Target Designator, Perhaps Other Uses, Time for a New Alidade?

SOFRESUD “Intuitive Pointing Device” (IPD)

Looking at a new device caused me to consider how we might improve an old one, the Alidade.

SOFRESUD Intuitive Pointing Device (IPD)

NavyRecognition reports an innovation in target designation that might have some additional uses.

Performances are the following:
• Portable and mobile with full angular coverage
• Accurate and quick designation
• Day or night capability with digital zoom
• Data, audio and video recording and transmission
• All weapon and combat management systems compatible
• Optional on picatinny rails: counter-UAV & blinding non-lethal accessories

It is not really a firecontrol system, it’s an “Intuitive Pointing Device” (IPD). They refer to it as predesignation. It is really just a very sophisticated way to quickly and accurately input visual bearing and elevation, laser range, and image to a combat management system or remote weapons control station. This is seen as needed particularly for fast and/or stealthy targets and low-level surface or ground-based targets that can be seen but are difficult for radar to pick out of the clutter. Sounds particularly useful in the swarm attack scenarios the Navy has been so concerned about.

In its full configuration, the new IPD integrates many sensors to ensure all conditions capability:
– Extreme low light camera
– Uncooled IR camera
– Eye-safe laser rangefinder
– Fiber optic gyrometers
– Ambient microphone
– Display

Photo: “SOFRESUD’s IPD has a “slew to cue” capability when coupled with the remote weapon stations (such as a Nexter Narhwal or MSI Defence Seahawk) (or the Mk38 mod2/3–Chuck) vis the combat management. IPD operators can there steer and point the RWS to the exact location of the target. Optional equipment can be attached to the IDP thanks to picatinny rails: Sights, laser pointers, dazzlers…”

A Better Alidade:

I got to thinking about alternative uses for this device, including visual navigation, setting buoys, or just checking contacts for bearing drift. That, in turn, got me to think about our customary visual bearing determination device, the alidade. I don’t think they have changed since WWII.

Photo: 090113-N-9758L-040 PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (Jan. 13, 2009) Quartermaster 3rd Class Mark Minick, assigned to the Pearl Harbor-based guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65), looks through the telescopic alidade as the ship departs Naval Station Pearl Harbor during the Commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific (MIDPAC) Surface Combatant Group Sail. (Original Navy description)

Our alidades have no low light level or IR capability or any way to measure distance. They have no electronic connection to pass either bearings or a picture of what is being looked at.

Wouldn’t it help the shipping officer in combat if he could get both an electronically transmitted visual bearing and a visual of a contact that would allow him to see the target bearing?

Visual navigation could be both quicker and more reliable if bearings could be quickly and reliably be passed electronically with the navigator able to confirm that the bearing taker is looking at the point the navigator intends.

The OOD or other bearing takers could benefit from a low light level or IR capability.

And off course the ability to point at air targets might be useful.

Ergonomics: 

While the ergonomics of our alidades are very comfortable, there are potential problems with the IPD. Because it looks a lot like a gun, using it may lead to misunderstandings. There must be a protected place to put it down when not in use, but it is not illustrated. It’s probably too heavy to be used over long periods without some form of support.

If it were redesigned to rest safely on the gyro repeater and be used for bearing taking from there, it might solve some of these potential problems. Still to point to air targets you would want to be able to lift it off the stand, here a collapsible wire stock might be helpful.

 

Semi-Submersible Intercepted Near Texas? Don’t Think So

Quoting one of the articles below, “© U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Military intercepted a self-propelled semi-submersible vessel loaded with more than 3,800 pounds of cocaine right outside U.S. borders.” 

I have seen a couple of articles lately that claim a self propelled semi-submersible was seized off Texas.

The first was, “Self-Propelled vessel intercepted smuggling more than 3,800 pounds of cocaine near Texas”

A U.S. Coast Guard cutter intercepted a self-propelled semi-submersible vessel engaged in smuggling more than 3,800 pounds of cocaine, federal officials said Sunday.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), on November 13, CBP and Marine Operations (AMO) arrested the crew during operations in international waters (I don’t think this could be true–Chuck), and all three suspects will face charges in the U.S.

“The drug cartels are relentless and extremely innovative,” National Air Security Operations Center – Corpus Christi Director Allen Durham said.

“Interdicting self-propelled semi-submersible vessels requires expertise and the right aircraft. Air and Marine Operations will continue to beat the cartels at their own game to protect our borders.”

The multi-day operation from surveillance to interception, according to CBP, involved several interagency partners including the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy.

AMO operates maritime patrol aircraft from Corpus Christi, Texas, and Jacksonville, Florida, to conduct long-range aerial patrols and surveillance missions along the U.S. borders and in drug transit zones in Central and South America, according to CBP.

The second was, “Narco subs: Texas mobilises to stem invasion of narcotic carrying submarines.”

“”The drug cartels are relentless and extremely innovative,” the Corpus Christi director for the National Air Security Operations Center said earlier this month. “Interdicting self-propelled semi-submersible vessels requires expertise and the right aircraft.”

“Texas is mobilising its drug agents and prosecutors to specifically target drug submarine builders and operators, ABC America reports.”

These both appear to stem from a press release that originated in Texas from Customs and Border Protection, presumably the National Air Security Operations Center – Corpus Christi Director Allen DurhamApparently the semi-submersible was detected by a CBP P-3.

As far as I can tell, the interdiction, which apparently occurred on November 13, actually happened off Panama.

If and when we ever get self propelled semi-submersibles going directly into the US, it will be a significant event with its possible implications for terrorism, but I don’t think we have any public knowledge of that happening yet.

 

CG Commander Now Assistant Secretary of the Navy

Tom Harker

The Navy Times reports Senate approval of appointment of four Pentagon Assistant Secretaries, including a retired Coast Guard Commander, Tom Harker, who will serve as Comptroller of the Navy.

A White House news release stated,

“Thomas Harker of Virginia to be an Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Financial Management and Comptroller.  Mr. Harker currently serves as Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary of Financial Policy for the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Mr. Harker served in a mixture of operational and financial management tours before retiring from active duty as a Coast Guard commander in 2012.  Since retiring from active duty, he spent two years in public accounting before returning to the Coast Guard as a civilian.  His final assignment on active duty before retirement was in the Executive Office of the President’s Office of Management and Budget.  Mr. Harker is a recipient of the Coast Guard Meritorious Service Medal, Commendation Medal, and Achievement Medal; the American society of military comptrollers distinguished award for business management; and the association of government accountants achievement of the year award.  Mr. Harker is a graduate of the University of California and received his masters of business administration from the University of Miami.”

According to Government Executive,

“His USCG career has included time as comptroller for the Integrated Support Command, business manager of the Buoy Tender Replacement Project and deputy chief for the Office of Financial Transformation and Compliance.”

Horrors, Its the Icebreaker Gap (cringe)

The nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika in the Kara Sea. RIA Novosti archive, image #186141

We have had the “Bomber Gap”, the “Missile Gap”, and the “Cruiser Gap.” None of which were ever real, but they were effective in putting more money into a program.

Now we have the “Icebreaker Gap” which is real, but largely irrelevant. Hopefully it will get money for the Coast Guard.

It is certainly true that the Russians have far more Icebreakers than the US, but shouldn’t it enough that we really need these ships, regardless of what the Russians may be doing?

I hate to see fear replacing logic, but perhaps the ends justify the means. Is there a military dimension to the Russia/US icebreaker fleet comparison? Certainly neither country is going to invade the other over the poles. We are not likely to see fleets of icebreakers shooting at each other, the Russians already have plenty of missile carrying aircraft and submarines in the Arctic. But we may need to place sensors, bases, or other assets in high latitudes even when others don’t like it. That may be impossible without icebreakers. The US has fewer icebreakers than any other type of critically important vessel. We have far more carriers, SSBNs, destroyers, amphibious warfare ships, underway replenishment ships. The loss of any one of them would not mean the end of a capability. The loss of even one of our icebreakers could.

That means we need more icebreakers, and they need to have the ability to defend themselves if necessary.

249 Warning Shots

Republic of Korea Coast Guard vessel #3006 in company with U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Boutwell (WHEC-719) during the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum in August 2007. This forum was created to increase international maritime safety and security in the Northern Pacific Ocean and its borders. The Boutwell worked with the Korean coast guard while on their way to Yokosuka, Japan. The Japanese coast guard is one of the six nations involved in the forum.

The Independent reports a South Korean Coast Guard vessel fired 249 warning shots when it was reportedly swarmed by 44 Chinese fishing vessels fortified with iron bars and steel mesh.

The National Strategy

The Administration has published a new “National Security Strategy of the United States.” You can see it here. Much has been made of the fact that it identifies China and Russia as adversaries. Not surprisingly it also calls out Iran, North Korea, and Jihadist Terrorist, but also transnational criminal organizations. (No mention of domestic terrorists.)

China and Russia challenge American power, influence, and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity. They are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence. At the same time, the dictatorships of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Islamic Republic of Iran are determined to destabilize regions, threaten Americans and our allies, and brutalize their own people. Transnational threat groups, from jihadist terrorists to transnational criminal organizations, are actively trying to harm Americans. While these challenges differ in nature and magnitude, they are fundamentally contests between those who value human dignity and freedom and those who oppress individuals and enforce uniformity.

I did an electronic search (control f) for “Coast Guard” and there was no mention. None of the other armed services were mentioned either. An electronic search for “homeland security” found the following: 

DISRUPT TERROR PLOTS: We will enhance intelligence sharing domestically and with foreign partners. We will give our frontline defenders— including homeland security, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals—the tools, authorities, and resources to stop terrorist acts before they take place.

COMBAT RADICALIZATION AND RECRUITMENT IN COMMUNITIES: The United States rejects bigotry and oppression and seeks a future built on our values as one American people. We will deny violent ideologies the space to take root by improving trust among law enforcement, the private sector, and American citizens. U.S. intelligence and homeland security experts will work with law enforcement and civic leaders on terrorism prevention and provide accurate and actionable information about radicalization in their communities.

