While the U.S. Pacific Fleet gears up for a redistribution of its forces for future decades of focus on China, the first of a series of destroyers has quietly sailed into Spanish waters to establish a new line of American missile defense for Western Europe. Stars and Stripes reported that after a trans-Atlantic journey from Norfolk, Va., the first of four missile destroyers has arrived at Naval Station Rota in Spain.
A new missile defense system
According to the Navy, the USS Donald Cook is an Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer equipped with Tomahawk and Harpoon missile launchers, two Vertical Launch Systems for hostile armament interception, Close-In-Weapons-Systems, and triple tube torpedo mounts.
That is just the first of four missile destroyers slated to comprise a new European missile defense system known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach. By 2016, all four ships will be based at Naval Station Rota on the Atlantic coast of Gibraltar. Combined with several land-based weapons systems in Romania, Poland and Turkey, commanding officials at Ramstein Air Base in Germany hope the missile defense shield will protect U.S. forces stationed in Europe and allies in the region from unseen threats from the Middle East.
When the naval force is fully deployed the Cook and its fellow destroyers will make four-month circuits throughout the Mediterranean Sea to monitor situations around the region.
A strategic initiative
The EPAA mission was announced by President Obama in 2009. Russian authorities claim the move will infringe upon their country's nuclear program, but U.S. officials disagree.
"To put it simply, our new missile defense architecture in Europe will provide stronger, smarter, and swifter defenses of American forces and America's Allies," Obama said in a press release. "It is more comprehensive than the previous program; it deploys capabilities that are proven and cost-effective; and it sustains and builds upon our commitment to protect the U.S. homeland against long-range ballistic missile threats; and it ensures and enhances the protection of all our NATO Allies."
A four phase plan that will reach completion sometime around 2020, the program has already resulted in tight military cooperation between the White House and European nations such as Poland, Romania and Turkey. Despite the claims of muted hostility from the Russian government, the 2010 Lisbon Summit of NATO allies commended the strategic initiative as a significant contribution to the region's military defense.
With continued scrutiny directed toward the federal budget, lawmakers have been eyeing a reduction to the nation's fleet of aircraft carriers for some time. The ships cost billions to construct and billions more to maintain year in and year out. Despite their cost, however, carriers have long been leaned on strategically as one of the main pillars of America's military prowess at sea. As a result, the U.S. Navy just narrowly avoided losing one of its aircraft carriers to the scrap yard.
The cost of a carrier
The Wall Street Journal reported that the USS George Washington, a Nimitz-class supercarrier, had been planned for decommissioning and deconstruction after a review of the Navy's finances last year, but intervention from the White House saved the ship from its fate. The review was lead by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who found that the Navy's operational capabilities would not be seriously impacted by decreasing the number of carriers from 11 to the proposed 10. The new number would still have equaled the combined carrier strength of seven other countries.
The George Washington was initially commissioned July 4, 1992 and is based out of Yokosuka, Japan, according to the Navy. Powered by two nuclear reactors, the George Washington and similar ships usually have a lifespan of 50 years, but require refueling and widespread maintenance at some point during their operational careers. The George Washington is scheduled for refueling in 2016 and the price tag of that work is steep at nearly $4.7 billion. Amid budget cuts to agencies across the board, Hagel recommended that the George Washington be scrapped.
Sail to the chief
Amid the controversy, The Wall Street Journal speculated that instead of allowing an aircraft carrier to be retired under a Democratic administration and before an election cycle, the White House allocated the necessary funds for the refurbishment of the George Washington to the military's budget. This decision was reportedly made by White House officials interested in avoiding a political fight with Congressmen who would have blocked any Executive effort to retire a carrier. Rather than see a proposal mired on Capitol Hill, the decision was made to keep the carrier in active service and avoid criticisms in the process.
Support for ships
The intervention has more benefits than political gain, however.
David Berteau is a defense analyst with the non-profit Center for Strategic and International Studies and he recommended that instead of retiring the relatively young George Washington, one of the older ships be considered. The oldest carrier in service today is the USS Nimitz, commissioned in 1975. As the Navy is currently working under a plan to build a new aircraft carrier every five years, Berteau said that a move towards a constantly modernizing fleet would not only help with military force, but any halt in construction for financial purposes would make it more difficult to build ships in the future.
"Once you break the production of carriers, you will not have a carrier industrial base," Berteau told The Wall Street Journal.
