FierceHomelandSecurity reports that NOAA has created a new interactive map showing the possible effects of worst case storm surge for Categories one through five on the East and Gulf coasts.
It might be helpful for planning. Still, after what we saw with Sandy, I have to question why no potential for flooding is shown for New York/New Jersey, or anywhere North of North Carolina? It appears the data stops at the Virginia line, but that is not apparent reading the description.
Would like to call attention to something retired Navy and Marine Corp flag officers are doing to lobby for better funding for the Navy. It is a letter signed by 95 retired flag officers. Perhaps it would not be unreasonable to expect the Coast Guard’s retired flag officers to do something similar.
While the Navy may be in trouble, the Coast Guard is in a far worse situation. While some of these officers may have be to an extent muzzled by the Department, there is nothing to stop their speaking out now, and if anything the situation has gotten progressively worse since they left the service.
Frankly I find it hard to understand why there is not more outcry about the Coast Guard’s budget. All I seem to see is happy talk about the wonderful new assets, while the Fleet continues to age. We really need a sense of urgency.
USNS Lewis B. Puller (MLP-3/AFSB-1) An artist’s conception of the Afloat Forward Staging Base. USMC Photo
Navy Times recently published an article “In war with drug trafficers, Coast Guard stretched thin.” There was a particular quote by the Commandant that caught my eye,
“Some 400 metric tons of cocaine cross U.S. borders every year — a drug trade valued at tens of billions of dollars, Zukunft said. Once upon a time, Coast Guard cutters would post a watch and wait for drug boats to get close, but now, there’s enough technology to detect them as they approach.
“The only problem: There aren’t enough ships and airplanes to catch them all.
“’We have an awareness of 80 percent, but we can only target 20 percent,’ Zukunft said. ‘We’re giving 60 percent of what we know, literally, a free pass.’”
This repeats similar comments we have heard from SouthCom. We have good information on drug trafficers, and we could catch a lot more if we just had more vessels available to respond. Note we need more vessels, not more highly capable vessels. This is part of what prompted my call for “Cutter X,” but there is another way. Instead of long endurance ships, perhaps, given support, shorter range assets could do the job.
Meanwhile, over in San Diego, NASSCO is building something that might make a useful contribution to addressing the need for more vessels by facilitating the use of less capable assets, a mothership, or Afloat Forward Staging Bases (AFSB).
“The design of the AFSB variant adds a flight deck, berthing, fuel storage, equipment storage, and repair spaces. With a rotating crew of civilian mariners and military personnel the ship can operate forward almost continuously, providing a base of operations for everything from counter-piracy/smuggling, maritime security, and mine clearing to humanitarian aid and disaster relief.”
With the exception of mine clearing, those missions are all in the Coast Guard’s wheelhouse. These or similar vessels could serve as mother ships or tenders for WPBs or WPCs extending their endurance and reach, supporting them far from their homeports and providing a base for supporting helicopters and UAVs.
We may be able to send only one or two large cutter at a time to the Eastern Pacific, but perhaps we could send six or so WPBs or WPCs.
They could also be used in responding to Natural disasters like Katrina or Sandy. They could be effectively a mobile Coast Guard group with both air and surface assets. If ice strengthened they could assume that role in the Arctic.
As big as they are, these ships have very small crews, and are relatively inexpensive to build–more than the OPC, but less than the Bertholfs. Certainly we should try the concept using Navy vessels first. In fact the first is expected to replace the USS Ponce, where it will presumably have some interaction with the six 110s serving with the Fifth Fleet.
gCaptain reports the Bering Sea has been hit by an unusual severe storm as a result of a rapidly forming record low.
An update at 1630 UTC Saturday said that Post-tropical Nuri remains a hurricane force low with winds ? 64 knots, a central pressure of 928mb, and significant wave heights of 31 to 48 feet in the Bering Sea. Remember, significant wave heights are calculated as the average height of the highest 1/3 of waves. Individual waves could be more than twice that size (that’s 100 feet!).
This is why we need truly substantial ships to operate in this area.
Sunday there will be a streaming live interview that some of you might find interesting. It is on a podcast called Midrats. There is an opportunity to contribute to the discussion both by phone and using an online discussion tool. It would not hurt to have a little Coast Guard representation there as well to clarify how he sees the role of the Coast Guard in the National Fleet. If you miss it on Sunday, it is archived on line or you can pick it up on itunes. You can also find the connection through the USNI blog or through the Eaglespeak blog.
Below is a quote in full of the program description. I don’t think they will mind my passing it along.
Please join us at 5pm EST on 9 Nov 14 for for Midrats Episode 253: “The Fleet we Have, Want, and Need – with Jerry Hendrix”
What is the proper fleet structure for the USN as we design our Navy that will serve its nation in mid-Century?
Join us for a broad ranging discussion on this topic and more with returning guest, Henry J. Hendrix, Jr, CAPT USN (Ret.), PhD.
Fresh off his recent retirement from active duty, Jerry is a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Defense Strategies and Assessments Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).
A Naval Flight Officer by training, his staff assignments include tours with the Chief of Naval Operation’s Executive Panel (N00K), the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (Force Development) and the OSD Office of Net Assessment.
His final position in uniform was the Director of Naval History.
Hendrix also served as the Navy Fellow to the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. He has a Bachelor Degree in Political Science from Purdue University, Masters Degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School (National Security Affairs) and Harvard University (History) and received his doctorate from King’s College, London (War Studies).
He has twice been named the Samuel Eliot Morison Scholar by the Navy Historical Center in Washington, DC, and was also the Center’s 2005 Rear Admiral John D. Hays Fellow. He also held the Marine Corps’ General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. Fellowship. He authored the book Theodore Roosevelt’s Naval Diplomacy and received a number of awards, including the United States Naval Institute’s Author of the Year and the Navy League’s Alfred T. Mahan Award for Literary Achievement.Listen in here (or use that link to pick the show up later) or visit us on iTunes.
Photo: USCGC Adak, part of Patrol Forces, South West Asia, note extra machinegun mount behind the pilothouse. Click on the photo to enlarge.
Not long ago we talked about the need to preserve lessons learned from atypical (usually military) Coast Guard operations like participation in the Vietnam War or operations in South West Asia. Craig Allen Jr. brought to my attention a LANTAREA historian’s publication, “Guardians of the Gulf: A History of Coast Guard Combat Operations in Support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2002-2004” (pdf) by William H. Thiesen, PhD, June 2009
Regarding the deployment of WPBs the study noted, “Even though the Coast Guard served a similar mission in Vietnam, there existed no operational plan to provide guidance for OIF planning and preparations.”
If the Coast Guard does not yet have a contingency plan for deployment of patrol vessels there is enough detail to make a fair start on a checklist of things to be done. The experience of the WPBs deployed to the Mediterranean can leave little doubt of the Webber Class’ ability to go almost anywhere, given time to avoid bad weather.
“On May 14, the five cutters (one 378 and four 110s–Chuck) began the return trip; however, this time the smaller cutters followed Dallas across the Atlantic rather than riding on board an MSC vessel. The 5,000-mile voyage set a record as the longest transit ever completed by a 110-foot cutter. The PATFORMED fleet had performed its escort and MIO mission admirably. Moreover, the WPBs in the Mediterranean and the Arabian Gulf had set records for hours of operation with some of them deploying for over thirty days of operation.”
For the future, there might be some advantage in organizing at least a few of the Webber class in deployable divisions (3 units) and squadrons (six units) as discussed earlier, with or without augmentation since there will be several location with three or more WPCs.
FierceHomelandSecurity is reporting that the DHS Inspector General has found reduced funding CG funding for C4ISR upgrades has had an adverse effect on operations.
The Homeland Security Department’s inspector general said these aircraft and ships will continue to rely on obsolete technology that will also cost more to operate and maintain. And the Coast Guard hasn’t addressed how and when it will implement these upgrades in revised plans…For example, some older cutters use surface search radar systems that contain almost two-decade old technology, which should’ve been replaced 10 years ago, the report said. In another example, the Coast Guard was planning to upgrade aircraft that use 1990s video and sensor technology to provide surveillance and other functions…”For example, Coast Guard personnel aboard one legacy cutter reported experiencing problems with a malfunctioning surface search radar system, including the need to reboot the system several times a day and system breakdowns while at sea,” the report said…The IG also said that certain aircraft system’s video and mission processor overloads and must be restarted, which could take 30 minutes, if operators try to update a common operating picture with large amounts of data.
Pakistan’s “TheNews” is reporting, “The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Pakistan for GRC43M Cutters and associated equipment parts training and logistical support for an estimated cost of 350 million.”
They are to be built by Westport Shipyard, Inc. (Westport, WA), a company best known as America’s largest yacht builder. We have seen an example of this 43 meter (143 foot) class before. They were demonstrated for the Coast Guard in 2011.
This composite construction vessel is closer to the original concept of the FRC than the Webber Class, and it appears that the cost is about three quarters that of the Webber class. Claims are also made of lower maintenance and longer hull life. They are also faster. Now that the initial contract for the Webbers has run its course, perhaps it would be a good time to reevaluate these as an alternative.
Thanks to Lee for bringing this to my attention.
We are coming up on election day, and Bill Wells has produced a post that recalls some controversy about letting cuttermen vote: The “Evil” in Voting
Janes360 is reporting that the Philippine Coast Guard has inked a 90M Euro ($113M) deal for the purchase of five vessels. One is to be an 82/83 meter (270 foot) aluminum hulled patrol vessel and the other four are 24 meter (79 foot) patrol boats.
NavyRecognition, reporting on OCEA participatin in the EuroNaval trade show, has some details on the OPV 270.
“OPV 270 is a 83 m (270 ft) long marine aluminum made ship. It carries 44 crew members and can take 3 to 6 VIP passengers on board, in addition to 20 ordinary passengers. 35 survivors can also be taken on board. It can travel over 4.500 to 8.000 km at 15 knots and its maximum speed, which depends of the load, can reach 26 knots. its endurance is from 30 to 45 days.”
This earlier report by DefenseStudies includes some photographs of the 24 meter patrol boat in service with the Nigerian Navy, and a short discussion of how they are expected to be used. (Incidentally the “West Philippine Sea” is the Philippine name for the South China Sea.)
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 