Tag: U.S. Navy

  • ISTANBUL: US naval destroyer heading to Black Sea

    ISTANBUL: US naval destroyer heading to Black Sea

    ISTANBUL — A U.S. Navy destroyer is passing through Istanbul’s Bosporus straits on its way to the Black Sea for exercises near the fraught Crimean peninsula.

    The Navy destroyer USS Truxtun is participating in exercises with Romania and Bulgaria and is expected to be in the Black Sea for several days amid a stand-off over Russia’s military incursion into Ukraine.

    The exercises come as the U.S. and other Western nations are preparing sanctions against Russia for its recent move to send military troops into Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.

    via ISTANBUL: US naval destroyer heading to Black Sea | World | The Sun Herald.

  • Senate does not approve free frigates for Turkey

    Senate does not approve free frigates for Turkey

    Despite the best efforts of Ankara’s allies in Washington during the final hours of the Congressional session, the U.S. Senate refused to act Wednesday on a free give-away of advanced American naval vessels to Turkey. Earlier this week, the House had approved the controversial measure, following a contentious debate, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

    “We join with our Greek American friends in thanking Congressmen Engel, Sherman, Bilirakis, and Sarbanes for opposing this controversial measure giving away two guided missile frigates to an increasingly arrogant and antagonistic Turkey, and welcome the Senate’s decision to block efforts to ‘fast-track’ passage of this controversial measure in the final hours of the 112th Congress,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “This most recent setback for Turkey reflects the growing bipartisan understanding on both sides of Capitol Hill about the real price America is paying for Turkey’s growing hostility to U.S. interests and allies. Ankara’s failure is yet another signal that the era of Turkey’s having a blank-check in Washington is over.”

    In a letter circulated earlier this week on Capitol Hill, the ANCA stressed that: “Such a transfer would materially strengthen Ankara’s naval capabilities at a time when it is using its maritime fleet to aggressively challenge the right of Cyprus to explore its off-shore energy resources, and is seeking to obstruct the ability of Greece to protect its territorial waters.” The ANCA also emphasized that: “Transferring these vessels would also send a dangerous signal to Turkey’s leaders that our government endorses its military occupation of Cyprus, its increasingly belligerent stance toward Israel, its blockade of Armenia, its meddling in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict resolution process, or, for that matter, its violations against the rights of Christians, Kurds, and other minorities.” The letter closed by noting that: “Such material rewards and moral endorsements are neither warranted, nor constructive. In fact, they will work against our nation’s regional security interests.” The American Hellenic Institute, Hellenic American Leadership Council, and other Greek American groups also weighed in against the transfer.

    The U.S. House, on December 31st, considered this transfer as part of H.R.6649, a measure added to the “Suspension Calendar” under expedited procedures requiring a two thirds vote. The House adopted H.R.6649 after considerable debate, including a defense of the legislation by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen and statements in opposition from Representatives Eliot Engel (D-NY), the incoming Ranking Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Brad Sherman (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and John Sarbanes (D-MD). The absence of Senate action at the end of the 112th Congress will mean that any legislation authorizing such a transfer will need to be re-introduced for consideration by the 113th Congress.

    Congressman Brad Sherman, a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, opposed H.R.6649 both on its merits and on the process being used to secure its consideration in the final hours of the Congressional session, noting: “Woodrow Wilson noted that Congress in committee is Congress at work. Congress ignoring the committee process is a Congress that doesn’t work. This bill has not been the subject of hearing and, more importantly, a markup in the Foreign Affairs Committee. And in the dead of night, provisions to transfer two frigates to Turkey, a controversial provision, was added to this otherwise innocuous bill… Send this bill back to committee. Let us have a real discussion. Let us follow the rules, not suspend the rules, when we’re dealing with a matter of this importance to our foreign policy in the eastern Mediterranean.”

    Congressman Engel, in his remarks, stressed: “Some people say this should continue because, after all, Turkey is an ally and we need to help them. Well, I look at it the other way. They’re a NATO ally, so they have responsibility. And the way they’re acting has been anything but responsible. This is not an inconsequential or trivial matter.”

    Representative Sarbanes, in his comments, remarked that: “This is not a non-controversial bill. I know it’s being brought here on suspension as though it is, and I’m sure in the past when we’ve had these transfers of vessels, excess defense materials and so forth, often that is a non-controversial action to take. In this case, it’s anything but non-controversial, and I’m surprised, frankly, that the majority would bring the bill to the floor in this form.”

    In his remarks, Rep. Bilirakis explained his opposition to H.R.6649, noting that: “the Turkish navy, as recently as last year, held naval live-fire exercises in the eastern Mediterranean. These provocative exercises took place near the natural gas fields of Israel and the Republic of Cyprus and threatened to disrupt peaceful and productive economic activity. Instead, Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that, in the eastern Mediterranean, Congress will continue to work to foster the relationships between the United States, Greece, Israel, and Cyprus in order to promote and foster issues of mutual, economic, and diplomatic importance.”

    Congressional scrutiny of the proposed transfer of advanced naval vessels, which are described by the U.S. Navy as having been designed, among other missions, to support and protect amphibious landing forces, was heightened by Turkey’s record of aggression in neighboring littoral areas, most notably its 1974 invasion and ongoing military occupation of Cyprus, as well as its false claims to sovereign Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, and its regular incursions into both Greek and Cypriot territorial waters.

