CDR Salamander

The Slaves of Liberty

Labels: Books

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 12:53

..."full-spectrum dominance" - in which its country could "fight and win multiple, simultaneous major-theatre wars" - was a monster borne up by the high tide of techno euphoria of the 1990s. ... the "revolution in military affairs" predicted that technology would lead to easy and perpetual US dominance of the world. Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Peters advised on "future warfare" at the Army War College - prophesying in 1997 a coming "age of constant conflict". Thomas Barnett at the Naval War College assisted Vice-Admiral Cebrowski in developing "network-centric warfare". General John Jumper of the air force predicted a planet easily mastered from air and space. American forces would win everywhere because they enjoyed what was unashamedly called the "God's-eye" view of satellites and GPS: the "global information grid". This hegemony would be welcomed as the cutting edge of human progress. Or at worst, the military geeks candidly explained, US power would simply terrify others into submitting to the stars and stripes.

Shock and Awe: Achieving Rapid Dominance - a key strategic document published in 1996 - aimed to understand how to destroy the "will to resist before, during and after battle".

American imperial strategists invested deeply in the belief that through spreading terror they could take power. ... And technology would make it possible and beautiful.

The Afghanistan war of 2001 taught the wrong lessons. The US assumed this was the model of how a small, special forces-dominated campaign, using local proxies and calling in gunships or airstrikes, would sweep away opposition. But all Afghanistan showed was how an outside power could intervene in a finely balanced civil war. The one-eyed Mullah Omar's great escape on his motorbike was a warning that the God's-eye view can miss the human detail.

The problem for the US today is that Leviathan has shot his wad. Iraq revealed the hubris of the imperial geostrategy. One small nation can tie down a superpower. Air and space supremacy do not give command on the ground.

Labels: Bu11sh1t Bingo

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 06:12

Labels: NSFS

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 07:39

On April 9 1945, Harvey led "D" Company of the 1st Battalion, 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles, in an attempt to force the Santerno River, in northern Italy. The German positions on the high flood banks were very strong, and the Gurkhas went into battle in Kangaroos, hollowed-out Sherman tanks converted into troop carriers.

Captain Harvey led his men in a dash to the near bank. Many of the flame- throwers that should have provided support became bogged down and, as the leading platoons assaulted the far side, they ran into heavy machine-gun fire from the left flank and mortaring from overhead. No sooner was this position secured than the enemy put in six desperate counter-attacks. Harvey's HQ came under intense shelling, but he sent back precise reports over the wireless which enabled his CO to commit his reserve company at exactly the right moment and to turn a precarious foothold into a permanent bridgehead.

Of the 92 men who went into the attack with Harvey, 44 were killed or wounded. The citation for his MC stated that his coolness, skill and courage had been an inspiration to his men.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 05:45

Diving headfirst into an assignment, Hassan, whose parents were born in Iraq but have lived in the United States for about 35 years, hung out at a local mosque. The teen, who says he has no religious affiliation, added that he even spent an entire night until 6 a.m. talking politics with a group of Muslim men, a level of "immersion" his teacher characterized as dangerous and irresponsible.

The next trimester his class was assigned to choose an international topic and write editorials about it, Hassan said. He chose the Iraq war and decided to practice immersion journalism there, too, though he knows his school in no way endorses his travels.

"I thought I'd go the extra mile for that, or rather, a few thousand miles," he told The Associated Press.

On the drive back to Kuwait City, a taxi driver almost punched him when he balked at the fee.

"In one day I probably spent like $250 on taxis," he said. "And they're so evil too, because they ripped me off, and when I wouldn't pay the ripped-off price they started threatening me. It was bad."

"You go to, like, the worst place in the world and things are terrible," he said. "When you go back home you have such a new appreciation for all the blessing you have there, and I'm just going to be, like, ecstatic for life."

His mother, however, sees things differently.

"I don't think I will ever leave him in the house alone again," she said. "He showed a lack of judgment."

Hassan may not mind, at least for a while. He now understands how dangerous his trip was, that he was only a whisker away from death.

His plans on his return to Florida: "Kiss the ground and hug everyone."

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 02:04

(the) Cormorant, Darpa's idea for a sub-launched flying drone. (is a) 19-foot "multi-purpose unmanned aerial vehicle," or MPUAV. ... The Cormorants would be kept in the sub's ICBM launch tubes, and released into the water as needed. From there, they'd be launched into the air "using two Tomahawk missile-derived solid rocket boosters."

Upon mission completion, the turbofan engine-powered MPUAVs return to a designated retrieval point at sea, initiate engine shut down, and splash down to await recovery. During recovery, the submerged [sub] would deploy a remotely operated vehicle to secure an in-haul cable from the [sub] to the recovery tether deployed by the MPUAV. The [sub] would then haul the MPUAV to its designated launch tube [with a] saddle mechanism, where it would be docked and retracted into the missile tube.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 17:31

The Golden Globe nominees for 2005 Best Picture say it all. Thought to be the precursor for the Oscar, here's what Hollywood thinks is their best of the year, and consequently what they think our culture should look like:

1) A love story between two gay sheepherders (erroneously labeled 'cowboys' by the media, I suppose because they wear hats).*

2) A film portraying as noble the efforts of journalists to demonize and "take down" a US Senator whose anti-communist policies they did not like.*

3) A film about, as one movie-going reviewer noted, "...the horrors of big business and the way they are willing to experiment on the poor to achieve their goals..."*

4) The demonization of the average mid-western American man as someone who is no hero, but a cold-blooded killer at heart.*

5) And lastly, a Woody Allen film about infidelity. Well, he should know.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 17:13

The capital city of Tripoli was an asteroid belt of monolithic apartment towers with all the charm of gigantic sandblasted filing cabinets. The streets were mostly empty of cars, the sidewalks empty of people. I saw no restaurants, no cafés, no clubs, no bars and no malls. Nor did I see anywhere else to hang out. Libya, so far, looked depopulated.

We drove past a shattered former government compound surrounded by a lagoon of pulverized concrete that once was a parking lot. It was obvious when that thing was built. The 1970s were the 1970s everywhere, even in Libya.

I saw no corporate advertising: no Pepsi signs, no movie posters and no cute girls flashing milk-mustache smiles for the dairy industry. I did, however, see one hysterical propaganda billboard after another. They were socialist cartoons from the Soviet era, the same kinds of living museum pieces still on display in North Korea and other wonderful places where starving proles live in glorious jackbooted paradise.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 14:22

Britain is to become the first country in the world where the movements of all vehicles on the roads are recorded. A new national surveillance system will hold the records for at least two years.

Using a network of cameras that can automatically read every passing number plate, the plan is to build a huge database of vehicle movements so that the police and security services can analyse any journey a driver has made over several years.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 09:47

What chapter of Decline and Fall is

Her Majesty would not have been amused.

Neither would U.S. President George W. Bush or his French counterpart, Jacques Chirac, over a Vienna-wide art project depicting them naked and engaged in a sexual act with British Queen Elizabeth II.

The work of "euroPART," an independent artists' group, the scenes being displayed on electronic billboards across the Austrian capital ... the group had received about $1.2 million (U.S.) in government subsidies.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 07:04

Is there any club one would want less to be a member of than the so-called baby boomers, the generation of Americans born between 1946 and 1964? Their parents fought the big wars, their parents created the most prosperous nation on earth, now here come the graying spongers, bent on retiring early, living forever, and enjoying the ''good life." That means bleeding entitlement payments out of their own children, consequences be damned. Never forget the boomers' mantra: I've got mine, and the devil take the hindmost.

The U.S. economy speeds toward a brick wall. But instead of trying to stop or even slow the fiscal train wreck, many senior citizens want to push hard on the accelerator.

Nothing was more evident at the recent 2005 White House Conference on Aging than the palpable greed of seniors. Perhaps they see it as getting even with their Baby Boomer kids for how we aggravated them in the 1960s and '70s.

Whatever their motives, they are not very realistic. As U.S. Comptroller General David Walker, the chief federal auditor, made clear, our country can't afford existing programs for the elderly, such as Medicare. If more benefits are piled on, as many conference delegates demanded, we face economic disaster.

Labels: Boomers

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 16:59

The USS San Antonio is a ship of distinctions — it's the Navy's first ship designed entirely on computer, the first with "gender-neutral" quarters, first of its class and first to bear the city's name.

But there's also a dubious distinction for the San Antonio, which is just weeks from its Texas commissioning — its price, $1.76 billion, is almost three times its projected cost a decade ago.
...
Originally pegged to cost about $644 million by the Government Accountability Office, the San Antonio is more expensive than the Navy's Arleigh Burke-class guided missile Aegis destroyer, which averages $1.3 billion to $1.4 billion.

