Defense ministry has inspected Baltic Fleet

Russian defense ministry carried out an inspection of Baltiysk Naval Base. A board of General Staff officers headed by Rear Admiral Mikhail Chekmasov checked whether directions of Gen. Nikolai Makarov, Chief of General Staff given in Nov 2010 were fulfilled, and inspected conditions of service duties. 

Mostly, focus was on capability of commanders, staffs, and services to manage combat duties, and readiness of alert forces for combat tasks. 

By injection task of chief inspector Rear Admiral Mikhail Chekmasov, duty minesweeper commanded by Snr. Lt. Alexei Sergeyev was checked for readiness to accomplish combat training tasks. Inspectors checked the crew's ability to urgently prepare for combat and cruise, and make onboard mine warfare systems ready for use. Drill on buoyant mine destruction was also held. 

According to Rear Admiral Chekmasov, the crew of harbor minesweeper RT-231 displayed excellent skills at shipborne arms under extreme sea and weather conditions – wind speed of 15 meters per second, and force-3 sea disturbance. 

Duty service of Baltiysk Naval Base will get final assessment after detailed analysis of all elements of the inspection.

Frigate Neustrashimy celebrated 18th anniversary of flag-hoisting

Frigate (escort ship) Neustrashimy was laid down at Yantar shipyard in 1987. The ship was named after the first Soviet destroyer build after the Second World War. The new ship was launched in 1988 and after successful completion of state trials on Jan 24, 1993 Neustrashimy was commissioned into Russian Navy. 

Starting from 1994, frigate Neustrashimy annually takes part in various combat training contests held in the Navy and wins Navy Commander's Prizes. 

Being within a ship attack group, the ship won about 10 Navy Commander's Prizes for artillery firings and air defense. 

In 2002 the ship's crew was awarded by Kaliningrad Governor's Cup as the best crew in Baltic Fleet. 

In 2000, 2005, 2006 and 2007 frigate Neustrashimy acquired the title of the best ship in Russian Navy, summarizing results of combat training. 

Throughout her active service, frigate Neustrashimy has covered over 100,000 nautical miles and paid over 30 formal and unofficial visits to ports of Germany, Spain, Norway, Portugal, Poland, and France. The ship's crew has taken part in numerous BALTOPS joint naval exercises annually held under the NATO's program "Partnership for Peace". In 2003 – the year of 300th anniversary of Russia's Baltic Fleet – frigateNeustrashimy paid official visit to London; Russian president boarded the ship and signed a number of international agreement there. 

Baltic Fleet frigate Neustrashimy was the first warship in the Russian Navy's contemporary history attended international anti-piracy campaign in the Gulf of Aden in 2008-2009, and had escorted over 60 civil vessels. In 2009-2010 the crew of Neustrashimy had successfully completed anti-piracy mission again. During two patrols, the ship had escorted more than 22 convoys with overall tonnage of 4 mln tons.

Navy embarks on replacements for Trident submarines

The first Ohio-class submarine arrived at Naval Submarine Base Bangor. Suddenly, the ballistic-missile subs are pushing 30, and the Navy is preparing to replace them.

Rear Adm. David Johnson spoke about the changeover Thursday before a luncheon crowd of Navy supporters. Johnson, as Program Executive Officer, Submarines, in Washington, D.C., is responsible for new submarine construction programs.

Rear Adm. David Johnson

Fresh out of the Naval Academy, he was assigned to Bangor's Trident Refit Facility in December 1982, coming just as the USS Ohio returned from its first patrol. Much has changed since then. Silverdale was horse pastures and an Elsie's restaurant, he said. There was a Soviet Union, and a Cold War.

Today, stores have overtaken fields, and the USS Ohio doesn't even carry nuclear warheads anymore. It and three sister ships were converted to conventional weapons. Fourteen ballistic-missile subs remain — eight at Bangor and six at Kings Bay, Ga. Over the next three decades, they'll give way to a dozen new ones. The new nuclear fuel cores will last as long as the boats themselves, unlike the Ohios that need a two-year midlife refueling, so the Navy can cover the same ground with fewer subs, Johnson said.