  • Philippine Sea Completes Port Visit To Istanbul

    Philippine Sea Completes Port Visit To Istanbul

    By MC2(AW/SW) Gary A. Prill

    Navy Public Affairs Support Element-East Detachment Sigonella

    Photo by MC2 Gary A Prill USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) passes under a span bridge during a Sea and Anchor Detail as it departs from port in Istanbul, Turkey. During the port visit, the ship hosted Turkish military and civilian leaders for a reception and tours, and the crew enjoyed three days of liberty. Philippine Sea is currently operating on a scheduled deployment to the 6th Fleet area of responsibility.  Read more at Jacksonville.com:
    Photo by MC2 Gary A Prill USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) passes under a span bridge during a Sea and Anchor Detail as it departs from port in Istanbul, Turkey. During the port visit, the ship hosted Turkish military and civilian leaders for a reception and tours, and the crew enjoyed three days of liberty. Philippine Sea is currently operating on a scheduled deployment to the 6th Fleet area of responsibility. Read more at Jacksonville.com:

    USS Philippine Sea completed a four-day regularly scheduled port visit to Istanbul, Turkey, Oct 12-15.

    During the busy port visit Officers and crew hosted a formal reception for Turkish military and civilian leaders, along with multiple tour designed to allow Sailors a great opportunities to experience the Turkish culture.

    “We are happy to have been given the chance to visit Istanbul,” Said Command Master Chief Scott Kircher. “This port provided us with an opportunity to meet with the Turkish people, and for the crew to experience the rich history and culture Turkey has to offer.”

    This Visit serves to continue U.S. 6th Fleet effort to build global maritime partnership with European nations and enhance maritime safety and security.

    “Our regular visits to the Black Sea Region show the continuing strengthening of U.S. maritime partnership and safety in the European Union,” said Commanding Officer Capt. Herbert Hadley. We had a very full schedule while we are here. We met with local leaders and were given the honor to host an onboard reception, with tours for local visitors. We look forward to continuing the friendship between out countries.”

    Philippine Sea is conducted this port visit as part of a scheduled deployment to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility.

    via Philippine Sea Completes Port Visit To Istanbul | jacksonville.com.

  • U.S. Navy’s Secret Intelligence Service at the Bosphorus

    U.S. Navy’s Secret Intelligence Service at the Bosphorus

     big smoke2Big Smoke alongside a Soviet Warship in the Bosphorus

    Photo of Big Smoke, a motor yacht used by the U.S. Navy’s Task Force 157, for intelligence collection operations in the Mediterranean. Photo from Jeffrey Richelson, “Task Force 157: The U.S. Navy’s Secret Intelligence Service, 1966-77,” Intelligence and National Security 11 (1996), 118; used with permission of the author and the journal.

     Central Intelligence Agency (?), “Soviet Nuclear Weapons in Egypt?”, 30 October 1973, Top Secret, Excised copy
    Archival source: Nixon NSC, Henry A. Kissinger Office Files, box 132, Egypt-Ismail Vol. VII Oct. 1973

    In the weeks after the October War, U.S. government officials leaked to the media information about intelligence gleanings of possible shipments of Scud missiles and nuclear weapons to Soviet bases in Egypt during the conflict.  While officials were more certain about the deployment of the missiles, it was more debatable whether Moscow had actually deployed nuclear weapons to foreign territory because of the great risks involved.   According to the press reports, defense officials saw a “reasonable possibility” that nuclear weapons were shipped, but members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John C. Stennis and Stuart Symington, “said the evidence did not convince them.” (Note 8)

    For the first time, the U.S. government has released one of the intelligence reports that may have been the basis for the leaks.  While intelligence agencies exempted this document in its entirety after the first request to the Nixon Library and also after an appeal, ISCAP agreed to release much of it, suggesting that the much of the information had been overclassified.

    “Soviet Nuclear Weapons in Egypt?” draws back from definite conclusions, suggesting why some U.S. officials believed that the evidence was not good enough.  Interestingly, the report indicates which Soviet cargo ship—the Mezhdurechensk—was one of the objects of suspicion, and that U.S. intelligence photographed the ship at Alexandria on 25 October. 

    While much of the evidence concerning the alleged deployment has been redacted from the report, probably on sources and methods grounds, a prize-winning article by Archive senior research fellow, Jeffrey Richelson, “Task Force 157: The U.S. Navy’s Secret Intelligence Service, 1966-1977,” published in Intelligence and National Security, clarifies the issue. According to Richelson’s account, Task Force 157 included a yacht equipped with a special nuclear intelligence sensor that operated in the Bosphurus and shadowed Soviet ships. The problem was that the sensor was “prone to giving positive false alarms,” and could not determine whether the “type of radiation in question” indicated the presence of nuclear weapons.  This makes it all the more understandable why the authors of the 30 October report were unwilling to draw firm conclusions about the presence of nuclear weapons on the Mezhdurechensk: “The evidence should not yet be regarded as though it creates a strong presumption that the Soviets dispatched nuclear weapons to Egypt.” (Note 9)

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