"It's a troop transport with a lot more features, but it's still basically a troop and equipment transport," said naval analyst Norman Polmar, author of two reference books, "Guide to the Soviet Navy" and "Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet."

"For us to pay that much when we can buy an Aegis guided missile destroyer for (about) $1 billion, it's ludicrous," he added.

The inspectors, who visited the ship June 27-July 5, wrote up 107 "starred cards" given for equipment that needed to be repaired. They rated construction and craftsmanship standards as "poor." Workers left a "snarled, over-packed, poorly assembled and virtually uncorrectable electrical/electronic cable plant."

The inspectors said watertight integrity was compromised throughout the ship by multiple cable lines.
...
Questions about the ship remain. Padfield (ship's CO) and Galinis (ship's Program Manager) said they did not know how many starred cards remained out, and the Navy didn't provide details when pressed on the matter. Twenty-one had been cleared as of mid-summer

"I'm an optimist and I'm bullish on the design," he (Polmar) said. "I recognize it's been a troubled program and hope the troubles are behind us."

Labels: LPD-17, Shipbuilding

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 06:13

Poland's government says it has taken the "very difficult decision" to extend its military deployment in Iraq until the end of 2006.

The new conservative government's decision reverses the previous leftist administration's plan to pull troops out in early 2006.

Poland, a staunch ally of the US, has about 1,500 troops stationed in Iraq.

It is the fifth biggest foreign contingent in Iraq, after the US, Britain, South Korea and Italy.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 14:37

In an astounding return to judicial interpretation of the actual text of the United States Constitution, a unanimous panel of the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Tuesday issued an historic decision declaring that “the First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state.”

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 06:00

One acre of genetically engineered tobacco plants can produce enough anthrax vaccine to inoculate the entire U.S. population safely and inexpensively, a molecular biologist at the University of Central Florida said Tuesday.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 13:28

...as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Barb during her 11th war patrol along the east coast of China from 19 December 1944 to 15 February 1945. After sinking a large enemy ammunition ship and damaging additional tonnage during a running 2-hour night battle on 8 January, Comdr. Fluckey, in an exceptional feat of brilliant deduction and bold tracking on 25 January, located a concentration of more than 30 enemy ships in the lower reaches of Nankuan Chiang (Mamkwan Harbor). Fully aware that a safe retirement would necessitate an hour's run at full speed through the uncharted, mined, and rock-obstructed waters, he bravely ordered, "Battle station—torpedoes!" In a daring penetration of the heavy enemy screen, and riding in 5 fathoms (9 m) of water, he launched the Barb's last forward torpedoes at 3,000 yard (2.7 km) range. Quickly bringing the ship's stern tubes to bear, he turned loose 4 more torpedoes into the enemy, obtaining 8 direct hits on 6 of the main targets to explode a large ammunition ship and cause inestimable damage by the resultant flying shells and other pyrotechnics. Clearing the treacherous area at high speed, he brought the Barb through to safety and 4 days later sank a large Japanese freighter...

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 13:10

... the United Services Organisation, which has been putting on shows for the troops since the second world war, is struggling to get celebrities to sign up for even a short tour of duty ... many celebrities have been wary of going because they think it might be seen that they are endorsing the war. "And I say it's not. I tell them these men and women are over there because our country sent them, and we have the absolute necessity to try to bring them as much happiness as we can."

Fear is also a factor. "They're scared," country singer Craig Morton, who is in Iraq on the USO's Hope and Freedom Tour 2005, told USA Today. "It's understandable. It's not a safe and fun place and a lot of people don't want to take the chance."

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 05:18

Pope Benedict XVI appears to be getting into a different kind of Christmas spirit, donning a Santa-style hat for his weekly appearance at the Vatican.

At a chilly St Peter's Square, the Pope draped a red cloak over his shoulders and covered his head with a red velvet hat lined with white fur.

Vatican officials said the hat, known as a camauro, has been part of the papal wardrobe since the 12th century.

But it has not been worn in public since the death of John XXIII in 1963.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 10:15

The Earthly Father
What if Mary wasn't a virgin?
By Chloe Breyer

At Christmas, Christians celebrate the birth of God's only son. Some believers, however, wonder if Jesus Christ is God's son only. The ancient "illegitimacy tradition" and its modern proponents propose ....

Labels: Religion

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 04:34

The German government disclosed Tuesday that it recently freed a Hezbollah member who was convicted of hijacking a TWA airliner in 1985, allowing him to return to his native Lebanon despite long-standing requests from the United States to hand him over for trial.

Mohammed Ali Hamadi, 41, walked out of a German prison on Thursday after a parole board concluded that he was eligible for early release,

"When the plane was at the Beirut airport in Lebanon, Petty Officer Stethem was singled out because he was in the US military. After many hours of being cruelly beaten, tortured, and finally killed by the terrorists, they threw his body from the plane in a final disgraceful, cowardly act. The wounds were so terrible that his body had to be identified by its fingerprints.

Throughout the ordeal, Robert Stethem did not yield, and instead encouraged his fellow passengers to endure by his example. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for heroism and bravery. He is buried at Arlington Cemetery."

The German hostage freed in Iraq on Sunday was Susanne Osthoff, an Arabic-speaking archeologist. A German Foreign Ministry spokesman denied the two cases were linked.

His brother, Abbas Hamadi, was arrested in Germany in 1987 and convicted the following year of helping to kidnap two German businessmen in a bid to use them as bargaining chips for Mohammed Hamadi's freedom. Abbas Hamadi was released in 1993 after serving half his sentence.

At the time, German media reported he was let go as part of a deal between the German government and Hezbollah to release two other Germans held hostage in Lebanon. German officials denied it.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 16:07

Labels: CNO, Food Trough

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 10:51

"One way or the other, we are determined to deny Iraq the capacity to develop weapons of mass destruction and the missiles to deliver them. That is our bottom line."
President Clinton, Feb. 4, 1998.

"If Saddam rejects peace and we have to use force, our purpose is clear. We want to seriously diminish the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program."
President Clinton, Feb. 17, 1998.

"Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face."
Madeline Albright, Feb 18, 1998.

"He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983."
Sandy Berger, Clinton National Security Adviser, Feb, 18, 1998

"[W]e urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."
Letter to President Clinton, signed by Sens. Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, and others Oct. 9, 1998.

"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D, CA), Dec. 16, 1998.

"Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies."
Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Nov. 10, 1999.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 10:54

...Morgan Freeman thinks the whole idea of a month for black history is “ridiculous.” ... “You’re going to relegate my history to a month?” Freeman asks Wallace. After noting there is no “white history month,” he says, “I don’t want a black history month. Black history is American history,” he tells Wallace.

The notion of a special month for black history may be hurting rather than helping efforts for racial equality, Freeman believes. When Wallace wonders whether racist attitudes may be harder to eradicate without the education that Black History Month provides, Freeman retorts: “How are we going to get rid of racism? Stop talking about it!”

Freeman believes the labels “black” and “white” are an obstacle to beating racism. “I am going to stop calling you a white man and I’m going to ask you to stop calling me a black man,” he says. “I know you as Mike Wallace. You know me as Morgan Freeman. You wouldn’t say, ‘Well, I know this white guy named Mike Wallace.’ You know what I’m saying?”

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 10:05

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and returned to his family for burial tomorrow with full military honors.

Seaman 2nd Class Dee Hall, of Syra, Okla. He is to be buried at the Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio.

Hall was one of seven crewmen aboard a U.S. Navy PBY-5 Catalina that took off from Kodiak Island, Alaska on June 14, 1942, to attack Japanese targets in Kiska Harbor, Alaska.

Labels: Navy, WWII

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 06:20

When people ask why I recently left The Wall Street Journal to join the Marines, I usually have a short answer. It felt like the time had come to stop reporting events and get more directly involved. But that's not the whole answer, and how I got to this point wasn't a straight line. ... Living in China for the last seven years, ... shows you what a nondemocratic country can do to its citizens. I've seen protesters tackled and beaten by plainclothes police in Tiananmen Square, and I've been videotaped by government agents while I was talking to a source. I've been arrested and forced to flush my notes down a toilet to keep the police from getting them, and I've been punched in the face in a Beijing Starbucks by a government goon who was trying to keep me from investigating a Chinese company's sale of nuclear fuel to other countries.

When you live abroad long enough, you come to understand that governments that behave this way are not the exception, but the rule. They feel alien to us, but from the viewpoint of the world's population, we are the aliens, not them. That makes you think about protecting your country no matter who you are or what you're doing. What impresses you most, when you don't have them day to day, are the institutions that distinguish the U.S.: the separation of powers, a free press, the right to vote, and a culture that values civic duty and service, to name but a few.

I'm not an uncritical, rah-rah American. Living abroad has sharpened my view of what's wrong with my country, too. It's obvious that we need to reinvent ourselves in various ways, but we should also be allowed to do it from within, not according to someone else's dictates.

But why the Marines? ... I went to lunch at the Council on Foreign Relations where I happened to meet a Marine Corps colonel who'd just come back from Iraq. He gave me a no-nonsense assessment of what was happening there, but what got to me most was his description of how the Marines behaved and how they looked after each other in a hostile world. That struck me as a metaphor for how America should be in the world at large, and it also appealed to me on a personal level. At one point I said half-jokingly that, being 31 years old, it was a shame I was too old to serve. He sat back for a second and said, "I think I've still gotcha."

The next morning I found myself roaming around the belly of the USS Intrepid, a World War II aircraft carrier museum moored a few blocks from Times Square, looking for a Marine recruiting station and thinking I'd probably lost my marbles. The officer-selection officer wasn't impressed with my age, my Chinese language abilities or the fact that I worked for one of the great newspapers of the world. His only question was, "How's your endurance?"

Well, I can sit at my desk for 12 hours straight. Fourteen if I have a bag of Reese's.

He said if I wanted a shot at this I'd have to ace the physical fitness test, where a perfect score consisted of 20 pull-ups, 100 crunches in two minutes, and a three-mile run in 18 minutes. Essentially he was telling me to pack it in and go home. After assuring him I didn't have a criminal record or any tattoos, either of which would have required yet another waiver (my age already required the first), I took an application and went back to China.

The day before I left Thailand I decided to do my first physical training and see what happened. I started running and was winded in five minutes. The air quality in downtown Bangkok didn't help, but the biggest problem was me. I ducked into Lumpini Park in the heart of the city where I was chased around by a three-foot monitor lizard that ran faster than I did. At one point I found a playground jungle gym and managed to do half a pull-up. That's all.

I got back to Beijing and started running several days a week. Along the way I met a Marine who was studying in Beijing on a fellowship and started training with him. Pretty soon I filled out the application I'd taken from New York, got letters of recommendation from old professors and mentors, and received a letter from a senior Marine officer who took a leap of faith on my behalf.

I made a quick trip back to New York in April to take a preliminary physical fitness test with the recruitment officer at the USS Intrepid. By then I could do 13 pull-ups, all my crunches, and a three-mile run along the West Side Highway in a little under 21 minutes, all in all a mediocre performance that was barely passable. When I was done, the officer told me to wipe the foam off my mouth, but I did him one better and puked all over the tarmac. He liked that a lot.

In a way, I see the Marines as a microcosm of America at its best. Their focus isn't on weapons and tactics, but on leadership. That's the whole point of the Marines. They care about each other in good times and bad, they've always had to fight for their existence--even Harry Truman saw them as nothing more than the "Navy's police force"--and they have the strength of their traditions. Their future, like the country's, is worth fighting for. I hope to be part of the effort.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 05:57

Anyway, Brokeback Mountain might actually be a great movie, but I work such long hours and have so many responsibilities around the house that on the rare occasion when I have an opportunity to see a film, I can't work up much enthusiasm for spending that time and money watching two dudes betray their wives and children cowpokin' each other.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 15:56

In Ramadi, where only several thousand citizens took part in the October referendum, tens of thousands of voters lined the streets to vote today. Residents were seen dancing, singing, and waving the Iraqi flag. It is still too early to tell what percentage of voters in the city actually voted, but the numbers are expected to be much higher than they were during the Referendum.

In Fallujah, where an estimated 90 percent of voters participated in October’s referendum, voter turnout today was similarly high. Elsewhere in the province, in cities like Husaybah, Karabilah and Ubaydi, voter turnout was steady throughout the day. Until a few weeks ago, this area near the Syrian border was largely under the influence of al Qaeda led insurgents, but has since been cleared in recent operations by U.S. and Iraqi forces.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 15:41

The size and mission of the British military force due to be sent to southern Afghanistan next year as part of Nato plans to expand its peacekeeping operations are being scaled back, the BBC has learned.

The move comes amid continuing uncertainty over the commitment of other European alliance members to the plan for Nato to take over responsibility from the US for the more dangerous south and east, the heartland of the four-year-old Taleban-led insurgency.

Last week, the Dutch government again postponed a decision on sending 1,100 troops to the volatile southern province of Uruzgan, amid domestic concerns about casualties.

...the UK government is now considering sending only about 1,000 combat troops to the equally challenging province of Helmand, ... That is about half the number originally discussed.

The government may also shelve plans to deploy Apache attack helicopters to support them. ... On paper though, Nato nations remain committed to the expansion of the peacekeeping force.

Foreign ministers agreed to provide 6,000 troops for the move south at a meeting last week in Brussels, with most coming from Britain - which will lead the alliance's forces - and Canada. ... In Afghan government circles, there is some frustration at the confusion, directed especially at the Dutch.

British soldiers in Afghanistan
UK has still not resolved details of its commitment

"They agreed to go to Uruzgan a long time ago," said one official. "Didn't they realise it was dangerous?"

However, jocular remarks reportedly made by a senior Afghan official to a visiting Dutch delegation about the number of "body bags" they might need for the Uruzgan deployment didn't help, several western diplomats have told the BBC.

Politicians in The Hague have also been worried about the treatment of any detainees their troops capture and the possibility of the death penalty being used.

But the expansion south - due to be completed by June next year - is not the end of the story.

NATO is then supposed to take over responsibility for eastern Afghanistan, along the border with Pakistan, an area many regard as even more dangerous.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 05:53

Scotland's homicide rate for 2004-05 was the highest in almost a decade, according to newly released figures.

There were 137 victims of homicides in Scotland, 29 more than in 2003-04, and the highest annual total since 1995-96.

In almost three-quarters of the cases, the main accused was known to the victim.

She said that, among other measures, Strathclyde Police's Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) would be expanded to create a national "centre of excellence" to share violence prevention best practice across Scotland. ... "The knife culture must be stamped out and a growing gun culture nipped in the bud. ... "This adds weight to my view that the Police Bill needs to be tougher on knife crime.

"We should take this opportunity to bring the law on knife crime into line with the law on firearms."

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 14:22

When I told people that I was getting ready to head back to Iraq for my third tour, the usual response was a frown, a somber head shake and even the occasional "I'm sorry." When I told them that I was glad to be going back, the response was awkward disbelief, a fake smile and a change of subject. The common wisdom seems to be that Iraq is an unwinnable war and a quagmire and that the only thing left to decide is how quickly we withdraw. Depending on which poll you believe, about 60 percent of Americans think it's time to pull out of Iraq.

How is it, then, that 64 percent of U.S. military officers think we will succeed if we are allowed to continue our work?

... it is not a simple thing to ignore genuine optimism from mid-grade, junior and noncommissioned officers who have spent much of the past three years in Iraq.

We know the streets, the people and the insurgents far better than any armchair academic or talking head. As military professionals, we are trained to gauge the chances of success and failure, to calculate risk and reward. We have little to gain from our optimism and quite a bit to lose as we leave our families over and over again to face danger and deprivation for an increasingly unpopular cause.

Anyone who has spent even a day in the Middle East should know that the Arab street would not thank us for abandoning Iraq. The blame for civil war would fall squarely on our shoulders. It is unlikely that the tentative experiments in democracy we have seen in Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and elsewhere would survive the fallout. ... Sixty-four percent of us know that we have a good shot at preventing this outcome if we are allowed to continue our mission. We quietly hope that common sense will return to the dialogue on Iraq. Although we hate leaving our families behind, many of us would rather go back to Iraq a hundred times than abandon the Iraqi people.

We can fail only if the false imagery of quagmire takes hold and our national political will is broken. In that event, both the Iraqi people and the American troops will pay a long-term price for our shortsighted delusion.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 10:05

Pretty classy ride, huh? We lived on board the boats.......six guys crammed into that hootch.
Wood frame and roof, with drop down canvas sides for the monsoons. Antenna mounted high up on easily dropped pole to clear bridges.......the same for a small hootch.

If any guys reading this are currently involved in waterborne operations, how about sending your stories, observations, and photos to the 1099th Medium Boat webgroup? A bunch of old River Rats would really enjoy current SITREPS from all of you youngbloods currently serving on boats.

Labels: Riverine, Vietnam War

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 05:46

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld arrived on Capitol Hill yesterday expecting to meet not only with Republican supporters of the Iraq war, but also with Democrats highly critical of his post-Saddam Hussein decisions.

When Mr. Rumsfeld arrived with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Peter Pace at the meeting place, the office of Rep. Jack Kingston, Georgia Republican, three invited Democrats did not show up.

The meeting was planned by Rep. Bill Shuster, Pennsylvania Republican, after he led a congressional delegation to Iraq from Nov. 27 to 30 that included Democratic Reps. Adam Smith of Washington, Kendrick B. Meek of Florida and Tim Ryan of Ohio.

