One of the more popular military blogs did a nice post on the CG providing maritime security in New York City.
Probably nothing you didn’t already know if you are a Coastie, but nice to see a little recognition. The comments are nice too.
The Navy League’s publication, Seapower Magazine, is reporting the Commandant, ADM Paul F. Zukunft, speaking at a special topic breakfast, on Dec. 15, sponsored by the Navy League and PricewaterhouseCoopers, sounded remarkably positive.
Regarding the Bertholf Class, “…We said eight National Security Cutters, now we’re negotiating a ninth…Sometimes it’s very difficult to stop at what that program of record is.”
“We will see an appropriation today, and, quite honestly, I will not be surprised if we see a ninth [National Security Cutter] because it won’t penalize the largest acquisition in our history, the Offshore Patrol Cutter…” Of the NSC, he said, “These ships are more than paying for themselves.
Regarding the Offshore Patrol Cutters, he confirmed that he expected construction to begin on the first of class during 2017, but he went on to suggest that there was a good possibility that it was possible, additional ships beyond the 25 planned might added “to the program of record as the cutters demonstrate their worth.”
Regarding new icebreakers, “The good news is that we’ve got great bipartisan support to invest in this…We will find the money,” he said. “This isn’t as expensive as an SSBN [ballistic-missile submarine], but it is an investment that we need to make.”
Observations:
A ninth Bertholf class makes a lot of sense right now. Plus it should ramp up the CG AC&I budget to something more realistic.
I hope we will build more than 25 OPCs, after all the plan is to go from 44 large cutters (not right now, but in the recent past) to 33 (34 if we get a ninth NSC), but that is on a very distant horizon. Right now, the plan is to fund one OPC in FY 2017, 2018, and 2019 and only two per year aft that, until the program is complete. Hopefully, the rate of construction will go to at least three a year after the first of class is tested. The MECs we have now are just not going to last until 2035.
The Commandant has not suggested that the first new icebreaker will be funded before 2020. Even if funded then, we are going to have a problem bridging the gap between now and the commissioning of that icebreaker which, presumably will not be until at least 2024.
It does seem the CG budget is getting some attention, but we will have to wait to see if good intentions materialize in the form of a reasonable AC&I Budget.
A ninth NSC would be a good first step.
Thanks to Daniel for bringing this to my attention.
The US Naval Institute News Service has provided a copy of the Dec. 14, 2015 Congressional Research Service report, “Coast Guard Polar Icebreaker Modernization: Background and Issues for Congress,” by Naval Ronald O’Rourke.
This updates a series of earlier reports.
It is quite clear from the report that even if things go as planned, which I doubt it will, we will have a period of two to six years when we will have only one medium icebreaker and no heavy icebreakers.
If we do as currently planned, we will not see a new icebreaker until at least 2024.
We have looked at alternatives that might carry us through until the US can truly recapitalize its current fleet.
We can renovate Polar Sea. Clearly Congress is running out of patience waiting for a decision about what to do with this ship. We ought to ask for the funds to renovate it one way or the other.
We can lease one or two of these excess icebreakers. We could put one in the Great Lakes to satisfy those interests and it could in worst case exit the Great Lakes and go to the assistance of a polar icebreaker or break into resupply Thule airbase in Greenland.
Both of these are relatively low cost options. They deserve serious consideration.
The US Naval Institute, has, for what I believe is the first time, published an issue of “Proceedings” that is dominated by discussion of the Arctic.
Pages 18 to 37 are devoted to the Arctic, including four articles and a sidebar. I think that is at least as much as they devoted to the Coast Guard, in the “Coast Guard Issue.”
Only one of these articles is available on line to non-members, “Geopolitical Icebergs,” by Dr. Auerswald, a professor of security studies at the National War College.
The other articles, also available on-line to members are:
Throughout there is a call for more resources, particularly icebreakers.
The last short article, “A Mechanism for Arctic Crisis Response,” advocates positioning a structure in the Chukchi Sea. I can’t help but think putting the resources on land might be a bit easier in the long run.
Or alternately, modify the Polar Sea, as I have suggested, and use her for that purpose.
Photo: Embraer KC-390, company photo
DefenseNews is reporting another competitor is set to enter the competition to replace Canada’s aging fixed wing SAR aircraft fleet, the Embraer KC-390.
In the photo, this aircraft looks small, but it actually has a greater max gross weight and cargo capacity than a C-130J. It has better than 90% of the J model’s range and is faster.
They claim, it was intended as a SAR aircraft from it inception.
“Geraldo Gomes, vice president of business development for Embraer Defense and Security, said … the KC-390 was designed to be a search-and-rescue aircraft and that one of its strong selling points is its low life-cycle costs.”
Photo: Smetlivyy seen here in Sevastopol. Attribution: Водник
BBC reports that a Russian Destroyer (reported as a frigate), the Smetlivy, used small arms fire to drive off a Turkish fishing vessel that was approaching it as the Russian destroyer lay at anchor near a Greek island in the Aegean Sea.
Given the tensions with the Turks and the possibility of Daesh retaliation for Russian involvement in Syria, they were probably thinking about the USS Cole attack.
Artist impression of nuclear powered dual displacement icebreaker “Arktika” (project 22220)
Image: Atomflot
NavyRecognition reports that Russia claims they will have three more nuclear powered icebreakers by 2020 (when the US plans to start building it first new heavy icebreaker since 1977). They also announced plans for two more classes of nuclear icebreakers and a floating nuclear power plant.
The new icebreakers are expected to have a power of 120 MW or more than twice the power of the Polar Star.
Navy photo: The U.S. Navy Cyclone-class coastal patrol ships assigned to Patrol Coastal Squadron 1 (PCRON 1), USS Hurricane (PC-3), USS Chinook (PC-9) and USS Typhoon (PC-5), transit in formation during a divisional tactics exercise in the Persian Gulf.
The Navy has announced they have three 387 ton (fl) Cyclone class patrol craft based in Mayport, rotating through the 4th Fleet’s area in support of Operation Martillo, the counter drug operation off Central America.
We know there are not enough ships to respond to all the intelligence we have on drug trafficing in SouthCom’s area of responsibility.
These little ships are considerably smaller than those we normally send South, but they are very similar in size to the new 353 ton Webber class WPCs. We have six Webber class in Miami, six in Key West, and will soon have six in Puerto Rico. If we could rotate some of these through the Transit zones, they might make a difference.
Thanks to Lee for bringing this to my attention.
MarineLink reports Damen has developed a new RHIB. Some of the details sound like they might be worth looking at.
DOD Photo. Ships of the Saudi Arabian Navy are docked at the base PORT JUBAIL
Below is a post I prepared for CIMSEC. It began at Lyle’s suggestion several months ago, to be published here, considering if perhaps some of the new Coast Guard assets, the National Security Cutter, the Offshore Patrol Cutter, or the Fast Response Cutter might serve as the basis for something the Saudis would buy. It seems clear now that will probably not be the case. The Saudi’s have a very different set of priorities than those that shaped the Coast Guard’s specifications. Distances are relatively short. The likely enemy, Iran, is close at hand, and primarily uses small vessels with limited seakeeping so even moderately good seakeeping is better than that of the apparent enemy. .
The Royal Saudi Navy is planning to replace virtually all of its Eastern Fleet. The expected price tag has been variously reported as between $11.25 and $20B. One of Saudi Arabia’s two fleets, the Eastern Fleet is based in the Persian Gulf and faces off squarely against Iran’s Navy and Revolutionary Guard Corp. The Western Fleet is based in the Red Sea and includes seven French built frigates.
The existing Eastern fleet, all American built, includes four 75 meter (246 foot), 1,038 ton corvettes and nine 58 meter (190 feet), 495 ton guided missile boats. All are nearing the end of their useful lives, having entered service in the early ’80s.
It appears Saudi Arabia is again looking to the US to build this new fleet, reportedly buying four up-rated Lockheed Martin Freedom Class Littoral Combat Ships. While these ships have been much in the news, they are only part of a much larger program.
