Category Archives: 7th Fleet

Russian and Chinese Coast Guards Exercise Together and Form Combined Task Force / The CCG Cutters

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Recently the China Coast Guard and the Russian Coast Guard held joint exercises in the Peter the Great Gulf near Vladivostok. After the exercise, they formed a joint task force. 

Also wanted to identify the China Coast Guard Cutters seen in the video.

They are Zhaoduan class Type 818, derived from the PLAN Type 054A frigates. According to the Office of Naval Intelligence, (lots of information at the link. The China Coast Guard has the largest coast guard fleet in the world) there are at least six of the class. They are almost as large as National Security Cutters (NSC), reportedly 4,000 tons full load, 134 meters (440′) in length, 16 meters (52.5′) of beam, speed 27 knots, range 8,000 miles.

In addition to the 76mm gun, they have a pair of 30mm Gatling guns. It is not clear if they have a fire control system that would make the 30mm guns effective as CIWS, but they could certainly do serious damage to surface targets at close range in a very short time.

“USCG Pacific Comments Latest Chinese Ramming of Philippine Coast Guard Vessel” –Naval News

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USCGC Waesche accompanies the PCG’s Melchora Aquino (sister ship of BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) during a search-and-rescue exercise in the South China Sea in July 2024. (USCG)

Naval News reports on the comments of Rear Admiral Andrew M. Sugimoto, Deputy Pacific Area Commander, about the US Coast Guard’s position regarding Chinese attempts to intimidate the Philippine Coast Guard. Read it. It is excellent reporting.

I will just note a couple of things.

What is this? I think it is a can opener, meaning this tactic was premeditated in the construction of this class.

China Coast Guard cutter 5205 was the same ship that used a laser against the Philippine Coast Guard in February 2023.

I would also note that while the Chinese cutter involved has both a 76mm gun and 30mm auto cannon, the 97-meter (317′) Japanese built Philippine cutter is armed with nothing larger than .50 caliber machine guns, so the China Coast Guard cutter could be confident, the Philippine cutter would not respond to the attack with gun fire.

The Philippine Cutter may have been marginally faster than the Chinese cutter, but she may have also been boxed in by other Chinese vessels on scene.

New Japan Coast Guard Base Ship?

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Alex Luck
@AlexLuck9
“Japan intends to procure a very large coast guard hull suitable for supporting helicopter ops and extended EEZ deployments as a “mobile base”, to be commissioned towards 2030.
Reminder that size growth of coast guard assets is a general trend.”

Pulled from X, no idea of the source or validity.

Thanks to Sven for bringing this to my attention.

“MQ-9B SeaGuardian Showcased at RIMPAC 2024” –News Release

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An MQ-9 Sea Guardian unmanned maritime surveillance aircraft system flies over the Pacific Ocean during U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Unmanned Systems Integrated Battle Problem (UxS IBP) 21, April 21. UxS IBP 21 integrates manned and unmanned capabilities into challenging operational scenarios to generate warfighting advantages. US Navy Photo

The Coast Guard has an unfilled requirement for a shore based Uncrewed Air System (UAS) to provide Maritime Domain Awareness.

Below is a news release from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

Reading the news release, I see the system incorporated an “integrated Minotaur Mission System.” Minotaur is a system currently being installed on all Coast Guard fixed wing search aircraft as well as US Navy and Marine Corps platforms. It went on to say “For RIMPAC, the MQ-9B effectively passed ISR&T (Intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting–Chuck) information to various surface and air units, such as the Nimitz-class carrier USS Carl Vinson, Guided Missile Destroyers (DDGs), Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), frigates, patrol boats, P-8s, P-3s, and numerous other U.S. and foreign units that took part in the exercise.” Could that have included Midgett and her task force? The use of the MQ-9B to drop sonobuoys for the task force and their embarked ASW helicopters would have been an interesting experiment.

