Massive deployment planned in 28 days

[Comrade]

SEVEN carrier groups arranged to be in striking distance of North Korea this month.

THE LARGEST such deployment since WWII.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/topstories/story/0,4386,259015,00.html

"This will be the first time in US naval history that it sends seven of its 12 CSGs to just one region."



Thoughts?

 

[Annie]

Originally posted by Comrade
SEVEN carrier groups arranged to be in striking distance of North Korea this month.

THE LARGEST such deployment since WWII.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/topstories/story/0,4386,259015,00.html

"This will be the first time in US naval history that it sends seven of its 12 CSGs to just one region."



Thoughts?

No doubt NK is always a factor, but this seems to have more to do with Taiwan/Hong Kong. It is interesting though that they would send such an armada for excercise, considering troop strength right now.

 

[Annie]

Originally posted by Comrade
SEVEN carrier groups arranged to be in striking distance of North Korea this month.

THE LARGEST such deployment since WWII.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/topstories/story/0,4386,259015,00.html

"This will be the first time in US naval history that it sends seven of its 12 CSGs to just one region."



Thoughts?

This is interesting:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4268977,00.html

Seems the Chinese are reporting on the Hong Kong demonstrations, though NOT that they were for democracy. Still and all, unusual.

 

[NATO AIR]

i'm on the kitty hawk (forward deployed for good in japan) and the sacrificial lamb for the north korean first strike on the day it comes (i'm sorry there is no way north korea is going to go for peace, at least with its current leadership, along with its wet dreams of annhilating the japanese race off the face of the earth)

we're deploying partly for north korea, as well as to prove the Chief Of Naval Operations right to the prez and the world... we can deploy this many aircraft carriers at once mr. Pres. and it shows the world america can deploy its navy very quickly post 9/11

a last note: now that the army IS drawing down considerably in south korea, my carrier will be in that part of the neighborhood on a regular basis... what used to be a port visit to busan, south korea every 4-5 years will now be an annual or semi-annual event, as well as more natural port visits to singapore, a nation rapidly becoming a great ally in SE Asia of the US

 

[Comrade]

Originally posted by NATO AIR
i'm on the kitty hawk (forward deployed for good in japan) and the sacrificial lamb for the north korean first strike on the day it comes (i'm sorry there is no way north korea is going to go for peace, at least with its current leadership, along with its wet dreams of annhilating the japanese race off the face of the earth)

we're deploying partly for north korea, as well as to prove the Chief Of Naval Operations right to the prez and the world... we can deploy this many aircraft carriers at once mr. Pres. and it shows the world america can deploy its navy very quickly post 9/11

a last note: now that the army IS drawing down considerably in south korea, my carrier will be in that part of the neighborhood on a regular basis... what used to be a port visit to busan, south korea every 4-5 years will now be an annual or semi-annual event, as well as more natural port visits to singapore, a nation rapidly becoming a great ally in SE Asia of the US

I never realized you were active Navy. Your contribution here is unique and invaluable to me. And I doubt the board would differ.

Please stick around!

I'd love to hear whatever comments on your upcoming involvement in the region on whatever subect, even if it's just an observation on your daily life aboard a kick ass ship.

I'd love to hear details about you and what people say as long as it's not imprudent or sensitive information and whatnot.

 

[NATO AIR]

its the oldest active boat in the navy, and my god does it show it on a regular basis... there's nothing like being dead in the water, no propulsion, no steam for the flight deck catapaults, no power anywhere.... that's when she wants to remind us she's old and cranky

no we did fly the highest sortie rates during iraqi freedom, outdoing all the other carriers there, mainly because there is so much work we have to do that other, newer carriers don't have to do.

i do have a story that might change your mind about japan's SDF... during our deployment this spring, one of our jets flew accidentally into what n. korea claims is its airspace (they demand double what is actually their airspace)... so obviously they scramble to intercept, our pilot is flipping out, the South Koreans start threatening the North Koreans and scramble but the first aircraft close to the scene (after the US Navy pilot had finally gotten "un-lost" and came back to international operating airspace) was a Japanese SDF jet.... the Japanese do not have patience for North Korea's military provocations anymore.

its good to be on the board.. too bad i have to give it up in a few weeks to go out to sea...

any specific questions i can try to answer or get the answer to... if anyone has them...