Rep. Randy Forbes (R., Va.) insisted that a reduction in aircraft carrier strength could spell disaster for the Navy's military capabilities.
"The aircraft carrier remains the centerpiece of American sea power and is fundamental to a national security policy based on forward deployed presence and power," he told the Wall Street Journal.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va.) agreed with the Republican representative, saying that any reduction in carrier strength would seen be by allies and enemies alike as an unwillingness for the U.S. to engage itself in military actions in the future.
While women are not yet allowed to operate under any capacity as a soldier, the Army is taking steps to make service in the military less dependent on gender.
More than 100,000 jobs remain closed to women who wish to become soldiers or progress in their military careers, but the Department of Defense reported Feb. 2 that about 33,000 positions previously closed to women will be opened to willing applicants. The new policy will take effect in April and only exclude designations under Special Operations command.
A serious initiative
The military is still not entirely open to women serving in combat roles, but this policy change represents a step in the right direction, Col. Linda Sheimo believes. Sheimo serves as chief of the Command Programs and Policy Division at the Directorate of Military Personnel Management.
"When we complete congressional notification in April 2014, the Army will have opened approximately 55,000 positions to women, across all three components, since May 2012. " Sheimo told the DOD.
The program also takes a new look at military occupational specialties, or MOSs. Of the 400 MOSs across the Army today, only 14 do not allow women. These specifications, like the 13B Cannon Crewmember that requires the handling of ammunition and operating large artillery, remain restricted to men primarily due to reasons of physical suitability.
But as military officials continue a process or reevaluating all MOSs, Sheimo says it may not be that way for long.
"Ensuring we have clear standards for all soldiers will ensure the best soldiers are assigned to positions, something the Army is calling the 'Soldier of 2020,'" she told the DOD. "What we are trying to do is get the best Solders for the future. The Army's efforts across various spectrums will ensure all soldiers have the opportunity to serve successfully."
March toward progress
With so many options likely opening up for female soldiers in the future, it is no surprise that the percentage of women serving in the Armed Forces has continued to rise. According to data provided on the Army's website, only 9.8 percent of all soldiers in 1983 were women. Ten years later in 1993, that number had jumped to 12.5 percent. In 2012, women represented 15.7 percent of all soldiers.
The collection of women serving in senior positions has also continued to rise over the last few decades, as officer grades, executive civilian position, and DOD appointments are increasingly being filled by women.
The deployment of a spouse can be one of the most difficult life events a military family can endure. Aside from the emotional toll that sending a loved one off to a combat zone can take on a family, other practical concerns can cause just as much stress. The financial situation of a family that has just sent a soldier abroad can become less stable when one half of the management of the household is a world away. There are several resources and skills that military families can draw on to make sure that even when separated, the family can function as smoothly as before.
Communication is key
Even though it may seem impossible to stay in any kind of regular contact while your husband or wife is overseas, communicating about issues is the number one key to successfully making it through a deployment.
InCharge.org interviewed Dr. Earl Beale, director of the Family Support Center at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, about the most common issues that follow families during a deployment and, more importantly, how to deal with them.
"The number one issue deployed service members worry about is how they'll communicate during the deployment about finances, child care, family decisions, etc.," Beale said. "We have military family members who come in just to use the video phone to discuss a major purchase with their deployed spouse."
For families without the capabilities to communicate on their own, Beale encourages checking with your local military base. Some offer phone cards and computers for email that spouses can use to communicate during a deployment.
Setting and keeping budgetary goals
While communication can help with unseen problems that come up, most issues can be avoided if you and your spouse make sure to set and keep a clear financial plan before deployment. Military.com outlines a few key topics to discuss, such as where your family should be financially when your spouse returns, whether or not you should be paying down any debt during that time or how much to save up for a future purchase.
By discussing these things in addition to any monetary issues prior to your spouse's departure, it can make the entire process much smoother.
Ease into the reunion
InCharge.org spoke to Amy Manglesdorf, who managed her family by herself when her husband deployed. She was better prepared than most, with years of experience as an Army Family Team Builder, the stresses of handling her family finances alone were still difficult to handle. When her husband returned, she saw some problems come up that she never expected.
"Don't plan on any big expenditures that first month after he gets home," Manglesdorf said. It can feel like another honeymoon period, she explained, and the reunited couple may feel like they have to make up for the lost time they spent separated during the deployment with a long trip, multiple fancy dinners and a significant purchase.