GA-ASI’s MQ-9B SeaGuardian® Showcased at RIMPAC 2024

Sonobuoy Dispensing System and LRASM Among the New Capabilities Featured

SAN DIEGO – 14 August 2024 – With the completion of the U.S. Navy’s Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) flight operations on July 28, 2024, the MQ-9B SeaGuardian® Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) supplied by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., self-deployed back to its home base in El Mirage, Calif., but only after introducing an array of new capabilities. The flight home followed close to 100 flight hours supporting RIMPAC 2024 over the four-week exercise in and around the Hawaiian Islands.

RIMPAC is the world’s largest international maritime exercise. RIMPAC 2024 featured 29 nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, more than 150 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel.

SeaGuardian provided real-time Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) data feeds to the U.S. Pacific Fleet Command Center using Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) parametrics and full-motion video to the watch floor and intelligence centers for real-time dynamic tasking — just as it did for the RIMPAC 2022 exercise. This year, SeaGuardian delivered some new features and capabilities, including Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) targeting and a new Sonobuoy Dispensing System (SDS) to support its Anti-Submarine Warfare capability. SeaGuardian was configured with a prototype SDS pod capable of deploying 10 A-size sonobuoys per pod (SeaGuardian can carry up to four SDS pods or up to 40 sonobuoys) and the SeaVue Multi-role radar from Raytheon, an RTX business. Upon dispensing, the sonobuoys were successfully monitored and controlled by the SeaGuardian’s onboard Sonobuoy Monitoring and Control System (SMCS).

SeaGuardian is a maritime derivative of the MQ-9B SkyGuardian® and remains the first UAS that offers multi-domain Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Targeting (ISR&T) as an internal payload that can search the ocean’s surface and depths in support of Fleet Operations. At RIMPAC 2024, SeaGuardian showcased all operational payloads, which includes the SeaVue, SNC’s Electronic Support Measures (ESM) solution, an Automatic Identification System (AIS), and a self-contained Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) system.

SeaGuardian’s multi-domain capabilities allow it to flex from mission to mission and pass real-time sensor data directly to the Fleet. For RIMPAC 2024, SeaGuardian added Link 16 Joint Range Extension Application Protocol (JREAP) “C” (internet protocol) and an integrated Minotaur Mission System to provide real-time sensor data for the various Maritime Operations Centers, ships, and aircraft with Minotaur nodes.

“For RIMPAC, the MQ-9B effectively passed ISR&T information to various surface and air units, such as the Nimitz-class carrier USS Carl Vinson, Guided Missile Destroyers (DDGs), Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), frigates, patrol boats, P-8s, P-3s, and numerous other U.S. and foreign units that took part in the exercise,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander.

On July 31, 2024, SeaGuardian self-deployed back to GA-ASI’s Desert Horizon Flight Operations Facility in El Mirage, Calif.

About GA-ASI

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a leading designer and manufacturer of proven, reliable RPA systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems, including the Predator® RPA series and the Lynx® Multi-mode Radar. With more than eight million flight hours, GA-ASI provides long-endurance, mission-capable aircraft with integrated sensor and data link systems required to deliver persistent situational awareness. The company also produces a variety of sensor control/image analysis software, offers pilot training and support services, and develops meta-material antennas.

For more information, visit www.ga-asi.com     

Avenger, Lynx, Predator, SeaGuardian, and SkyGuardian are registered trademarks of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

ga-asi  Aug 14, 2024

 

“Japan Buys Two SeaGuardians from GA-ASI” –News Release

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Below is a news release from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

The SeaGuardian is a maritime variant of the MQ-9B that includes sense and avoid systems that allows it to operate safely in airspace with manned aircraft.

SeaGuardians are reportedly operated in a maritime role for Australia, Belgium, Canada, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and the UK.

Japan Buys Two SeaGuardians from GA-ASI

SAN DIEGO – 15 August 2024 – The Japan Coast Guard (JCG) has signed a contract for the purchase of two SeaGuardian® Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), scheduled for delivery in 2025. This follows JCG’s ongoing Company-Owned, Contractor-Operated agreement with GA-ASI for operating SeaGuardian, which began in April 2022.

“Since JCG started operating SeaGuardians, they have been used for various JCG missions including supporting search and rescue and disaster response specifically during the 7.6 magnitude earthquake early this year near the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture and maritime surveillance during the 2023 G-7 Summit in Hiroshima, and the system has performed efficiently and effectively,” said GA-ASI CEO Linden Blue.

SeaGuardian is a medium-altitude, long-endurance RPA system that can fly for 24 hours or more, depending on the configuration.

GA-ASI has strengthened its Maritime Wide Area Surveillance (MWAS) for Japan with Optix+, which gathers information from the SeaGuardian sensors, as well as other data sources, displaying the full picture of surveillance information for its operator. This functionality makes it easy to task and direct its Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) information in real time. GA-ASI’s Optix+ software suite rapidly correlates and exploits collected data into an easily shared common operational picture. Having multi-source correlated data enables automatic detection of anomalous behaviors over waters.

About GA-ASI

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a leading designer and manufacturer of proven, reliable RPA systems, radars, and electro-optic and related mission systems, including the Predator® RPA series and the Lynx® Multi-mode Radar. With more than eight million flight hours, GA-ASI provides long-endurance, mission-capable aircraft with integrated sensor and data link systems required to deliver persistent situational awareness. The company also produces a variety of sensor control/image analysis software, offers pilot training and support services, and develops meta-material antennas.

“Q&A: Vice Admiral Andrew J. Tiongson, Commander, Pacific Area and Commander, Defense Force West, U.S. Coast Guard” –Seapower

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Tiongson speaks at a press conference before the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Waesche offloads 18,219 pounds of cocaine, worth more than $239 million, on Dec. 6, 2023. U.S. Coast Guard

The Navy League’s on-line magazine, Seapower, has an interview with the Pacific Area Commander. There is a lot of good information here.

HC-130Js (and C-27Js):

CGAS Sacramento will “transition” to HC-130Js. Pacific Area certainly needs the long range aircraft because, while 84% of the US EEZ is in Pacific Area they have only three fixed wing air stations (Kodiak, Barbers Point, and Sacramento) while Atlantic Area has five fixed wing air stations to cover only 16% of the US EEZ.

What will happen to the C-27Js? No mention was made of these. They might go to Guam. That would be helpful in providing fixed wing search aircraft in the Western Pacific. Recently there was a SAR case in the Western Pacific. A C-130 was dispatched from Barbers Point, but the flight was so long the crew needed a day’s rest before the aircraft could be used in the search. On the other hand, Guam might not be an optimal location since it is so far West. There are other options.

Fast Response Cutters:

As I read the statement, the intention is to have a total of six FRCs in Guam and add a fourth in Hawaii.

His discussion about these little ships clearly indicates that their nominal five-day endurance (same as the preceding 110 foot WPBs) is being exceeded regularly.

“The FRCs, first off, are game changers for the Coast Guard in general. Back in the day, we had patrol boats that were limited in terms of the sea states they could handle, the food that they could carry, the number of crew members and certainly their duration at sea. The FRCs have changed that.”

Six WPCs in the same port is not unusual. District 7 has three different ports, each homeport to six or seven Webber class, but this may be a move toward replicating a PATFORSWA type organization to support 7th Fleet in the Western Pacific.

Large Patrol Cutters:

There was a brief discussion of the Offshore Patrol Cutters, but no indication of when they are expected to arrive in PACAREA.

A second “Harriet Lane or Indo-Pacific support cutter” is on PACAREA’s unfunded priority list. For some reason, I think this may happen.

Commercial Icebreaker Procurement:

Plans for the commercial icebreaker (Aiviq) were discussed. It will be homeported in Juneau, as reported here in March, but still has not been purchased and it will take two years to complete changes to make it fully operational.

The admiral was asked, “Is the commercial icebreaker going to be crewed by Coast Guardsmen or by a contract crew?” and there was no definitive answer. Should the Coast Guard adopt a hybrid crew, as has been done by some Navy vessels it would be a major change in Coast Guard policy.

The Eastern Pacific Drug Transit Zone: 

Atlantic Area cutters are not assisting in Eastern Pacific drug transit zone interdiction efforts, as they normally would, because they are heavily engaged in migrant interdiction operations.