 

[Annie]

Glad to hear about the Japanese, that is good news. I think their deployment in Iraq though, demonstrated to the world that their defenses are being rebuilt. Wish EU would learn that lesson.

 

[NATO AIR]

since we're not a nuclear carrier... we have to take on fuel and such twice a week... the japanese supply ships/refueling ships that Kozumi-san sent to waters around Afghanistan/Pakistan took a big load off the US/British replenishment ships during Enduring Freedom, something the guys onboard still remind us of if anybody badmouths the Japanese Navy.

 

[Comrade]

Originally posted by NATO AIR
its the oldest active boat in the navy, and my god does it show it on a regular basis... there's nothing like being dead in the water, no propulsion, no steam for the flight deck catapaults, no power anywhere.... that's when she wants to remind us she's old and cranky

no we did fly the highest sortie rates during iraqi freedom, outdoing all the other carriers there, mainly because there is so much work we have to do that other, newer carriers don't have to do.

i do have a story that might change your mind about japan's SDF... during our deployment this spring, one of our jets flew accidentally into what n. korea claims is its airspace (they demand double what is actually their airspace)... so obviously they scramble to intercept, our pilot is flipping out, the South Koreans start threatening the North Koreans and scramble but the first aircraft close to the scene (after the US Navy pilot had finally gotten "un-lost" and came back to international operating airspace) was a Japanese SDF jet.... the Japanese do not have patience for North Korea's military provocations anymore.

its good to be on the board.. too bad i have to give it up in a few weeks to go out to sea...

any specific questions i can try to answer or get the answer to... if anyone has them...

I used to play a GDW wargame under the "Fleet series" of naval combat. I remember the Kitty Hawk was a designated as a ship which could not field the usual mix of 2 squardrons of F-14's and 2 F-18's but instead could only lauch 3 F-18 squardrons total. Mind you this was published in the mid-80's and much could have changed. But admittedly that's the extent of my Kitty Hawk memory, hehe.


However, given the age of the vessel and the veteran status of it's career personel it's probably one of the most effective in the fleet, given it's capability, does this make sense?


Can you tell me something about your rank and assigned duties if that's not against policy? I don't think you should share any specific details on your mission that isn't made public, but I'd love to hear your perspective on crew morale and any offhand stories you might want to share here.

 

[NATO AIR]

ha, now this is fun...

hmm. the carrier is the old hen of the fleet, it only has 2 hangar bays, where i believe the other carriers have 3. that makes a difference in how much room the aviation maintanance personnel have to work and how much stuff we can store, etc etc. no nuclear power, so engineers on the kitty hawk go through hell. go down to 1 or 2 main engine areas and you'll feel like you're descending into hell, and the poor guys stay worn out. its like that on other boats, but the hawk stays falling apart because of its age. the Japanese Ship Repair Facility performs miracles every time we're in port. we just were outfitted for the super hornet aircraft a year ago, so we've got VFA-102 (squadron) with them, and we're one of the few carriers not to have tomcats anymore. they're now obsolete, especially to us.

my job is aviation medicine on the carrier. my Senior Medical Officer loves my background so every time I'm in port I either go TAD (temporary assigned duty) to the Naval Hospital for background FLEET MARINE FORCE training with the FMF corpsmen there or to the Marines in Okinawa, or to the Air Force in Yokota. I have long watches underway on the flight deck, and that's about it other than paperwork and fixing what electronics in medical i can with my basic training in that area. I'm in a repair locker, so I do firefighting drills all the time underway as well.

