TOP STORIES:
1.NATO To Send Ships As Somali Pirates Ease Demands
(ASSOCIATED PRESS 09 OCT 08) ... Salud Duhul
MOGADISHU, Somalia — NATO joined a growing international force to protect vessels off Somalia's perilous coast Thursday, sending military ships to the treacherous waters where pirates are negotiating the release of an arms-laden tanker.
2.Somali Pirates Free 15 Filipino Seamen, Hold 67
(ASSOCIATED PRESS 09 OCT 08) ... Hrvoje Hranjski
MANILA, Philippines — Pirates in Somalia released 15 Filipino seamen and four other crewmen of a chemical tanker hijacked nearly two months ago, but were still holding 67 other Filipino sailors, officials said Thursday.
3.The Somali Pirates: Tanks, But No Tanks
(TIME 09 OCT 08) ... Nick Wadhams
The Somali pirates who hijacked a Ukrainian ship with 33 battle tanks aboard have lowered their ransom demand and say they are eager to negotiate, raising hope that the two-week standoff over the MV Faina will be resolved in a few days. If they're true to their word and the ship is released, the pirates will disappear back into the stew of Somalia and wait for their next opportunity.
4.Justices Mull Environmental Law, Job Discrimination
(PBS ONLINE NEWSHOUR 08 OCT 08) TRANSCRIPT (EXCERPT)
The Supreme Court appeared divided over judges' authority to limit the U.S. Navy's use of sonar to protect whales and weighed a workplace harrassment case Wednesday. Marcia Coyle of the National Law Journal recaps the day in the courtroom.
5.Whales Plaintiffs May Face Long Odds In High Court, Prof Says
(AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION JOURNAL 09 OCT 08) ... Debra Cassens Weiss
A Georgetown law professor says environmental plaintiffs have not fared well in the U.S. Supreme Court when citing the National Environmental Policy Act, and plaintiffs who claim Navy sonar harms whales may be no different.
6.Korean Shipyards Demonstrating Significant Production Rates, Official Says
(DEFENSE DAILY 10 OCT 08) ... Geoff Fein
South Korean shipyards are achieving significant production rates, upward of a ship per week, and there are no signs the facilities are planning to slow down, according to Navy Secretary Donald Winter, who recently returned visiting them.
CURRENT OPERATIONS:
7.US Marines And Navy Invade Sydney
(AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS 10 OCT 08)
More than 3,000 US marines and naval personnel have invaded Sydney, but they are as meek as lambs when out of uniform, their commanding officers say.
8.GW Participates In S. Korean Naval Review
(ASSOCIATED PRESS 09 OCT 08)
BUSAN, South Korea — South Korea held its first naval fleet review in a decade Tuesday, putting state-of-the-art destroyers on display in a show of force amid heightened tension on the divided peninsula over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
9.Navy Hosts Security Forum
(KOREA HERALD 09 OCT 08) ... Kim Ji-Hyun
Naval officials from over 20 nations from the western Asia-Pacific region yesterday gathered in Busan to discuss methods to combat security threats such as piracy and terrorism, the Navy said.
10.Report On USS George Washington Fire Posted Online
(STARS AND STRIPES 09 OCT 08)
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The USS George Washington’s chief engineer spotted 300 gallons of flammable oil illegally stored below the aircraft carrier’s deck plates and ordered it moved.
11.U.S. Navy Doctors Care For Patients In Baní
(LISTIN DIARIO (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC) 07 OCT 08) ... Joseph Dicén
Las Calderas, Baní .- The U.S. Navy medical team is treating dozens of patients with various health ailments daily at the Calderas Naval Base. The team has been carrying out the "Continuing Promise 2008" operation since last Saturday, which is a humanitarian tour visiting other countries in the area.
GLOBAL MARITIME ENVIRONMENT:
12.U.S. Navy's Keating Wants Japan's Continued Naval Support
(TOKYO JIJI PRESS 09 OCT 08)
Tokyo -- Visiting U.S. Navy Admiral Timothy Keating on Thursday urged Japan to continue its naval operations in the Indian Ocean in support of the U.S.-led antiterrorism war in Afghanistan.
