Thanks for the memories! A goodbye to NAS Brunswick

The Times Record > Opinion > Editorials > Thanks for the memories!.

The long good-bye is almost completed.

Published:

Friday, May 27, 2011 3:13 PM EDT

We’ve moved from the shock of OUR Navy base being among those listed for closure by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission to a sad acceptance of the reality that after this coming Tuesday the Brunswick Naval Air Station is no more.

We’ve watched from outside the fence as one by one the last squadrons stationed here departed for their new home port of Jacksonville, Fla., or on deployments that would be followed by “welcome home” celebrations “elsewhere.”

The Tigers of Patrol Squadron 8 were the first to leave, in November 2008. They were followed by the Red Lancers of Patrol Squadron 10 in June 2009, and the Special Projects Squadron Unit 1 and Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 62 the following month. The Tridents of Patrol Squadron 26 were the last to leave, departing in late November 2009.

The base became silent. The engine drone sound of P3 Orions waiting on the tarmac for takeoff, or the propeller roar of a P3 coming in for a landing, are now a sonic memory.

After the squadrons fully departed the BNAS airfield officially closed in January 2010. A fast-dwindling crew of sailors stayed on to finish the job of closing the base for good.

It should be apparent to everyone by now just how fortunate we’ve been in the Navy’s selection of Capt. Will Fitzgerald as the final commanding officer of the air station. His outreach efforts to the civilian community have consistently made the massive job of transitioning the base to its new identity as “Brunswick Landing” far easier and more successful than anyone could have expected. His selection as last year’s Joshua Chamberlain Award recipient was well-deserved, and a fitting reminder of how closely the civilian and Navy communities have worked together over the 60-plus-year history of BNAS.

Capt. Fitzgerald would be the first to acknowledge he didn’t do it alone. He’d be right, of course, so we hereby give thanks to the team of sailors who’ve been working behind the scenes night and day to close the base as scheduled on Tuesday.

We give thanks, too, to all the Navy higher-ups  who have facilitated the unprecedented initiatives that have allowed private companies to begin leasing vacated Navy buildings before BNAS was officially closed. While the lobbying efforts of our congressional delegation in Washington, former Gov. John Baldacci, local town officials and the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority certainly helped, the fact remains that the Navy bent over backwards to be a “good neighbor” in its final months of command at BNAS.

In doing so, it gave the Mid-coast region a tremendous head start of rebuilding our local economy over other communities that also lost military bases during the 2005 BRAC closure round.

And so, our Memorial Day parade this year has a double meaning this year.

Its “Never Forget” theme, first and foremost, pays homage to the men and women who gave their lives defending our country. But no one should be faulted for also holding the 60-year history of Brunswick Naval Air Station in their hearts and minds as the parade marchers head down Topsham’s Main Street, cross the Frank J. Wood Bridge over the Androscoggin and then move solemnly down Brunswick’s Maine Street.

We’ll always remember the vigilant P-3 squadrons that patrolled the high seas during the Cold War in search of Soviet submarines — a key link in our country’s defense against a potential nuclear attack.

We’ll always remember the countless ways in which Navy sailors assigned to BNAS, and their families, enriched our communities. They volunteered in our schools, helped build playgrounds, collected bottles for their deposits to raise money for school programs, supported local businesses … in so many ways they’ve been “good neighbors” who’ve helped make the Mid-coast region such a wonderful place to live in and raise a family.

Thanks for the memories!

letters@timesrecord.com

Pakistan to ask US for two more Orion planes

Pakistan to ask US for two more Orion planes.

Muhammad Saleh Zaafir
Tuesday, May 24, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will ask the United States to supply it two additional PC-3 Orion planes for its Navy to make up the deficiency of the loss of two planes which were destroyed by the terrorists on Sunday evening at Mehran Air Base Karachi in an act of terrorism.

Pakistan being an ally of the US in the so-called war on terrorism reserves the right for making such demand. The Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) that will discuss various aspects of the matter in its meeting on Wednesday could take a position about the demand.

Pakistan’s plea has strong backing in view of the act of terrorism that caused the destruction of the two planes. Pakistan Naval Aviation is an important arm of the Pakistan Navy and assists in the surface and submarine flights to guarantee the safety of Pakistan sea borders. The loss of the planes could weaken the capacity of the Navy in actions against the terror activities across the sea. The US is supposed to provide two such planes by the end of the year according to earlier agreed schedule.

Well placed sources told The News here Monday evening that Prime Minister Gilani has asked Defence Secretary Lt Gen (r) Syed Athar Ali to proceed to Karachi to make an assessment on ground at the Mehran Base so that he should put up detailed preliminary report about the gory incident at the DCC. General Athar who is uncle in relationship of late Lieutenant Yasser Abbas who laid down his life in fighting with the terrorists at Mehran Base, has gone to Lahore to receive the dead-body of the martyred and he will be proceeding to Karachi from Lahore after attending his Namaz-e-Janaza.