Mr. Smith released a statement upon his return from Iraq that said, in part, "Progress is being made in Iraq. However, the Bush administration's failure of leadership has made the tasks of our servicemen and women more difficult than it had to be."

Mr. Meek released a statement to The Washington Times that said:

"I've been a member of the House Armed Services Committee for almost three years, and I thought it was strange that Secretary Rumsfeld would now suddenly want to meet with me on Iraq -- and invite the national media, too -- when for all these years he never showed any interest in my views.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 05:23

Labels: Advertising, Dutch

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 15:31

Why Mommy is a Democrat brings to life the core values of the Democratic party in ways that young children will easily understand and thoroughly enjoy. Using plain and non-judgmental language, along with warm and whimsical illustrations, this colorful 28-page paperback depicts the Democratic principles of fairness, tolerance, peace, and concern for the well-being of others. It's a great way for parents to gently communicate their commitment to these principles and explain their support for the party.

"Why Mommy is a Democrat is a warm and wonderful story of commitment to family and community. You'll want to share this book with your children for the same reason you're a Democrat -- because you care."
-Michael B. Coleman,
Mayor, Columbus, OH

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 10:51

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will lead the shareholders committee for a German- Russian gas-pipeline project to pump gas under the Baltic Sea, OAO Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller said today.

State-controlled Gazprom began building the more than 4- billion-euro ($4.7 billion) North European gas pipeline project today in the town of Babaeyvo in Russia's Volodga region, north of Moscow.

The pipeline will allow Gazprom to ship gas directly to Germany, bypassing Poland, Ukraine and Belarus. It will carry 27.5 billion cubic meters of gas a year in 2010 and twice that much by 2012, Miller said. Gazprom will raise gas exports to Europe 4.1 percent to 151 billion cubic meters in 2006 following a 3.1 percent jump this year as demand and prices rise.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 12:24

Then along comes a generic season's greeting from the White House, paid for by the Republican National Committee. The cover art is also secular, if not humanist: It shows the presidential pets -- two dogs and a cat -- frolicking on a snowy White House lawn.

"Certainly President and Mrs. Bush, because of their faith, celebrate Christmas," said Susan Whitson, Laura Bush's press secretary. "Their cards in recent years have included best wishes for a holiday season, rather than Christmas wishes, because they are sent to people of all faiths."

It has nothing to do with Jesus. It has everything to do with creating frightened malleable followers desperate for protection from the terrifying unbelievers.

"This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture," said William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

Bush "claims to be a born-again, evangelical Christian. But he sure doesn't act like one," said Joseph Farah, editor of the conservative Web site WorldNetDaily.com. "I threw out my White House card as soon as I got it."

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 16:14

"Some (Belgian) women don something on their heads, because then they are not troubled anymore."

These are young women aware of fashion, with sometimes tight skirts and a glimpse of a bare belly. Immigrant girls are reprimanded if they don't wear a headscarf, but also just because they walk on the streets, or if they dare to laugh among each other. Take the Zuidlaan across the Zuidstation. It used to be a very mixed neighborhood, where many Belgians had shops. Now it is a quarter where immigrant shops dominate, which are controlled by a certain type of men. They watch from cafes who passes and intimidate women. Gradually these disappear from the street. There is an atmosphere of intolerance. Women can't dress the way they would like to. Well, we are fed up being called whores because we are not dressed the way certain men would like us to be. It is an offensive and disrespectful attitude towards women."

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 09:27

Labels: Poland

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 09:05

Why? Because here in Narnia is the perfect Republican, muscular Christianity for America - that warped, distorted neo-fascist strain that thinks might is proof of right. ... So Lewis weaves his dreams to invade children's minds with Christian iconography that is part fairytale wonder and joy - but heavily laden with guilt, blame, sacrifice and a suffering that is dark with emotional sadism. ... Of all the elements of Christianity, the most repugnant is the notion of the Christ who took our sins upon himself and sacrificed his body in agony to save our souls. Did we ask him to?
...
When you can combine the forces of Disney, the McDonald's Happy Meal and
Gov. Jeb Bush in one tidy package -- all of them working together to cram thinly veiled Christian theology down the gullets of Florida's schoolchildren -- you've got yourself a hell of a plan.
...
But Pullman said the Narnia books contained "a peevish blend of racist, misogynistic and reactionary prejudice" and "not a trace" of Christian charity.

When the Palm Beach Post, The Guardian (UK) and a rabid author atheist hate something, you know it has to be a must see. Like having a Senator from Mass. and a Chairman for a certain party taking the Pro-Defeat, Pro-Jihadi line, it is good to know who is friends with your enemy.

BTW, I read all the Narnia books to my children. If the movie is half as good (from a kids perspective), it is a must see.

Hat tip RedState.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 13:23

The world's largest desalination plant, located along Israel's southern Mediterranean coast, started operation in the first week of August. The water treatment plant will provide 100 million cubic meters (mcm) of desalinated water per year when it is fully operational by December 2005. ... he price of water produced by the plant will be approximately $0.60 per cubic meter. ... The Israeli government is planning additional desalination plants along the Mediterranean coast. The target is to produce 315 mcm of water by 2008.
...
The plant will provide about 15 percent of the total household water in Israel when it's fully operational.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 13:28

THE rock musician Roger Waters, who fronted the reformed Pink Floyd at this summer’s Live 8 concert, has become the first celebrity to leave Britain in protest at the ban on hunting.

He has gone to live in America “in disgust” at what he says is an unfair attack by Tony Blair’s government on Britain’s countryside community.

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 13:33

R 081811Z JUL 05 PSN 162650I20

FM PRESINSURV NORFOLK VA

TO RUENAAA/CNO WASHINGTON DC

INFO RHMFIUU/ASSTSECNAV RDA WASHINGTON DC//SP// RUENAAA/ASSTSECNAV RDA WASHINGTON DC//SP// RUCBCLF/COMFLTFORCOM NORFOLK VA//NOO/N1/N43/N6// RUCBCLF/COMLANTFLT NORFOLK VA//NOO/N01/N43/N6// RUWDEAB/COMNAVSURFOR SAN DIEGO CA//N00/N1/N4/N6/N42/N43/N434A13//RHMFIUU/CMC WASHINGTON DC//MCPOR11//RHMFIUU/COMMARFORLANT//00//RHMFIUU/COMNAVNETWARCOM NORFOLK VA//N3/N6// RUENAAA/NAVINSGEN WASHINGTON DC//OO// RHMFIUU/COMNAVSEASYSCOM WASHINGTON DC //00/SEA03/03D/03D5/04/04M/04R/04X/04L/05/05D/05J/05N/05P/05Z/06//RULSSEA/COMNAVSEASYSCOM WASHINGTON DC//00/SEA03/03D/03D5/04/04M/04R/04X/04L/05/05D/05J/05N/05P/05Z/06//RULSDMA/PEO SHIPS WASHINGTON DC//SHIPS-F/PMS317/PMS470// RHMFIUU/PEO C4I AND SPACE SAN DIEGO CA//00/C4I// RULSSBL/PEO IWS WASHINGTON DC//00// RHMFIUU/BUMED WASHINGTON DC//M3F/M3FA// RHMFIUU/NAVICP MECHANICSBURG PA//NAVICP-04// RHMFIUU/COMNAVSUPSYSCOM MECHANICSBURG PA//4C3/51// RHMFIUU/NAVPERSDEVCOM NORFOLK VA//N5// RHMFIUU/NAVSURFWARCEN PANAMA CITY FL RHMFIUU/NAVSURFWARCENDIV CORONA CA//QA33// RHMFIUU/COMSPAWARSYSCOM SAN DIEGO CA//00/04/04F/05// RHMFIUU/COMNAVAIRSYSCOM PATUXENT RIVER MD //NAIR00/PMA213/PMA251/PMA260// RHMFIUU/NAVSURFWARCEN SHIPSYSENGSTA PHILADELPHIA PA//9126// RHMFIUU/NAVSURFWARCENDIV PORT HUENEME CA//00// RHMFIUU/NAVSURFWARCENDIV CRANE IN//FLO// RHMFIUU/NAVUNSEAWARCENDIV NEWPORT RI//8332// RHMFIUU/SPAWARSYSCEN CHARLESTON SC//00/09/OF/30/50/60/70// RHMFIUU/SPAWARSYSCEN NORFOLK VA//00/01// RHMFIUU/SPAWARSYSCEN CHARLESTON DET NORFOLK VA//01// RHMFIUU/SPAWARSYSCEN SAN DIEGO CA//200/260// RHMFIUU/COMNAVSAFECEN NORFOLK VA//00/30// RHMFIUU/NAVY JAG WASHINGTON DC//31// RHMFIUU/COMNAVSAFECEN NORFOLK VA//00/30// RUCOBRO/COMAFLOATRAGRU ATLANTIC NORFOLK VA//00// RHMFIUU/SWOSCOLCOM NEWPORT RI//60// RUCOFAJ/COMREGSUPPGRU NORFOLK VA//00/01/N43// RHMFIUU/SUPSHIP GULF COAST MS//00/117/200/300// RUCOFAJ/MIDLANT RMC NORFOLK VA//213/4100// RHMFIUU/COMOPTEVFOR NORFOLK VA//70/75// RHBOZMB/COMPHIBGRU TWO RHQHSAN/PRECOMUNIT SAN ANTONIO RHMFIUU/PRESINSURV NORFOLK VA

BT ### THIS IS A 4 SECTIONED MESSAGE COLLATED BY LMDS ### UNCLAS PART I OF III. PART II DTG 081812ZJUL05, PART III DTG 081813ZJUL05 MSGID/GENADMIN/PRESINSURV NORFOLK VA/-/JUL/

SUBJ/INSURV REPORT FOR PCU SAN ANTONIO (LPD 17) ACCEPTANCE TRIAL (AT) / RMKS/

1. THE BOARD OF INSPECTION AND SURVEY CONDUCTED AN AT IN PCU SAN ANTONIO (LPD 17) AT PASCAGOULA, MS DURING THE PERIOD 27 JUN-1 JUL 05 (INPORT ONLY). THE UNDERWAY PORTION OF THIS AT WAS LINKED FROM THE BUILDERS TRIAL CONDUCTED 26 APR-3 MAY 05. A FOLLOW-ON PRE-SAILAWAY UNDERWAY TRIAL WILL BE CONDUCTED DATE TBD TO VERIFY THE COMPLETION OF THE VESSEL AND OBSERVE THOSE EVENTS THAT COULD NOT BE CONDUCTED BECAUSE OF EITHER INOPERATIVE EQUIPMENT OR INCOMPLETE INSTALLATION. THE BOARD RECOMMENDS THE CNO AUTHORIZE COMNAVSEASYSCOM TO ACCEPT DELIVERY PROVIDED ALL STARRED DEFICIENCIES HAVE BEEN CORRECTED OR WAIVED BY CNO PRIOR TO ACCEPTANCE.

2. SENIOR MEMBER COMMENTS:

A. PCU SAN ANTONIO IS AN INCOMPLETE SHIP. HOWEVER, AS OBSERVED DURING BUILDERS SEA TRIAL (WITH ALL UNDERWAY DEMOS ACHIEVING SATISFACTORY EOC GRADES), PCU SAN ANTONIO IS A HIGHLY CAPABLE PLATFORM WITH GREAT POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE USEFUL SERVICE TO THE FLEET. (not a nice sentence in Navy FITREP talk) AS IS OBSERVED IN ALL FIRST SHIPS OF A NEW CLASS, SPACE COMPLETION REPRESENTS A CHALLENGE TO THE SHIPBUILDER. OF THE 943 SPACES IN SAN ANTONIO (NOT INCLUDING TANKS, VOIDS, ETC.), 25 SPACES ARE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTED, 199 SPACES ARE GOVERNMENT-INSPECTED COMPLETE, AND 433 SPACES COMPLETED THE BUILDERS PRELIMINARY INSPECTION PROCESS. THE REMAINING 286 SPACES ARE EITHER NOT INSPECTED OR INCOMPLETE. THIS SHIP IS NOT READY FOR SHIPS FORCE MOVE ABOARD. SAFETY DEFICIENCIES EXIST THROUGHOUT THE SHIP AS SIGNIFICANT INDUSTRIAL WORK CONTINUES. SECURITY OF SHIPS FORCE SPACES WILL BE CHALLENGED BY THE AMOUNT OF INDUSTRIAL WORK REMAINING. SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE CONTROL AND FIREFIGHTING SYSTEMS REMAIN EITHER UNFINISHED OR INOPERATIVE. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT IDENTIFIED SAFETY AND SECURITY ISSUES BE RESOLVED PRIOR TO CREW MOVE ABOARD.(Ummm, yep)

B. POOR CONSTRUCTION AND CRAFTSMANSHIP STANDARDS ARE EVIDENT THROUGHOUT THE SHIP AND ARE MANIFESTED IN NUMEROUS WAYS. DESPITE GREAT EFFORTS TO CORRECT MANY ISSUES, SOME REPRESENT SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES. SAN ANTONIO WILL BE PLAGUED BY ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONIC CABLE PLANT INSTALLATION DEFICIENCIES THROUGHOUT ITS ENTIRE SERVICE LIFE IF CURRENTLY-PLANNED CORRECTIVE ACTIONS ARE NOT COMPLETED. POOR INSTALLATION PRACTICES HAVE RESULTED IN UNSAT WIREWAY CONDITIONS. POOR INITIAL CABLE-PULLING PRACTICE LED TO WHAT IS NOW A SNARLED, OVER-PACKED, POORLY-ASSEMBLED, AND VIRTUALLY UNCORRECTABLE ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONIC CABLE PLANT. WATERTIGHT INTEGRITY IS COMPROMISED THROUGHOUT THE SHIP BY NUMEROUS MULTI-CABLE TRANSITS THAT MAY NEVER ACHIEVE WATERTIGHTNESS WITHOUT EITHER THE USE OF RISE IN LOCATIONS INSIDE AND BELOW THE V-LINES, OR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SPECIAL SEALING TECHNIQUE.

C. SHIP-WIDE ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION ENCLOSURES TO INCLUDE POWER PANELS, CONTROLLERS, FUSE BOXES, AND JUNCTION BOXES HAD SIGNIFICANT ELECTRICAL DISCREPANCIES. WIRING, HARDWARE, CIRCUIT LABEL PLATE IDENTIFICATION, AND ENCLOSURE CLEANING WERE NOT COMPLETED SHIP-WIDE.

D. FINAL PRESERVATION WAS NOT COMPLETE SHIP-WIDE. CORROSION IS PRESENT THROUGHOUT THE SHIP. ALTHOUGH SIGNIFICANT CORROSION CONTROL DESIGN INITIATIVES HAVE BEEN INCORPORATED INTO SAN ANTONIO (CRES MATERIALS TOPSIDE, HIGH SOLID PAINTS IN THE WELL DECK, ETC), AFFECTED AREAS CAN BE OBSERVED NEARLY EVERYWHERE, BUT ARE WORSE IN THE WELLDECK (PROBABLY SURFACE RUST ONLY), VEHICLE STOWAGE AREAS, PASSAGEWAYS, ACCOMMODATION LADDERS AND ASSOCIATED STOWAGE SPACES, SIDEPORT DOORS AND ASSOCIATED SPACES, WEATHER DECKS INCLUDING THE RESCUE BOAT DECK AND MISSION BOAT VALLEY, THE SUPERSTRUCTURE, AND BOTH MAIN AND AUXILIARY MACHINERY SPACE BILGES. PRESENT CONDITIONS SUGGEST THAT INSUFFICIENT BASE METAL PREPARATION IS THE ROOT CAUSE. ADDITIONALLY, LACK OF SUFFICIENT WEATHER DECK DRAINS PROMOTES STANDING WATER AND WILL EXACERBATE THIS ALREADY SIGNIFICANT CORROSION CONTROL PROBLEM. THE SHIPBUILDER IS AWARE OF THESE CORROSION CHALLENGES AND HAS PLANNED CORRECTIVE ACTION. NONE OF THE AREAS IDENTIFIED ABOVE HAVE, AS YET, BEEN PRESENTED TO GOVERNMENT QUALITY ASSURANCE.

E. FOLLOWING DEFICIENCIES WILL PREVENT WELLDECK CERTIFICATION: JP-5 FUELING STATION INSTALLATION IS INCOMPLETE, DISTILLED WATER SYSTEM INSTALLATION WAS INCOMPLETE, LCAC ALIGNMENT MARKERS WERE MISSING, AND LCAC LINE-UP STRIPES WERE MISSING.

