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02 Nov 2016
World’s Most High-tech Ship Enters Service
USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), representing the newest class of surface combatant, was commissioned on October 15 in ceremonies at Baltimore. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus was the principal speaker. “This ship is an example of a larger initiative to increase operational stability and give the U.S. a strategic advantage,” he said. “Our Navy and our Marine Corps, uniquely, provide presence – around the globe…
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03 Oct 2016
Choke Points are Flash Points
The world is closely watching several contentious flash points that have potential to ignite. The behavior and rhetoric of China and Russia regarding vital shipping lanes in international waters have been alarming. Disputed sovereignty claims and efforts to enforce them have the maritime world on edge. China’s nine-dash line claims about owning the entire East and South China Sea have created a dilemma for themselves and the other nations in the region. The Philippines v.
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01 Jun 2016
Port Business: Is Bigger Better?
Every port is different. But the harbor masters meeting in Vancouver this week are finding they all have much in common. “We all are dealing with issues of efficiency, the environment, and security and how to develop our ports to best accommodate our customers today and in the future,” says Capt. Kevin Richardson, president of the International Harbour Masters’ Association (IHMA) and a retired chief harbor master at the Port of Dover in the U.K.
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18 May 2016
Maritime Leaders Convene in the Caribbean
Representatives from all aspects of the maritime shipping industry met in Cocoa Beach, Fla., May 16-18 for the Caribbean Shipping Associations’ (CSA) Shipping Executives Conference.
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08 Mar 2016
SNMG2 Expands into Waters of Greece and Turkey
The German flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) FGS BONN is the first NATO ship to enter the area of activity for a first patrol around the Greek island of Lesbos. Over the weekend, NATO had expanded the area of activity into the territorial waters of Turkey and Greece, in close coordination with both Allies. NATO also expanded its cooperation with the EU’s border agency Frontex. “We are able to support the local authorities with our sensors, amplifying their capabilities.
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25 Feb 2016
Navy Competes for Resources at Home, against Asymmetric Threats Abroad
The U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations Adm. The document presents Richardson’s priorities with four “lines of effort” to strengthen naval power at and from the sea; achieve high velocity learning at every level; strengthen our Navy team for the future’ and expand and strengthen our network of partners. It isn’t an earth-shattering document, and perhaps is most telling for what it doesn’t say, as opposed to what is says.
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17 Feb 2016
Navy Forum Connects Large and Small Business
For the past 15 years, the Department of the Navy’s “Forum for SBIR/STTR Transition” (FST) – the nation’s premier small business technology venue – takes a major step forward in allying with the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition (S-A-S) on 16-18 May 2016 at the Gaylord National Harbor near Washington, D.C. “Our collaboration with the Navy League marries the most significant large and small business marketplaces for defense technology…
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03 Dec 2015
Littoral OP Tech East - Examining Coastal Operations
EXPERTS from navies, academia and industry are meeting in Tokyo to examine the unique challenges of operating in the littoral or coastal environment. The Littoral OPTECH East workshop is being held in Tokyo, Japan this week with the academic leadership of the Littoral Operations Center (LOC) at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. OPTECH East has the support of the U.S. Office of Naval Research Global…
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28 Oct 2015
Maritime Security in Focus in the Caribbean
Puerto Rico, centrally located at the crossroads of the Caribbean, is the location of Maritime Security 2015 Caribbean currently underway in the busy port city of San Juan. The keynote addresses were delivered by Ingrid Colberg-Rodriguez, executive director of the Puerto Rico Ports Authority, and Capt. Michael Zamperini, deputy commander of Coast Guard Sector San Juan. Attendees included representatives from federal agencies…
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19 Aug 2015
Maritime Security Experts Convene in San Diego
Maritime security experts from federal, state and local jurisdictions are meeting in San Diego this week as part of Maritime Security 2015 West. Attendees from Turkey, Japan, United Arab Emirates, France, U.K., and New Zealand joined participants from across the U.S. and Canada to examine challenges and share solutions. A special tour of the Unified Port of San Diego was conducted to offer a glimpse…
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20 Jul 2015
Naval Symposium Examines Ship Capabilities, Career Options
The annual Surface Navy Association (SNA) West Coast Symposium was held on the waterfront at Naval Station San Diego on July 16, and provided attendees an update on some key operational and career developments important to the surface warfare community. Capt. Mark Johnson, president of the SNA San Diego Chapter, was the host and master of ceremonies for the symposium. Capt. Warren Buller, commander of LCS Squadron 1…
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08 Jul 2015
Maritime Security Experts Meet in Cleveland
For maritime security experts, there were many lessons learned after the 2011 Republican National Convention in Tampa. That’s why those experts are meeting now in Cleveland, the site of the 2016 RNC to learn from the professionals who planned and executed the maritime safety and security efforts for the Tampa event. The Republican and Democratic conventions are considered national special security events (NSSE)…
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22 Jun 2015
Driving Innovation: the Unmanned FLNG
DNV GL developed a new unmanned floating LNG concept that it claims overcomes many of the challenges faced by operators looking to unlock the potential of remote offshore gas fields. Called Solitude, DNV GL said the concept demonstrates how technological advances can be combined into a solution that offers an estimated 20% reduction in annual OPEX, only adding a few percent increase in CAPEX and at the same time increasing overall safety.