13.US Pacific Commander Calls On Japan To Do More
(NHK 09 OCT 08)
The top US military commander in the Pacific has called on Japan to contribute more to the fight against terrorism than the refueling of US-led coalition vessels in the Indian Ocean.
14.NKorea Navy Warns Of Possible Sea Clash With SKorea
(AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE 09 OCT 08)
SEOUL — North Korea's naval command on Thursday accused South Korean ships of violating its territorial waters in the Yellow Sea and warned that escalating tensions could lead to a clash.
15.Russian Navy Patrols Mediterranean Sea
(MOSCOW NEWS WEEKLY 10 OCT 08) ... Ilya Kramnik
A squadron comprising the nuclear-powered battle cruiser Peter the Great, the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ship Admiral Chabanenko and two supply ships from the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet recently entered the Mediterranean Sea.
16.Russia Denies Nuclear Weapons On Ships Bound For Venezuela
(RIA NOVOSTI 09 OCT 08)
MOSCOW - Russian warships en route to Venezuela to take part in naval exercises are not carrying nuclear weapons, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday.
PERSONNEL:
17.Local Family Remembers Fallen Naval Officer
Navy Calls Father's Death An Accident
(WDIV (DETROIT NBC) 09 OCT 08)
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- A Clinton Township family is mourning the loss of a naval officer.
18.Navy Is Making Sure Sailors Get A Chance To Vote
(WVEC (HAMPTON ROADS ABC) 09 OCT 2008) ... Broadcast Clip
The Navy is making sure its sailors get a chance to exercise their right to vote. The 'Navy Voting Assistance Program' provides sailors with the information they need to cast an absentee ballot. They go forward on ships, all over the world, far from home. (RT 1:57) View Clip
19.Sailor Represents The Future Of The Navy
(WKOV (JACKSONVILLE RADIO 09 OCT 08) ... Jeff Hess
The 233rd anniversary of the Navy is this weekend. In honor of the Navy Anniversary, our special series about the Navy continues with someone who represents the future of the Navy.
20.Husband Awaits With Infant Son While Wife Returns From Deployment
(HANFORD SENTINEL (CALIF.) 09 OCT 08) ... Shawbong Fok
For two months, Jason Dulski, 31, of Lemoore, took care of his 4-month-old son, Austin, alone. During that time, he constantly thought about his wife, Heather Dulski, 22, who spent two months aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln supporting operation Iraqi Freedom.
21.Couple To Stand Trial In Daughter's Death
(KNSD (SAN DIEGO NBC) 09 OCT 08)
SAN DIEGO -- A Navy man and his wife accused in the slaying of their 3-year-old will be tried on murder and child abuse charges.
FORCE STRUCTURE/PROGRAMS:
22.AoA Should Help Navy And Marine Corps Find Best Options For NSFS Gap, Official Says
(DEFENSE DAILY 10 OCT 08) ... Geoff Fein
The Navy is optimistic a new Joint Expeditionary Fires Analysis of Alternatives (JEF AoA) will help them and the Marine Corps find a solution that meets the requirement at an affordable price, a top Admiral said.
23.Defense Industry Worries About Cutbacks
Financial-Industry Bailout Could Prompt Congress To Trim Costly Pentagon Programs, Executives Say
(WALL STREET JOURNAL 10 OCT 08) ... August Cole
Defense –industry executives are starting to worry that the costs of rescuing the financial industry will be taken in part out of the Pentagon's programs, and that could have a big impact on their companies.
BASES / COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
24.Navy Promotes Motorcycle Safety
(WTKR (CBS NORFOLK) ... Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Press Release
NORFOLK - Representatives from the Navy Region Mid-Atlantic Traffic Safety office will be on hand at Bayside Harley-Davidson Saturday, October 11, following the 8th Annual Rumble Through the Tunnel to promote the Navy's Motorcycle Safety Courses.
25.Carrier Basing Subject Of Friday Meeting With Navy Secretary, Va. Reps
(WVEC (HAMPTON ROADS ABC) 09 OCT 08)
NORFOLK – Hampton Roads’ congressional delegation on Friday will tell the Navy secretary how they feel about the possible move of a Norfolk-based aircraft carrier to Mayport, Florida.