Try not to abandon the sound financial plans you made with your spouse before and during the time he or she spent away.
For Manglesdorf, "That's when all the bills start pouring in."
Even though it is only the soldier that may see combat, military life is not easy for all involved. As a spouse leaves to serve his country on a foreign battlefield, preparing for your soldier's safe return can be just as difficult. Take advantage of the time you have together to plan for any expected and unexpected problems that may occur, and remember to reach out and take advantage of any available resources that your local military representative can provide.
The 22nd Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia commence Feb. 7, and while most American citizens will have their eyes glued to their television sets as they watch the opening ceremony, a contingent of Navy sailors on board two state-of-the-art warships have arrived just in time to watch the Games from a different vantage point. Military.com reported that the two warships, a command ship and a frigate, sailed into the Black Sea Feb. 5 to provide extra security assistance to Russian forces if necessary.
Security for seaside Sochi
When Sochi was chosen in 2007 as the site of the 2014 Winter Games by the International Olympic Committee, BostInno.com explains how Russian president Vladimir Putin touted the resort town on the edge of southern Eurasia's inland Black Sea as pefectly situated to captivate a large number of tourists and athletes alike. It's hard to imagine, however, that Putin expected two U.S. Navy warships to be among the visitors to Sochi.
The USS Mount Whitney and the USS Taylor completed their journey several days ago and have already commenced training exercises in the Black Sea. The Mount Whitney is a 620-foot command vessel with .50-caliber machine guns, helicopter-launching capabilities, and Close-In-Weapons-Systems, which Military.com reported are used as an proximity defense weapon. The Taylor is a 435-foot frigate suited for protection and escort missions, as well as anti-submarine objectives.
In addition to combat readiness, the ship can also supply an evacuation population of 3,000 people and generates 100,000 gallons of fresh water a day. Sailors on both ships have been trained for emergency preparedness for their deployment at the Olympics.
Always vigilant
With only hours remaining before the Sochi Games officially begin, concerns over the comprehensive security expected at international events of its caliber continue to mount. The Los Angeles Times reported that the Department of Homeland Security has issued a warning to all airlines flying to Sochi to be wary of explosive materials smuggled inside toothpaste tubes or cosmetic containers.
"If we should receive information in the coming days and weeks that changes our assessment of whether people should travel to Sochi, we will make that information public," National Security Council spokeswoman Laura Magnuson said in a press release.
This latest warning over security at the Olympics joins several other indications of instability in the Caucasus region in Russia. In January, a suicide bomber attacked a train station in the city of Volgograd, only 500 miles away from Sochi, and NBC News recently reported that even powering up a laptop or a mobile device and connecting to the Internet while at the Olympics could automatically infect your system with viruses.
Making the journey
While only one of the ships traveled all the way across the Atlantic on its way to Sochi – the USS Mount Whitney was already stationed in Italy – some family members and fans of U.S. Olympians will be making the lengthy trip despite the security concerns.
Mark Caldwell told the Washington Post that he intends to be one of those Americans in attendance. His daughter, two-time Olympian Ashley Caldwell, will compete in Freestyle Skiing Aerials.
"I've stood at the top of the Deer Valley aerials hill and looked down on the 60-foot jump into space without any landing in site," the elder Caldwell the Washington Post. "My daughter [confronts] that fear daily, repeatedly. Of course we are concerned about the terror prospects in Sochi, but the Olympics are a once-in-a-lifetime event. And for us, twice now."
If Caldwell was at ease over the security in Sochi before, the presence of U.S. Navy soldiers in the Black Sea is sure to put his mind even more at rest.
It was called the end of an era when the U.S. removed the last of its tanks from European soil where they had been a continuous presence since World War II, but after a new fleet of tanks landed at American bases in Germany, a new chapter in history has begun.
Military.com reported that 29 M1A2 SEPv2 Abrams tanks were delivered to the Grafenwöhr training facilities in Germany Jan. 31. Less than a year ago, the U.S. recalled 22 M1A1 Abrams tanks from the base, making this new fleet an upgrade of modernization. The new tanks will join the European Activity Set (EAS) under the authority of the Joint Multinational Training Command (JMTC).
"The EAS is a pre-positioned, battalion-plus-size equipment set with headquarters pieces and command-and-control elements," said Col. Thomas Matsel, an operations officer within the JMTC. ""We have the best light infantry training facilities, the best medium training area with the Strykers. The only thing missing was the heavy piece."
