Free Republic

The Royal Navy is regularly allowing Somalian pirates to go free because of the risk they would claim asylum if prosecuted in Europe. Pirates terrorising ships in the Indian Ocean, looting and taking hostages, are often given medical checks and fed after being caught, before being sent of their way. This is also sometimes because although they are carrying guns and other weapons, they have not been caught in the act of piracy and therefore have not technically committed a crime. More than 340 suspected Somalian pirates have been captured by international naval forces in the last year and subsequently...

Three US Navy Seals who effected the capture of a highly sought terrorist suspect are headed for court-martial. Meanwhile, the suspect, Ahmed Hashim Abed may have to be released under new Obama Administration guidelines for dealing with perpetrators of the inaptly renamed “man-caused disasters.” The bizarre turn of events was set in motion by what Administration officials termed the “unnecessary roughness” displayed by the Seals during Abed’s capture last September. It appears that one of the Seals may have punched Abed and bloodied his lip. “We have rules governing this sort of thing,” said Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. “Without...

A report that three Navy SEALs will face courts-martial for allegedly abusing a long-sought Iraqi terror suspect during or after his capture has produced quite a bit of outrage and controversy. While it is too early in the process to make a judgment as to the commandos' guilt or innocence, there is good reason to suspect that the military has overreacted in pressing criminal charges.  In recent years, the military has been quick to press charges when dealing with servicemembers who, in attempting to do their duty in difficult circumstances, run afoul of overly detailed regulations and rules of...

End of an era: Aircraft depart Brunswick Naval Air Station as Maine base readies for closing. The two last planes at Maine's Brunswick Naval Air Station lifted off Saturday in blustery winds, ending nearly 60 years of maritime patrol operations at New England's last active-duty military air base. The P-3 Orions of the VP-26 squadron lumbered down an 8,000-foot runway before heading off to a six-month deployment in Central America. After that, they fly to their new home at Florida's Jacksonville Naval Air Station. The planes took off without any speeches or fanfare ... Brunswick, once home to 4,000 sailors...

If you're like me, you're still reeling about the menacing decision by President Obama's terrorist loving Attorney General, Eric Holder, to give terrorists captured in a time of war, the same constitutional rights that U. S. citizens enjoy. As out of the realm of being believable that abominable and treasonous decision was, I really thought that it couldn't get any worse. Well, it has. I am beyond livid.

War On Terror: As Khalid Sheikh Mohammed receives the benefits of U.S. justice, three Navy SEALs face court-martial for allegedly punching a captured terrorist who hanged Americans from a bridge in Fallujah. Apparently our efforts to impress the world about the marvels of our criminal justice system require us to give foreign terrorists such as Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the man who invented the manned cruise missiles that flew into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and plowed into a Pennsylvania field on its way to the Capitol Building, the full rights and protections of the American citizens he conspired...

In yet another exercise in flaunting its “sensitivity”, the Navy is prosecuting three of our extraordinary Navy SEALS for slugging a terrorist. Not just any terrorist, mind you. Ahmed Hashim Abed was the mastermind of the annihilation and mutilation of four Blackwater security guards whose mission on that day was to transport supplies for a catering company. “The Fallujah atrocity came to symbolize the brutality of the enemy in Iraq,and the degree to which a homegrown insurgency was extending its grip over Iraq.” Little Abed was considered a high value target whose capture should be feted. Three of our elite...

Israel seeks discount on two German warships * German Meko preferred over U.S. rival vessel * Israel looks for discounted deal by end of year * Netanyahu, Barak due in Berlin next week By Dan Williams TEL AVIV, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Israel plans to buy two warships from Germany rather than rival U.S.-made vessels and is negotiating with Berlin in the hope of clinching a discounted deal by year's end, Israeli officials said on Wednesday. They said the Meko corvettes' purchase would be pursued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak when they visit the...

Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.

Members of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2, the Royal Navy and members of the Iraqi Defense Forces gather aboard the coastal patrol boat USS Firebolt (PC 10). Firebolt is being used in an operation to remove a sunken barge from an Iraqi waterway. Photo courtesy of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. UMM QASR — The Coalition Naval Advisory Training Team here has been mentoring and training units of the Iraqi Navy and Marines for more than three years. Comprised of nearly 150 active and reserve Sailors and Marines, the International Transition and Advisory Mission combines United States and United...

Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And for their trouble, three of the SEALs, members of the Navy's elite commando unit, are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com. The three have refused non-judicial punishment — called an admiral's mast — and requested a trial by court-martial. Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named "Objective Amber," told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it....

Indian Navy keen to buy newer generation aircraft By Gulshan R. Luthra New Delhi, Nov 22 (IANS) The Indian Navy has floated a Request for Information (RFI) for a newer generation of aircraft which can operate from the two indigenous aircraft carriers it will commission over the next 10 years. The Ministry of Defence and industry sources indicate that the RFI, issued recently, is of a “generic” nature, looking for newer platforms and airborne technologies and what is on offer from some of the well-known manufacturers. The US Boeing and French Dassault have confirmed receipt of the RFI for their...

A collision between a nuclear-powered US Navy submarine and a US warship in the Strait of Hormuz was caused by "catastrophic failure" in management, a US Navy report says. US Navy investigators found that "ineffective and negligent" management and the failure of navigation practices were to blame for a March 2009 collision between the USS Hartford and the USS New Orleans, an amphibious vessel. "This incident comes down to weak and complacent leadership, which led to inadequate planning and preparation of the crew," the Navy Times said in its report. Commander of US Fleet Forces Command Adm. John C. Harvey...

US admiral defends Obama's Japan bow (AFP) – 1 day ago WASHINGTON — The former top commander of US troops in Asia on Thursday strongly defended President Barack Obama against critics of his bow to Japan's Emperor Akihito, calling it a gesture of respect. Admiral Timothy Keating, who retired last month ...

Britain was embroiled in a diplomatic row today after the Royal Navy was accused of using a Spanish flag as a machine-gun target. Giles Paxman, the UK's new ambassador in Madrid, was forced to apologise after sailors fired at a red-and-yellow flag affixed to a buoy while patrolling off Gibraltar.

<p>Contact your Senators and let them know what you think!</p> <p>U.S. veterans or subsidies for United Nations (U.N.) bureaucracy.</p>

Navy finds lax behavior aboard sub in collision GROTON, Conn. (AP) -- The crew aboard a U.S. submarine made dozens of errors before the vessel collided with an American warship in the Persian Gulf, an accident that exposed lax leaders who tolerated sleeping, slouching and a radio room rigged with music speakers, a Navy review found.

DA NANG, Vietnam, Nov. 17, 2009 – Nearly 35 years ago, Navy Cmdr. H.B. Le left Vietnam aboard a fishing trawler. He returned at the helm of a U.S. Navy warship when the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen arrived here Nov. 7 for a scheduled port visit. Navy Cmdr. H.B. Le, commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen, speaks to reporters in front of the U.S. 7th Fleet command ship USS Blue Ridge in Da Nang, Vietnam, Nov. 7, 2009. It was Le's first visit to Vietnam after leaving the country with his family in 1975. U.S. Navy photo by...

A lot of organizations have cashed in on the new president's image with kitschy trinkets, so why not the Navy? The Navy Secretariat Staff Officers Recreation Association, a service group run by Navy personnel and civilians at the Pentagon, has produced Obama Christmas ornaments for $15 a pop, limited to two per person. The normal Navy image has been replaced for the first time with that of the president. A gold frame surrounds a photo of Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as he takes the oath of office on Inauguration Day. Too much cheerleading? Some think so—and have...

They're not a member of any conference and you’ll never be able to follow their standout players to the NFL. Nothing about the Navy football team screams “pay attention to me.”

India's plight: A carrier running out of jets; fighters without their carrier Rajat Pandit, TNN 12 November 2009, 02:33am IST NEW DELHI: Sheer lack of long-term strategic planning, coupled with a dose of bad luck, has landed India in a peculiar situation. If it did not expose a gaping hole in the country's military capabilities, the predicament would have actually been quite ludicrous. On one hand, it has an ageing but newly-refurbished aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, which is fast running out of fighters which can operate from its deck. On the other, it's soon going to induct another type of...

On June 15, Richard Ramsey checked into Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township for major surgery. When he left three days later, Ramsey was no longer Richard, but Renee. Her first words to her doctor when she awakened after the operation were, "Now I'm the lady I always knew I was." Ramsey, a tall, lean woman, neatly turned out in black tailored pants and a lavender turtleneck sweater that used to be her wife's, is likely the oldest person in the United States to have surgery to change genders, experts say. She is 77. ... "I would have liked to...

My dad was an electrician’s mate back in 1960 on the USS Valcour AVP-55. The ship was in drydock for an extended period, and since idle hand’s are the Devil’s tools, to keep the hands busy, the daily inspections became more of a focus than they ordinarily were when the ship was at sea. This rankled one man so much that he felt forced to take drastic action. Nowadays, we would say he suffered from post-inspection stress disorder, or PISD. Anyway, the Engineering Division, the largest in the ship, would muster each morning at 8 am on the fantail, where...

On Saturday, visitors to the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg were treated to a re-enactment of some of the weapons, tactics and strategies used to win War World II. “Give me an army of West Point graduates and I'll win a battle. Give me a handful of Texas Aggies, and I'll win the war.” General George S. Patton quotes (American General in World War I and II, 1885-1945)

Leaders of the U.S. Naval Academy tinkered with the composition of the color guard that appeared at a World Series game last month so the group would not be exclusively white and male. Accounts differ as to who was added to or removed from the Oct. 29 color guard. But the net result was that one of the six who marched on Yankee Stadium's field, Midshipman 2nd Class Hannah Allaire, was selected because her presence would make the service academy look more diverse before a national audience. The incident has captured the attention of the Annapolis campus and stirred up...

Firefight Between North and South Korean Navy This Morning: Causualty Unknown Happened on the morning of Nov. 10 at NLL. N. Korean patrol boats went over NLL to the south. Warning shots fired, but ignored. S. Korean navy fired at N. Korean ship. N. Koreans returned fire.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2009 – A new Navy ship named in honor of the courage displayed by New York City’s residents during and after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks received its official commission today. The USS New York is commissioned in New York, Nov. 7, 2009. The Navy ship was named in honor of the courage displayed by New York City's residents during and after 9/11. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Dan Meaney  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The USS New York recalls “the searing memories of Sept. 11” as well as “the bravery of...

NEW YORK — A man who once swam for the U.S. Naval Academy's water-polo team has survived a terrifying leap from the George Washington Bridge. Authorities say 28-year-old Adrian Rawn stopped his car on the lower level of the bridge connecting Manhattan to New Jersey at about 11:30 a.m. on Friday, then walked to the rail and jumped.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Navy did it to Notre Dame again -- and this loss to the Midshipmen is even more costly. Craig Schaefer sacked Jimmy Clausen in the end zone with 60 seconds left Saturday and Navy held on for a 23-21 victory, its second straight at Notre Dame Stadium. No. 19 Notre Dame (6-3) scored with 24 seconds left on a 31-yard pass from Jimmy Clausen to Golden Tate to cut the lead to two, but the ensuing onside kick went out of bounds. The win sends Navy into the Texas Bowl and effectively ends any hope Notre...

RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 6, 2009 – When he joined the Navy 15 years ago, Cmdr. Trent Kalp probably expected to serve six-month deployments to the middle of the ocean during his career. But at the time, it might have come as a surprise to learn he also would one day be packing his bags at his home in Midlothian, Va., for six months in Afghanistan. Navy Cmdr. Trent Kalp served six months as commander of Defense Logistics Agency’s support team in Afghanistan. His team worked to develop an aviation hub to provide food for U.S. forces in Regional Command South....

Deck Guns Gain Range Nov 4, 2009 Andy Nativi/Genoa The demand for naval guns is driven by two requirements, each at the extreme end of the performance spectrum. One is for artillery whose ranges go well beyond those of the big guns used in World War II. The average range of naval guns then was 35-40 km. (22-25 mi.), with the 18-in. (46-cm.) guns of Japan's Yamato-class battleships capable of firing 1,460-kg. (3,218-lb.) projectiles 26 mi. The other requirement is for small-caliber weapons to defend against airborne and asymmetric threats and for use in missions where navies confront pirates and...

(Video) Israel Navy chief says seized Francop vessel carried enough weapons and ammunition to supply Hezbollah for month or more of fighting against Israel. Navy chief: 'Ship's crew didn't know anything about it. Neither did Egyptians.' Barak: This will not be Iran's last smuggling attempt VIDEO - "The quantity of arms seized on the weapons ship Francop is 10 times or even more than the quantity of weapons on the Karin-A ship," said Israel Deputy Navy Chief Brig. Gen. Rani Ben-Yehuda told reporters during a briefing Wednesday at the naval base in Ashdod. The Francop weapons ship that was seized...

Taiwan says China starts building first aircraft carrier Agence France-Presse First Posted 19:44:00 11/04/2009 Filed Under: Military, Foreign affairs & international relations TAIPEI – Taiwan said Wednesday that its giant neighbor China has started building its first aircraft carrier, a move analysts have said could raise military tensions in the region. The head of Taiwan's National Security Bureau told parliament construction of the carrier had begun, Lin Yu-fang, a legislator of the ruling Kuomintang party, told AFP. However, the security chief, Tsai Teh-sheng said the carrier's construction "has not been smooth" and that the Chinese navy may struggle to put...

USS NEW YORK (LPD-21) PUBLIC SHIP VISITS ... – Wednesday, November 4 – 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Thursday, November 5 – 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. – Sunday, November 8 – 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. – Monday, November 9 – 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Tuesday, November 10 – 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – Wednesday, November 11 – 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Dates and times are subject to change; updates will be posted here.) NO LARGE PACKAGES OR BACKPACKS WILL BE PERMITTED. Those who plan to go aboard the ship are advised to: -- Arrive...

I was listening to Fox News on television from the other room this morning reporting on the arrival of the USS New York LPD-21 for a visit to New York City. As I was listening I heard the female news reader say that, "the USS New York was the Navy's newest "Defense Ship." When did we stop calling them "warships?" Did anybody else hear this? Is this a Fox News thing? Or, is this an "Obama navy thing?" Or did it never happen?

BreakingNews San Diego media: 9 missing after collision of Coast Guard C-130 and Marine Cobra helicopter off the SD coast. BNO News working to confirm.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A Navy T-34 jet trainer with two people aboard has gone missing off the Texas gulf coast. U.S. Coast Guard officials said an air traffic controller at Corpus Christi's naval air station lost contact with the crew about 3:20 p.m. Wednesday. The single-engine T-34 was last reported near Port Lavaca. The Coast Guard has dispatched a helicopter, jet and boats to search for the jet. Port Lavaca is about 75 miles northeast of Corpus Christi.

Israeli urgently orders two stealth corvettes from Germany DEBKAfile Special Report October 27, 2009, 5:55 PM (GMT+02:00) DEBKAfile's military sources report that the two corvettes are needed to meet the build-up of Iranian submarines and Syria warships in the Mediterranean Sea and defend coastal infrastructure facilities such as power stations and naval bases which Israel intelligence fears will be at risk in a regional war. The order placed during Israeli chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi's three-day visit to Berlin this week as guest of the German high command surprised the defense ministry. Germany is contributing 500 million euros...

When Gunnery Sgt. Marcus Hyman was told he’d get to sit down with Barack Obama on Monday, the Marine knew what he wanted to find out: What’s the president’s plan for Afghanistan? Obama didn’t go into great detail answering Hyman, the young man said after their chat, but the future of the faltering war was clearly on the president’s mind during his afternoon visit to Jacksonville Naval Air Station. (snip) Not everyone in the audience was as excited — some sailors said they were upset about being ordered to come — but for many, the speech was a unique opportunity.

Israel is hoping to order two modern German-made warships without paying for them, daily Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung reported on Friday. Sources within the German government told the paper that Israel wants the Berlin to finance the MEKO corvettes, a sum that would reportedly reach hundreds of millions of euros. The paper reported that the government has not yet reacted to Israel’s request. But “influential politicians from northern Germany,” where the shipbuilding industry is suffering from the global economic downturn, are apparently supportive in the interest of keeping German shipyards in business.

<p>The Navy's need for speed is being answered by a pair of warships that have reached freeway speeds during testing at sea.</p> <p>Independence, a 418-foot warship built in Alabama, boasts a top speed in excess of 45 knots, or about 52 mph, and sustained 44 knots for four hours during builder trials that wrapped up this month off the Gulf Coast. The 378-foot Freedom, a ship built in Wisconsin by a competing defense contractor, has put up similar numbers.</p>

Navy sea trials of LCS Independence are completeDailyTech previously published an article noting the United States Navy was planning on testing its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) in trials after an aborted attempt and months of delay. During testing, the General Dynamics-created Independence had an average speed of 44 knots, with a top speed of 45 knots.  The ship, which was tested in the Gulf of Mexico, endured 25-knot winds and eight-foot waves. Previously, engineers expected the ship to top 44 knots -- during testing in July, engine issues stopped maximum speed tests before Independence could reach 44 knots.  Exact engine...

Oscar E. and Anna Anderson of Willmar died believing that their only son had been buried at sea after being killed in action during the D-Day Invasion of Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. Now, surviving family members hope to learn whether the remains of U.S. Navy Motor Machinist Mate 1st Class John E. Anderson were interred in the Saint Laurent Cemetery, Baveux, France, as an unknown American casualty of World War II. The cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach has since been designated as the Normandy American Military Cemetery. His name is listed there as among the “Missing In Action’’ from...

VIRGINIA BEACH One person was killed and eight others were injured when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed on a Navy ship during joint training with the Army. The services were doing "fast rope" exercises 20 nautical miles off Fort Story about 8 p.m. Thursday, sliding down a rope from helicopters and landing on the fast combat support ship Arctic, when one of the Army helicopters made a hard landing, said Capt. Cate Mueller, a Navy spokeswoman. It was unclear whether the injured were from the Navy, the Army or both. A Navy news release this morning says that members of...

Navy officials handed a career-ending letter of censure yesterday to the chief who oversaw the prolonged hazing and sexual taunting of members of a Navy dog-handling unit in Bahrain. Senior Chief Petty Officer Michael Toussaint was removed from supervisory duties overseas with the Naval Special Warfare Command and will work in an administrative post at a base in Norfolk, Va., until his forced retirement in January, said Cmdr. Elissa Smith, a Navy spokeswoman. Toussaint is on leave and has refused all interview requests, said Cmdr. Greg Geisen, a spokesman for the Coronado-based Naval Special Warfare Command. The Navy began investigating...

Many species of marine creatures are very well suited to their watery environment, with precisely arranged gas exchange organs, properly angled eyeball parts, and streamlined bodies with appropriate musculature for expert swimming. They also have a continuously sloughing slime layer that lubricates their underwater motion. Rahul Ganguli of Teledyne Scientific in California is experimenting with ways to provide a similar slime for ship hulls to glide through water more efficiently...

India Mulls Land-Based E-2D Oct 19, 2009 Neelam Mathews/New Delhi The Indian navy is reevaluating the design of its future aircraft carriers and showing interest in the U.S. Navy's Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (Emals), which is in development by General Atomics. Emals uses a linear motor drive instead of steam pistons to accelerate aircraft for takeoff. India uses short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing (Stovl) Sea Harriers from its current carrier, the INS Viraat, which is near retirement. The navy has been waiting some time for the refurbished Russian carrier Admiral Gorshkov, now due for delivery in 2012, and is working with Fincantieri of Italy...

Armed Forces hits recruiting goalsMilitary Recruitment Hits 35 Year High 10-19-09 Last Update: 7:47 pm Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - For the first time in 35 years, all branches of the military met their recruiting goals for 2009. The Army had more than 70,000 people sign up; the Navy had close to 36,000; the Marine Corps got 31,000 new recruits and the Air Force came in with close to 32,000. The high unemployment rate, coupled with increased education costs, is at the heart of the successful recruiting campaign. Recruiting tactics haven't changed. Recruiters still work hard to reach people, especially at high...

NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2009 – Alison Buckholtz had no desire to marry into the military, but when she fell for her husband, an active-duty Navy pilot, she became a Navy wife. Alison Buckholtz’s “Standing By: The Making of an American Military Family in a Time of War” offers insight into the life of a military family with young children during a servicemember’s deployment. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The couple married shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. Buckholtz’s military education began at the same time. “I basically thought servicemembers were...

This week the US Department of “Defense” announced that it was considering adding women to its list of submarine sailors. There is little doubt as to why: it’s politically convenient. But has anyone asked: why? Of course not. Do you really think the “press” cares one iota about why? Do you think anyone in America gives a rat’s ass? Of course not. For those of you not aware of what has gone on in the military of the last two decades, let me let you in on a little info: Combat Readiness has been subordinated for political expediency. In 1993,...