F. ALTHOUGH NOT AN OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT (ORD) REQUIREMENT, BUILDERS SPECS INCLUDED THE INCORPORATION OF SIGNIFICANT RADAR CROSS-SECTION (RCS) REDUCTION TECHNOLOGY. AS SHIP CONSTRUCTION PROGRESSED, DESIGN REDUCTION DECISIONS WERE MADE BECAUSE OF CONSTRAINED FUNDING. RCS EFFECTIVENESS IS NOW REDUCED. FINAL IMPACT WILL REMAIN UNKNOWN UNTIL FOLLOW-ON TESTING IS PERFORMED. ADDITIONAL MODIFICATIONS MAY BE REQUIRED TO REDUCE THE EFFECT OF RCS HOT SPOTS. SUSPECTED HOT SPOTS INCLUDE: RESCUE BOAT POCKET LACKED A ROLLER CURTAIN AND THE BULKHEADS IN THE POCKET WERE UNTREATED, LIFERAFT RCS COVERS WERE NOT FUNDED, VENTILATION FAN ROOM SUCTION VENT LOUVERS WERE NOT FUNDED, 01-LEVEL SHORE POWER CABLE PANEL HAD ROUND VERSUS SQUARE TUBING, NUMEROUS TOPSIDE POCKETS (LOUD SPEAKERS, LP AIR SERVICE CONNECTIONS, FLIGHT DECK WHEEL STOPS, FIRE STATIONS, ETC.) LACKED COVERS AND MAY REPRESENT HOT SPOTS, MOORING CHOCKS, UNDERSIDES OF BRIDGEWINGS, CATWALKS, SLQ-32 PLATFORMS, ETC., ALL LACKED EITHER RCS SHROUDS OR COVERS.

G. FLEX HOSES ON OEM UNITS THROUGHOUT THE SHIP LACKED FLEX HOSE DATA TAGS (MPACS, LPACS, BAL/DEBAL HPUS, RESCUE BOAT DAVIT, BOAT AND CARGO CRANE, SIDE PORT DOORS, CPP OD BOXES, EMERGENCY CRP HAND PUMPS, ETC).

H. OVER 50 PERCENT OF MECHANICAL GAGES AND SWITCHES THROUGHOUT THE SHIP WILL BE OVERDUE FOR CALIBRATION EITHER AT OR IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING SHIP CUSTODY TRANSFER. AVONDALE FACILITY OF NGSS IS NOT A CERTIFIED NAVY CALIBRATION ACTIVITY.

I. WATER MIST EXCESS FLOW VALVES WERE FOUND TO BE UNSUITABLE AND MODIFIED. EXCESS FLOW VALVES ARE DESIGNED TO MAINTAIN SYSTEM PRESSURE AND PREVENT FLOODING DURING ACTIVATION IF A HIGH PRESSURE NOZZLE IS REMOVED OR DAMAGED. MMR 1 HAS 11 GPM SPRING-LOADED VALVES INSTALLED, WHICH HAVE PROVEN THROUGH TESTING TO BE UNSATISFACTORY. EXCESS FLOW VALVES IN THE OTHER FOUR MAIN ENGINEERING SPACES HAVE BEEN MODIFIED. A TESTED AND PROVEN ORIFICE-BASED SYSTEM WILL BE INSTALLED AND TESTED DURING THE POST-SHAKEDOWN AVAILABILITY.

J. SEVERAL ECS CASUALTIES WERE OBSERVED DURING TRIALS. SPECIFICALLY, A LOSS OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ASSOCIATED INSTABILITY WERE OBSERVED TWICE WHILE UNDERWAY DURING THE BUILDERS TRIAL. THIS INSTABILITY WAS CAUSED BY VRTU (DAUS) BUFFER MEMORY OVERLOAD. DURING PART I OF III. PART II DTG 081812ZJUL05, PART III DTG 081813ZJUL05 MSGID/GENADMIN/PRESINSURV NORFOLK VA/-/JUL/ SUBJ/INSURV REPORT FOR PCU SAN ANTONIO (LPD 17) ACCEPTANCE TRIAL (AT) OF UNKNOWN STATUSES DISPLAYED ON OPERATING CONSOLES AND LOCK UP OF VARIOUS VRTUS (DAUS). LOCAL CONTROL WAS REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF PLANT EQUIPMENT. DURING THE AT, ECS EXHIBITED A SIMILAR INSTABILITY. THIS INSTABILITY WAS CAUSED BY THE FAILURE OF A CORE SWITCH ON THE SWAN. IN EACH CASE, ECS AND SCS HAD TO BE RESET IN ORDER TO REGAIN CONTROL. THERE ARE NO INTERNAL DIAGNOSTICS TO MONITOR ECS HEALTH TO DETERMINE ANY FAULTS IN ECS HARDWARE. ECS EVENT VIEWER IS CONSTANTLY SCROLLING ALARM CHANGES MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO TRACK CURRENT ALARMS AND TO LOOK AT THE ALARM HISTORY.

K. LOAD CENTERS 21 AND 22 LOCAL/REMOTE SELECTOR SWITCHES DID NOT DISABLE THE SHORE POWER CIRCUIT BREAKER MASTER SYNCHRONIZER AND LOAD CONTROLLERS WHEN IN THE LOCAL POSITION. THIS PREVENTS ACCOMPLISHMENT OF EOSS PROCEDURE SPRU. WHEN THE SHORE POWER BREAKER IS CLOSED THE ONLINE SSDG WILL UNLOAD.

L. THERE WERE 389 GFE AND 150 CFE OUTSTANDING SHOCK QUALIFICATIONS, COVERING THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS. THE PROGRAM MANAGER HAS A ROBUST SHOCK DEFICIENCY CORRECTION PLAN AND IS COMMITTED TO ACCOMPLISH QUALIFICATION OF THE REMAINING UNQUALIFIED ITEMS.

M. THE AFT AEMS INTERNAL ACCESS LADDER WAS NOT SAFE TO ERECT OR USE. THE LADDER APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN DESIGNED TO A COMBINATION OF SAFETY STANDARDS AND DID NOT HAVE AN ADEQUATE FALL ARREST SYSTEM OR WEIGHT BEARING ABILITY. ADDITIONALLY, THE EFFORT REQUIRED TO ERECT THE LADDER WAS TIME CONSUMING AND REQUIRED SIX PERSONNEL VERSUS THE TWO REQUIRED BY SPEC. INSTALLATION WAS INCOMPLETE DURING THE TIME OF TESTING. CONSIDERABLE ENGINEERING EFFORT HAS GONE INTO THE DESIGN OF THIS LADDER, BUT SIGNIFICANT SAFETY AND MAINTAINABILITY ISSUES REMAIN.

N. THE CLEARANCE FOR MILITARY VEHICLES WAS DEGRADED IN THE MAIN, LOWER (AFT), UPPER VEHICLE STOWAGE AREAS AND FLIGHT DECK RAMP BECAUSE OF OBSTACLES OR PROTRUSIONS, VERTICAL CLEARANCES NOT MEETING MINIMUM REQUIREMENT, AND MISSING GUARDRAILS OR CURBS. ADDITIONALLY, WELL DECK, UPPER VEHICLE, FORWARD, AFT, AND BRIDGE HINGED RAMPS WERE MISSING GUARDRAILS OR CURBS.

O. DUE TO SWAN COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS WITH SCS AND ECS END USER SYSTEMS, SWAN CASUALTY MODE TESTING WAS SUSPENDED. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY COMMUNICATION PATHS RUN THROUGH THE INDIVIDUAL NODE ROOMS AND CREATE A SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE FOR ECS SYSTEM.

P. THROUGHOUT THE SHIP THERE WERE LADDERS MISSING PINS, HANDRAILS MISSING PINS, SAFETY CHAINS MISSING AT HATCHES AND ON LADDERS, HATCHES MISSING SUPPORT STANCHIONS OR THEY ONLY HAD ONE STANCHION HOLDING THE HATCH OPEN. LADDERS WERE MISSING CLIMBER SAFETY RAILS, HAND GRABS, AND/OR DID NOT EXTEND HIGH ENOUGH TO SAFETY ACCESS THE NEXT LEVEL. LIFERAILS WERE MISSING ON MANY TOPSIDE SPACES CREATING A FALL HAZARD.

Q. NUMEROUS EYEWASH STATION INSTALLATIONS THROUGHOUT THE SHIP WERE INCOMPLETE, AND ALARMS WERE NOT CONNECTED OR TESTED. ADDITIONALLY, PLUMBED EYEWASH STATION OPERATING VALVES OPERATED BACKWARDS.

R. BASELINE NOISE AND HEAT STRESS SURVEYS COULD NOT BE ADEQUATELY COMPLETED BECAUSE VENTILATION SYSTEMS WERE INCOMPLETE AND UNBALANCED. VENTILATION MEASUREMENTS COULD NOT BE TAKEN TO VERIFY COMPLIANCE WITH THE SPEC BECAUSE CPS WAS NOT ABLE TO BE SET BECAUSE OF THE INCOMPLETE AND UNBALANCED VENTILATION SYSTEMS.

S. VENTILATION SYSTEMS WERE INCOMPLETE SHIP-WIDE. OF GREATEST CONCERN WAS THE LACK OF PERMANENT VENTILATION IN HAZARDOUS SPACES (JP-5 PUMP ROOMS, VCHT PUMPROOMS, HAZMAT STORAGE SPACES, PAINT LOCKER, ETC.). TEMPORARY AND DISCONNECTED VENT DUCTING WAS PREVALENT ON THE 2ND DECK AND THE PLATFORMS BELOW IT.