The deceased was six feet and two inches tall young man whose father Dr Jaffar Abbas belonged to Medical Corps of the Army and retired as colonel. Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Noman Bashir who spent his whole night at the Naval Headquarters here after the initiation of the act of terror on Sunday night at Mehran Base, got in touch with the local command in Karachi and kept on guiding it regularly. He left for Karachi in the following morning from the Naval Headquarters.

The headquarters remained on its toes the whole night. The CNS will submit detailed technical report about the whole terrible episode in the DCC, the sources said. The sources pointed out that Pakistan Navy’s aviation force currently consists of three Westland Lynx – anti-ship/anti-submarine/transport helicopters, six Westland Sea King Mk45 – Anti Submarine/ Anti Surface Warfare helicopters (Based at Karachi), eight Aerospatiale SA-319B Alouette III – transport/anti-ship helicopters, seven Lockheed P-3C Orion – maritime surveillance/ anti-submarine warfare aircraft/airborne early warning. Future supply of seven more under an agreement with Lockheed Martin signed in 2006; two upgraded P-3C Orion delivered on 7th Jan 2010 while one was delivered in Nov 2009. Another two advanced P-3C Orion aircraft to be delivered soon (Two of the upgraded version have been destroyed overnight terrorism action), seven Fokker F27-200 Friendship – maritime surveillance aircraft, four Hawker 850 – VIP transport aircraft, two Breguet Atlantique, one maritime surveillance/anti-submarine warfare aircraft, thirty two Dassault Mirage V – anti-ship attack aircraft flown by PAF which are based at PAF base Masroor in Karachi, (operated by the PAF), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, twelve Harbin Z-9EC anti-submarine warfare helicopters equipped with a surface-search radar, low frequency dipping sonar, radar warning receiver, Doppler navigation system and armed with torpedoes.

LCDR Kenneth M. DANKEL VP-4 1965-67

Kenneth Michael Dankel died on May 16, 2011 at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Ga., following a brief illness.

Born Aug. 11, 1931, in Chicago, Ill., he was three months from his 80th birthday. In a 26-year career as a Naval aviator, and an additional 15 years as a management and technical consultant to the Navy on Airborne Military Electronic Systems, he and his wife of 54 years lived in 18 homes before moving to Lanier Village Estates in Gainesville, Ga. in 2005. Among these are Norfolk, Va.; Columbia, Mo,; Pensacola, Fla.; Hutchinson, Kan.; San Diego, Alameda and Coronado, Calif.; Ewa Beach, Hawaii; Iwakuni, Japan; Brunswick, Ga.; Norwell, Mass.; Wickford, R.I.; Annandale, Va.; Patuxent River, Md.; and Travelers Rest, S.C.

During his Navy career he flew long-range, multi-engine maritime patrol aircraft in antisubmarine warfare missions. He held degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia (Bachelor of Arts), George Washington University (Master of Science) and Northern Virginia Community College (Associate of Arts) where he studied art after retiring.

He is survived by his wife, Carolyn; brother, Raymond Dankel of Orange Park, Fla; son, Mark of Monterey, Calif.; son, Terry (Elizabeth) of Fairfax, Va.; daughter, Margaret (Scott) Wright; and grandchildren, Kenneth and Sarah Wright of Westerville, Ohio.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to the American Cancer Society , 6500 Sugarloaf Parkway, Suite 260, Duluth, GA, 30097.

A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, June 11, 2011, at Lanier Village Estates.

Memorial Park North Riverside Chapel, Gainesville.

Published in gainesvilletimes.com on May 19, 2011

Another article on VP-40 change of command

New Leadership for Patrol Squadron FORTY « VP-40 News.

This article is from Patrol Squadron 40 and is additional information to this post

New Leadership for Patrol Squadron FORTY

by LTJG Daniel Buccola

Whidbey Island, WA – The Fighting Marlins of Patrol Squadron FORTY (VP-40) held its change of command ceremony May 6, 2011, as CDR John M. Maxwell handed the reins to CDR Brett W. Mietus.

The ceremony marked VP-40’s 60th change of command since its commissioning on January 20, 1951. The squadron was joined by guest of honor, Navy CAPT Doug Morgan, former CPRW-10 Commodore, as well as family, friends, and other distinguished visitors at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

Skipper Maxwell took command May 7, 2010 after VP-40 returned from its Fifth Fleet and Sixth Fleet deployments. The Inter Deployment Readiness Cycle (IDRC) has proved many accomplishments. The Fighting Marlins flew 3422.6 flight hours, adding to the squadron’s 272,442 hours of mishap-free flight. More impressively, VP-40 is prepared to go out the door to Seventh Fleet with eleven crews qualified in Anti-Submarine warfare, and twelve crews qualified in Anti-Surface warfare, and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance readiness.

”The Officers, Chiefs, and Sailors in VP-40 have done amazing things this home cycle. They have responded so well to every challenge. I am particularly honored to have been their Skipper.” CDR Maxwell’s next assignment will take him and his family to Norfolk, Virginia.

As the Marlins prepare for the approaching deployment, CDR Mietus is determined to continue VP-40’s home-cycle achievements. ”There is no better deployment for a P-3 squadron than the one we’re about to experience,” said CDR Mietus. “Our daily efforts make clear that the squadron is ready to deploy.  I look forward to seeing what our Sailors are able to accomplish.“

CDR Brett Mietus is a native of Richmond, Virginia, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. Mietus began his naval officer career with VP-9 in 1995. After several Fifth Fleet deployments and a Seventh Fleet deployment, Mietus returned to Jacksonville, Florida to lead the Aircraft Improvement Program (AIP) fleet introduction and be a plankowner for the community’s first Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) class.

Following CDR Mietus’s tour onboard the USS JOHN C STENNIS as the Flag Secretary for Commander, Carrier Group SEVEN in 2001, Mietus earned a Masters of Arts degree with Highest Distinction in National Security and Strategic Studies at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. In December 2003, Mietus served with VP-4 and lead a five-site deployment in support of IRAQI FREEDOM and ENDURING FREEDOM.

In 2005, CDR Mietus served on the OPNAV Staff as the Deputy Executive Assistant to the Director, Air Warfare, at the Pentagon. Two years later, he transferred to the Eastern Europe and Eurasia division of the Strategic Plans and Policy directorate on the Joint Staff where he led Russian and Baltic policy efforts

In 2010, CDR Mietus joined his third operational P-3 squadron in Whidbey Island as the Executive Officer. Mietus brings motivation and the fortitude to lead the Fighting Marlins through a rewarding Seventh Fleet deployment.

”Over our training cycle, the Fighting Marlins have been tested and hardened.  They are ready to represent our great nation with pride and excellence as we forward deploy.”

 

 

When the Navy goes, so will he

The Times Record > News > When the Navy goes, so will he.

Denny Barrett reflects on nearly half a century of service at BNAS

By Seth Koenig, Times Record Staff

Published: 

Tuesday, May 24, 2011 4:57 PM EDT

BRUNSWICK — Brunswick Naval Air Station reopened after a five-year hiatus in 1951 as relations between the United States and the Soviet Union chilled into decades of Cold War. Just more than a decade later, in 1962, Denny Barrett arrived for duty with Patrol Squadron 26. 

Both will head into retirement together. When the base is decommissioned as a military installation a week from today, Barrett will work his last day there.

The Springfield, Ill.-born Barrett spent 20 years as a Navy sailor stationed in Brunswick. Since retiring from the Navy, he stayed at the air station in civilian jobs, with the exception of a brief stint working for a driving school during the early 1980s.

Barrett has been working in one capacity or another at Brunswick Naval Air Station for nearly 50 years of the base’s 60-year Cold War life.

 

“There was no question I was going to stay here,” Barrett, now 68, recalled of his first impression of the Brunswick base. “It was small. There weren’t a whole lot of people around, and I just felt very, very comfortable.

“Everybody seemed to know what everybody else in the community was doing,” he continued with a laugh. “They only read the papers to see who got caught.”

When the time would come, every three years or so, for Barrett to get new orders and potentially be relocated somewhere new, he would finagle ways to stay at Brunswick Naval Air Station. He went from shore duties assigned to the base to sea duties assigned to squadrons located at the base, trading billets as necessary to remain at his beloved Brunswick site.

Once, when his squadron prepared for deployment, he broke his leg skiing and was grounded back at the base while the surveillance planes took off without him.

Though he did log thousands of flight hours in the old P-2 Neptune reconnaissance planes and then the base’s signature P-3 Orions, Barrett’s wife, Mary Jo, said fellow sailors joked that her husband had “never set his big toe in the water” in all of his years in the Navy.

“They’d say, ‘With Denny, the only time he got sea duty was when he crossed the bridge over to Topsham,’” Barrett acknowledged with a laugh.

 

During his almost half-century associated with the base, he said he’s seen a lot change.

“The barracks that I lived in are gone,” he said. “Three hangars are gone. A new fuel farm was built to replace one that had been there for more than 40 years.”

The base’s fuel farm, which supplied fuel for planes using the airfield, is where Barrett spent most of his civilian work life. From 1989 until last year, he worked at the site, most recently overseeing the subcontractors who managed the operation.

In that capacity, he had a unique view of regular air shows, as well as the government VIPs who would use the Navy landing strips in Brunswick, including three former U.S. presidents during the past two decades: George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

The elder Bush, he recalled, was particularly low-key. The Bush family keeps a vacation home in Kennebunkport.

“He wasn’t pushy,” Barrett said. “He didn’t say, ‘I want this’ or ‘I want that.’ He just liked coming in, going on his fishing trips and leaving.”

Barrett said he never met one of the visiting presidents in person, but oversaw their refueling needs, and said their Secret Service details were professional and courteous.

Looking back on his days as an active-duty sailor, Barrett said the tragedies have stuck with him all these years. During the war in Vietnam, in separate incidents over the Gulf of Thailand in February and in April of 1968, two Patrol Squadron 26 aircraft were shot down. The entire crew of each plane perished.

Barrett said he was picked to lead the prayers during the memorial services held for his lost squadron mates.

“That was an emotional moment for me,” he said. “It was a privilege to be able to stand up there in front of the squadron and do that.”

Like many sailors and Navy retirees living in the Mid-coast, Barrett has become a fixture in the community — in his case, through decades of officiating high school sporting events, and memberships with American Legion Post 202 and the Knights of Columbus. Barrett said the closure of the base saddens him, in part, because that pipeline to diverse and volunteer-oriented Navy personnel will close as well.

Barrett has two sons and a daughter living in the Mid-coast region — Denny Jr., Jonathan and Kelly — and another son, Michael, living in Virginia.

“I’ve been very happy here, and I’m sad to see the base go,” he said. “I’m sad about it because it’s been my home away from home. I’m sad for the people in town, who will lose that relationship between the Navy and the community. There were a lot of Navy people who did a lot for the community, and there were a lot of people from the community who did a lot for the Navy.”

He said he enjoyed his job at the fuel farm and would have been happy to continue working there if the federal Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission didn’t choose in 2005 to close the Brunswick base.

“What am I going to do in retirement? I’m just going to say, ‘I don’t have to get up in the morning,’” Barrett said. “I may do that for a month, or I may do that for a week. I’m kind of looking forward to it.

“But I really don’t think I worked with a bad person at the base,” he continued. “I got along with all of them. If it hadn’t been picked to close, I could’ve gone forever.”

skoenig@timesrecord.com

 

 

DVIDS – News – Patrol Squadron 9 changes commanders

DVIDS – News – Patrol Squadron 9 changes commanders.

 

Cmdr. Richard W. Prest, incoming commanding officer, Patrol Squadron 9, receives his Command-At-Sea pin from his wife during a change of command ceremony May 12 at Hangar 104. Prest will wear the badge during his term as commanding officer. Prest replaced Cmdr. David G. Whitehead, outgoing commanding officer, VP-9. (Photo courtesy of Mindy Clepper)

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII – Cmdr. Richard W. Prest relieved Cmdr. David G. Whitehead as commanding officer of Patrol Squadron 9 during a ceremony held in Hangar 104 here, May 12.

Whitehead departed after serving as commanding officer since May 2010.

Under his leadership, the squadron enjoyed a successful deployment to 5th and 7th Fleets, where they earned several accolades, including the 2010 Arnold Jay Isbell Trophy for Anti-Submarine Warfare Excellence, and the 2010 Retention Excellence Award.

His leadership was the catalyst for furthering fleet security cooperation efforts through the completion of fifteen detachments supporting key regional partners. Additionally, VP-9 supported prosecutions on a multitude of high priority sub-surface targets and participated in the establishment of expeditionary maritime patrol and reconnaissance operations at Sheik Isa Air Base, Bahrain. His leadership also played a vital role in continuing the squadron’s safety record of 188,000 mishap-free hours over 32 years.

He successfully led his aircrew and maintenance departments thorough numerous missions and detachments, enabling them to attain a 92 percent mission completion rate for over 500 sorties. Whitehead is slated to take up duties at the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Millington, Tennessee.

Prest assumed command of VP-9 after serving as squadron executive officer for the past year. He began his career upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics, and earned his “wings of gold” in April 1995 at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas.

Prest completed a tour at the Pentagon, serving in the J-3 Operations Directorate of the Joint Staff, before reporting to VP-9 as the squadron executive officer.

Cmdr. Craig Mattingly joined VP-9 as the squadron’s new executive officer. He arrived from a tour at the Naval Air Systems Command.

 

Transitioning from the P3 to the P8 | SLDInfo

Transitioning from the P3 to the P8 | SLDInfo.

05/24/2011 Transitioning from the P3 to the P8: A Sea Change in Maritime Surveillance

During the visit in San Diego in late March 2011 to the Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Second Line of Defense sat down with Commander Jake Johansson to discuss the evolution of maritime surveillance.  Johansson discussed the transition from the P3 to the P8 and the evolution of the maritime surveillance mission area. As a lifelong maritime surveillance professional, Johansson provided a sweeping review of where the USN has come and where it is going in this vital mission area. Commander Johansson is CNAF Maritime Readiness/CNAP Deputy Operations.

Commander Johansson Druing the SLD Interview

Credit: SLD 2011

SLD: Can you provide us with an overview of the evolution of the mission area for maritime surveillance platforms?