I actually went to the Navy's Basic Electronics Common Core School in Great Lakes and was all set to be an Electronics Technican, but after I graduated that tortorous school, they made me an offer to crossrate to corpsman based on what I did before the Navy, so I did. It helps me with my humanitarian aid work when I'm able to take leave.

ship morale is low. this is the hardest duty in the navy according to most, because unlike the states, we have to think of operational readiness at all times.. we have to be able to deploy much faster than the carriers in the states, and as such, we also spend more time out to sea at irregular intervals for training and "presence" purposes. we have longer working hours and will often have to work weekends to fufill training and mission requirements. we were all worried about having to stay out to sea if taiwan started talking smack to china in may, but we got lucky and they stayed focused on their own problems. you have to stay here 3 years rather than the 2 in the states, so people get mad about that too.

hey we're not fighting in iraq or afghanistan, so its not that bad. and japan is a really nice place, if you don't spend all your time in a bar or on base. we get great ports too, especially now that the ship has weeded out the majority of its true bad apples who got us a lot of bad publicity in 2002 (beating up Japanese nationals, drunk driving, bar fights, etc)

i feel for the guys in iraq and afghanistan, so i try not to bitch and complain too much, even though a sailor who isn't complaining is supposed to be the one you worry about.

things will get much more interesting it seems with n. korea acting up, the missile defense ship showing up in the fall and the threat of terrorism in SE Asia's vital shipping lanes.

any other questions, i'm around for a few more weeks to answer them to the best of my ability, and then i'll be back in the fall.

 

[Comrade]

Originally posted by NATO AIR
ha, now this is fun...

And interesting!

hmm. the carrier is the old hen of the fleet, it only has 2 hangar bays, where i believe the other carriers have 3. that makes a difference in how much room the aviation maintanance personnel have to work and how much stuff we can store, etc etc. no nuclear power, so engineers on the kitty hawk go through hell. go down to 1 or 2 main engine areas and you'll feel like you're descending into hell, and the poor guys stay worn out. its like that on other boats, but the hawk stays falling apart because of its age. the Japanese Ship Repair Facility performs miracles every time we're in port. we just were outfitted for the super hornet aircraft a year ago, so we've got VFA-102 (squadron) with them, and we're one of the few carriers not to have tomcats anymore. they're now obsolete, especially to us.

The capacity issue makes sense, but I recall you still have a a full spectrum of support aircraft beyond the fighter/attack squadrons that operate from the Kitty Hawk. As far as the F-14's, I always thought of them as a specialized long range radar platform for attacking Backfire bombers. Designed to carry up to eight Phoenix missiles to intercept them before the carrier would be in range.... So help me, this is another fact I picked up from the early nineties playing "Harpoon" back then on the computer, lol.


I have a good enough background to pick up on any specifics but lack all the details and first hand knowledge. It's very cool that you are able to fill me in.

my job is aviation medicine on the carrier. my Senior Medical Officer loves my background so every time I'm in port I either go TAD (temporary assigned duty) to the Naval Hospital for background FLEET MARINE FORCE training with the FMF corpsmen there or to the Marines in Okinawa, or to the Air Force in Yokota. I have long watches underway on the flight deck, and that's about it other than paperwork and fixing what electronics in medical i can with my basic training in that area.

Aviation medicine sounds interesting. I'm guessing you first trained as a medic and then qualified for shipboard injuries (burns, drowning, etc) and can jury rig all your equipment to work under extreme conditions, am I in the ballpark?

I actually went to the Navy's Basic Electronics Common Core School in Great Lakes and was all set to be an Electronics Technican, but after I graduated that tortorous school, they made me an offer to crossrate to corpsman based on what I did before the Navy, so I did. It helps me with my humanitarian aid work when I'm able to take leave.

Myself: ARMY ROTC & Electrical Engineering at Oregon State, w/o scholarship but simply as a lark.

Kudo's to you for sticking with it.

ship morale is low. this is the hardest duty in the navy according to most, because unlike the states, we have to think of operational readiness at all times.. we have to be able to deploy much faster than the carriers in the states, and as such, we also spend more time out to sea at irregular intervals for training and "presence" purposes. we have longer working hours and will often have to work weekends to fufill training and mission requirements. we were all worried about having to stay out to sea if taiwan started talking smack to china in may, but we got lucky and they stayed focused on their own problems. you have to stay here 3 years rather than the 2 in the states, so people get mad about that too.