26.New Energy Savings Contract Expected To Save Millions
(NORFOLK VIRGINIAN-PILOT 10 OCT 08)
A new energy savings performance contract for Oceana Naval Air Station's Dam Neck Annex in Virginia Beach is expected to save about $32 million on energy bills over the course of 17 years, the Navy announced this week.
27.Joint Land Use Study For NSA-PC Kicks Off
(WMBB (NBC PANAMA CITY, FLA.) 09 OCT 08) ... Tuquyen Mach
Panama City, Fla: - The U.S. Navy hopes to work better with its neighbors when it comes to development.
28.Worries Aired About Navy Test Range Expansion
(PENINSULA DAILY NEWS (PORT ANGELES, WASH.) 09 OCT 08) ... Jeff Chew
QUILCENE -- East Jefferson County residents told Navy officials at a public hearing that they worried that an expanded undersea warfare test range in Hood Canal would result in less recreational and commercial water access.
29.Naval Hospital Sued For Mother's Death
(FIRST COAST NEWS.COM (JACKSONVILLE, FLA.) 09 OCT 08) ... Jackelyn Barnard
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The attorney for the family of Rosario Caoile says his investigation shows doctors at Naval Hospital Jacksonville could have prevented Caoile's death.
30.Seacoast Hospitality Awaits Crew Of The USS N.H.
(FOSTER’S DAILY DEMOCRAT (PORTSMOUTH, N.H.) 09 OCT 08) ... Charles McMahon
Whether you're a sailor just stepping off the USS New Hampshire following it's arrival at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, or an interested spectator hoping to catch a glimpse of the Navy's newest fast-attack submarine, there's plenty to do during the weeklong celebration leading up to the boat's commissioning.
NEWS OF INTEREST:
31.Secretary Of The Navy To Attend Waterloo Vets Museum Opening
(WATERLOO AND CEDAR FALLS COURIER (IOWA) 09 OCT 08)
WATERLOO - Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winters will speak at the opening of The Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum, 503 South Street, Nov. 15.
32.Think You Can Be Top Gun?
(NPR.ORG 09 OCT 08) ... Kathleen Masterson
For military pilots, multitasking means more than just talking on the phone and typing at the same time.
33.Service For Lost Submarine USS Grunion Revives Memories
(CLEVELAND PLAIN-DEALER 09 OCT O8) ... Brian Albrecht
For 64 years after the USS Grunion disappeared in a sea of mystery during World War II, families of the submarines 70 crewmen waited and wondered.
34.Navy Chefs Get Basic Training In Fine Dining
(FIRST COAST NEWS 09 OCT 08)
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- The US Navy is turning 233 years old. And there's going to be a big birthday party this weekend on the FirstCoast.
OPINION:
35.Judges Wild On Whales
(WASHINGTON TIMES 09 OCT 08) ... James Jay Carafano
It's a dangerous world out there. Iranian mullahs push forward their missile and nuke development programs while musing about a world without Israel ... or America. Russia rattles its saber, invades Georgia, plants its flag in the Arctic and dismisses the United States as a has-been superpower. Islamists wage a "holy war" against "the Great Satan" with firefights in Afghanistan, bombings in the Middle East and plots around the world.
36.A Middle Ground On Use Of Sonar
(THE REPUBLICAN (MASS.) 09 OCT 08)
The Supreme Court has a whale of a problem on its hands.
37.Naval Fleet Review
(DONG-A ILBO (SOUTH KOREA) 08 OCT 08) ... Yuk Jeong-soo; Editorial
Off the coast of Busan on Tuesday afternoon, the Korean destroyer Kang Gam-chan, carrying President Lee Myung-bak, passed the 18000-ton Dokdo large-deck landing ship with about 2,000 dignitaries on board and sailed at the head of the fleet. As two inspection ships aligned in front of and back of the destroyer, 20 naval and coast guard vessels, which lined up while waiting, sailed past the inspection ships one after another, with Aegis-class destroyer King Sejong the Great at the head of the line. Other destroyers, convoy ships, patrol ships, and submarines followed. The chants of troops giving a salute reverberated through the open sea.
