Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group Has Entered The Mediterranean

STRAIT OF GIBRALTAR (Oct. 28, 2023) The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group transits the Strait of Gibraltar, Oct. 28, 2023. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment to provide the national command authority flexible, tailorable, warfighting capability to maintain maritime stability and to ensure access, deter aggression and defend U.S., allied and partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Merissa Daley)  

Naval News: IKE Carrier Strike Group Enters the Mediterranean Sea 

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG) transited the Strait of Gibraltar on October 28.  

US Navy press release 

As a part of the U.S. Navy’s globally-deployed forces, IKECSG will join the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group in support of the defense of Israel and to deter aggression throughout the region. 

By direction of the Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, IKECSG will transit to U.S. Central Command to demonstrate its readiness to flex to any contingency. IKECSG remains committed to ensuring the security of allies and partners.  

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Update: Eisenhower carrier strike group enters the Mediterranean (Navy Times).  

WNU Editor: This is where the US Navy's big ships are currently located (see image below). For a complete breakdown of US Navy deployments .... USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Oct. 30, 2023.

U.S. Navy Destroyer Operating Near the Black Sea for First Time Since Russia Invaded Ukraine

USS Nitze (DDG-94) at anchor near the entrance to the Bosporus Strait on Feb. 3, 2023. Photo by Yörük Işık‏ used with permission

USNI News: U.S. Destroyer Operating Near the Black Sea for First Time Since Russia Invaded Ukraine 

USS Nitze (DDG-94) stopped on the edge of the Bosphorus Strait, on its way to make a port call in Turkey, USNI News understands. It’s the closest a U.S. warship has been to the Ukraine-Russia war since it started nearly a year ago. 

Nitze was seen by ship spotters at the lower edge of the strait on Friday. Turkey closed the Bosphorus Strait to warships on Feb. 28, 2022, four days after Russia invaded Ukraine. Since the closure, only warships with ports on the Black Sea, which includes Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and Turkish ships, can enter. 

The last American warship to transit the strait was USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), which left the Black Sea on Dec. 15, 2021. The ship entered the Black Sea in November 2021 following a port visit in Bulgaria, USNI News previously reported.  

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WNU Editor: The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group is also near the region .... George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group arrives in Piraeus, Greece (Navy.mil).

US Navy Pilots Now Flying Dozens of Daily Russian Deterrence Missions From The USS Harry S. Truman In The Eastern Mediterranean

 

USNI News: VIDEO: Navy Pilots Flying Dozens of Daily Russian Deterrence Missions from USS Harry S. Truman 

ABOARD AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS HARRY S. TRUMAN IN THE IONIAN SEA – For the longest stretch in decades, the Mediterranean Sea has played host to the deafening roar of U.S. carrier aircraft launching into Europe. 

Since December, the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, Carrier Air Wing 1 and its escorts have been operating in the Adriatic and Ionian seas launching 80 to 90 sorties a day as far north as Lithuania for a variety of missions with NATO-allied aircraft from Romania, France and Italy. 

Some fighters launched from Truman are training, while some are set to police NATO’s airspace and prevent Russian aircraft from violating those borders.  

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WNU Editor: NATO has nearly doubled the number of military combat aircraft on alert across Europe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine .... USS Harry Truman Remains On Station in Eastern Mediterranean (National Interst).

New Report Says US Navy Is In Disarray And Focusing More On Diversity Training Than Warfighting (Update)

The report found that a staggering 94 percent of the subjects believed the recent Naval disasters were 'part of a broader problem in Navy culture or leadership'

A majority of the officers interviewed believed there was a 'direct connection' between the recent disasters in the Navy's surface warfare units  

Daily Mail: 'Every officer is up to speed on diversity training. Not so much ship handling': Scathing official report finds woke US Navy is not fit for war because of risk averse, politically correct, control-freak top brass 

* Members of Congress commissioned the report on issues in the surface Navy 

* Came in response to fire on ship in San Diego and two ship collisions in Pacific 

* Retired Marine general and Navy admiral spoke with current and former officers 

* They identified a number of disturbing trends in Navy leadership and training 

* Many officers said that diversity training took precedence over warfighting 

* They claimed combat readiness had become a 'box-checking' exercise 

A scathing new report commissioned by members of Congress has claimed that the Navy's surface warfare forces have systemic training and leadership issues, including a focus on diversity that overshadows basic readiness skills. 

The report prepared by Marine Lt. Gen. Robert Schmidle and Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, both retired, came in response to recent Naval disasters, including the burning of the USS Bonhomme Richard in San Diego, two collisions involving Navy ships in the Pacific and the surrender of two small craft to Iran. 

The authors conducted hour-long interviews with 77 current and retired Navy officers, offering them anonymity to identify issues they wouldn't feel comfortable raising in the chain of command.  

Read more .... 

More News On A New Report That Says The US Navy Is In Disarray And Is Focusing More On Diversity Training Than War-fighting 

Navy more focused on diversity training than potential China threat: report -- NYPost 

'They think my only value is as a black woman': Sailors say Navy leaders failing to prepare for war -- Washington Examiner  

Lawmakers Survey: 94% of Sailors Say ‘Damaging Operational Failures’ Related to Navy Culture, Leadership Problems -- US News and World Report 

Featuring Catchy Quotes and Contentious Politics, a New Report Reveals Age-Old Navy Problems -- Military.com 

Sen. Cotton has 'real doubts' about US Navy's ability to defeat China in battle -- FOX News

Here Are The 50-Plus Ships That Participated In This Year's U.S. Navy Pacific Wargames

Popular Mechanics: Here Are the 50-Plus Ships That Participated in the Navy's Pacific Wargames

It’s hard to fit 50-plus ships into a single shot, but the U.S. Navy tries anyway.

The highlight of the American-led Rim of the Pacific exercises (other than the ones that involve sinking vessels) is the international parade of ships. Held at the conclusion of each RIMPAC, the parade is a sweeping view of ships from 25 nations across the Pacific Rim. This year more than 50 naval vessels participate in the exercise, including 46 surface ships and five submarines.

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WNU Editor: Impressive video.

There Is A Naval Superpower Race Underway Right Now Between The U.S., Russia And China

Fortune

USA Today: Beneath the surface, a quiet superpower race for nuclear supremacy

WASHINGTON — The world’s three largest naval powers are all developing the next generation of their nuclear submarine fleets, accelerating the underwater arms race between the United States, China and Russia.

For now, at least, analysts say America remains by far the most dominant submarine force, even as its chief rivals work feverishly to overcome the U.S. advantages. Each country appears to have different strategic goals, with the U.S. bent on gaining greater cost and operating efficiencies while the Chinese and Russian are keenly focused on technological advances and achieving greater stealth.

As tensions escalated in the South China Sea, these three countries — which boast the world’s largest navies — are aggressively preparing for any potential undersea or nuclear conflict, as they develop or perfect nuclear ballistic submarines (SSBNs) and attack submarines (SSNs). These nations have engaged in territorial disputes in those waters, and China has increased its submarine-intensive military drills as a show of force.

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WNU Editor: Russia is limited by not having a large industrial base to build these subs and ships quickly. China is a different story. Their industrial base is huge, and they can crank out these subs and ships quicker than what the U.S. can do. Their disadvantage is in technology and experience.

The Destroyers And Frigates Of The European Union in 2018

Naval Analysis: The destroyers and frigates of the European Union in 2018

The following infographic depicts all The destroyers and frigates of the European Union in 2018, in a single image! Note though that the military forces of European Union are not integrated and thus there is not a single European Navy from the members of the European Union. However, in March 2017, the European Union approved a new military command center for foreign training missions after Britain dropped its opposition (which was the main obstacle), the latest step in EU efforts to integrate its military forces and defense industries.

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WNU Editor: For a high resolution image click here.

The U.S. Navy Has Their Own 'NavyCon'

Washington Free Beacon: Inside the Navy’s Nerdfest

NavyCon uses sci-fi to shed light on future of combat.

The debriefing was as vicious as you'd expect it to be, the Navy commander methodic in his dissection of one of the greatest failures in military history. The massive loss of life and strategic capabilities were inevitable once the officers of history's greatest military force allowed large sections of the region to "develop into a safe haven" for lawlessness and terrorism, "the perfect environment to allow a rebellion to grow."

"Once maritime dominance is established, resistance from shore rarely stops," says Cmdr. BJ Armstrong. "Without small ships to run intercept the blockade was simply a dismal failure."

Armstrong, an academy instructor with a PhD in War Studies from King's College, is not talking about the Middle East or Northern Africa of today or the sinking of the Bismarck in 1941. He's focused on the loss of the Death Star and the Battle of Hoth, two "cautionary tales" that have much to teach the future officers of the American military.

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WNU Editor: This sounds more interesting than Comicon.

A Prediction On The 5 Most Powerful Navies Of 2030

YouTube

Kyle Mizokami, National Interest: The 5 Most Powerful Navies of 2030

Will America still be number one? What about China? Or India?

The most powerful navies in 2030 will be a reflection of the broader state of the world. Some countries are invested in preserving the current international order, and see naval power as a means to maintain it. Other emerging countries are building navies commensurate with their newfound sense of status, often with an eye towards challenging that order.

The eastward shift in naval power will continue in 2030, a product of both declining defense budgets in Europe and growing economies in Asia. While the most powerful navies of the Cold War were concentrated largely in Europe, by 2030 both China and India will be on the list, with Japan and South Korea as runners-up also fielding large, modern naval forces.

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WNU Editor: The U.S. and China will be the major naval powers in 2030 .... period.

Britain's New Warships Are Vulnerable To Cyber Attack

A computer-generated image of how the new Type 26 vessels will look Photo: BAe Systems/MoD/PA

The Telegraph: Cyber attacks 'as big a threat to new warships as missiles and torpedoes'

The new Type-26 Global Combat Ship has been designed to protect its weapons, engines and systems from cyber warfare.

Hackers and cyber attacks pose as great a threat to Britain's hi-tech warships of the future as missiles and torpedoes, the man in charge of building the Navy’s new frigate has warned.

Increasing levels of computer control and automation mean protecting vessels against electronic attack has become a focus of shipbuilding for the Navy.

The new Type-26 Global Combat Ship, which is designed to be the workhorse of the Royal Navy when it is built, has been designed to protect its weapons, engines and systems from cyber warfare.

WNU Editor: The West has a dismal record when it comes to countering cyber attacks .... and for the military .... this is a big area of concern. What would be best is to have a redundancy system that would kick in if the computers are shut down .... even if this would add to the expense of developing these weapon systems.

Watch This Frigate Pound Through Rough Seas

I Can't Stop Watching This Frigate Pound Through Rough Seas -- Jalopnik

There's something incredibly hypnotic about this Danish Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate bounding through some moderate waves. Up, and down. Up, and down. Splashy splash splash.

"Splashy splash splash" is, I believe, the technical term for what is happening here.

Though they are classified as frigates, the Iver Huitfeld-class ships are 455 feet long and displaces over 6,000 tons each, making them nearly as big as destroyers. And it definitely looks like they can take everything the North Sea throws at them, which is useful, because they're from Denmark.

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WNU Editor: Watching the above video one would think that it is small ship .... it is actually a very big ship (see pic here). Check out the video below of a Lynx Helicopter tring to land on a ship in rough seas.