Invisible No Longer, May 22, 2023

Hello Staff Member, It may be called the “Silent Service”, but America’s submarine force is no longer invisible. The Navy has traditionally kept the whereabouts of its nuclear submarines a closely guarded secret to ensure America’s nuclear defense. Recently, however, the Navy has highly publicized the presence of Ohio Class “Boomer” submarines at numerous places around the world, even issuing press releases in some cases. The pattern is a clear change in strategy that would have been unthinkable in years past.

The U.S. Strategic Command, for example, recently issued a press release announcing a visit by the nuclear attack submarine USS West Virginia to the American naval base on the island of Diego Garcia. Earlier this month, the Ohio class SSBN USS Rhode Island made a public visit to the British naval base at Gibraltar, and the USS Michigan very publicly sailed into port on the Japanese island of Okinawa last November.

What explains this increased willingness of the Navy to disclose the activities of its most secretive nuclear submarines?

Deterrence.

American policymakers seem to be sending a very strong message to potential adversaries around the world; we are where you least expect us, and we are ready. 

Historically, America kept the whereabouts of its submarine fleet secret to deter a preemptive nuclear strike, the theory being the enemy could never be certain we could not retaliate. Today, it seems, America has decided to showcase our military might as a warning to peer adversaries, like China and Russia, that America is not to be trifled with. These unprecedented disclosures also serve to reassure our allies and partners that we will be there when they need us.

We live in a dangerous world, perhaps flashing the bad guys our saber isn’t such a bad idea.

~~SOT Staff

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK SOT TEAM!

May 23, 2023 - Last week Support Our Troops^® supplied 8,000 deploying solders. And that was just one request that was filled. All made possible by the money and goods supplied to SOT by great Americans like you!    What a great country!

Navy Poseidon Stands Watch Against Iran

Strait of Hormuz. (May 14, 2023): In this photo by MC2 Jacob Vernier, naval personnel from Bahrain, France, United Kingdom, and United States conduct a multilateral patrol aboard a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft over the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions are rising in the region due to attacks on commercial shipping by the Islamic Republic of Iran. For a second time this week, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy seized another oil tanker in an escalation of attacks on privately owned ships operating legally in international waters. These illegal detentions threaten the freedom of navigation in this vital waterway, the choke point through which one fifth of the world’s oil flows.

The task of protecting free navigation through the Strait falls to the formidable U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, based in Bahrain. One of the key tools to monitor air and naval traffic in the Strait is the Boeing P-8A Poseidon. This is the latest maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft produced by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, for the United States Navy.

The Poseidon is a multi-mission aircraft used for maritime patrols to monitor vessels on and below the surface. Its design is based on the commercial Boeing 737-800 fuselage that has been substantially modified to include a weapons bay, increased electrical generation capacity, and strengthened wings for military operations.

The Poseidon has modern surveillance sensors, electronic counter measures, and a suite of radios, data links, and satellite communications gear. With a fuel capacity of almost 34 tons, the Poseidon can remain on station as far as 1,200 miles from base.

It is armed with torpedoes and Harpoon anti-ship missiles and can drop and monitor sonobuoys to detect enemy submarines. The Poseidon also deploys the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle.

Today, the Poseidon is operated by the United States Navy, the Indian Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force, the Royal Norwegian Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. It has also been ordered by the Republic of Korea Navy, and the German Navy.

These multinational patrols are a symbol of the world’s determination to enforce laws of free navigation of the high seas.

Grey Wolves Guarding Ballistic Missile Sites

Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. (May 18, 2023): In this photo by Samuel King, Jr., an MH-139A Grey Wolf lifts an Air Force Global Strike Command Detachment 7 special mission aviator into the air as part of live hoist testing of the Air Force’s newest helicopter. The 413th Flight Test Squadron and Det. 7 worked together to successfully complete a series of critical performance tests on this latest in utility rotary wing aircraft.

The Grey Wolf replaces the venerable UH-1H Huey, our nation’s most rugged utility helicopter since the 1970s. The Grey Wolf flies 50% faster and has greater range than the Huey and can lift 5,000 lbs. more payload. Built by Boeing, the Grey Wolf can handle multiple roles ranging from protecting U.S. ballistic missile sites to transporting government officials and security forces. Today, its chief job is patrolling the US arsenal of land-based ICBMs and the bases that support these missile-laden silos.

To join the Air Force fleet, the Grey Wolf had to pass the rigorous testing program of two of the most unique units in the U.S. military; the 413th Flight Test Group and the Air Force Global Strike Command. One group is dedicated to sophisticated flight-testing methods and the other provides the pilots and special mission aviators.

The 413th, based at Robbins Air Force base, Georgia, is the Air Force’s only dedicated rotary test unit that conducts flight evaluations on aircraft being considered for acquisition. The group is a partnership between the Air Force Materiel and the Reserve Commands that supervise all flight test. The unit includes five squadrons made up of 140 full-time Airmen, 78 traditional reservists, and nine civil servants. The 413th has a colorful history dating to 1944 when the Group flew long range escort missions of B-29 Superfortress bombers attacking Japan. During the Cold War, the unit was a Strategic Air Command fighter-escort wing and later under Tactical Air Command as a fighter squadron in the 1950s. Today, the group's units are stationed throughout the United States to help conduct functional flight tests.

The Air Force Global Strike Command, Detachment 7, is the direct descendant of the Cold War–era Strategic Air Command (SAC) and its mission today is to provide security and support for the nation’s intercontinental ballistic missile fields in Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, Colorado, and Nebraska.  The Strike Command contributed pilots and flight technicians to the evaluation of the Grey Wolf which is now the Air Force’s standard in utility rotary aircraft.

Did Someone Order Groceries?

Navy Replenishes “Boomers” At Sea

Philippine Sea. (May 17, 2023): In this photo by Lance Corporal Emily Weiss, Staff Sergeant Joseph McDonnell, a crew chief with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, lowers a package to the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Maine during a vertical replenishment at sea. These airborne deliveries enable naval vessels to quickly take on vital supplies without interrupting maritime operations.

This at sea replenishment is a key factor in the Marine Corps “Stand In” concept of positioning its forces in wartime. The strategy is to devise ways to deploy and sustain forces as close to the enemy as possible. America currently has 14 Ohio Class nuclear submarines in service and another four converted into conventionally armed guided missile boats. These subs carry up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and also serve as motherships for special forces.

Also known as “Boomers”, these submarines can be loaded with up to 20 Trident II ballistic missiles each with multiple independent warheads. The Navy's various classes of submarines can host of a variety of missions including stand-off strikes, intelligence-gathering, and discrete infiltration/extrication of special operations troops.

The ability to supply these vessels to resupply submarines while underway is critical to American combat success.

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Aviation Crew Chiefs Call The Shots

Hohenfels, Germany. (May 5, 2023): When can a Specialist issue orders even a General must obey? When they are an aviation Crew Chief aboard military helicopters.

That is when, for safety reasons, what they say goes regardless of rank. In this photo by Specialist Joshua Zayas, Crew Chief Specialist Logan Speakman, assigned to the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, talks with his team over the radio while aboard the UH-72A Lakota aircraft.

Specialist Speakman and his Lakota are participating in Combined Resolve 18, a joint exercise involving U.S. Army Europe and Africa forces and the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division.

All crew chiefs initially join the Army as helicopter repairers where they learn their trade by tearing down their assigned aircraft and building it back up. As Crew Chiefs, this experience comes in handy when major repairs are needed in an emergency.

They also must have proven leadership skills to oversee both aircraft operations and the maintenance crews that keep their bird flying. Their other duties include pre-flight checks, overseeing daily maintenance, and maintaining an aircraft logbook. In combat, a Crew Chief instructs fellow team members on how to mark landing zones, drop grenades, and fire machine guns.

Crew Chiefs oversee the entire helicopter crew and frequently arrive hours before takeoff and are the last to leave the hanger after every mission.

The Lakota is a twin engine four blade chopper procured by the Army in 2006 to replace the aging UH-1H Huey and OH-58 Kiowa helicopters. The Lakota can carry up to 8 troops or 2 stretchers plus a medical crew and large clamshell doors on the rear of the airframe to allow access to the cargo area. Fully loaded, it can reach speeds of 170 mph.

The Dakota is now the standard unarmed helicopter used by the Joint Multinational Readiness Center based in Bavaria, Germany. The Center teaches battle tactics and has a Leader Training Program for non-commissioned officers. The 7th Army Training Command headquartered at Tower Barracks in Grafenwoehr, Germany, is responsible for conducting all readiness training for U.S. Army Europe and Africa and is currently involved in training Ukraine forces in their battle against the Russians.

For AF Loadmasters, Balance is Everything 

Royal Air Force Base Amberley, Queensland, Australia. (May 6, 2023): In this photo by Senior Airman Makenzie Cooper, U.S. Air Force Technical Sgt. Joseph Hoffman, an Advanced Instructor Course loadmaster with the 535th Airlift Squadron, sits on the ramp of a C-17 Globemaster III during a training flight over Australia during exercise Global Dexterity 23-1, This is the sixth exercise between the U.S. Air Force and its Indo-Pacific partners that has taken on greater urgency given the current political situation.

Global Dexterity is a coalition exercise between USAF and RAAF C-17 squadrons to develop seamless operations and maintenance integration so that one day RAAF and USAF operations are indistinguishable from one another. The Royal Australian Air Force No. 36 Squadron and U.S. Air Force 15th Wing teamed up during the two-week-long exercise to practice tactical airlift and airdrop capabilities.

During the exercise, both nations integrated aircrews and conducted low-level formations and cargo and personnel airdrops taking the unique opportunity to fly numerous C-17s in formation. In a humanitarian crisis, for example, the ability to launch multiple C-17’s with mixed crews doing airdrop missions will be critical to saving lives.

The C-17 Globemaster III is the Air Force’s most flexible cargo plane capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area. The C-17 is enormous, measuring 174 feet long with a wingspan of 170 feet and is powered by four giant Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engines. Despite its gargantuan size, the C-17 is designed to operate through small, austere airfields and it can take off and land on runways as short as 3,500 feet and only 90 feet wide. This flying warehouse cruises at 500 mph at an altitude of 28,000 feet and has a range of approximately 2,400 nautical miles. The aircraft is used for tactical airlift and airdrop missions and can transport ambulatory patients during aeromedical evacuations.

Unseen to the public is the enormous amount of planning that goes into every C-17 cargo flight. The size and weight of U.S.-mechanized firepower and equipment have grown over the years and so has the need for larger air transport capability to deliver troops and equipment to the battlefield. Cargo is loaded onto the C-17 through a large aft ramp and door system that can accommodate102 paratroopers with their accompanying equipment.

The Loadmaster is responsible for properly loading, securing, and escorting cargo and passengers ensuring everything and everyone is safe and secure on flights all over the world.

 (Editor’s Note: The Advanced Instructor Loadmaster Course is very selective.  Airmen must be nominated through their respective squadrons and approved by their wing commander and then pass a selection board that decides who will attend the rigorous 14-week program).

After 48 Years Of Service

America Bids Farewell To The Nimitz

Philippine Sea. (May 16, 2023): The U.S. Navy recently announced the decision to retire the veritable USS Nimitz aircraft carrier just as the nation’s oldest-serving U.S aircraft carrier successfully completed its 350,000th arrested aircraft landing, a milestone nearly 48 years in the making. In this photo by  MC2 Justin McTaggart, a Sailor prepares an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the “Kestrels” of Strike Fighter Squadron 137 for launch. Commissioned in 1975, the Nimitz has served with distinction in numerous regional crises around the world. Tens of thousands of Sailors and Marines have sailed on the Nimitz during some 30 deployments to fulfill difficult and dangerous missions.

The Navy named its largest and most powerful class of aircraft carrier in honor of the accomplishments of Chester W. Nimitz, Chief of Naval Operations during World War II.

Admiral Nimitz, who died in 1966 at age 80, not only commissioned America’s first nuclear powered submarine but also established the Navy’s elite Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron.

Plans for disassembling and salvaging the Nimitz are underway and, unless Congress extends its lifetime, this symbol of American firepower will no longer ply the world’s oceans defending freedom.

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