The Wait Is Over: Pence Announces Coming Activation of US Space Command
Vice President Mike Pence leads the sixth meeting of the National Space Council beneath NASA's Space Shuttle Discovery at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center on August 20, 2019, in Chantilly, Virginia. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
August 21, 2019 --- Military.com | By Oriana Pawlyk
The activation of U.S. Space Command, a precursor to the Trump administration's proposed U.S. Space Force, is imminent, Vice President Mike Pence announced Tuesday. "Next week, we will formally stand up the new Unified Combatant Command (UCC) that will be known as the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM)," he said during a speech at a meeting of the National Space Council.
At the same event, Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the official activation date for USSPACECOM is August 29, 2019 according to Defense News. During his remarks, Pence recognized the head of Air Force Space Command (AFSPC), who was confirmed to lead the Defense Department's 11th UCC in June 2019.
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"I'm pleased to announce that we will recognize its new leader: Four-star Air Force General John Raymond will be the first leader of the United States Space Command," Pence said Tuesday. Last year, DefenseOne reported that the Defense Department intended to create a new UCC focused on space prior to debate by lawmakers over a Space Force proposal in the fiscal 2020 budget. Since then, the Air Force has taken the lead in the Space Force's creation.
Whether AFSPC will be completely absorbed by USSPACECOM has not been determined, though officials have said the Pentagon will begin a mission transfer and realignment of units between fiscal 2021 and 2022, per a strategic Space Force budget overview. Space policy and budget experts have said it would be wise to streamline operations at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, because it already hosts a robust space mission. According to a report from Space News, personnel under AFSPC at Peterson will organized into the first U.S. Space Command unit and will report directly to Raymond for the time being.
In May 2019, the Air Force said it began looking at 6 base locations for USSPACECOM, including Peterson and 3 other Colorado locations: Buckley Air Force Base, Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, and Schriever Air Force Base. Other options are the Army's Redstone Arsenal in Alabama and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
A U.S. Air Force spokesman said that the service is still weighing the 6 base location options. "The Air Force has been designated as the executive agent for U.S. Space Command, just like all the combat commands have executive agency side," Acting Air Force Secretary Matt Donovan told Military.com at the Paris Air Show in June 2019. "So that's why we have the responsibility of locating the base."
The U.S. Air Force expects to approve its preferred location -- with 1 or 2 from the list as back-up options -- by the end of the summer. That will be followed by an environmental analysis, Donovan said.
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Marines Use Armored Vehicle to Defend Navy Ship from Small Boats off Iran
An AH-1Z Viper attached to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 163 (Reinforced), 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) takes off during a strait transit aboard the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4). (U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Corporal Dalton S. Swanbeck)
August 16, 2019 --- Military.com | By Gina Harkins
As sailors and Marines are sailing in more contested waters, the blue-green team is getting creative about how to defend amphibious assault ships from enemy small boats and drones. Members of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) were photographed sailing through the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf this week with a Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) on the flight deck.
The armored vehicle can be seen in the background of photos released by the Marine Corps on Wednesday, showing AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters flying off the amphibious assault ship Boxer. The LAV was first spotted by Phil Ewing, national security editor at National Public Radio (NPR). Sailing through or near the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that runs between the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, has been contentious in recent months.
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In July 2019, the 11th MEU jammed one Iranian drone -- and possibly two -- that flew within 1,000 yards of the Boxer. Iranians also seized a British tanker in the strait last month. And in June 2019, two oil tankers were attacked in the nearby Gulf of Oman. Major General David Coffman, Director of Expeditionary Warfare, said last year that Navy and Marine leaders were coming up with innovative ways to defend ships in contested areas. They've typically relied on aircraft, he said, but now they're getting more creative to combat new threats.
"I can tell you I watched a MEU commander strap an LAV to the front of a flight deck because it had better sensors than the ship did to find small boats," Coffman said during an event hosted by the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C., last fall. "... The LAV guys will sit up there." Marines have put an LAV on an amphib flight deck in another disputed waterway. In September, members of the 31st MEU parked an LAV on the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship Wasp during a training exercise in the South China Sea, Marine Corps Times reported last year.
The MEU's weapons company fired the LAV's M242 chain guns and coaxial M240C medium machine guns at simulated targets in the ocean during the exercise, the paper reported, which was meant to prep sailors and Marines for transiting through dangerous waters.
This isn't the first time the 11th MEU has turned to land vehicles to defend the Boxer. Marines were able to take down the Iranian drone last month by using a weapon system that fits onto a pair of small MRZR all-terrain vehicles. The system is equipped with high-power sensors and jamming technology, which the Marines used when the drone got too close to the ship.
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Marines: Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) Front Line Ready
The Army and the Marine Corps show off the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle at a test track at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. (Matthew Cox/Military.com)
August 15, 2019 --- Military.com | By Matthew Cox
The Marine Corps will begin fielding new Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) to Marine expeditionary units next month now that the service has declared the Humvee replacement ready for the battlefield. Marine Corps Combat Development Command recently announced that the JLTV program has reached Initial Operational Capability (IOC), a milestone it reached nearly a year ahead of schedule.
"The warfighting capabilities the JLTV provides our Marines far exceed the capabilities offered by its predecessor," John Garner, Marine Corps Program Executive Officer for Land Systems, said. "I'm proud of what our team, in collaboration with the U.S. Army, has accomplished. Their commitment to supporting the warfighter delivered an exceptional vehicle, ahead of schedule, that Marines will use to dominate on the battlefield now and well into the future."
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Several elements needed to be met before the JLTV program could be declared ready for IOC, the release states, describing how the program office had to ensure all the operators were fully trained and maintenance tools and spare parts packages were ready.
"IOC is more than just saying that the schoolhouses and an infantry battalion all have their trucks," Eugene Morin, product manager for JLTV at Program Executive Office Land Systems, said in the release. "All of the tools and parts required to support the system need to be in place, the units must have had received sufficient training, and each unit commander needs to declare that he is combat-ready."
The Fiscal 2018 Annual Report from the Defense Department's Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, was critical of the joint Army and Marine JLTV program, identifying problems ranging from safety issues to maintenance issues that led to mission failures. The Marine Corps countered that much of the data in the report was compiled before the services had taken steps to address the shortcomings. The Corps is scheduled to start fielding the JLTV to I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) and III MEF before the end of September.
Marine Light Tactical Vehicle Program Manager Andrew Rodgers said in the release that IOC is "really only the beginning of the JLTV's future legacy." "We are really at the starting line right now. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will see JLTVs in the DoD," Rodgers said. "We'll easily still have these assets somewhere in the DoD in the year 2100."
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The Coast Guard Needs Mixed-Gender Berthing
Petty Officer 2nd Class Keith Bryan, a machinery technician in the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star's main propulsion division, explains simulation procedures before engineering casualty exercises while underway in the Ross Sea, near Antarctica, February 4, 2016. (U.S. Coast Guard/Petty Officer 2nd Class Grant DeVuyst)
August 9, 2019--- U.S. Naval Institute | By Lieutenant Joseph R. Trump, U.S. Coast Guard
Lieutenant Trump is pursuing a Master's of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master's of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Washington. This article originally appeared in the August 2019 issue of U.S. Naval Institute's Proceedings magazine.
Four decades ago, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Beverly Kelley, U.S. Coast Guard, became the 1st woman to take command of a naval vessel. Yet today, women continue to leave the services at higher rates than men. In 2019, the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC) identified barriers to female retention in the Coast Guard. Issues identified in the study include concerns regarding advancement, assignments, and sexual harassment and assault. One of the study's recommendations is to "explore creative solutions to female berthing limitations."
One creative solution would be to end the archaic policy of gender-segregated berthing aboard cutters. A shift to unisex berthing will further advance the Coast Guard's commitment to supporting female careers and reduce instances of sexual assault and harassment, likely improving female retention and mission effectiveness.
Break Down Barriers
The HSOAC found that while women "in the afloat sector had higher retention…sea time on cutters, other than on large cutters was particularly limited for women" because "female berthing restrictions limited their assignment options and opportunities for sea time."
Lack of female berthing on cutters complicates an enlisted member's advancement, as sea time is required to advance in many rates. For example, a Boatswain's Mate (BM) must complete one year at sea to advance to Chief Petty Officer (E-7), hold a cutter underway Officer-Of-the-Deck (OOD) qualification to be assigned as an afloat-unit Officer-In-Charge or advance to Senior Chief Petty Officer (E-8), and complete one year of rated sea time as a 1st Class Petty Officer (E-6) or above to compete for Chief Warrant Officer (CWO).
It is extremely difficult for any junior BM not billeted as an OOD on board a large cutter to attain an OOD qualification, as billeted OODs (Chiefs, CWOs, and Junior Officers) take priority for bridge watchstanding and shiphandling opportunities. Therefore, simply sending junior female BMs to large cutters is not a solution. However, opportunities abound on board small cutters where junior BMs not only have the opportunity but are expected to qualify as OOD.
My Cutter, USCGC Sea Dragon (WPB-87367) is an 87-foot patrol boat with a crew of 11, including 2 females, and racks for 12 separated into 4 double-occupancy rooms and 1 four-person stateroom. The 3 BMs are all billeted as OODs. Our newest OOD is a female BM1 who has never been permanently assigned to a cutter.
She is only temporarily assigned to Sea Dragon, having convinced her Shore Command to allow her to pursue an underway OOD qualification with us. However, adding a 3rd female put Sea Dragon at rack capacity because an odd number of each gender prevents using all 12 racks under a gender-segregated berthing policy. To accommodate the temporary duty female BM1, we must leave a permanent crewmember behind. After 4 months of steadfast dedication, she attained her OOD qualification. Unisex berthing would have negated the cumbersome logistics required to see her earn this significant career milestone.
Female BMs have been told by their afloat detailers that "the Coast Guard is not ready" for unisex berthing. One BM was forced to accept a shore assignment despite her desire to go to any ship, as there were no more afloat "female billets" available at her pay grade. This at a time when the Coast Guard acknowledges fewer servicemembers desire to go afloat. It is unlikely a junior female BM denied a rack afloat will ever again desire sea time as a senior BM. It is likely this closed-door will affect her decision to remain in the service.
Unisex berthing is possible on many cutter classes. The 2-person staterooms aboard Sea Dragon are tiny: 2 adults cannot comfortably stand inside simultaneously. Generally, the only time roommates are in their berthing area together is if one, or both, are asleep.
In addition, the 87' Cutters' heads and showers are single-occupancy by design and equipped with locks. Other cutter Classes have single-occupancy heads as well. As Kelley said upon taking command, "When you use the head, you lock the door." Mature women and men can share berthing at no cost to the Coast Guard.
Degenderize the Service to Tackle Harassment and Assault
One may argue that unisex berthing increases the risk of sexual harassment and assault. Evidence suggests the opposite, however. In 2014, two Norwegian researchers conducted a study of northern Norway Army recruits for whom "unisex rooms were…commonplace." They found that "unisex rooms had a ‘degenderizing' effect."
One recruit stated, "There is no gender in the army'…'there is only green." While the study did note challenges in other parts of the Norwegian military, as it integrated women for the first time, researchers believe strong leadership made the difference for the recruits in the North. Strong Coast Guard leadership can establish a positive command culture where degenderization can reduce or eradicate sexual harassment and assault, as it will advance gender equality and desexualize our shipmates.
When we consider someone a colleague or teammate before we consider them a man or a woman, we are less inclined to see them in a sexual context. Unisex berthing will boldly lead service members to value each other as shipmates first, improve female retention, and bolster mission effectiveness and service readiness.
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U.S.
Carrier Sails into Disputed Waters amid New Flare-Ups with China
Rear Admiral Karl Thomas, Task Force 70/Commander, Carrier Strike Group 5, poses before an E-2 Hawkeye aircraft following a media interview aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the South China Sea on August 6, 2019. The USS Ronald Reagan is cruising in international waters in the South China Sea amid tensions in the disputed islands, shoals and reefs between China and other claimant-countries as Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
August 7, 2019--- The Associated Press | By Jim Gomez
ABOARD THE USS RONALD REAGAN, South China Sea -- A U.S. aircraft carrier sailed through the disputed South China Sea on Tuesday (Aug 6, 2019) in the latest show of America's military might amid new territorial flare-ups involving China and 3 rival claimant states.
The U.S. Navy flew a small group of Philippine Generals, officials and journalists to the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan, where they watched fighter jets landing and taking off by catapult with thunderous blasts. The nuclear-powered carrier, carrying about 70 supersonic F/A-18 jets, spy planes and helicopters, was enroute to Manila for a port visit. Armed cruisers kept watch a few miles from the carrier.
"The motto of this carrier is peace through strength," Rear Admiral Karl Thomas told journalists. He said the American military presence helps provide security and stability that foster diplomatic talks among rival claimant nations. He made the comment when asked what message the warship's presence was sending amid new tensions involving China and rival claimants Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines over long-contested territories.
"We just think that folks should follow the international law, and our presence allows us to provide that security and stability in the background for these discussions to take place," Thomas said. China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have been locked in on-and-off territorial conflicts over the strategic waters, where the bulk of Asian and world commerce transits, for decades. Tensions rose to new highs when China transformed seven disputed reefs in the Spratly chain into islands and then installed a missile-defense system, runways and hangars.
Last month, Washington expressed concerns over China's "repeated provocative actions aimed at the offshore oil and gas development of other claimant states." Vietnam has demanded that China remove a survey ship from Vanguard Bank, which it says lies within Vietnam's 200-mile exclusive economic zone. China has had a dispute with Malaysia over Luconia Shoal, and Manila protested after a Chinese fishing vessel hit a fishing boat with 22 Filipinos at Reed Bank and left as it sank at night in June. The Filipinos were rescued by a Vietnamese fishing vessel.
Greg Poling, director of the Washington-based Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, which tracks actions by rival states in the disputed waters, said China is using its artificial islands to bolster its vast claims and allow its navy, coast guard and militia vessels "to operate over every inch of the South China Sea in a way they never could before." China's assertive actions will also undermine negotiations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on a so-called code of conduct to check aggressive actions in the disputed waters, according to Carl Thayer, another South China Sea expert.
The 10-nation ASEAN bloc includes 4 nations contesting China's territorial claims. Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed hope the proposed code may be concluded in 3 years. "One must ask what will be left for ASEAN claimant states to negotiate if China continues to control access to fishing grounds and hydrocarbon exploration," Thayer said.
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Military Families Call for Change After El Paso, Dayton Shootings
Twin sisters Jessica Torres, left, and Danielle Novoa hold an American flag during the Hope Border Institute prayer vigil for the victims of Saturday's mass shooting at a shopping complex, Sunday, August 4, 2019 in El Paso, Texas. (Mark Lambie/The El Paso Times via AP)
August 6, 2019 --- Military.com | By Gina Harkins
An Army Master Sergeant in the Middle East said he spent Saturday worried about his family back in Texas after a gunman killed 21 people after opening fire in a crowded shopping center just minutes from Fort Bliss. "I am deployed in a combat zone right now and yesterday I was concerned for my family back in El Paso!" Alex Licea tweeted on Sunday. "I volunteered to serve our nation and it sometimes sends me to dangerous places. My family shouldn't be the ones who feel like they are in a combat zone."
Licea is a Master Sergeant and the public affairs noncommissioned officer in charge at 1st Armored Division. His unit headquarters deployed to Afghanistan this summer. Hours after the shooting, George Gonzalez took to Facebook to let his friends know his brother and family, who are currently based in El Paso, were safe.
"I used to freak out when my little brother was deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan," Gonzalez wrote. "Now I have to worry about El Paso!!!" Cerra Adams shared a similar sentiment. Her son arrived at Fort Bliss the night before the shooting, she said. "He's way too close to this," she tweeted. "We need to end these mass shootings. Vote for representatives that want strict gun control!"
Another Army mom described feeling like her heart had "dropped to my stomach" when she realized there was a shooting in El Paso, where her daughter arrived on Wednesday ahead of a deployment to the Middle East. "By the grace of God her unit was restricted to the base today! That's all I need is for my soldier daughter to be shot at a mall in El Paso!"
About 13 hours after the El Paso shooting, another gunman more than 1,500 miles away in Dayton, Ohio, shot and killed 9 and injured more than two dozen in a popular downtown district. At least 4 U.S. troops were caught up in the Dayton and El Paso attacks. Army Private First Class Glendon Oakley Jr. rounded up kids in the Cielo Vista Mall where the El Paso shooting was happening to bring them to safety. And 3 airmen based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio were injured when evacuating the area during the Dayton shooting.
Former Senior Airman Jimmy Santos said on Sunday that he reached out to friends he'd served with in Afghanistan who now live in El Paso and Dayton. "I don't understand why I have to make phone calls to friends in TWO SEPARATE CITIES to check on them following a mass shooting."
"And while making these calls, I actually forgot I did this only a few days ago for my friends in #Monterey and #Gilroy. I forgot, that less than a week ago, I called someone to see if they were still alive." Santos was referencing the July 28, 2019 shooting at a California garlic festival in which a shooter cut through a fence to bypass metal detectors and other security. Three people -- including two children -- were killed and a dozen others injured.
Michael Husband, a former Navy officer who now runs a TV and film production company in Texas, called on his Senators, Republicans Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, to reach across the aisle to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. In the past 8 years, he said he and his family have been in close proximity to 3 mass shootings: the 2013 Washington Navy Yard attack, the 2017 shooting in Virginia at a practice for a congressional baseball game, and now the shooting in El Paso.
"I've served our country for over 20 years, deployed to Afghanistan and around the world and find myself frustrated that I need to worry about my family's safety in the US. I love, support, and protect the constitution but don't think the founding fathers had assault weapons or high capacity magazines in mind when they wrote the 2nd amendment. "Please go back to Congress this month, work across party lines, and ban this capability," Husband added.
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