[quidnunc]

Boomers Readied for Littoral, Special Warfare

The US Navy has twelve aircraft carriers in various states of readiness and repair. Unfortunately, as highly publicized recent problems with ships (USS John F. Kennedy and USS Detroit, to name two) and aircraft (EA-6B, F-14, and S-3B) have shown, the US Navy is currently stretched beyond its ability to meet the commitments set for it after September 11, 2001.

The Navy is addressing the problem in part by changing its ship mix. The Navy’s four oldest Ohio-class Trident ballistic missile submarines are about to be converted to carry 166 Tomahawk cruise missiles in place of each’s 24 nuclear ballistic missiles. This transformation is part of a $4 billion Congressional authorization to reshape the US’ four oldest Trident-class subs to, in the words of one Navy official, “modern street fighters.” Or, to think of them another way, firepower extenders — getting a lot of whistling death to a hot spot quickly. Conversion of the four older Tridents will leave fourteen others still on nuclear attack deterrence duty.

The converted Ohio-class boats are to be equipped with the Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System (Lockheed Martin Management and Data Systems, Valley Forge, PA), developed for Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers, as well as the Multiple All-up-round Canisters (MAC), from Northrop Grumman (Annapolis, MD). Originally designed to manage up to 128 missiles, the TTWCS will require only a software modification to adapt it for SSGN use, according to CAPT Brian Wegner, SSGN Program Manager.

The change will also involve adapting 22 of the 24 missile tubes so that each tube can carry and launch up to seven Tomahawks within seconds. Because there are significant differences in the hydrodynamics and hullform associated with the Ohio-class boats as opposed to the Los Angeles-class boats that already can fire cruise missiles, the Tridents will also have to undergo extensive modifications since the cruise missiles will be launched seven from each tube, rather than one big ballistic missile per tube. According to a report in TheDay.com,, the redesign will also anticipate deploying other types of missiles in the tubes, such as the Army Tactical Missile or a planned hypersonic missile that could reach mach 6. According to Wegner, the remaining two tubes will be widened and used to store gear for Navy SEALs; the revamp will include adding the capability of covertly ferrying special forces personnel to and from foreign soil. Such missions will, in turn, mean the addition of unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs), as well as mini-submersibles to haul special forces to and from shore.

-snip-

(K.B. Sherman in NavLog.org, December, 2002)
To Read This Article Click Here

[prairiebreeze]

They have been aided by changes to U.S. laws after Sept. 11 that allow Americans to do things once forbidden — such as assassinating foreign figures.

"Paging Yassar Arafat, Kim Jong Il and Jacques Chirac!"

An interesting article, thanks for posting it.

Prairie

[ExpatCanuck]

I hope and pray this is all true. Finally, there seems to be some understanding of how important this struggle is.

[danneskjold]

bump...

[Hazzardgate]

Great article. We'll never know the full extent of what's going on out there right now.

[DoctorMichael]

Thanks. Bump.

[TYVets]

I don't think FoxNews has reported these activities.

very interesting

[Rocko]

Bump.

[Valin]

1 Thanks for this post.
2And much of the war is being fought by foreign governments that are willing and able to do things Americans wouldn't or couldn't. "We simply don't have the resources, or the inclination, to be everywhere the terrorists and their supporters are, so we have no choice but to co-operate with other countries and their security services," Mr. Rosenau said during a panel discussion in Washington last week.


In some cases, that co-operation has led the United States to endorse and enable activities that are deeply unsavoury, all in the name of stomping out terrorism. "

As some of us have been saying since 9-12-01 in this war we are going to be allying ourselves with some VERY unsavory people.

[livius]

We have become used to a "war" being something that lasts a few months at most, possibly only days. This one could last a lifetime -- and there is no question, given the enormous shifts in manpower and geographic focus, that the United States is preparing for just that.

Probably very true, alas.

This was an excellent article, full of interesting details, but most of all for its awareness of the scope of the problem - and the scope of the solution.

[.cnI redruM]

I knew some of these details, but not all. This is an amazing, almost untold, story. We really would have WWIV if we hadn't gotten started now.

[tubavil]

So the CIA and FBI are fighting terror overseas are they?

We would be much better off having developmentally disabled Girl Scouts and the local Civil Air Patrol take their place.

Thos two organizations are the absolute zenith and epitome of how to completely f*** things up so badly, there's no recovery.

[Faraday]

Talk about warming the cockles of your heart. Good news all around. Perhaps some of this experience will prove very useful in dealing with the high profile targets, Iran & North Korea. I can see scenarios.

[Poohbah]

Paging Mr. John Clark...paging Mr. John Clark...Mr. John Clark, please pick up the nearest white courtesy phone. Thank you.

Paging Mr. Domingo Chavez...paging Mr. Domingo Chavez...Mr. Domingo Chavez, please pick up the nearest white courtesy phone. Thank you.

Paging Mr. Xander Cage...paging Mr. Xander Cage...Mr. Xander Cage, please pick up the nearest white courtesy phone. Thank you.

Paging Mr. James Bond...paging Mr. James Bond...Mr. James Bond, please pick up the nearest white courtesy phone. Thank you.

Paging Mr. Richard Marcinko...paging Mr. Richard Marcinko...Mr. Richard Marcinko, please pick up the nearest white courtesy phone. Thank you.

[blam]

"There is not going to be a place in the world where it's going to be the same as it used to be."

YES!

[firewalk]

.

[LadyDoc]

James Wolsey had given a speech calling the cold war World War III and giving the geopolitical changes in this war which he called WW4....

Good article

[ALASKA]

Just finished Clancy's The Teeth of the Tiger. I hope some of that is going on!

[SpookBrat]

bump

[bd476]

Bump for later reading.

[NorseWood]

bump