In February Defense News reported that Saudi Arabia had sent a letter of request to the US Navy that outlined the entire program. It specified:
- Four 3,500-ton “frigate-like warships” capable of anti-air warfare, armed with an eight-to-16-cell vertical launch system (VLS) capable of launching Standard SM-2 missiles; fitted with an “Aegis or like” combat system using “SPY-1F or similar” radars; able to operate Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters; with a speed of 35 knots.
- Six 2,500-ton warships with combat systems compatible with the frigates, able to operate MH-60R helos.
- 20 to 24 fast patrol vessels about 40 to 45 meters long, powered by twin diesels.
- 10 “maritime helicopters” with characteristics identical to the MH-60R.
- Three maritime patrol aircraft for coastal surveillance.
- 30 to 50 UAVs, some for maritime use, some to be shore-based.
This shopping list sounds remarkably specific. This suggest that they already have a good idea what they expect to buy.
Four 3,500-ton “frigate-like warships”
Plans have firmed up for the four frigates. While they will not have the Aegis like radars they will have a, “…16-cell (Mk41) VLS installation able to launch Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles, and will carry Harpoon Block II surface-to-surface missiles in dedicated launchers, and anti-air Rolling Airframe Missiles in a SeaRAM close-in weapon system. The MMSC will also mount a 76mm gun… a Lockheed Martin COMBATSS-21 combat management system, which shares some commonality with the much larger Aegis combat system, and feature the Cassidian TRS-4D C-band radar.”
Six 2,500-ton warships with combat systems compatible with the frigates, able to operate MH-60R helos.
The design for the six smaller ships hasn’t been discussed openly, so this is a bit of speculation, but at least I think we can expect something like this. The video below, from Swiftship, recently appeared without much explanation. The similarity in design to the Freedom class is striking and it claims to be a proven hull form. If Marinette Marine is too busy to build these smaller ships in addition to the LCS and the Saudi Frigates, having Swiftships build them might be a way have having them delivered relatively quickly and it looks like it might fit the description. Note there is no mention of an ASW capability for these ships (other than the ability to embark an MH-60R). This parallels the current fleet structure where only the four largest vessels have an ASW capability and the next largest class vessels do not.
Swiftships has a record of selling vessels through “Foreign Military Sales” and the vessel in the video shares a number of systems in common with the projected Saudi frigates including a 76mm gun, RAM missiles, MH-60s, and possibly Harpoon (they show only a generic representation of an ASCM).
20 to 24 fast patrol vessels about 40 to 45 meters long, powered by twin diesels.
A likely choice for the patrol boat is this one, eight of which were sold to Pakistan. Reportedly these 43 meter, 143 foot vessels can make 34 knots and operate a ScanEagle UAS.
Another possibility is this 43.5 meter vessel that was provided to Lebanon under FMS.
Both of these PCs have the capability to stern launch an RHIB.
10 “maritime helicopters” with characteristics identical to the MH-60R.
A request for ten MH-60Rs was submitted earlier and has beenapproved by the State Department.
Included in the buy of the helicopters are, “one-thousand (1,000) AN/SSQ-36/53/62 Sonobuoys; thirty-eight (38) AGM-114R Hellfire II missiles; five (5) AGM-114 M36-E9 Captive Air Training missiles; four (4) AGM-114Q Hellfire Training Missiles; three-hundred eighty (380) Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System rockets; twelve (12) M-240D crew served weapons; and twelve (12) GAU-21 crew served weapons.”
I note that the 380 Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS) semi-active laser homing 70mm rockets is exactly the number to fill twenty 19 round launchers. These weapons are probably an ideal counter to the much vaunted Iranian “swarm.”
Three maritime patrol aircraft for coastal surveillance:
These are almost certainly P-8s.
30 to 50 UAVs, some for maritime use, some to be shore-based:
While there is no indication which system is favored. This sounds like too many systems for Firescout.
ScanEagle or one of Insitu’s slightly larger systems seems more likely, and if the Swiftships Offshore Patrol Vessel video is any indication, it includes a ScanEagle launch and recovery.
Conclusion:
This will be a major upgrade to the Saudi fleet that should allow them to maintain an advantage relative to the Iranian Fleet.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 