Sounds like too much of a sacrifice for most people. I admit I didn't choose this life.

They we're not fighting in iraq or afghanistan, so its not that bad. and japan is a really nice place, if you don't spend all your time in a bar or on base. we get great ports too, especially now that the ship has weeded out the majority of its true bad apples who got us a lot of bad publicity in 2002 (beating up Japanese nationals, drunk driving, bar fights, etc)

Overall the Navy has policed itself better than any similar number of people in any society. A few rapes compared to hundred in a similar time frame and population in America... commendable.

i feel for the guys in iraq and afghanistan, so i try not to bitch and complain too much, even though a sailor who isn't complaining is supposed to be the one you worry about.

Well compare yourself to most of America and I bet you can still bitch and complain about your sacrifice.

things will get much more interesting it seems with n. korea acting up, the missile defense ship showing up in the fall and the threat of terrorism in SE Asia's vital shipping lanes.

any other questions, i'm around for a few more weeks to answer them to the best of my ability, and then i'll be back in the fall. [/B]

So aboard ship you won't be posting? Makes sense of course.

 

[NATO AIR]

internet is for khakis (e-7 and above, officers) only underway, sometimes e-6's get hooked up.

we have three support squadrons (one helicopter, one refueler/survelliance, one anti-sub/radar) onboard underway as well as the fighters..

yea, pretty close on my job... we have really bad virus (gastro they call it) problems on board underway so i often get trapped up treating that, sending people to their racks for 24 hours while they throw up everything they got and wish they were dead or high... i only do the emergency stuff when i'm on the flight deck of course, the flight surgeons and docs take care of the serious stuff, or the khaki on watch at the time. worst i've done is burns and missing fingers... steam burns are bad business!

that's about it, we've got two guys pretending to be gay trying to get married underway, witnessing the frenchies in singapore drunk or hungover trying to run in formation on a saturday morning singing their froggy songs and falling out like no tomorrow..... your typical crazy forward deployed ship in Asia.

 

[freeandfun1]

Originally posted by NATO AIR
singapore, a nation rapidly becoming a great ally in SE Asia of the US

Singapore has been a silent, but very valuable ally in our WOT. I was recently in Singapore and while I was there, a US frigate was in port and there were a bunch of Navy guys running around looking for beer, booze and broads! : Actually, US Naval personnel are much more visable in Singapore than they were during the 90's. It is obviously becoming a frequent port of call for the Navy. Singapore has thwarted SEVERAL terrorist attacks that were planned to be carried out in Singapore. One was a planned attack on the Israeli embassy and one was an attack on US ships. Singapore is tiny, but their military packs one hell of a punch.

A little trivia for ya..... most (all) of Singapore's Air Force's aircraft are stationed outside of Singapore. Most are in Australia, the US, Taiwan and Thailand. They are such a small country they keep the bulk of their military OUT of the country. That way, if they are invaded, they will have a military that can "recapture" their tiny island nation.

 

[NATO AIR]

that is really interesting about their military

singapore remains and probably will remain my favorite port

 

[Avatar4321]

SEVEN carrier groups arranged to be in striking distance of North Korea this month.

THE LARGEST such deployment since WWII.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/topstories/story/0,4386,259015,00.html

"This will be the first time in US naval history that it sends seven of its 12 CSGs to just one region."



Thoughts?

Im alittle confused. didnt we just pull troops out of South Korea, why are we sending more? i mean not that i object just not sure i understand why.

 

[freeandfun1]

Im alittle confused. didnt we just pull troops out of South Korea, why are we sending more? i mean not that i object just not sure i understand why.

we are pulling out ground troops over time. this deployment is a naval deployment and is part of a multinational exercise.

however, i do find it interesting today that we announced that China is now known to have developed, in secret, a new type of submarine. i also heard that just this week the Chinese told Condi that they are not much longer going to stand for a separate Taiwan. Makes you wonder what might really be going on to which, we are not privy!