Trusted Partner:

The Area Commander talked a lot about what being a trusted partner meant, about partnerships with Asian coast guards, and the outsized effect of having a few good people in liaison positions.

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche returns home following a 120-day Indo-Pacific patrol

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The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WSML 751) crew members reunite with family, friends and loved ones after returning to their Base Alameda, California, home port, Aug. 11, 2024, following a 120-day Indo-Pacific patrol. The Waesche participated in various engagements, exercises, and events throughout their deployment. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Matthew Masaschi.

Below is a news release from Coast Guard News (more photos and a video there). Looks like the Coast Guard is aiming to keep at least one cutter in the Western Pacific at all times.

Those of my generation can’t help but see the irony of the friendly relations with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as Waesche accompanied the 7th Fleet Flagship to Cam Ranh Bay.

U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Tyson Scofield, commanding officer of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WMSL 751), shakes hands with leadership from the Vietnamese People’s Army during a reception at the Cam Ranh International Port in Vietnam, July 8, 2024. Leadership from the Vietnam Coast Guard and Vietnam Peoples Navy welcomed U.S. Sailors and Coast Guardsmen upon their arrival. Waesche is deployed to the Indo-Pacific to advance relationships with ally and partner nations to build a more stable, free, open and resilient region with unrestricted, lawful access to the maritime commons. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Elijah Murphy)

Aug. 12, 2024

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche returns home following a 120-day Indo-Pacific patrol

ALAMEDA, Calif. — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Waesche (WSML 751) and crew returned to their Base Alameda home port Sunday, following a 120-day patrol throughout the Indo-Pacific.

Waesche participated in various engagements, exercises, and events throughout their deployment.

The cutter’s leadership and crew met with officials and military personnel during port calls in Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Following Waesche’s visit to Maizuru, Japan, Waesche joined crews from the Japan Coast Guard vessel Wakasa (PL 93) and the Republic of Korea Coast Guard patrol vessel Taepyongyang (KCG 3016) for a joint search-and-rescue exercise at sea.

Waesche’s crew also conducted a bilateral U.S.-Philippine search-and-rescue exercise with the Philippine Coast Guard in the South China Sea.

“We are thankful to have traveled safely home to our loved ones and to have completed a successful and meaningful patrol,” said Capt. Tyson Scofield, Waesche’s command officer. “Waesche’s patrol strengthened U.S. relationships with our partner nations to foster a free and open Indo-Pacific. The opportunity to work alongside our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific through impactful engagements was an honor and a rewarding experience that the crew will remember for the rest of their lives.”

Tyson assumed command of the Waesche during a change of command ceremony held in Honolulu as the cutter transited to the Indo-Pacific.

Waesche deployed with a San Francisco-based MH-65E Dolphin helicopter and an aircrew from Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii.

Waesche was assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest DESRON and the U.S. 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. DESRON 15 regularly assumes tactical control of surface units operating in the area.

Commissioned in 2010, Waesche is one of four Legend-class national security cutters homeported in Alameda. National security cutters are 418-feet long, 54-feet wide, has a top speed of over 28 knots, a range of 12,000 nautical miles, endurance of up to 90 days, and can hold a crew of up to 170. The advanced technologies of the national security cutter class ships are designed to support the operations and missions in the Indo-Pacific region.

What a Former WHEC is Doing Now

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SOUTH CHINA SEA (July 31, 2024) – Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Mobile (LCS 26) conducts a Maritime Cooperative Activity with Philippine Navy’s Gregorio del Pilar-class patrol ship, BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS 16), (former USCGC Dallas), in the South China Sea, July 31, 2024. Mobile, part of Destroyer Squadron 7, is on a rotational deployment operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Naval Aircrewman Tactical Helicopter 2nd Class Diego Chavez)

US Naval Institute News reports,

U.S. and Philippine warships rendezvoused near a disputed South China Sea feature to conduct a joint maritime patrol on Wednesday.

USS Mobile (LCS-26) and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16) met off Leslie Bank, a maritime feature within Manila’s exclusive economic zone and Beijing’s 10-dash line claim. The littoral combat ship and ex-Coast Guard Hamilton-class cutter drilled in bilateral surface operations and communication, with a video released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines claiming that the two vessels took up a patrol formation.