The M1A2 tanks complement a collection of Strykers, the Army's newest troop transport vehicle, and M2/M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, which can be optimized for transport or combat, according to GoArmy.com. The M1A2 tanks represent an impressive upgrade in military capabilities in their ability to protect troops from nuclear, biological or chemical attacks.
The U.S. military could soon be one step closer to making "Mission Impossible" a reality
The Pentagon and the Defense Advance Projects Agency announced in January that they have chosen technology firm IBM to produce processes that would render the mobile technologies used by soldiers in the field useless after the operational length of missions – or if they fell into the wrong hands, Military.com reported. Modern troops use mobile technologies in a wide variety of applications, such as GPS devices, smartphones and health monitoring devices. DARPA has titled the initiative the "Vanishing Programmable Resources" program.
"These electronics have become necessary for operations, but it is almost impossible to track and recover every device," DARPA officials said in a statement. "At the end of operations, these electronics are often found scattered across the battlefield and might be captured by the enemy and repurposed or studied to compromise DOD's strategic technological advantage."
The exact manner of how the electronics would be destroyed is still indeterminate, but DARPA's website lists a number of ways in which technology firms could go about it. Whether the device components are ecoresorbable (naturally decomposing into the environment) or implanted health devices that are bioresorbable (reintegration into the body) remains to be seen.
IBM was awarded $3.4 million for the VAPR contract.
While the families of soldiers may never see combat, they fight a battle of their own.
Previously available to soldiers, their spouses and civilians involved in military operations, the military's resilience training program is now available to teenage children of servicemembers, the Army reported. After requests for the service to be broadened to include teenagers, the Army has accepted the new participants into courses at bases in Kentucky, Texas and Hawaii, with a fourth base about to begin the new program as well.
"Resilience is something that can be taught and the sooner you learn it, the better you are throughout your life in managing adversity," said Julie Broad, a key civilian member of the new teen program.
The soldier-centric curriculum – the largest and longest running portion of the program – has stratified lessons for every soldier in the service. The training educates soldiers on how to best adapt to the stresses of combat situations as well as the general pressures of life in the military. The program is staggered so soldiers receive relevant training at certain stages of their careers.
"This is a way that the Army is really using the knowledge it has accrued to do good within the community and further strengthen the Army family," Broad said.
With the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the Middle East in its final stages, the House Armed Services Committee held a series of hearings to discuss the next major strategic move of the country's military might: the Asia pivot.
Stars and Stripes reported that several Congressmen on the committee voiced their concerns over a China grown economically and militarily confident and the need for U.S. forces to protect the interests of various allies in the region.
"The trajectory for our relationship with China is uncertain today, where we're going to go in the future," said Frank Kendall, an advisor to the Secretary of Defense. "One of the reasons we're focused on the Asia Pacific is we want to do our best to influence that trajectory to go in a positive way."
Part of that uncertainty comes from a lack of hard intelligence on China's military capabilities. In 2012, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) published a report that cast doubt on the reported figures of China's military spending. While China itself reports that it spent over $100 billion on its armed forces, the SIPRI report alleges that contributions from other branches of government most likely push that number upwards of 50 percent higher.
With a lack of details surrounding the U.S.'s role as a player in the Pacific, many see the rebalancing of armed forces as the first step in securing that future.
In an unexpected move, Italian customs agents have begun withholding packages and letters bound for U.S. troops stationed in the country unless the normally waived taxes and duties are paid on the incoming shipments.
Stars and Stripes reported that Italian officials are enforcing a new interpretation of a rule contained in the agreement between the two countries that allows the U.S. to station troops on foreign bases. Normally, mail meant for soldiers stationed at foreign bases is exempt from customs taxes and duties. The new interpretation applies to a host of odd items such as lottery tickets, roasted coffee, typewriter ribbons, nutmeg, hair products and playing cards.
Common items that fall under the heading of living necessities are taxed at a low rate, but for more obscure items, soldiers are now being forced to pay upwards of 22 euros – or about $30 – before the packages can be released from customs.
There are roughly 10,000 servicemembers stationed in Italy, according to CNN, though Italian customs have only held a dozen packages so far.
Representatives from the Navy and the American embassy in Rome continue to meet with Italian officials to resolve the issue.