T. FAS STATION 1 JP-5 RISER FLANGE WAS INCORRECTLY LOCATED AND MISSING A CHECK VALVE. THE DFM RISER FLANGE WAS ALSO INCORRECTLY LOCATED. NUMEROUS EQUIPMENT AND FITTINGS WERE NOT INSTALLED INCLUDING MESSENGER FAIRLEAD PADEYES, GYPSY WINCH CLEAT, GYPSY WINCH MASTER OPERATOR, PROBE RECEIVERS, STATION-TO-STATION PHONE LINE CLEAT, AND CHAFFING BAR.

U. FAS STATION 5 JP-5 RISER FLANGE WAS INCORRECTLY LOCATED AND MISSING A CHECK VALVE. ADDITIONALLY, THE JP-5 RISER DECK PENETRATION POSITIONED THE RISER DIRECTLY IN THE WAY OF THE STATIONS FORWARD DOOR. IN AN EMERGENCY, THIS DOOR IS THE EGRESS POINT FOR A MAJORITY OF STATION PERSONNEL. THE DFM RISER FLANGE WAS ALSO INCORRECTLY LOCATED. NUMEROUS EQUIPMENT AND FITTINGS WERE NOT INSTALLED INCLUDING MESSENGER FAIRLEAD PADEYES, GYPSY WINCH CLEAT, GYPSY WINCH MASTER OPERATOR, PROBE RECEIVERS, STATION-TO-STATION PHONE LINE CLEAT, AND CHAFING BAR.

V. A PRE-SAILAWAY TRIAL FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF THE SHIP (TBD) WILL REQUIRE THE FOLLOWING DEMOS/REDEMOS: FULL POWER REDEMO, STERN GATE REDEMO, RO UNITS REDEMO, STEERING REDEMO, POTABLE WATER REDEMO, ELECTRIC PLANT POWER MANAGEMENT, CATHODIC PROTECTION, DARKEN SHIP, VARIOUS IC SYSTEMS, PILOT DEBARK STATION, PORT ACCOM LADDER, PORT SIDE PORT DOOR AND CARGO CRANE, PORTABLE SIDEPORT RAMP, VEHICLE CLEARANCE, HINGED RAMPS, LIFE RAFT MANUAL RELEASE DEVICE, FAS STATIONS, MISSION BOATS, WATERTIGHT DOORS, CPS, WATERTIGHT INTEGRITY, BALLAST/DEBALLAST REDEMO, DTE REDEMO, CMWWDS, IPDS, DECON, SMOKE EJECTION SYSTEM, HFP SYSTEMS OUTSIDE THE MACHINERY PLANT, SALT WATER SPRINKLING SYSTEMS OUTSIDE THE MACHINERY PLANT, TEMP AND SMOKE ALARM, SCBA CHARGING AND BREATHING AIR MAIN, VARIOUS NON-MACHINERY SPACE AFFF SPRINKLING SYSTEMS, AIRBORNE NOISE SURVEY, HEAT STRESS SURVEY, DSVL REDEMO, FLUX GATE COMPASS REDEMO, NIXIE, VARIOUS COMMS, TACAN REDEMO, IFF REDEMO, SLQ-32 REDEMO, 23TV, BFTT, ENGINEERING CONTROL SYSTEM RELIABILITY, AT/FP LOAD-OUT, DEGAUSSING, AMMO HANDLING ROUTES, FATHOMETER PERFORMANCE, MAGAZINE SPRINKLER CHECKS, AMMO READY SERVICE LOCKER INSPECTIONS, ARMORY AND MAGAZINE INSPECTIONS, RAM MOD 3 INSPECTION, CREW-SERVED WEAPONS STATIONS INSPECTIONS, MK 46 30MM GUN SYSTEM INSPECTION/DEMO, SSES AT-SEA DEMO, KSQ-1 DEMO, DWBTS, GCCS-M, LINK 11/16, MEDICAL FACILITIES, DENTAL FACILITIES, EYEWASH STATIONS, OWS, PLASTIC AND SOLID WASTE SYSTEMS, WORK SHOP SAFETY, SAFETY NETS, JP-5 SYSTEM DEMONSTRATION, AND AVIATION SUPPORT FACILITIES DEMONSTRATION).

W. SHIPBUILDER-PROVIDED CREW TRAINING IN THIS SHIPBUILDING YARD FALLS SHORT OF OTHER NEW CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS. IN THE TICONDEROGA-CLASS SHIPBUILDING PROGRAM OVER 25 CREW TRAINING COURSES WERE PROVIDED. IN THE ARLEIGH BURKE-CLASS SHIPBUILDING PROGRAM OVER 25 CREW TRAINING COURSES WERE PROVIDED. THE SAN ANTONIO-CLASS SHIPBUILDING PROGRAM IS CURRENTLY COMPRISED OF ONLY SIX GENERAL FAMILIARIZATION COURSES. THIS IMPACT IS MITIGATED IN SAN ANTONIO BY CONSTRUCTION DELAYS WHICH HAVE PROVIDED FOR MORE TRAINING TIME, BUT PART I OF III. PART II DTG 081812ZJUL05, PART III DTG 081813ZJUL05 MSGID/GENADMIN/PRESINSURV NORFOLK VA/-/JUL/ SUBJ/INSURV REPORT FOR PCU SAN ANTONIO (LPD 17) ACCEPTANCE TRIAL (AT) WILL BECOME A FACTOR IN FUTURE CREWS OF FOLLOW-ON PRECOMM UNITS. THERE ARE NO SAN ANTONIO-CLASS SPECIFIC NEC TRAINING COURSES. UNIQUE SYSTEMS (SWAN, ECS, ETC.) WILL REQUIRE THE PROGRAM MANAGER TO FUND FACTORY TRAINING FOR THIS AND FUTURE PRECOMM CREWS. HOWEVER, AFTER THE SHIPS IN THIS PROGRAM HAVE FINISHED CONSTRUCTION, TRAINING FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF THESE CRITICAL SYSTEMS WILL BE RESIDENT ONLY WITHIN THE SHIPS LIFELINES THROUGH OJT. THERE ARE NO EMBEDDED TRAINERS FOR THESE UNIQUE SYSTEMS.

X. THE VCHT SYSTEM HAD 25 DEFICIENCIES THAT PREVENTED CERTIFICATION OF THE SYSTEM.

Y. MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE EQUIPMENT FOR UNDERWAY OPERATIONS WAS ACHIEVED AT 1143 ON DAY FOUR OF THE INSPECTION.

Z. 36 OF 100 WATERTIGHT CLOSURES INSPECTED WERE NOT WATERTIGHT.

AA. 0 OF 2 IPDS WERE OPERATIONAL.

BB. 18 OF 18 VENTILATION AIRFLOW ALARMS WERE EITHER INOP OR MISADJUSTED.

CC. 11 CRITICAL DEFICIENCIES PRECLUDED OILY WATER SEPARATORS CERTIFICATION.

3. STARRED DEFICIENCIES:

A. PROPULSION:

* THE STABILITY OF THE ENGINEERING CONTROL SYSTEM (ECS) WAS SUSPECT. FAULTS OBSERVED INCLUDED SEVERAL SYSTEM CRASHES, LOSS OF VARIOUS DAUS VRTUS, AND LOSS OF COMMUNICATIONS WITH VARIOUS CRITICAL ELEMENTS OF THE PROPULSION AND ELECTRICAL PLANTS (MPDES, SSDGS, ETC.) THE ECS HAD AN EXCESSIVE NUMBER OF ACTIVE ALARMS THROUGHOUT THE BUILDERS TRIAL.

* NUMEROUS ECS INPUTS WERE NOT CONNECTED.

* AMOT LUBE OIL TEMPERATURE REGULATING VALVES IN THE MAIN PROPULSION DIESEL ENGINE (MPDE) LUBE OIL SYSTEMS WERE IMPROPERLY SET. INCORRECTLY REGULATED MPDE ENGINE LUBE OIL TEMPERATURE PREVENTED THE SHIP FROM MAKING FULL POWER FOR A SUSTAINED PERIOD. ENGINE LUBE OIL TEMPERATURES WHILE AT FULL POWER, DROVE LUBE OIL TEMPS OUT OF LIMITS HIGH (IN EXCESS OF 140 DEGREES F).

B. AUXILIARIES

* NRS 1, 2, AND 3 CARGO AND WEAPONS ELEVATORS INSTALLATION WAS INCOMPLETE AND UNTESTED.

* CHILLED WATER PLANT TITANIUM HEAT EXCHANGERS WERE NOT PROVIDED WITH CHLORINATORS/DECHLORINATORS.