A search for “maritime” found the following:

Adversaries target sources of American strength, including our democratic system and our economy. They steal and exploit our intellectual property and personal data, interfere in our political processes, target our aviation and maritime sectors, and hold our critical infrastructure at risk. All of these actions threaten the foundations of the American way of life. Reestablishing lawful control of our borders is a first step toward protecting the American homeland and strengthening American sovereignty.

Secure U.S. Borders and Territory…State and non-state actors place the safety of the American people and the Nation’s economic vitality at risk by exploiting vulnerabilities across the land, air, maritime, space, and cyberspace domains. Adversaries constantly evolve their methods to threaten the United States and our citizens. We must be agile and adaptable.

BOLSTER TRANSPORTATION SECURITY: We will improve information sharing across our government and with foreign partners to enhance the security of the pathways through which people and goods enter the country. We will invest in technology to counter emerging threats to our aviation, surface, and maritime transportation sectors. We will also work with international and industry partners to raise security standards.

Keep America Safe in the Cyber Era…America’s response to the challenges and opportunities of the cyber era will determine our future prosperity and security . For most of our history, the United States has been able to protect the homeland by controlling its land, air, space, and maritime domains. Today, cyberspace offers state and non-state actors the ability to wage campaigns against American political, economic, and security interests without ever physically crossing our borders. Cyberattacks offer adversaries lowcost and deniable opportunities to seriously damage or disrupt critical infrastructure, cripple American businesses, weaken our Federal networks, and attack the tools and devices that Americans use every day to communicate and conduct business.

Moreover, deterrence today is significantly more complex to achieve than during the Cold War. Adversaries studied the American way of war and began investing in capabilities that targeted our strengths and sought to exploit perceived weaknesses. The spread of accurate and inexpensive weapons and the use of cyber tools have allowed state and non-state competitors to harm the United States across various domains. Such capabilities contest what was until recently U.S. dominance across the land, air, maritime, space, and cyberspace domains. They also enable adversaries to attempt strategic attacks against the United States—without resorting to nuclear weapons—in ways that could cripple our economy and our ability to deploy our military forces. Deterrence must be extended across all of these domains and must address all possible strategic attacks.

RETAIN A FULL-SPECTRUM FORCE: The Joint Force must remain capable of deterring and defeating the full range of threats to the United States. The Department of Defense must develop new operational concepts and capabilities to win without assured dominance in air, maritime, land, space, and cyberspace domains, including against those operating below the level of conventional military conflict. We must sustain our competence in irregular warfare, which requires planning for a longterm, rather than ad hoc, fight against terrorist networks and other irregular threats.

Priority Actions POLITICAL: Our vision for the Indo-Pacific excludes no nation. We will redouble our commitment to established alliances and partnerships, while expanding and deepening relationships with new partners that share respect for sovereignty, fair and reciprocal trade, and the rule of law. We will reinforce our commitment to freedom of the seas and the peaceful resolution of territorial and maritime disputes in accordance with international law. We will work with allies and partners to achieve complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and preserve the non-proliferation regime in Northeast Asia.

MILITARY AND SECURITY: We will maintain a forward military presence capable of deterring and, if necessary, defeating any adversary. We will strengthen our long-standing military relationships and encourage the development of a strong defense network with our allies and partners. For example, we will cooperate on missile defense with Japan and South Korea to move toward an area defense capability . We remain ready to respond with overwhelming force to North Korean aggression and will improve options to compel denuclearization of the peninsula. We will improve law enforcement, defense, and intelligence cooperation with Southeast Asian partners to address the growing terrorist threat. We will maintain our strong ties with Taiwan in accordance with our “One China” policy, including our commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide for Taiwan’s legitimate defense needs and deter coercion. We will expand our defense and security cooperation with India, a Major Defense Partner of the United States, and support India’s growing relationships throughout the region. We will re-energize our alliances with the Philippines and Thailand and strengthen our partnerships with Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and others to help them become cooperative maritime partners.
Europe

A search for Arctic found:

A range of international institutions establishes the rules for how states, businesses, and individuals interact with each other, across land and sea, the Arctic, outer space, and the digital realm. It is vital to U.S. prosperity and security that these institutions uphold the rules that help keep these common domains open and free. Free access to the seas remains a central principle of national security and economic prosperity, and exploration of sea and space provides opportunities for commercial gain and scientific breakthroughs. The flow of data and an open, interoperable Internet are inseparable from the success of the U.S. economy. and an open, interoperable Internet are inseparable from the success of the U.S. economy.

There was no mention of Antarctica, polar, or climate change.

Traffic and derivatives of it, e.g. trafficking or trafficers, are mentioned six times.

Cyber and its derivatives are mentioned 46 times.

Terror and its derivatives are mentioned 82 times.

Polar Icebreaker Cruise Ship LNG Hybrid

Marine Link reports award of a $320M contract for construction of a 30,000 gross ton 150 meter Polar Class 2 expedition vessel to be powered by a hybrid LNG/electric power plant. “The vessel can accommodate 270 passengers in 135 staterooms, in addition to a crew of 180 persons.”

It is expected to host two helicopters and 16 Zodiac dinghies.

They think they can take it to the geographic North Pole.