Bryan Whitman News

Five Chinese vessels shadowed and maneuvered close to the USNS Impeccable in the March 8, a senior Pentagon official said March 9. The oceanographic ship was 70 miles south of conducting routine operations in international waters when the ships approached, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. "We view these as unprofessional maneuvers by the Chinese vessels and violations under international law to operate with due regard for the rights and safety of other lawful users of the ocean," Whitman said.

On Nov. 19, 2008, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell today defended the military effort to deter piracy in the Gulf of Aden and called on commercial ships to do more against this scourge of the sea. The U.S. 5th Fleet forms the core of the American effort in the Maritime Security Patrol Area, but other nations are involved. “Any number of countries are out there now, patrolling and having a deterrent effect in a huge body of water,” Morrell said. The Gulf of Aden – where recent attacks have occurred – has about 1.1 million square miles of open water. More than 20 nations – under command of a Danish flag officer – are coordinating their efforts in the region. The increasing level of piracy is having an impact on commercial shipping.

Air Force Reserve C-130 Hercules aircraft are rushing equipment needed to rescue six miners trapped in a cave-in in Huntington, Utah, and Navy divers are ready to begin work at the site of the collapsed bridge in Minneapolis. The Department of Labor asked for the aircraft to move a seismic vehicle, a shelter, an auxiliary truck and a small number of people to Utah. In Minneapolis, about 30 Defense Department personnel are working in support of state and local authorities. "The Navy diving detachment is on site and the salvage team consists of 18 personnel and six-man support team," said Bryan Whitman, Pentagon spokesman. The divers, part of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2 in Little Creek…