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01 Jun 2015
BAE Systems Investing in San Diego
A discussion with Bob Koerber, General Manager, BAE Systems Ship Repair, San Diego, Calif. Bob Koerber, general manager of BAE Systems Ship Repair in San Diego, served on active duty as a surface warfare officer from 1981 to 1987, then continued to serve as a Navy Reservist, retiring as a captain in 2007. His last reserve assignment was as the Deputy Commander of Naval Special Warfare Command. As a SWO he served aboard USS Hull (DD 945?) and USS Brooke (FFG 1).
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29 Apr 2015
Unmanned Systems Work Together from Single Controller
A flight demonstration using a hand-held tablet has shown how unmanned air and ground vehicles can be supervised together by a single operator, and how big and small businesses can work together. The demonstration was conducted on March 26, 2014, at Kaman Aerospace in Bloomfield, Conn., involving a Kaman K-MAX helicopter equipped with Lockheed Martin’s mission management system operating in the unmanned mode, and a Neya Systems UxInterceptor unmanned all-terrain vehicle.
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08 Apr 2015
Oil Under Ice
The U.S. How did an urgent requirement to build a road to Alaska end up helping to design submarines and to recover oil spills in the Arctic ice? The Army Corps of Engineers was faced with a monumental challenge of building a highway to connect the “lower 48” to Alaska during World War II to keep America’s northernmost territory secure from invasion. The road crossed hundreds of miles of wilderness, and much of the roadbed sat up permafrost, presenting challenges to America’s roadbuilders.
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08 Apr 2015
USCG Makes Headway in Challenging Waters
Day after day, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to conduct its 11 statutory missions with its limited resources. It is challenged to Invest in long-term operational capacity while continuing to carry out its daily missions. “We’re a small service, but as always, we do punch above our weight class,” said Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft during the 2015 Surface Navy Association symposium in Arlington, Virginia.
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07 Apr 2015
Naval Experts, Students to Examine Littoral Challenge
The 2nd Annual Wargame Planning Session is being conducted by the Naval Postgraduate School’s (NPS) Littoral Operations Center (LOC) in Monterey, Calif., on April 23, 2015; followed by a Surface Warfare - Littoral Combat Innovation Workshop on April 25, 2015. “The purpose of our wargame planning session is to share the expertise of defense leaders, tactical and technical experts and security analysts to increase the resolution of wargame scenarios set in the littorals.
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12 Mar 2015
Maritime Security Experts Meet in Jacksonville
Maritime security experts are gathering this week at Maritime Security 2015 East in Jacksonville, Florida, to exchange information and ideas, as well as learn about and see emerging technologies and operational concepts in action. Presentations were made by speakers from the Navy and Coast Guard, along with state, city and local organizations with maritime security and law enforcement responsibilities. The event is taking place at the Jacksonville JAXPORT Cruise Terminal.
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13 Jan 2015
Cold and Calculating: Dealing with Ice in Domestic Waterways
Army research laboratory helps vessels deal with ice in domestic waterways. Ice, snow and extremely low temperatures can put a big chill on maritime operations in ports, lakes, rivers and waterways. Thanks to the U.S. Army’s Corps of Engineers Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire, mariners have a better understanding regarding phenomena such as icing on superstructures, brash ice and propulsion systems and controlling ice dams.