Nice to see the LCS is apparently armed with Naval Strike Missiles.

“Iran’s ‘Zulfikar’ Submersible Torpedo Boat” –Covert Shore

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Covert Shores reports on Iran’s version of an unusual asymmetric threat that originated in North Korea. Used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, PATFORSWA may encounter these.

“I originally interpreted these to be Special Operations assets intended as a form of swimmer delivery vehicle. This would be consistent with related types in North Korean and Vietnamese service. In that role the torpedoes would be for self-defense. However, I now view them more as submersible torpedo boats intended to sink ships with torpedoes.”

The torpedoes are 12.75 inch (324mm) light weight anti-surface homing torpedoes. (243mm noted in the diagram above is apparently a typo.) We can’t take too much comfort in the fact that these are not heavy weight torpedoes. Heavy weight torpedoes frequently break ships in half, but because water is not compressible, the 100 pound warhead of a typical light weight torpedo still has about one half the impact of the 600 pound warhead of a typical heavy weight torpedo. These smaller torpedoes can seriously hurt even a large ship, possibly including immobilizing it, and making it an easier target for follow on attacks. Used against a vessel the size of PATFORSWA’s Fast Response Cutters, they would be fatal. Assuming these are wake homers, it might be wise to learn the maneuvers used to defeat wake homing torpedoes.

It is unlikely these little submersibles can go very deep or that they have much mobility while submerged. Even so, much of the Persian Gulf is shallow, so there are certainly places where they could rest on the bottom, lying in wait.

A Question of Proportionality / What to do about Philippine Outposts in the South China Sea?

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A still image taken from footage released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines showing China Coast Guard personnel confronting a resupply mission (Photo: Armed Forces of the Philippines)

Real Clear Defense reports,

Philippines Vows To Fight Back if Assaulted Again in South China Sea

At first, I was happy to see this, but I think they are making a mistake.

Philippine forces will defend themselves with “the same level of force …“If a knife is used, for example, our personnel will also use a knife, nothing more, under the concept of proportionality.”

If you are outnumbered in a knife fight you will lose. They will be outnumbered, and they will lose. That would be allowing the Chinese to write the rules of the game. Deadly force is deadly force. If someone is threatening you with a deadly weapon, you need to fire a warning shot, and if they keep coming shot the SOB.

Crews need to say, no one will take my vessel from me. As someone said, “Don’t Give Up the Ship.”

The Chinese are not going to start a war that might include the US until they are fully prepared to do so. Then and only then, they will want to open with a surprise attack.

The Philippines needs to raise the stakes for the Chinese to the point that they either back down or start a war with the US before they are really ready.

Right now, the Chinese are attempting to shape the battlefield to their advantage, building unsinkable missile cruisers surrounding Taiwan. The Philippines holds territory where they would like to place another missile launching platform. So does Japan. China should not be allowed to seize these positions.

Immediately the Philippines should make it clear to the Chinese, that they have no right to be in the Philippine EEZ, or any other country’s, behaving as they have. There is no reason to negotiate because they have no standing. That was decided in the international court of arbitration.

It might be possible to make a joint statement by the Philippines, Japan, Vietnam,  Indonesia, and maybe others.

When a move is made, it needs to be made with overwhelming strength on scene. That is possible if the Philippines employs surprise and has international support on scene. Philippine TA-50 jet aircraft should be overhead, ready to deter an attack on Philippine forces.

The result will be an incident, not a war. We have already seen lots of incidents, this will just add to the list, but this time we need the Chinese to back down.

Scarbough Shoal  and Second Thomas Shoal need to be reinforced and built up. The US and Japan could and should help the Philippines do it. Mirror what the Chinese have done. Make an artificial island, garrisoned with Marines, give it radars, effective AAW systems, and some of the Philippines’ BraMos missiles.

The Chinese are not going to like it, but unless they want to start a war with the US before they are ready, they will back down. Pulling a piece or two out of their plan to surround Taiwan with missile firing islands might actually prevent an attack on Taiwan.