Construction of the first new boat will begin in 2019, be completed by 2026 and it will be patrolling by 2029, Johnson said. The Navy intends to add one per year, through 2040. With a 42-year life span, matching the Ohios, the final boat will remain on duty until 2082, 70 years from now. The first Ohio-class sub will be retired in 2027, followed each of the next 13 years by another.

The Ohio-class boats have 24 tubes for D-5 ballistic missiles. Each missile can carry eight warheads. New subs will keep the D-5 missiles, at least to begin with, but pare down to 16 missile tubes.

"We took a little risk in the number of missile tubes," said Johnson, explaining that the Navy is balancing capabilities with cost so the price doesn't get out of control and threaten other shipbuilding programs.

Development and design work have begun. The Navy received $497.4 million in research and development funding in the Fiscal Year 2010 budget for what's called the SSBN(X) program, and requested $672.3 million more in FY2011. The first boat is expected to cost $6 billion to $7 billion, with the ensuing ones possibly dipping to $5 billion, according to a congressional report.

Johnson has credentials for containing prices. He helped reduce the costs of the new Virginia class of fast-attack subs by $4 billion, and the program won major awards for value engineering and acquisition excellence. He'll use that program as a model, he said.

"They were delivered at less cost, more complete and more deployment-ready out of the chute," he said.

The new Tridents will have a conservative design, fewer missile tubes, use proven D-5 missiles and components from Seawolf- and Virginia-class subs to keep down costs, Johnson said.

"There's a long way to go, but we're making great progress," Johnson said. "I really, really look forward to the work ahead."

US pledges help for Philippine navy

The United States said Thursday it would help boost the Philippines' capacity to patrol its waters as part of a larger goal of keeping vital Asian sea lanes open amid the rise of China.

The pledge came from US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell on the first day of an inaugural security dialogue between the two allies.

"One of the subjects for discussions tomorrow will be the bilateral steps that (we) can take to increase the Philippines' maritime capacity," Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell said.

This would enhance the Philippine navy's capacity to police its waters, he told a joint news conference.

"We think this is a critical component of our partnership. Much of this work is already underway and we seek to intensify it in the months and years ahead," he said without giving details.

The US had key air and naval bases in the Philippines until 1992, when the Philippine senate rejected a new treaty.

The US ruled the Philippines as colonial power from 1901 to 1946 and the two countries remain linked by a 1951 mutual defence pact.

In recent years, as China's economic influence grew in the region, its new-found political assertiveness saw it come in dispute with its neighbours over claims to areas of the South China Sea.

China, Taiwan and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam all claim the potentially oil-rich Spratly chain of islands in the South China Sea.

The area is also one of the world's most important shipping lanes.

"I think there's a broad recognition that this is a critical waterway, and its criticality will likely increase in the times ahead," Campbell said.

While China has asserted that the disputes must be settled directly between itself and rival claimants, Campbell repeated the US position that a broader framework was better.

"We think maritime issues should be addressed in larger settings as well, and we think that's important in order to develop confidence on these issues and the larger Asia-Pacific region," he said.

Scrapping Nimrod planes ‘puts Britain at risk’

Former British military chiefs said Thursday the scrapping of a fleet of Nimrod surveillance aircraft will create a "massive security gap" and leave Britain's Trident nuclear submarines vulnerable.

In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, they said the decision to shelve the programme for nine MRA4 Nimrods to save money is "perverse" and could inflict serious long-term damage to Britain's interests.

Ministers took the decision last year to scrap the 4-billion pounds ($6.4 billion, 4.6-billion-euro) fleet of planes, the latest version of the veteran sub-hunter, as part of deep defence cuts.

The Nimrods can detect and sink submarines and play a key role in drug-smuggling and counter-terrorism operations.

The ex-military chiefs said: "Machine tools have been destroyed; several millions of pounds have been saved but a massive gap in British security has opened.

"Vulnerability of sea lanes, unpredictable overseas crises and traditional surface and submarine opposition will continue to demand versatile responsive aircraft.