 

[dilloduck]

ha, now this is fun...

hmm. the carrier is the old hen of the fleet, it only has 2 hangar bays, where i believe the other carriers have 3. that makes a difference in how much room the aviation maintanance personnel have to work and how much stuff we can store, etc etc. no nuclear power, so engineers on the kitty hawk go through hell. go down to 1 or 2 main engine areas and you'll feel like you're descending into hell, and the poor guys stay worn out. its like that on other boats, but the hawk stays falling apart because of its age. the Japanese Ship Repair Facility performs miracles every time we're in port. we just were outfitted for the super hornet aircraft a year ago, so we've got VFA-102 (squadron) with them, and we're one of the few carriers not to have tomcats anymore. they're now obsolete, especially to us.

my job is aviation medicine on the carrier. my Senior Medical Officer loves my background so every time I'm in port I either go TAD (temporary assigned duty) to the Naval Hospital for background FLEET MARINE FORCE training with the FMF corpsmen there or to the Marines in Okinawa, or to the Air Force in Yokota. I have long watches underway on the flight deck, and that's about it other than paperwork and fixing what electronics in medical i can with my basic training in that area. I'm in a repair locker, so I do firefighting drills all the time underway as well.

I actually went to the Navy's Basic Electronics Common Core School in Great Lakes and was all set to be an Electronics Technican, but after I graduated that tortorous school, they made me an offer to crossrate to corpsman based on what I did before the Navy, so I did. It helps me with my humanitarian aid work when I'm able to take leave.

ship morale is low. this is the hardest duty in the navy according to most, because unlike the states, we have to think of operational readiness at all times.. we have to be able to deploy much faster than the carriers in the states, and as such, we also spend more time out to sea at irregular intervals for training and "presence" purposes. we have longer working hours and will often have to work weekends to fufill training and mission requirements. we were all worried about having to stay out to sea if taiwan started talking smack to china in may, but we got lucky and they stayed focused on their own problems. you have to stay here 3 years rather than the 2 in the states, so people get mad about that too.

hey we're not fighting in iraq or afghanistan, so its not that bad. and japan is a really nice place, if you don't spend all your time in a bar or on base. we get great ports too, especially now that the ship has weeded out the majority of its true bad apples who got us a lot of bad publicity in 2002 (beating up Japanese nationals, drunk driving, bar fights, etc)

i feel for the guys in iraq and afghanistan, so i try not to bitch and complain too much, even though a sailor who isn't complaining is supposed to be the one you worry about.

things will get much more interesting it seems with n. korea acting up, the missile defense ship showing up in the fall and the threat of terrorism in SE Asia's vital shipping lanes.

any other questions, i'm around for a few more weeks to answer them to the best of my ability, and then i'll be back in the fall.

Spent a couple years on the Rock and worked at Camp Kue hospital. I assume you drop by White Beach Naval Station? Been so long I'm not even sure it's still there.

 

[NightTrain]

Hey, NATO, just curious... is Kitty Hawk slated to be upgraded to nuclear? Or is that sort of upgrade impossible for a hull not originally designed for that?

I remember cruising past Bremerton in a bigass Bayliner & saw the Abraham Lincoln in drydock almost completely stripped down, she was getting one hell of a refit. This was back in '98 or so, and she was stripped down to the bare minimum. Only one portion of the flight deck was still there, and they had what looked like an Intruder sitting on that little area.

The way they had her stripped down made me think that they were upgrading everything, completely... wonder if she was getting a nuke upgrade?

I think it's cool as hell that you're cruising on the Kitty Hawk, I had no idea that you were.

 

[Zhukov]

Let me preface this by saying, I have no idea what I'm talking about.


I would think that it would almost be cheaper to build a new nuclear carrier about the size of the USS Kitty Hawk (which is fairly small right?), than to refit the old one with a nuclear reactor and whatever new components of the propulsion assembly that that refit would require.

 

[Annie]

Let me preface this by saying, I have no idea what I'm talking about.

That should be tatooed on my forehead! LOL :huh: