew Liveris, chairman and chief executive officer of
Dow Chemical.
Liveris presentation noted that
the United States ranked 48th in
the world in math and science
education, and that many STEMrelated jobs available in the country today are going unfilled because there are not enough skilled
and qualified candidates.
When it comes to the education
needed to gain those skills and
qualification, Liveris said only 6
percent of American students have
focused their education on STEM
courses, compared with 12 percent
of European students and 40 percent of Chinese students.
That really put things in perspective and showed what a critical
Boatswains Mate 2nd Class Angelo Llarina leads a tour of Boy Scouts and
need there was for supporting
Cub Scouts aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS
Wayne E. Meyer Aug. 15 during Navy Days L.A. 2012.
STEM education, Ivey said.
The idea for the STEM Expo
They get to learn about applications we have,
was born out of the 2011 Navy Days L.A., when more
which are games about engineering, Jazmin Reyes, an
than 40,000 people crowded the port area to tour the
Iridescent member, told the Navy News Service. They
aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, leading to long
really enjoy playing with the remote operated vehicles
lines and significant waits.
because they can see them move in the water.
Weve got them there, weve got a captive audience,
This is basically an initiative to get kids interested
lets teach them something about the sea services and
in these subjects, added Amy Wood, another
why its important to support them, Ivey said. That
Iridescent member.
way we can multiply the experience.
Along with interacting with Sailors and getting a
So the STEM Expo was a natural and it went great
glimpse into what daily life in the Navy is like during
for a first time out. It ran like it was supposed and now
their tours aboard Wayne E. Meyer, visitors saw the
that the first one is done, we can improve the quality,
practical applications of the STEM disciplines they
improve the message and improve the whole experilearned about at the Expo. A scale model of the battleence of the next one.
ship USS Nevada used in the film Tora! Tora! Tora!
The kickoff for Navy Days L.A. 2012 was a ship ride
that was on display at Navy Days L.A., and the battlefrom San Diego to San Pedro on Aug. 14 aboard Wayne
ship Iowa that is berthed in San Pedro allowed visitors
E. Meyer and George Cobb. About 260 people, includto the contrast the naval technology of the World War
ing a number of Navy Leaguers, their guests and 70
I and World War II eras with the advanced systems
young people, were along for the ride.
they saw aboard a modern guided-missile destroyer.
While in town for Navy Days L.A., members of the
Nevada was commissioned in 1916 and Iowa was
ships crews were able to attend a series of receptions
commissioned in 1943. Wayne E. Meyer is one of the
and special events, tour the Ronald Reagan PresiNavys newest destroyers, having been commissioned
dential Library and Museum, take part in a sailing race
in 2009.
and attend a Los Angeles Angels baseball game, among
Its important for the future of the nation to have an
other things.
understanding of engineering, Cmdr. William H.
Navy League National President Philip L. Dunmire
Baxter, Meyers commanding officer, told the Navy News
was on hand for a VIP reception aboard Wayne E.
Service. We need more engineers to design, maintain
Meyer, while Baxter spoke before the Los Angeles City
and operate a ship such as the Wayne E. Meyer.

Council and the Rotary Club.
55
N AV Y L E A G U E N E W S / C O U N C I L D I G E S T
Seattle Honors Sea Services

At Seafair Fleet Week Events
By PETER ATKINSON, Deputy Editor
he Seattle Council and SeattleT

area Navy Leaguers hosted or
took part in a number of events during the citys 63rd annual Seafair
Fleet Week July 31 through Aug. 6.
The Fleet Week included Navy and
Coast Guard-related activities such
as air shows by the Navys Blue
Angels flight demonstration team,
Navy Band Northwest performances, a military appreciation night at a
Seattle Mariners baseball game,
ship tours, and receptions and special events.
The Seafair Fleet Week kicked
off with the arrival of the amphibious transport dock ship USS New
Orleans, guided-missile cruiser
USS Bunker Hill and guidedmissile destroyer USS Halsey in
the Port of Seattle July 31. Seven
U.S. and Canadian ships in all participated in the Fleet Week, along
with more than 3,000 Sailors,
Marines and Coast Guardsmen
and women, according to the Navy
News Service.
Fleet Week was attended by
Chief of Naval Operations Adm.
Jonathan W. Greenert, Master
Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Rick D. West, many other sea service flag officers and foreign dignitaries, as well as thousands of local
residents and visitors who had the
opportunity to tour Navy and Coast
Guard ships, and meet the men and
women who serve in the sea services of the United States and Canada.
Among the Fleet Week events
the Seattle Council hosted or participated in were:
The Annual Seattle Navy League
CPO Party with the Seattle
Mariners at Safeco Field July 31.
Team President Chuck Armstrong
56
Cmdr. Mike Weeldreyer, center, commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey, stands with Navy Leaguers and guests during a visit aboard the
ship Aug. 1 as part of the 63rd annual Seafair Fleet Week in Seattle.
and Manager Eric Wedge spoke