* IN THE FORWARD WATERHEATER/DUMBWAITER ROOM, THE DUMBWAITER HOIST CABLE DRUM LACKED A SAFETY GUARD TO PREVENT A PERSON FROM BECOMING ACCIDENTALLY CAUGHT UP IN THE MACHINE.

* ANCHOR WINDLASS HYDRAULIC SYSTEM, INLET AND OUTLET SIDES OF THE COOLERS, LACKED SEVERAL REQUIRED THERMOMETERS.

* STEERING SYSTEM PORT RUDDER EXCEEDED THE MAXIMUM ALLOWED DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACTUAL VERSUS ORDERED RUDDER POSITION (DID NOT MEET THE NEW CONSTRUCTION 1/4 DEGREE SPECIFICATION).

* WHILE THE INFLATABLE BOOT ON THE PORT RUDDER POST WAS INFLATED THE SHIPYARD CYCLED THE PORT RUDDER. THE INTEGRITY OF THIS INFLATABLE BOOT WAS QUESTIONABLE. TO VERIFY BOOT INTEGRITY, THE SHIPBUILDER REINFLATED THE BOOT TO 80 PSI AND IT HELD PRESSURE FOR 10 MINUTES. RECOMMEND VISUAL INSPECTION OF THIS BOOT DURING THE PLANNED PSA DRYDOCKING.

* REEFER MACHINERY AND CHILLED WATER PLANT MACHINERY ROOM SPACE HALOCARBON MONITORING AND ALARM SYSTEMS WERE INOP.

C. ELECTRICAL

* SSDGS SUFFER FROM OIL FOAMING. NRS 1 AND 2 SSDGS OIL WAS CHANGED WITHIN TWO DAYS OF THE SHIP GETTING UNDERWAY ON BUILDERS TRIAL. 3 OF 5 SSDGS HAD FILTERS REPLACED WITH NEW MESH AND MICRON FILTERS. THE PROBLEM WAS NOT OBSERVED DURING THE A.T., BUT THESE ENGINES WERE RUN INSUFFICIENTLY TO FULLY EVALUATE THE REPAIR.

* 5 OF 5 SSDG ENCLOSURES HAD ELECTRICAL JUNCTION BOXES AND CONTROLLERS LOCATED BENEATH THE DECK PLATES. ADDITIONALLY, SEVERAL OF THE CONTROLLERS COULD NOT BE OPENED BECAUSE THEY WERE FOULED BY PERMANENTLY INSTALLED DECK PLATE SUPPORT STRUCTURES.

* 60 HZ LCAC POWER SYSTEM WAS INCOMPLETE.

* ADVANCED AUTOMATIC DEGAUSSING SYSTEM/MAGNETIC SIGNATURE CONTROL SYSTEM INSTALLATION WAS INCOMPLETE AND UNTESTED.

* THE 12 (EW/SSES WARNING) AND 75 (DECON ANNOUNCING) MC ANNOUNCING SYSTEMS WERE INCOMPLETE AND UNTESTED.

* DARKEN SHIP SYSTEM INSTALLATION WAS INCOMPLETE AND UNTESTED. LACK OF LOUVERS INSTALLED OVER THE VENTILATION FAN ROOM INLET PLENUMS AND NUMEROUS MOTOR CONTROLLERS THROUGHOUT THE SHIP CONSTITUTED LIGHT LEAKS.

* NOT ALL ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONIC SPACES WERE EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRIC GRADE DECK MATTING AS REQUIRED.

D. DAMAGE CONTROL:

* SMOKE EJECTION SYSTEM INSTALLATION WAS INCOMPLETE AND UNTESTED.

* NUMEROUS MCTS CANNOT BE MADE WATERTIGHT IN THEIR PRESENT CONFIGURATION DUE TO EXCESSIVE CABLE PENETRATIONS, POOR CRAFTSMANSHIP AND QUALITY INSTALLATION, AND OVERSTUFFING OF MCTS.

* REMOTE OPERATORS THROUGHOUT THE MACHINERY SPACES WERE CONNECTED TO THE VALVE STEMS VIA ALUMINUM HANDWHEELS.

* BREATHING AIR SYSTEM WAS NOT COMPLETE. THE SHIP WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH EBACS. THERE WAS NO WAY TO RECHARGE SELF-CONTAINED BREATHER APPARATUS (SCBA) AIR BOTTLES. AIR MAIN FLASKS WERE NOT INSTALLED. THE PIPING SYSTEM WAS INCOMPLETE. COMPRESSORS WERE NEITHER CONNECTED NOR TESTED.

* ALL SSDG RESERVE HFP FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM DOES NOT MEET REQUIREMENTS OF MIL SPEC MIL-E-24572B FOR A TYPE III SYSTEM. THE RESERVE SYSTEM VENTILATION PRESSURE SWITCH DOES NOT SECURE THE VENTILATION FANS IN THE SSDG ENCLOSURE UPON HFP ACTUATION.

* FLIGHT DECK AFFF SPRINKLING AT THE CENTERLINE OF THE DECK WAS INADEQUATE.

* COLLECTIVE PROTECTION SYSTEM (CPS) INSTALLATION WAS INCOMPLETE AND UNTESTED.

* COUNTERMEASURE WATER WASHDOWN SYSTEM (CMWWS) ZONES 1 THROUGH 5 WERE INCOMPLETE AND UNTESTED.

* DECONTAMINATION STATIONS WERE INCOMPLETE.

* 476 OF 576 WATERTIGHT CLOSURES WERE NOT TESTED BECAUSE OF THE LARGE NUMBER OF TEMPORARY SERVICES RUN THROUGHOUT THE SHIP. WATERTIGHT CLOSURE INSPECTIONS FOR FIT-UP, WARPAGE, DOGGING MECHANISM ADJUSTMENT, AND CHALK TEST COULD NOT BE COMPLETED.

* REMOTELY-OPERATED FIREMAIN VALVES COULD NOT BE OPERATED ELECTRICALLY AT THE INDIVIDUAL COMPONENT IN VIOLATION OF SHIP SPEC 521D WHICH STATES THAT LOCAL HARD-WIRED CONTROL FOR EACH FIREMAIN PUMP AND MOTOR-OPERATED VALVE SHALL BE AVAILABLE AT THE COMPONENT.

* MAIN AND AUXILIARY MACHINERY SPACE BILGE SPRINKLING NOZZLES SPRAYED UP AND SOAKED VARIOUS ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS.

* PORTABLE CO2, PKP, AND AFFF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS WERE MISSING THROUGHOUT THE SHIP OR NOT INSTALLED PER SPEC. NO CO2 BOTTLES WERE LOCATED WITHIN REQUIRED DISTANCE OF GENERATORS, SWITCHBOARDS, AND LOAD CENTERS.

* 19 OF 137 REQUIRED FIRE STATIONS WERE NOT INSTALLED. ALL FIRE STATIONS HAD NUMEROUS DISCREPANCIES TO INCLUDE MISSING INVENTORY PLACARD (NONE INSTALLED), BULLSEYES (NONE INSTALLED), HOSE STRAPS (NONE INSTALLED), HOSES, SPANNER WRENCHES AND SECURING BRACKETS, NOZZLE SECURED BRACKETS, INCORRECT NOZZLES, ETC.

* HEAT AND SMOKE DETECTION SYSTEM INSTALLATION WAS INCOMPLETE. TWO ZONES WERE INCOMPLETE. 400 OF 1179 DETECTORS WERE INCOMPLETE AND UNTESTED. THERE WERE 83 DETECTORS WITH ACTIVE FAULTS.

* AFFF SPRINKLING GROUPS 5, 6, 8, AND 9 WERE INCOMPLETE (VEHICLE STOWAGE AREAS).

* BERTHING COMPARTMENT SPRINKLER SYSTEMS FOR 02-0 AND 02-2 SYSTEMS WERE INCOMPLETE.

* WPCS COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM INSTALLATION WAS INCOMPLETE AND UNTESTED.

* 8 OF 11 DEBALLAST AIR MAIN ISOLATION VALVES WERE INACCESSIBLE AND REQUIRED REMOTE OPERATORS. BECAUSE OF THE LIFT AND RIGGING GEAR REQUIRED TO ACCESS THESE VALVES, THEIR PLACEMENT WOULD HINDER RAPID CASUALTY RESPONSE IN THE EVENT SECTIONS OF THE DEBALLAST AIR MAIN NEEDED TO BE ISOLATED TO SUPPORT CONTINUED DEBALLAST OPERATIONS.

* IPDS INSTALLATION WAS INCOMPLETE AND UNTESTED.

* NON-ENGINEERING SPACE HFP INSTALLATIONS WERE INCOMPLETE AND UNTESTED.

Labels: LPD-17

// posted by CDR Salamander @ 12:58