USCGC Hamilton and Ukraine CG on previous voyage.
“According to information published by the US DoD on November 17, 2022, the Legend-class national security cutter (NSC) USCGC Hamilton (WMSL 753) arrived in Riga, Latvia for a port visit…Prior to arriving in Riga, Hamilton conducted multiple operations with allies and partners in the Baltic Sea, including a series of at-sea engagements with Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, and Lithuanian maritime and naval forces.”
Masked members of the cutter James crew and Commandant Adm. Karl L. Schultz (front, center), along with interagency partners, stand among interdicted narcotics at Port Everglades, Florida, on June 9. U.S. COAST GUARD / Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Murray
Just passing this along from MyCG. Note that one of the three ratings included in the program is culinary specialists (CS), reflecting the apparent cronic shortage in the rating. Presumably we are short electrician’s mates (EM), and health service technicians (HS) as well.
By Zach Shapiro, MyCG Writer, Nov. 17, 2022
The Coast Guard is launching a new Lateral Entry Beta Test initiative to fill key gaps in the workforce. As part of the Commandant’s intent to transform the total workforce, the Lateral Entry Working Group (LEWG) has developed a new, smooth, and streamlined process to recruit, train, and place candidates with matching skillsets and suitable military experience into critical roles in the service in fiscal year 2023 (FY23). The LEWG used the Maritime Operational Threat Response (MOTR) Protocols to develop the Lateral Entry Determination Calls (LEDC) Protocols to govern the process.
“The intent is to bring quality applicants into the Coast Guard at a grade commiserate with their existing skillsets,” said Command Master Chief Petty Officer Edward Lewis of Force Readiness Command (FORCECOM). This new process will create accountability, foster collaboration, and build a tailored training program that will help the Coast Guard meet the challenges of the next decade and beyond.
For Lewis and the Working Group, balancing the need for new recruits with preserving the age-old values of the Coast Guard is paramount. “Our fundamental goal is to protect the culture of the Coast Guard,” Lewis emphasized. “However, we must seek new methods of accession, training, and managing, talent that preserve our competitive edge as an employer of choice.
The LEWG is focusing on filling key roles to strengthen the service. “We are trying to ensure that our workforce can meet missions. We’re looking hard at places where we are shorthanded,” Lewis added. “The recruiting effort is really going to be driven by critical ratings,” including culinary specialist (CS), electrician’s mate (EM), and health service technician (HS). Depending on the outcome of this pilot program, other ratings may be added to this priority list in the future.
The new lateral entry determination protocols will be evaluated regularly throughout FY23.
If you have any questions, please contact Russell Kirkham at Russell.A.Kirkham@uscg.mil or 202-795-6848.
Resources:
Shahed 136 drones. Iranian military photo
US Naval Institute’s News Service reports,
U.S. Central Command and Israeli officials are blaming Iran for a Tuesday attack on an oil tanker linked to an Israeli billionaire off the coast of Oman.
Tanker Pacific Zircon was 150 miles off the coast of Oman when what U.S. officials said was an unmanned aerial vehicle hit the ship at about 3:30 p.m. local time, according to the shipping company.
Interestingly this second attack was on a ship linked to Idan Ofer, brother of the Israeli billionaire, Eyal Ofer, linked to the tanker, Mercer Street, attacked in a similar manner in July 2021.
The latest attack did not result in any injuries, unlike the earlier attack that resulted in the death of two crewmembers. Both attacks occured South of Oman in the Northern Indian Ocean.
The Canadian government’s ability to track foreign vessels through the Arctic is woefully inadequate and the situation may get worse, according to a new report by the Auditor General of Canada.
Domestic surveillance of the region is incomplete, data that’s collected is insufficient, and there is no effective way of sharing information on maritime traffic, the watchdog said. Meanwhile, new icebreakers, aircraft, satellites and infrastructure required to fix these problems have been delayed to the point where some equipment likely will be retired before it can be replaced.
USCGC John Scheuerman (WPC-1146) and USCGC Clarence Sutphin Jr. (WPC-1147) enroute PATFORSWA
Below is from the U.S. Naval Forces Central CommandCombined Maritime Forces – U.S. 5th Fleet website
By U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs | November 15, 2022
MANAMA, Bahrain —
On Nov. 8, U.S. 5th Fleet intercepted a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman smuggling lethal aid, including a large quantity of explosive material, from Iran to Yemen.
U.S. Coast Guard ship USCGC John Scheuerman (WPC 1146) (emphasis applied–Chuck) and guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) interdicted the vessel as it transited international waters. Patrol coastal ship USS Hurricane (PC 3) and Navy explosive ordnance disposal technicians from U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 56 also assisted during a weeklong effort to fully search the vessel and verify the type of material found.
U.S. forces discovered more than 70 tons of ammonium perchlorate, a powerful oxidizer commonly used to make rocket and missile fuel as well as explosives. This is U.S. 5th Fleet’s first ever interdiction of ammonium perchlorate.
“This was a massive amount of explosive material, enough to fuel more than a dozen medium-range ballistic missiles depending on the size,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces. “The unlawful transfer of lethal aid from Iran does not go unnoticed. It is irresponsible, dangerous and leads to violence and instability across the Middle East.”
The search also found more than 100 tons of urea fertilizer. Urea is a chemical compound with agricultural applications that is also known for use as an explosive precursor.
The vessel and its four Yemeni crewmembers were intercepted while transiting from Iran along a route historically used to traffic weapons to the Houthis in Yemen. The direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons to the Houthis violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 2216 and international law.
U.S. forces sank the vessel Nov. 13 in the Gulf of Oman after determining it was a hazard to navigation for commercial shipping. The four crewmembers were transferred to Yemen for repatriation Nov. 15 when The Sullivans completed an at-sea exchange in the Gulf of Aden with the Yemen Coast Guard.
“Alongside our partner forces, CENTCOM is committed to security and stability of the region and to deterring the illegal and destabilizing flow of lethal material into the region over land, in the air, and the sea,” said Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) commander.
U.S. 5th Fleet previously seized 40 tons of urea fertilizer Jan. 18 when guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) and patrol coastal ship USS Chinook (PC 9) interdicted a another fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman that had attempted to smuggle illicit weapons off the coast of Somalia months earlier.
The U.S. 5th Fleet operating area includes 21 countries, the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb and Suez Canal.
Polar Security Cutter. Image credit VT Halter Marine.
“…there are factors specific to Halter Marine that may have made it ripe for takeover. But analysts told Breaking Defense that the merger may be a bellwether for further shipyard consolidation, limiting the Navy’s options at a time when the service is trying to grow its fleet. It’s an eventuality the Navy could forestall, if only it could get its own shipbuilding plans in order.
I would agree that the Navy needs to get their shipbuilding act together. Shipbuilding is an unreliable business in the US unless you are one of the five major shipyards that the Navy regularly deals with, but I believe this particular merger is what it is, a case of a badly managed capability being taken over by a better management team, one that has been delivering cutters like clockwork, on time and on budget, even after being hit by a hurricane. All to the good. There is no loss of building capacity. In fact, included in the deal are two shipyards that are corrently lying dormant.
I don’t see any reduction in capacity. In fact, it is likely to result in increased productivity.
The Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star cuts through Antarctic ice in the Ross Sea near a large group of seals as the ship’s crew creates a navigation channel for supply ships, January 16, 2017. The resupply channel is an essential part of the yearly delivery of essential supplies to the National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station.US Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer David Mosley
| Media Advisory |
U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area |
MEDIA ADVISORY: America’s only heavy icebreaker departs Seattle Wednesday; bound for Antarctica
Editors’ Note: Click on images to download high resolution version.
Who: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star (WAGB 10) and crew
What: Polar Star and crew are scheduled to depart Seattle, en route to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze
When: Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022 at 2 p.m.
Where: U.S. Coast Guard Base Seattle
SEATTLE — The United States’ only heavy icebreaker, Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star, is scheduled to depart its Seattle homeport, Wednesday.
This annual journey to Antarctica is conducted in support of Operation Deep Freeze, a joint military service mission to resupply the United States Antarctic stations of the National Science Foundation, the lead agency for the United States Antarctic Program.
The Polar Star crew conducts this essential mission to create a navigable path through ice as thick as 21-feet, to allow refuel and resupply ships to reach McMurdo Station, the largest Antarctic station and the logistics hub of the U.S. Antarctic Program.
The U.S. Coast Guard is recapitalizing its polar icebreaker fleet to ensure access to the Polar Regions, project U.S. sovereignty, and to protect the country’s economic, environmental and national security interests. To support this endeavor, the U.S. Coast Guard is exploring options to expand Base Seattle infrastructure to support the growing icebreaker fleet.
Media are encouraged to contact Coast Guard District 13 Public Affairs at 206-251-3237 or uscgd13@gmail.com to arrange an escort at Base Seattle to attend the ship’s departure. The commanding officer of the Polar Star, Capt. Keith Ropella, may be available for interview prior to the ship’s departure.
Indonesia 90 meter OPV
A recent Naval News report of the choice of an Electronic Warfare System for new Indonesian OPVs, with the illustration above, prompted me to find out more about these unusually fast and apparently well armed OPVs being built for the Indonesian Navy.
Steel was cut for the first of class on 26 August, 2021. (This report may be a bit confusing in that steel was cut for two OPVs of two different classes.) This report indicates these ships will be powered by four Diesel engines developing 7,280 kW (29,120KW total). That would equate to about 39,000 HP which sounds about right for 28 knots. It is not clear from any of the illustrations where the air intakes and engine exhausts are.
Defense Indonesia provides some specifications:
A 2021 Janes report provides information on their weapons, combat management system, and ASW capability. If they emerge fully armed as illustrated, with an ASW capability, some would consider them corvettes or even light frigates.
On March 28, DOD transmitted their classified version of the National Defense Strategy to Congress. You can read the unclassified version, released on October 27, 2022, here.
Display of maritime traffic provided by AIS. Only vessels equipped with AIS are displayed, which excludes most fishing boats, pleasure craft, inland navigation and vessels less than 300 tons. Location: Dover Straits/English Channel. Author: fr:User:Pline
Space-based data company Spire Global (NYSE: SPIR) has launched what it describes as a dark shipping detection product to track vessels manipulating their position data in order to conceal nefarious activities such as evading sanctions, illegal fishing and human trafficking.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 