"Nimrod would have continued to provide long-range maritime and overland reconnaissance -- including over the UK -- anti-submarine surveillance, air-sea rescue coordination, and perhaps most importantly, reconnaissance support to the Navy's Trident submarines."

The signatories of the letter included David Craig, a former chief of the defence staff who now sits in the House of Lords, and Major General Patrick Cordingley, the commander of the Desert Rats in the Gulf War.

Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesman denied that scrapping Nimrod undermined Britain's defences.

The spokesman said: "The role of maritime patrol will continue to be carried out and we will use a range of other military assets to do that."

He said the defence cuts were made against the backdrop of Britain's record budget deficit and "a significant black hole" in the defence ministry's budget.

"This particular project was overspent, it had been delayed and none of the aircraft were actually operational," he added.

General David Richards, the current chief of the defence staff, said in a statement that "severe financial pressures" led to the decision to axe Nimrod.

"This project was delayed and overspent; cancelling it will save 2 billion pounds over 10 years. None of these nine aircraft were operational, only one was built and it had not passed flight tests," he said.

Final entry to Plymouth for proud Chatham

WITH a flash of fire from her ceremonial gun, HMS Chatham exchanges formalities with Plymouth’ Royal Citadel for the final time.

Tugs provide their traditional send-off as the youngest of Britain’s last four Type 22 frigates becomes the first to pay off in the wake off October’s defence cuts.

The 20-year-old warship made her last entry into Plymouth yesterday afternoon, watched by a few score well-wishers on the Devonshire city’s seafront who braved bitter conditions to witness the sad occasion.

The final entry – which saw the frigate uphold the RN custom of trailing a long, narrow decommissioning pennant – is the latest act in Chatham’ paying-off process.

She’s already said her goodbyes to the city of her birth, Newcastle – earlier this month the frigate spent four days in North Shields, a few miles along the Tyne from the Swan Hunter yard where Chatham was built from 1986-89, before joining the Fleet the following year.

Next comes a decommissioning ceremony in Devonport Naval Base on February 8.

The final chapter of the proud Chatham story comes on Saturday February 12 when ties with her namesake town in Kent are officially severed.

Just three months after the ship herself paid a final visit to the Medway, more than 60 members of her company will be in Chatham to say their farewells.

They will close the book on an affiliation going back to the late 1980s when they parade through the streets of Kent, exercising their right to the Freedom of the Borough of Medway for the final time.

The freedom parade in Kent – with bayonets fixed and colours flying, all in time to the drum beat of the Royal Marines Band from HMS Collingwood – will begin in Chatham High Street at 11.30am and end at the Medway Council buildings, where officials will host a reception for the sailors.

“Although the day will be tinged with sadness, HMS Chatham has enjoyed more than 20 years of friendship and support from the local population and I’m certain that many happy memories of this special bond will remain long after the ship has gone,” said Cdr Simon Huntingdon, the frigate’s final Commanding Officer.

“HMS Chatham will be sadly missed – over the past 20 years she has had a very successful life. As her final commanding officer, she has a special place in my heart.”

Russian warship escorts a 9-vessel convoy in the Gulf of Aden

Pacific Fleet (PF) large ASW ship Admiral Vinogradov which is currently deployed off the Horn of Africa escorts a convoy of 9 vessels, reports RIA Novosti referring to a spokesman for Russian Navy. 

"At present, the Russian warship is escorting nine civil vessels through dangerous waters. Totally, there are 8 Russian crewmembers on board those ships", said the official. 

He underlined that Russian Navy would keep on patrolling the piracy-risky regions. "Ships of all four fleets will carry out maritime security tasks rotationally", said the interviewee. 

PF task force which takes part in the international anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden recently escorted the fifth convoy in 2011. 

Fifth task force of Pacific Fleet consisting of large ASW ship Admiral Vinogradov, ocean-going salvage tug, and tanker Pechenga arrived to the Gulf of Aden from Vladivostok on Dec 22, 2010. Admiral Vinogradov has two deck-based helicopters conducting permanent aerial reconnaissance. All ships of the task force are reinforced with PF marine units; all of them had passed special training prior to the mission.