TOP STORIES:
1.NATO To Send Ships As Somali Pirates Ease Demands
(ASSOCIATED PRESS 09 OCT 08) ... Salud Duhul
MOGADISHU, Somalia — NATO joined a growing international force to protect vessels off Somalia's perilous coast Thursday, sending military ships to the treacherous waters where pirates are negotiating the release of an arms-laden tanker.
The pirates softened their ransom demands for the Ukrainian ship hijacked two weeks ago in a brazen high-seas attack. Pirates have seized more than two dozen ships off Somalia's coast this year but the MV Faina has drawn the most international concern because of its dangerous cargo — 33 tanks and other heavy weapons.
"We are open for give-and-take negotiations," pirate spokesman Sugule Ali told The Associated Press via satellite telephone, as a helicopter could be heard buzzing overhead. Six U.S. warships have surrounded the boat, and a Russian frigate is expected within days.
Ali had vowed in earlier interviews never to reduce the ransom fromUS$20 million (euro14.57 million).
Despite his willingness to negotiate, Ali vowed to "cause a lot of problems for the world" if foreign powers use force to end the two-week standoff. If the ransom is paid, he said, the ship will be released.
NATO defense ministers meeting in Hungary agreed that a seven-ship force would be in the region within weeks.
"There will soon be NATO military vessels off the coast of Somalia, hopefully deterring piracy and escorting food shipments," NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said. "That's good news for the people of Somalia and, as it should be, bad news for the pirates."
De Hoop Scheffer said "millions of Somalians risk starvation if" aid is prevented from reaching the country.
NATO said a NATO naval group based in the Mediterranean Sea would sail to the Horn of Africa and stay until at least December.
Momentum has been growing for coordinated international action against the pirate menace after the seizure of the MV Faina. Several European Union countries last week said they would launch an anti-piracy patrol, and Russia announced it would cooperate with the West on fighting the pirates.
The U.N. Security Council this week called on countries to send naval ships and military aircraft, and U.S. warships are being diverted from counterterrorism duties to respond to the sea bandits.
Somalia's government has given foreign powers the freedom to use force against the pirates.
The U.S. Navy said the 20 crew members aboard the MV Faina were living in fear.
"They want it to end peaceful and quickly," said Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman from the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain. He said the Navy was in regular radio contact with the crew.
But pirate spokesman Ali said the crew was holding up well.
"Their chef still prepares their food for them," he said. "They are healthy and have no worries. But of course their only worry is when they will gain their freedom. Their feeling is typically that of hostages — no more, no less."
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said that authorities in Somalia had been unhelpful.
"Over the past 20 years, criminal groups on the territory of Somalia have taken deep roots, possess big financial resources and are heavily armed and well organized," it said. "The pirates' only aim is to get a ransom and safely move deep onto the territory of Somalia."
Other Somali pirates released 15 Filipino seamen and four other crewmen seized when a Japanese-operated chemical tanker was hijacked nearly two months ago, officials said Thursday. Pirates still hold 67 Filipino sailors on four different ships.
Somalia, a nation of around 8 million people, has not had a functioning government since 1991. A quarter of Somali children die before age 5 and nearly every public institution has collapsed.
Islamic militants with alleged ties to al-Qaida have been battling the government and its Ethiopian allies since the Islamists were driven from the capital in December 2006.
Return to Index
2.Somali Pirates Free 15 Filipino Seamen, Hold 67
(ASSOCIATED PRESS 09 OCT 08) ... Hrvoje Hranjski
MANILA, Philippines — Pirates in Somalia released 15 Filipino seamen and four other crewmen of a chemical tanker hijacked nearly two months ago, but were still holding 67 other Filipino sailors, officials said Thursday.
A spokesman for the Philippines Foreign Affairs Department, Claro Cristobal, said the seamen from the MT Irene, a Japanese-operated vessel, were freed late Wednesday and expected in Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.
"All crew members are safe and sound despite the ordeal they have undergone," he said.
The Philippines, one of the largest suppliers of crewmen in the international shipping industry, has been hit hard by a sharp increase in the number of Somali pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden.