USN to Operate with Nine CSGs by Year's End


CVN 76 USS Ronald Reagan (photo : US DoD)

The US Navy (USN) will operate with nine carrier strike groups (CSGs) by the end of the year, reducing the effectiveness of the service's 11-carrier force, Jane's has learnt.

The service plans to dissolve CSG Seven, previously attached to USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), in reaction to a short-term reduction in carrier capability following the planned decommissioning of USSEnterprise (CVN 65) in 2013 and before the first next-generation Gerald Ford-class carrier (CVN 78) commissions in 2015.

According to a 1 August memo from the office of the Chief of Naval Operations, a CSG will be relocated from Naval Station Everett, Washington, to Naval Station San Diego, California, to shore up the loss when CSG Seven stands down in December. CSG Nine from Everett will replace CSG Seven. CSG Nine is currently composed of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Carrier Air Wing Two and elements of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) Nine.

Next year Abraham Lincoln will begin its mid-life refuelling and complex overhaul (RCOH), which will take four years to complete and keep the carrier out of the fleet for the duration of the repairs and refuelling.

Currently USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) is undergoing that process, which is expected to be completed by late 2012 or early 2013.

sosej

dang they got vaastergotland class sub
kesian, USS - Enterprise kena retired by 2013 

Oil and Trade Routes: The Battle for the South China Sea


June 7, 2011
Al Jazeera & Agence France-Presse & Times of India & Oil Price.com - Posted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.

Six countries -- China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia -- are scrambling to control the South China Sea. China estimates there could be up to 213 billion barrels of oil beneath the sea. Control of these waters would give China the world's second-largest proven oil reserves, just falling behind Saudi Arabia. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has warned that clashes may erupt unless nations adopt a mechanism to settle disputes peacefully.

sosej

New World War II Memorial Unveiled @ Sandakan Memorial Park 2011
Credit to mcwood @ militaryphotos.net

MALCON-ISAF - Malaysian medical team delivers innovative healthcare 2011
Credit to mcwood @ militaryphotos.net

BAE Systems Seeks Feedback on MIG-29N Replacement Programme

KUALA LUMPUR --- BAE Systems, which is eyeing Malaysia's MiG-29N replacement programme, is currently seeking responses and gathering information from local companies as well as government agencies on the requirements of the programme and the industry.

Its director, Typhoon Malaysia, Military Air & Information, Ian Malin, said for the past months, the UK-based defence and aerospace company has been engaging with government agencies like Malaysian Investment Development Authority and Malaysia Industry-Government Group for High Technology as well as 20 local companies in various sectors.

"We have been talking with the industry players as well as government agencies to get their feedback and to know specifically what Malaysia wants. We will continue to do so for the next couple of months," he told a media briefing here today.

Among industry options the company could offer included research and development, training, manufacturing, systems integration as well as in maintenance, repair and overhaul, Malin said.

In March, BAE Systems submitted a rough order of magnitude prices of the multi-role combat aircraft Eurofighter Typhoon to replace the 18 MiG-2N aircraft.

BAE Systems will likely be up against three other competitors, including Boeing, French's Rafale and Sweden's Gripen, for the replacement programme. Eurofighter Typhoon is manufactured by BAE Systems and three European partner nations -- Germany, Italy and Spain.

On other note, the company has moved its regional head office to Kuala Lumpur from Singapore, which will help strengthen relationships with existing customers and industrial partners in the region, as well as developing new business opportunities in emerging markets such as Vietnam.

The move underpinned BAE Systems' long-term commitment to Malaysia, in which it has had a presence for over 20 years.

It would allow the company to focus on growing Asian markets, where many governments have an interest in achieving industrial growth through collaborations, technology transfer and inward investment.

BAE Systems, which is a familiar face at the bi-annual Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA), will participate in this year's LIMA from Dec 6-10, 2011.

sosej

credit to mcwood @ militaryphotos.net

Aircraft Carrier from Transformer movie Comes Calling @ Port Kelang, Malaysia 2011
credit to mcwood @ militaryphotos.net

MALCON-ISAF 2 : Contact Drill For Malaysian Troop in Bamyan Afghanistan 2011
credit to mcwood @ militaryphotos.net for the sos.
Credit From Wangsa Maju to Bamyan

We conducted a contact drill today with our security forces and medical personnel just to prepare our soldiers against any possible threat or unwanted situations while performing our duties here in Bamyan. Although we are mainly a medical team ( with some security forces personnel escorting us in all our deployment here) , we still have to take care of ourselves in any critical or threatening situations. We never know what might happen but we are praying to Allah to allow us to perform our duty to help the people of Afghanistan with Allah's protection and May ALLAH grant us with his blessings and safety. So far, Bamyan is safe but training like this is being conducted from time to time to help improve our readiness all the time. Because Bamyan's road are mostly narrow , we made our own SOP for contact drill after taking into account the terrain and enemy's possible course of action. It covers contact from all possible directions .

The NATO's SOP for contact drill is quite straight forward and does not require any personnel to come out of the vehicle but taking into account that we do not have mounted GPMG or any other support weapon ( because we are a medical team using medical vehicles ), we devised an SOP which require an alternate withdrawal technique on foot in conditions where the attacked vehicle is badly damaged and can't be mobilised at all. The training was good , and the review by our international military coalition partners which were involved in this exercise were good. I am praying to Allah that we will never have to conduct this maneouver at all as we have come in peace....just to help the people of Afghanistan.

Malaysia Mulls Joint UK Warship Development


Type 26 FFG (all images : Defense Industry Daily)

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia is considering a number of defence joint ventures with the UK including the development of navy ships with BAE Systems, reported The Timesin London today.

The UK paper reported however that the Malaysian government would want assurances that it would be protected from the type of budget overruns that had hit previous BAE projects.

“Malaysia is considering joining Britain in developing a new generation of navy frigates — but only if it is protected from the sort of budget blowouts that have blighted recent BAE projects,” said The Times.

“Brazil, India, Turkey and Australia have expressed interest in helping to develop the Type 26 frigate, or Global Combat Ship, but BAE’s reputation has made other potential partners nervous and Malaysia would want a guarantee that it would not be liable for budget overruns before it signed up.”

It also quoted Grant Rogan, the chief executive of Blenheim Capital, an apparent adviser to the Malaysian government, as saying that the project had been discussed at the ministerial level in Malaysia as a way to both strengthen bilateral relations with the UK and grow the nation’s industrial base but that the Malaysian government will be “very firm on cost control”.



Rogan was also quoted as saying that the Type 26 frigate is just one of a number of potential defence joint ventures that Malaysia is considering with Britain.

According to The Times, BAE Systems had bust its budget for the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers, which entered service three years late while the cost of the six ships increased from £5 billion (RM24.38 billion) to £6.4 billion.

It added that BAE’s Astute nuclear submarine was delivered five years late and its cost increased from £5.2 billion to £6.7 billion

The proposed Type 26, which will weigh up to 6,000 tonnes, is supposed to replace Type 22 and Type 23 frigates and is expected to form the backbone of the UK Navy’s fleet from about 2020.

BAE, together with Turkey’s Nurol, won a contract last year to supply 250 armoured vehicles to Malaysia, in a deal reportedly worth RM1.72 billion.

The company was also reported in July to be bidding for a tender to replace Malaysia’s MiG-29N with its Eurofighter Typhoon.

The Times said that the MiG-29N replacement deal could be worth £2.4 billion.
The UK based BAE Systems is considered Europe’s largest defence contractor and had 2010 sales of about £22.4 billion.

sosej

FPDA 40th Anniversary 1971-2011
credit to mcwood @ militaryphotos.net

Five-Power Defence Agreement's Bersama Lima 2011
credit to mcwood @ militaryphotos.net