Johansson: When I started on the P3s, there was definitely an ASW threat; 98-percent of the flights I flew where maritime missions.  We tracked other nation’s submarines just as often as we tracked our own when I first started out in the community in the early 80s.With the end of the Cold War, this changed and we re-focused our mission to remain relevant in the fight. We updated our aircraft with the AIP suite and began flying over land more than flying in the maritime eventually supporting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan quite extensively.

As I said, during my first tour, 98-percent of my flights were over water, and about 50 to 60 to 70-percent of those we’re doing ASW, whether it was search, localize or tracking other world submarines. During my last deployment, with few exceptions our squadron never flew over water except for transits. Most of my tactical flights were over land supporting OIF.  This is not true of all deployed squadrons but it happened to be true for my squadron and was representative of the last 4 or so squadrons that preceded ours in Iraq.

Even though we had migrated over land somewhat, our primary mission area has always been and will always be focused in the maritime environment. We are always striving to get back to the basics of our primary mission area, which is ASW. Our community feels that if you can grasp the complexity of ASW as a whole, then you can use those tactical and crew resource management skills over in our other mission areas of anti-surface warfare as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

SLD: The P8 is not a simple replacement for the P3.  Could you talk to the replacement approach and process?

Johansson: What the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force is moving toward is a family of systems that include the P8, the systems that are in our other variants of aircraft and the broad air and maritime surveillance UAV, or BAMS. Those platforms, supported by the Tactical Operations Centers and Mobile Tactical Operations Centers can provide 24/7/365 Maritime Domain Awareness if required. We have two variants of the baseline P-3 right now in addition to our P-3 AIP platform. The vision is to migrate the capabilities from those two variants into the Family of Systems offloading capabilities to BAMS and the P-8.  The P-8s open architecture lends itself to the migration of some of these systems from the current platforms and we hope to do that in future increments of the P-8.

SLD: What is the planned fleet size?

Johansson: The current thinking is we need 12 squadrons, 7 aircraft each, and so the total would be around 120.  The budget is tight so we will see what the final number in the future but 120 is what we would like to see.  The initial operational capability (IOC) is in 2013 and FOC is in 2020, for all increments.

SLD: How will you handle littoral operations, which are very challenging for maritime surveillance?

Johansson : First of all, the littoral is challenging for everyone, friend and foe and the MPRF will not be alone in the littoral accomplishing maritime surveillance. Our community can bring quite a few sensors to the fight in the littoral and we continue to develop capabilities that can withstand the harsh littoral environment.  The Family of Systems, P-8 and BAMS would be able to support the Maritime Component Commander in the Littoral within all our mission areas.  We will have the ability to off-load the tactical information we are receiving via multiple communication paths keeping the CSG/ESG/JFMCC/COCOM aware of what we are doing as well.  Obviously, queuing will go a long way to getting the MPRF where we are wanted and results in more time on the targets our warfare commanders are interested in.

I think as we migrate, and there are unresolved operational issues with working in the littoral with P8. The P8 is envisioned by some as being a higher altitude ASW platform.  I don’t foresee the P-8 primarily operating at higher altitudes in all tactical phases of flight and in fact, the P-8 is designed to fly through the entire range of the P-3 flight envelope.  This will be a process of education as we start fielding the P-8. How do we work in littoral with at a higher altitude with other players in the mix?  In the past during the Cold War in a blue water environment, we used to drop buoys from high altitude all the time, there was nobody else out there.  In a littoral, I envision multiple friendly surface and low flying aircraft below you, and all these surface warriors and aviators below you are a little concerned about you dropping sonobuoys from high altitude.  As our CONOPS matures we will have to work to ensure deconfiction and the safety of those below us.

SLD: What advantages does the P-8 bring to the overall maritime surveillance effort?

Johansson:  The P8 gives you a range of capabilities that could be flexibly used in different ways. They will allow you the ability to fly from different bases farther from the fight.  The ability to reach more distant operational areas may impact our onstation time but the increased reliability of the aircraft and the inflight refueling capability will ultimately result in a force with increased responsiveness as well as more capability and flexibility for Combatant Commanders. We can protect our P8 fleet a little bit better by having a little bit of distance between us and the fight as well.  We will also be able to rapidly get into theater or into that area of responsibility that we need to be in, do our business and come back.

A Boeing P-8A Poseidon test conducts a test flight June 5, 2009.

Credit: USN Visual News Service 06/05/09

SLD: What about the challenge of transition?

Johansson: The crews will experience a challenging transition. Most squadrons come home from deployment as a P3 crew, take their leave, and start the P8 transition.  Six months later, they will be P8 crews. It’s a very compressed transition.  We envision a squadron taking 18 months between deployments to transition and redeploy.

SLD: One advantage of a manned versus unmanned platform is the ability of the crews to communicate with ground forces.  Could you comment on your judgments in this area?

Johansson: Some of our most rewarding missions have been when a General from a ground force calls you directly on the radio and tells you what he needs.  You provide him with the surveillance or reconnaissance he required and a short time later you see Marines or soldiers taking care of the issue.BAMS is designed as a tactical adjunct to the P-8.  As long as BAMS remains in that role, the combined capability of the P-8/BAMS aircraft actually offers ground forces far more capacity and capability. However, if BAMS becomes more of a strategic asset, it may be more difficult for a war fighter on the ground to get it in a position where it will do him some good tactically.  The operators are not within line of sight of the ground forces so the command and control to move UAVs around gets a little tricky, especially if they are being employed strategically but are required tactically. I think the P-8 will continue to be used tactically and provide a little more flexibility for the ground forces to utilize tactically.  Persistence may not be as good as the BAMS with its long dwell time but there is some merit to having a man in the cockpit with eyes on overhead. I point out that you concentrated on ground forces.  I would like to mention again that our interest is getting back to the maritime environment where we would be able to provide maritime domain awareness for the Fleet with the persistence of BAMS and the capabilities of the P-8 Poseidon.

SLD: And these are really not unmanned, except airborne?

Johansson: I’m not a big fan of calling them unmanned anymore.  I call them remotely-piloted, because it takes a lot of people to operate these systems. We moved to the family of systems (BAMS and P-8) because we felt that we could move some of the persistent ISR capabilities to a more capable platform, BAMS.  BAMS long dwell time can provide the persistence necessary more efficiently than a rotation of P-8 24/7/365.  Also, if we used P-8 to do that we would have to increase squadron manpower to give them the necessary crews to fly 24/7 MDA in addition to the ASW/ASUW missions.  We hope to have 5 orbits flying 24/7/365 to cover the maritime picture were required. The great thing about BAMS and P-8 is that they can work together to meet the COCOMS requirements.  BAMS can provide the persistence and the P-8 can be used to conduct the specialized skill-sets that the BAMS cannot.  BAMS can provide you the maritime picture while the P-8 either responds to BAMS intelligence or conducts ASW/ASUW.  This Family of Systems concept can become quite a lethal combination if we employ it correctly.

Re-generated P-3C’s for Pakistan

Hi Everyone,

I thought you would like to see this. I got the first message at the beginning of the month. Picture was taken at Greenville, TX and I received the second email today. What a waste to re-generate a P-3C to have it destroyed.

 

1. Well it’s been a year. 160289 fully refurbished for structures and avionics systems FCF departure at 1651 hours. She looks good – except maybe that Pakistani flag on the tail…. I’ll send you all some interior pictures tomorrow of the new avionics/operator stations tomorrow. ( I never got to see any interior pics. )

 

 

2.KARACHI: Pakistan on Monday regained control of a naval base in the country’s biggest city, 17 hours after heavily armed Taliban gunmen attacked, destroying two US-made surveillance planes and killing 10 personnel. It was the worst assault on a military base since the army headquarters was besieged in October 2009, piling further embarrassment on the armed forces three weeks after Osama bin Laden was found living under their noses. Interior Minister Rehman Malik said four to six militants used ladders to climb into the naval air base in the teeming port city of Karachi under the cover of night late Sunday, triggering gunbattles and a series of explosions.

 

Officials said 11 Chinese and six American maintenance contractors were evacuated safely during the attack, but it took 17 hours before the navy confirmed that the attack on the PNS (Pakistan Naval Ship) Mehran was over. “We have cleared the base. The operation has been completed and the base is now under our control,” Commodore Irfan ul Haq told AFP. Malik said the “terrorists” sneaked into the base from three points adjacent to residential areas in the city of 16 million people, whose port is a vital hub for Nato supplies bound for Afghanistan. “It is not just an attack on a navy establishment, it is an attack on Pakistan,” Malik added, warning that those who sympathise with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda should instead “join hands with us to save our country”.

 

 

“There are believed to have been four to six terrorists. Four are confirmed dead. Two are suspected to have run away. We are still checking. Things will be clear by the evening,” he told reporters. One of the attackers is believed to have blown himself up and three dead bodies were found, the minister said. He said the group had used two ladders, under the cover of darkness, to climb over the wall into the base late Sunday. In a bizarre analogy, Malik compared the attackers to characters from a Star Wars film, dressed in Western clothes. “They were wearing black clothes like in Star Wars movies, (one) with (a) suicide vest. They had small beards and two of them were between 20-22 years old while the third who blew himself up was about 25.”

 

A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks to avenge the May 2 death of bin Laden, said they had dispatched 15 to 20 suicide bombers equipped to fight for a week. “We had already warned after Osama’s martyrdom that we will carry out even bigger attacks,” Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location. Bin Laden was killed by US commandos in a garrison town north of Islamabad, in a raid that humiliated Pakistan’s security establishment. The militants’ attack deep inside Karachi underlined the military’s vulnerability. An AFP reporter heard blasts and intermittent barrages of gunfire on Monday, and helicopters flying overhead. Dozens of ambulances queued outside the base, which is about a few kilometres from Karachi’s international airport. Malik said 10 security personnel were killed, including one navy officer, three navy firemen, three navy commandos, a sailor and two paramilitary soldiers, and 15 others wounded.

 

“They have destroyed two P-3C Orion aircraft,” said Navy spokesman Commander Salman Ali. The attack was also likely to raise further concerns about the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, which reportedly number more than 100. The New York Times said that a mere 24 kilometres away from PNS Mehran, Pakistan was believed to keep a large depot for nuclear weapons that can be delivered from the air. Malik refused to acknowledge any security lapse, saying the “rapid”response had prevented bigger losses and adding that a security alert had been ordered across the country in large cities to guard against future attacks.

Soon after the operation was over in Karachi a bomb blast damaged a bridge on the main highway linking the capital Islamabad to the northwestern city of Peshawar, but caused no casualties, police officer Quresh Khan told AFP. In October 2009, Taliban militants besieged the army headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi for two days, killing 22 people and raising serious questions over why it took the military so long to put down the assault. Karachi is Pakistan’s financial capital and the assault was the fourth on the navy in a month. Three bombings in late April killed nine people. Despite anger in Pakistan over bin Laden’s killing, US President Barack Obama told the BBC he was ready to order a similar mission if another high-value target was discovered in Pakistan, or anywhere else.

 

 

 

(From: http://www.cnn.com)

10 Pakistani troops killed in gun battle at naval base

 

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) — At least 10 members of Pakistan’s military were killed in a gun battle with Taliban militants at a naval base in the coastal city of Karachi, authorities said Monday. The clashes raged for hours after attackers with guns and grenades stormed the compound Sunday night. By Monday afternoon, the base had “been cleared from the terrorists,” a Pakistani navy spokesman said. In addition to the 10 dead, at least 15 other Pakistani troops were wounded in the fighting, Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said.

 

Investigators have found the bodies of three attackers and believe a fourth is buried in debris, he said. They suspect two militants escaped, he said, citing witness reports. The Pakistani Taliban said the attack at the Mehran naval air station was to avenge the killing of innocent civilians. The group’s spokesman, Ihsan Ullah, told CNN on Monday that Pakistani security forces are carrying out those killings on the instruction of the United States in the name of a “war on terror.” One of the attackers had detonated a suicide jacket, Malik said, and another one was found wearing an undetonated jacket. “We have daily 9/11 in this country. You see how we are suffering,” he said. “And therefore, this is my appeal to the international community … trust us, trust us, because this is a time we need you to support us morally.”

 

Authorities said militants wielding rocket launchers, automatic weapons and hand grenades attacked the base about 11 p.m. Sunday. They used ladders to scale a wall at the back of the base and jumped into the compound, Malik said. Two witnesses — Amjad Bashir and Talha Hashmi — reported at least 10 explosions in the subsequent hours. Each blast was typically followed by a sustained exchange of gunfire, Hashmi said. He said that several of the explosions — thought to be the result of two military aircraft and a fuel tank catching fire and releasing plumes of smoke — were particularly large. The attackers destroyed two P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft sold by the United States to Pakistan, Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said. Six American contractors at the base during the attack moved to safety and were not injured, he said.

 

The nation’s military personnel responded with what an Malik called a “major operation” at the base, which is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Karachi’s main airport. According to the Pakistani navy’s website, the Mehran base “is efficiently supporting day and night operational activities of all (naval aviation) squadrons.” A host of courses are also offered on its grounds, from helicopter and air navigation instruction to sea survival. The Pakistani Taliban represents a confederation of Taliban groups in northwestern Pakistan, where they are based. The group, which is headquartered in Quetta, is separate from the Afghan Taliban, which has been focused on re-establishing the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan. Both groups swear allegiance to Taliban leader Mullah Omar and have close ties to al Qaeda.

 

Karachi, which is considered the main commercial hub of Pakistan, has seen a drastic increase in political, ethnic and religious violence in recent months. Just over three weeks ago, three people were killed and at least 20 were injured when a hand grenade exploded at a gambling club in the southern Pakistani city. The grenade was tossed into the club by one of two unidentified people riding past the facility on a motorbike, according to Javed Baloch, a senior police official in Karachi. The Taliban said it was behind an April 28 roadside bombing on a main road through Karachi that left at least five dead and 10 injured. Two days earlier, three were killed and more than 30 wounded when remote-controlled bombs detonated near two buses carrying Pakistani navy officials.

 

 

The following pictures were taken from internet sources:

 

 

This picture shows four P-3C Orions on the tarmac at PNS Mehran. A little left from the center of the pic two T56 engines can be seen in the center of the fire. This is believed to be the left hand wing of a P-3C. Behind that aircraft is another P-3C. That one is dangerously close to the first aircraft which is on fire. Two more P-3C Orions are seen on the right. The front one of these might as well been damaged by the fire.

 

 

 

This picture shows the sad remains of two P-3C Orions. On the left the remains of the right hand T56 engines of an Orion are on the ground. In the center of the picture are another two T56 engines, while on the right side of the picture a left wing with two engines is still standing on the main landing gear.

 

P-3C Shines as Flexible CARAT Thailand Platform

P-3C Shines as Flexible CARAT Thailand Platform.

P-3C Shines as Flexible CARAT Thailand Platform By Commander Task Force 73 Public Affairs Posted: May 18, 2011

UTAPAO, Thailand – One of the oldest aircraft types in the U.S. Navy’s inventory has adapted to fill a variety of missions in recent years. This adaptability, and the fact that dozens of Navies around the world fly it or some variant of the airframe, made the P-3C Orion the ideal aircraft to participate in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2011. UTAPAO, Thailand (May 14, 2011) – A crew member assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 4, attaches a cover over the number two engine after returning from a U.S. / Thai mine-laying mission for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2011. CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jose Lopez, Jr.) | Download During the nine-day CARAT exercise, Combat Air Crew 9, a detachment from the “Skinny Dragons” of Patrol Squadron Four (VP-4), based in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, shared best practices with Royal Thai Navy P-3 aircrews during several symposiums, discussing maintenance, operations, mine-laying and search and rescue procedures. The two navies then boarded each other’s aircraft on the ground and in the air, conducting joint mine laying missions and participating in air defense exercise missions with combined U.S. and Thai Navy surface groups at sea. “The Thai Navy flies the P-3, so there was a lot of commonality already in our work and procedures,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kim DaCosta, a P-3C pilot and VP-4’s Officer in Charge for the CARAT mission. “The Thai aircrews integrated well with our aircrews, and that’s exactly what this exercise is all about – becoming familiar with one another so when we are called to work together, there’s a baseline of understanding and trust already there.” During the exercise, VP-4 and the Royal Thai Navy’s 102nd Squadron assembled and dropped a total of 2 mines at sea, mission planned together and conducted various joint missions in support of other CARAT units. The CARAT mission nears the end to VP-4’s deployment, which earlier saw its crews flying search and rescue missions over Japan for Operation Tomodachi. “Now our crew is making new friends with the Thais through CARAT, so it’s been a great experience,” she added. Approximately 1,800 U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel are participating in CARAT Thailand 2011. U.S. Navy ships from Task Group 73.1 include the amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46), the guided-missile destroyer USS Howard (DDG 83), the frigate USS Reuben James (FFG 57), and the rescue and salvage ship USNS Safeguard (T-ARS 50). Additional participants include an amphibious landing force of Marines from 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines, U.S. Navy Seabees, a U.S. Coast Guard training team. CARAT is a series of bilateral military exercises between the U.S. Navy and the Armed Forces of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Additionally, Vietnam participates in a CARAT-like skills exchange.

Chesterfield native Brett Mietus named Navy Commander | Village News: Chesterfield County, Virginias Community News

Chesterfield native Brett Mietus named Navy Commander | Village News: Chesterfield County, Virginias Community News.

Chesterfield native Brett Mietus named Navy Commander

By Staff | May 18, 2011

Commander Brett MietusThe Fighting Marlins of Patrol Squadron FORTY (VP-40) held its change of command ceremony May 6, when Chesterfield native Commander Brett Mietus relieved Commander John Maxwell.  The ceremony marked VP-40’s 55th change of command since its commissioning on January 20, 1951.

Son of Pam Shultz and Gary Mietus, Commander Mietus graduated from Lloyd C. Bird High School in 1988 after earning All-State Football Honors and leading the Skyhawks to a perfect 10-0 regular season.  He subsequently attended the United States Naval Academy, where he graduated with a degree in Economics in 1992 and served as a graduate assistant football coach.

After receiving his commission, Commander Mietus became a Naval Flight Officer, and spent two flying tours in Hawaii with VP-4 and VP-9, deploying three times to the Arabian Gulf region.  Following the 9/11 attacks, he deployed in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM as the Flag Secretary for the Commander of Carrier Group Seven on board USS John C Stennis. During his shore tours, Commander Mietus earned designation as one of the Navy’s first Maritime Patrol Weapons and Tactics Instructors and earned a Masters of Arts with Highest Distinction from the Naval War College.  Prior to joining VP-40, he served two tours in the Pentagon as an executive assistant to the Navy’s Director of Air Warfare and as the head of Russian and Baltic policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“I feel extremely fortunate to have my roots in Chesterfield County,” said Commander Mietus.

Within days of assuming command, VP-40 will deploy to Kadena, Okinawa for six months in support of the US Pacific Fleet. Commander Mietus will lead his 340 Sailors and eight aircraft during Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Operations throughout the region.

“The Fighting Marlins are ready for the challenges that lie ahead,” remarked Commander Mietus. “I am honored to lead such a talented group of sailors and have no doubt that their performance will exceed even the highest of expectations.”