during the event. Seattle Seafairs
King Neptune, Slick Watts, a former Seattle Supersonics basketball
star, and Miss Seafair 2012,
Veronica Asence, were in attendance. West threw out the first
pitch at the Navy Night baseball
game between the Mariners and
Toronto Blue Jays that followed
the Mariners won 7-2. As part of
Navy Night, 75 future Sailors
took the field prior to the game to
be honored for their commitment
to join the U.S. Navy.
The Seattle Council organized a
VIP Embark on USS Halsey. Many
local business executives and community leaders participated, as did
members of other area Navy
League councils.
Navy League National Director
Tom Jaffa organized a Sea Services
Day program for the Seattle Rotary
Club that featured Coast Guard Vice
Adm. Paul F. Zukunft, commander,

Pacific Area, and West as keynote
speakers; recognition of local Sailors
of the Year; a Navy Color Guard; and
Navy Band participation.
The Seattle Council hosted its
annual Sea Services Luncheon,
where more than 30 U.S. and
Canadian Sailors, Coast Guardsmen and women and Marines were
honored. The Blue Angel Sea Cadet
Squadron provided the Color
Guard. Kiyokazu Ota, the consul
general of Japan in Seattle, thanked
the U.S. Navy for all of its efforts to
help his country after the 2011
earthquake and tsunami. Denis
Stevens, consul general of Canada
in Seattle, also offered brief comments as did Zukunft for the Coast
Guard, and Royal Canadian Navy
Rear Adm. Bill Truelove, commander, Maritime Forces Pacific.
Vice Adm. Thomas H. Copeman,
commander, Naval Surfaces Forces
More than 30 U.S. and Canadian Sailors, Coast Guardsmen and women and
Marines were honored during the Annual Seattle Council Sea Services
Luncheon held Aug. 3 as part of Seattles Seafair Fleet Week.
El Paso Council Honors

Socorro NJROTC Team
The El Paso, Texas, Council
acknowledged the achievements of
the Navy Junior Reserve Officers
Training Corps (NJROTC) team
from Socorro High School in El
Paso during its monthly luncheon
at the El Paso Club on July 31.
RODNEY H. HANSEN
and Naval Surface Force, Pacific

Fleet, was the keynote speaker.
The Seattle Councils Annual
Officers Reception was held at the
Columbia Tower Club where more
than 300 visiting officers from
local commands enjoyed the view
of Seattle from the tallest building
on the West Coast.
Vice Adm. Gerald R. Beaman,
commander, U.S. Third Fleet, flew in
from the Rim of the Pacific exercise
off Hawaii in time to host the Third
Fleet Reception, where the Seattle
Council, Seafair and the Port of Seattle were acknowledged as the partners who make Fleet Week possible.
The Annual Seattle Navy League
Distinguished Visitor Lunch and
Cruise was held aboard the
Command Cutter Old Man IV.
The Coast Guard Cutter Stratton
participated in the Parade of Ships
and was the site of the U.S. Coast
Guard Reception, with Zukunft
offering comments along with Rear
Adm. Keith Taylor, commander,
Coast Guard District 13.
Navy League team members,
including the Seattle Councils two
interns, were on hand to bid farewell
as each visiting ship departed.
The Socorro NJROTC team

earned honors as the Most Outstanding NJROTC Unit in Area 10
(Texas), and No. 3 Most Outstanding in Nation unit during regional
and national competitions this year.
The team received a trophy for their
school on behalf of the Navy League
from the El Paso Council to mark its
achievement, according to Council
President Rodney H. Hansen.
Travis Lagrone, newly elected
president of the Navy Leagues Lone
Star Region, traveled from his home
in Houston to join the council for the
presentation to the Socorro NJROTC
team. Present to receive honors on
behalf of the instructor staff and
cadets from Socorro High School
were the senior naval science instructor, retired Navy Reserve Capt.
Kenneth Wavell, and the units
Cadet Commanding Officer Jasmine
M. Mendoza, Cadet Executive
Officer Patrick Carpio and Cadet
Master Chief Alexa Enriquez.
After the presentation the council and cadets were treated to a
report with photos of Lagrones
visit to the Virginia-class submarine USS Texas.
Socorro High School NJROTC Cadet Commanding Officer Jasmine M.

Mendoza, Cadet Master Chief Alexa Enriquez and Cadet Executive Officer
Patrick Carpio hold a trophy presented to the unit by the El Paso, Texas, Council
in honor of its earning Most Outstanding NJROTC Unit in Area 10 for 2012. The
unit also received No. 3 Most Outstanding Unit in Nation honors.
57
Sea Cadets Get

Master-at-Arms
Training at Kings Bay
Twenty-nine U.S. Naval Sea Cadet
Corps (NSCC) cadets from around
the country gathered for a weeklong Master-at-Arms (MAA) training on Naval Submarine Base (NSB)
Kings Bay, Ga., in late July.
The training was conducted by
active-duty Master-at-Arms 2nd

Class Roy Miller, Master-at-Arms
2nd Class Amber Ball and Masterat-Arms Seaman Camron Langley,
with the help of Sgt. Kyle Rust,
one of the lead instructors for the
NSB Kings Bay Security Training
Department.
Miller, Ball and Langley were fulltime volunteers for the duration of
the course, and also volunteer their

time to the NSCC on a monthly
basis, according to a report in the
Kings Bay Periscope.
The training session was
designed to teach Sea Cadets about
the Navys MAA specialization.
During the training, cadets were
instructed in the use and function of
the M-9 pistol, general firearm safety
and suspect take-down tactics. They
learned about the Uniform Code of
Military Justice and other guidance
employed by Navy MAAs.
Additionally, Sea Cadets participated in physical training twice a day,
lived in the Navy enlisted quarters
and ate chow in the base galley. To
pass the course, all cadets were required to demonstrate proficiency in
reciting the Sailors Creed and the 11
General Orders, as well as being evaluated on leadership and other traits.
Five cadets earned the distinction of Navy Expert Marksman, 10
cadets earned the Sharpshooter
distinction and 13 cadets earned
the Marksman distinction in the
M-9 pistol simulator.
To pass the MAA course, cadets
were required to pass a written test
and complete a physical challenge
that consisted of carrying two
training logs for two miles in less
than 40 minutes.
In their non-training time, cadets
were able to tour the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Rhode
Island and run the Marine Corps
obstacle course, under the supervision of the active-duty Marines.
Cadets also visited the St. Marys
Submarine Museum and were treated to an evening at a local water park
and a pizza night off base.
Fund-raiser Aboard
Presidential Yacht
Benefits Sea Cadets
The Pacific Merchant Marine
Council in San Francisco hosted a
pierside fund-raiser aboard the
presidential yacht Potomac Aug. 5 to
benefit the NSCCs Arkansas
58
Division and its Naval Sea Cadet

Band of the West. Navy Leaguers
and guests were joined by Sea
Cadets and their parents aboard
Franklin Delano Roosevelts Float-
ing White House, which is moored

in Oakland, for live music, food,
door prizes, a silent auction and a
chance to experience some of the
vessels colorful history.
Originally built as the Coast

Guard Cutter Electra in 1934, the
165-foot ship was commissioned a
U.S. Navy vessel in 1936 and
renamed the USS Potomac. It served
TOP COUNCIL RECRUITER POINTS THROUGH AUGUST 2012
MEMBERSHIP REPORT
COUNCILS
TOP INDIVIDUAL RECRUITERS FOR AUGUST 2012

RECRUITER
COUNCIL
David Burch
Dick Messbarger
Jay Lott
Frederick Orton
John Sides
Grant Ivey
Suzy Williams
Mark Harden
Hugh Howton
Kevin MacFarland
Doyle Wilhite
Richard Heller
William Kuypers
Camden-Kings Bay, GA
Kingsville, TX
San Diego, CA
Coronado, CA
Korea
Santa Barbara, CA
Corpus Christi, TX
Pensacola, FL
Jacksonville, FL
Metropolitan Detroit, MI
St. Louis, MO
New York, NY
POINTS
16
14
12
10
9
6
6
4
4
4
4
3
3
TOP INDIVIDUAL RECRUITERS THROUGH AUGUST 2012

RECRUITER
COUNCIL
Dick Messbarger
Frederick Orton
Suzy Williams
Jay Lott
Carlyle Devoe
David Burch
Diane Jaffa
Charles Baumbach
Maryellen Baldwin
Douglas Crawford
Kevin MacFarland
Skip Witunski
Phelps Hobart
Logan Johnson
Hans-Peter Thorand
Larry Salter
George Wardwell
David Livingston
Bonnie Potter
Thomas Pruter
John Sides
Denny Behr
Daniel Branch
Karen Crawford
Lisa Gallinat
Robert Kidd
Samuel Sorenson
James Young
Joe Gilchrist
Donald Hale
Thomas Jaffa
Gerald Moskwa
Francis Murphy
John Spittler
Kingsville, TX
Coronado, CA
Corpus Christi, TX
San Diego, CA
Honolulu, HI
Seattle, WA
Tri-City, CA
Hampton Roads, VA
Santa Barbara, CA
Tampa, FL
Pacific Merchant Marine, CA
Tallahassee, FL (chartering)
Thailand Eastern Seaboard
Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula, WA
Newport County, RI
Honolulu, HI
Placer County, CA
Pensacola, FL
Korea
Madison, WI
Denver, CO
Santa Barbara, CA
Imperial Valley, CA
Jacksonville, FL
Fleet Admiral Nimitz, TX
Milwaukee, WI
Pensacola, FL
Santa Clara Valley, CA
Seattle, WA
La Crosse, WI
Greater ChattanoogaJohn J. Spittler, TN
POINTS
87
75
50
45
44
16
16
15
14
13
13
13
12
12
12
11
11
9
9
9
9
8
8
8
8
8
8
8
7
7
7
7
7
7
POINTS
Kingsville, TX
Coronado, CA
Honolulu, HI
San Diego, CA
Corpus Christi, TX
Jacksonville, FL
Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula, WA
Seattle, WA
Pensacola, FL
Santa Barbara, CA
Mayport, FL
Tampa, FL
Hampton Roads, VA
Newport County, RI
La Crosse, WI
Oregons Rogue Valley, OR
Greater Chattanooga-John J. Spittler, TN
Imperial Valley, CA
St. Augustine, FL
Treasure Coast, FL
Tri-City, CA
New York, NY
Palm Beach, FL
Placer County, CA
St. Louis, MO
Madison, WI
Meridian Area, MI
Savannah, GA
Dallas, TX
Key West, FL
Philadelphia, PA
Milwaukee, WI
Pacific Merchant Marine, CA
Santa Clara Valley, CA
Sarasota-Manatee, FL
Tallahassee, FL (chartering)
Thailand Eastern Seaboard
Denver, CO
Lake Washington, WA
Fleet Admiral Nimitz, TX
Oak Harbor, WA
Oakland, CA
Palm Springs, CA
88
80
76
73
53
39
38
36
34
31
30
27
26
24
23
20
19
18
17
17
17
17
17
16
16
16
16
15
15
15
14
14
14
13
13
12
12
12
12
11
11
10
10
10
10
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AFFILIATE MEMBERS
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Stewarts Insurance Depot
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Pensacola, FL
59
Albert J. Herberger
CHAIRMAN
Albert J. Baciocco Jr.
Evan S. Baker
Bernard Bennett
of the United States
Daniel B. Branch Jr.
FOUNDED 1902
Joanne S. Crown
2300 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 200

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NATIONAL PRESIDENT
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Fred Davidson III

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NATIONAL CORPORATE SECRETARY
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Leighton W. Smith Jr.

John J. Spittler
James D. Watkins
R. James Woolsey
STATEMENT OF POLICY
We of the Navy League of the United

States stand for a strong America a nation
morally, economically, and internally strong.
We believe that the security of our nation

and of the people of the world demands a
well-balanced, integrated, mobile American
defense team, of which a strong Navy, Marine
Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine are
indispensable parts.
Bruce Butler
We support all Armed Services to the end

that each may make its appropriate contribution to the national security.
CHAIRMAN, U.S. NAVAL SEA CADET CORPS
NATIONAL ASSISTANT CORPORATE SECRETARY
Randy W. Hollstein
PRESIDENTS PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES
Cecil L. Blackwell
EUROPEAN UNION
J. Douglas Crawford
VIDEO COMMUNICATION
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ITALY
We know that in a free nation an informed

public is indispensable to national security
and, therefore, we will strive to keep the
nation alert to dangers which threaten both
from without and within.
We favor appropriations for each of the
Armed Services, adequate for national security, economically administered.
We oppose any usurpation of the

Congresss constitutional authority over the
Armed Services.
EUROPE
We urge that our country maintain world leadership in scientific research and development.
NATIONAL CHAPLAINS
Reverend Herbert Goetz

Rabbi William Kloner
John J. Spittler
NATIONAL HISTORIAN
Fred LaTrash
NATIONAL PARLIAMENTARIAN
James H. Waller
60
J. Paul Reason
We support industrial preparedness, planning, production.

We support efforts of our government to
achieve worldwide peace through international
cooperation.
We advocate a foreign policy which will
avoid wars if possible; if not, win them!
PHELPS HOBART
NAVY
LEAGUE
2012-2013 NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
The Arkansas Divisions Naval Sea Cadet Band of the West entertains during
an Aug. 5 fund-raiser aboard the presidential yacht Potomac held by the
Pacific Merchant Marine Council.
as Roosevelts presidential yacht

until his death in 1945, and later
was owned by, among other people,
Elvis Presley. After years of neglect
that led to its nearly being sold for
scrap, Potomac was restored and
has been open to the public since
1995. It continues to sail.
Council member Marti Burchell,
executive director of the Potomac,
was aboard the ship along with two
docents from the Potomac Association during the event to answer
questions. Burchell had initially suggested an event aboard and offered
the use of the ship, according to
Council President Phelps Hobart.
Karen Freitas, vice president of
Youth Affairs, chaired the event.
The Band of the West performed
on the foredeck of Potomac during
the event. Funds raised during the
event will be used, in part, to purchase uniforms and sheet music for
the band. The Pacific Merchant
Marine Council sponsors and sup
ports the division.
Send Council Digest items and photos to:
Peter Atkinson
Deputy Editor
Seapower Magazine
2300 Wilson Blvd. Suite 200
Or e-mail:
patkinson@navyleague.org
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SPECIAL FOCUS: SEA SERVICES PROGRAM REVIEW
Seapower will look at the status of priority acquisition programs, the

2013 defense budget debate and acquisition challenges faced by
the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
ALSO IN NOVEMBER
Interview: Rear Adm. Mark H. Buzby, Commander, Military Sealift
Command.
Mission-Critical: Maximizing foreign language proficiency, regional
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63
IN MY OWN WORDS
Marine Capt. Rebecca Massey

V-22 Test Pilot
Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 21 (HX-21)
Patuxent River, Md.
LISA NIPP
am from Athens, Ga., and attended Georgia Tech, where I earned a bachIpreferably
elors degree in aerospace engineering. I always wanted to be a pilot,
a military pilot. I got my private pilot license when I was in col-
I was interested in
rotary-wing aviation all
along. That was part of
the reason the V-22 was
my top choice. I felt it
would give me the best
of both worlds: You get
to do helicopter-type
missions, but you still
get to go faster and do
airplane-type flying.
64
lege. While I was a freshman, I saw a poster in my dorm advertising Officer

Candidate School (OCS). It was specifically advertising aviation contracts.
I liked the idea of becoming a Marine, not just a pilot, and so I kept that
poster in the back of my mind throughout college.
After college, I worked in acquisitions for the Army Evaluation Center in
Alexandria, Va. I was involved in numerous flight tests while working for the
Army, which furthered my interest in becoming a pilot. So I applied for the
Marine Corps while there as a civilian. After OCS, I completed The Basic
School in Quantico, Va., and then completed flight school.
I was assigned to fly the V-22 Osprey out of flight school; it was my top
choice. I was interested in rotary-wing aviation all along. That was part of
the reason the V-22 was my top choice. I felt it would give me the best of
both worlds: You get to do helicopter-type missions, but you still get to go
faster and do airplane-type flying.
Overall, the V-22 is pretty easy to fly. It doesnt have the same flight controls as a typical helicopter, but we have lots of simulator time and, as
somebody who had very limited helicopter experience before, it wasnt a
huge challenge to transition to the different controls.
In a helicopter, the collective [control] goes up to add power, whereas
in the Osprey, the thrust-control lever goes forward to add power. You hear
now and then about pilots getting that backwards if they have a ton of helicopter experience, but usually its not really an issue at all.
My first operational squadron was Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron
266 at Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C. I deployed to Iraq and
later deployed with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit. While on the second deployment, I got picked up for Test Pilot School (TPS) and moved to
Patuxent River, Md.
Test Pilot School was a very demanding course and a rewarding experience. I got to fly more than 10 different types of aircraft. I did a lot of report
writing. It was definitely a different side of looking at flying. I graduated from
TPS in June 2012 and was assigned to HX-21 as a V-22 test pilot.
I like the variety of the things we get to do. We get to fly new systems or
software and evaluate them prior to them going out to the fleet. Theres a different type of flight every day. Some flights are certainly more risky than others, but risk management is always incorporated into flight planning.
Professionalism, communication skills and fleet experience are all
important traits for a test pilot. Growing up, I participated in activities like
gymnastics and dance. These activities instilled good time management
and discipline because I spent so much time outside of school participating in those activities.
What motivates test pilots to do our best is getting the right system out
to the fleet, thinking of other Marines, whether theyre flying the aircraft,
maintaining the aircraft, or riding in the back.


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October 2012 $5.00

Navy League News

INTERVIEW: Navy Rear Adm. William F. Bill Moran

Arrival of UCAS on a Carrier Deck Will Usher in New Era

Testing of Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft

As Threat Evolves, So Must AIM-9 Sidewinder Air-to-Air

Marine Corps New AH-1Z Helicopter Completes Initial Deployment

INTERVIEW: Navy Capt. David Silkey

Facing the Fiscal Cliff

As Sequestration Looms, Defense Companies Hope for the Best,

Navys Airship Continues to Prove its Worth as an ISR,

Non-lethal Weapons Offer Options Between Shouting and Shooting

U.S.-flag Shippers Adapt to Changing Market, Economic Factors

Marine Corps Light Armored Vehicles Will Be Staying Until 2035

Facing the Fiscal Cliff

hile Republican and DemoW

employees 60 days in advance of

SEAPOWER / OCTOBER 2012

By AMY L. WITTMAN, Editor in Chief

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE

Volume 55, Number 10, October 2012

SEAPOWER / OCTOBER 2012

ditionary Forces and

Amy Billingham and Rob Black

2300 Wilson Blvd., Suite 200

CHAIRMAN: Brandon R. Randy Belote III

Daniel Dayton, Robert Hamilton, Margaret

Report on Ship Naming Falls Short

he Navy Department has isT

SEAPOWER / OCTOBER 2012

Some technology advances did bring new name

bridge for those men. Then, people who would have

ships for former members of Congress, an aircraft carrier

justify the recent name assignments.

SEAPOWER / OCTOBER 2012

SEAPOWER / OCTOBER 2012

ith precious few legislative days remaining in this

House and Senate Armed Services Committee members

carve nearly $55 billion from its

new-start programs, tying the

If there is no deal on the deficit by

Gen. James F. Amos

Maj. Gen. Charles M. Gurganus

tion season, will have any desire to

Lieberman, I-Conn.; Jim Inhofe, ROkla.; Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga.; Kelly

U.K. Royal Navy Commodore Simon Ancona

that will keep production lines

SEAPOWER / OCTOBER 2012

Stackley Notes Challenges

try are troubled by the uncertainty

funding would be compounded in

The general stressed that he was

High-Level LCS Council

SEAPOWER / OCTOBER 2012

capability and missions starting the

As noted in the internal Sept. 10

Chief of Naval Operations Adm.

The LCS Council, ordered in an

expect to build all eight.

As director of Air Warfare (OPNAV N98), on the staff of the chief of

Moran is a P-3 Orion maritime patrol pilot with three operational

What are the main challenges for naval aviation today?

MORAN: The challenges for us are no different [than