Cambodia Requests 2 Warships From China

PLAN Type 054A Frigate (Source: Xinhuanet)

PHNOM PENH, Feb 25—Cambodian defense officials have requested two warships from China, saying they are needed to help Cambodia defend its maritime territory.

Cambodian Navy Admiral Tea Vinh asked for the two modern military vessels during a meeting with Chinese Rear Admiral Yu Manjian. Their talks in Phnom Penh followed joint maritime rescue drills conducted by the countries' naval forces, which ended Wednesday.

During the exercise, three Chinese ships - two frigates armed with guided missiles and a supply ship - were docked on display at the port of Sihanoukville.

The admiral in charge of US Navy intelligence has not been allowed to see military secrets for years

For more than two years, the Navy's intelligence chief has been stuck with a major handicap: He's not allowed to know any secrets.

Vice Adm. Ted "Twig" Branch has been barred from reading, seeing or hearing classified information since November 2013, when the Navy learned from the Justice Department that his name had surfaced in a giant corruption investigation involving a foreign defense contractor and scores of Navy personnel.

Worried that Branch was on the verge of being indicted, Navy leaders suspended his access to classified materials. They did the same to one of his deputies, Rear Adm. Bruce F. Loveless, the Navy's director of intelligence operations.

CRS-4 Conducts Boat Formation Training with Royal Malaysian Navy

US sailors assigned to Coastal Riverine Squadron 4 and members of the Royal Malaysian Navy conduct boat formation training during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Malaysia 2015. In its 21st year, CARAT is an annual, bilateral exercise series with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the armed forces of nine partner nations including, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor-Leste. (U.S. Navy)

US Sailors and Marines join the Malaysian Armed Forces for CARAT 2015

Sandakan, Malaysia (NNS) -- The 21st annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise between the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and the Malaysian Armed Forces began Aug. 17 with opening ceremonies in Sandakan, Malaysia.

CARAT Malaysia 2015 consists of five days of shore-based and at-sea training events, designed to address shared maritime security concerns, build relationships, and enhance interoperability among participating forces. 

Carl Vinson Strike Group Conducts Exercises With Malaysian Military

Two F/A-18 Super Hornets and two Royal Malaysian Air Force Su-30MKMs fly in formation above the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Source: US Navy

USS CARL VINSON, At Sea (NNS) -- Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17, and Destroyer Squadron 1 participated in various bi-lateral training events May 10 in the South China Sea with Malaysian air and surface units in support of Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet theater security cooperation objectives.

Fort Worth Departs Singapore After Scheduled Maintenance

CHANGI NAVAL BASE, Singapore, April 30 -- The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) departed its maintenance and logistics hub in Singapore April 30, after a five-day preventative maintenance availability (PMAV) and a two-week long repair availability (RAV).

The RAV was the first extended maintenance availability for the ship during its 16-month rotational deployment to the Indo-Asia-Pacific.

2 Navy SEALs Die in Training Accident

April 28 -- The US Navy says a second SEAL has died following a training accident in a swimming pool at a base in Virginia.

Lt. David Lloyd tells media outlets that Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Brett Allen Marihugh of Livonia, Michigan, died Sunday.

The 34-year-old Marihugh and 32-year-old Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Seth Cody Lewis of Queens, New York, were found unresponsive on Friday at the bottom of the Combat Swimming Training Facility at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story. Lewis died Friday.

The Virginia-Pilot reported that the two men were discovered at the bottom of the pool, which is regularly used by SEALs during training. The report said Lewis was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital; Marihugh, who had been in critical condition, died after being transferred to Sentara Virginia Beach General.

Lloyd says both sailors were members of Naval Special Warfare Group 2.

An investigation of the incident is continuing.

Marihugh and Lewis both served in the US Marine Corps before they enlisted in the Navy in 2006.

Dangers of Special Forces Trainings

The above are only the latest training accidents this year for the US Navy SEALs. Other accidents include:

March 2015

Special Warfare Operator 3rd Class Jason Kortz, 29, of Highlands Ranch, Colorado was killed in a parachute accident in Perris, California, near Riverside, a US Navy official told CNN.

Kortz joined the SEALs in September 2014 after enlisting in the Navy two years earlier. He was married, the Navy said.

Initial indications are the parachute failed to open during a jump as part of a training exercise. Kortz was part of a West Coast-based Navy SEAL team.

January 2015

William "Blake" Marston, 31, of Concord, New Hampshire, died after landing on the grounds of a DeLand airport, Central Florida where he was doing the training exercise.

A witness told DeLand police investigators that something flew off the man's parachute as he was in free fall between 40 to 60 feet above ground

He served in the Navy for six years, before completing his training in 2009.

Marston attended Stonehill College in Massachusetts and graduated in 2007. (Various sources)

US Navy Submarine Group 7 Strengthens Ties with the Indonesian Submarine Force

Submarines of the COMSUBGRU 7 (Source: US Navy)

FLEET ACTIVITIES YOKOSUKA, Japan -- Rear Adm. William R. Merz, Commander, Submarine Group 7 (COMSUBGRU 7), met with representatives from the Indonesian submarine force in Surabaya, Indonesia, on April 14 in order to strengthen a dynamic working relationship between the two navies.

The primary focus of the staff talks was to establish routine periodic regional engagements and operations to integrate the Indonesian submarine force as a partner and ally in the Pacific.

USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) Returns to Singapore

The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) (Source: US Pacific Fleet)

CHANGI NAVAL BASE, Singapore - The littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) returned to Singapore April 15 after a two-month stint operating in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia.

Singapore is the maintenance and logistics hub for rotationally deployed LCSs and Fort Worth returned to port to conduct a planned maintenance availability.

Raytheon's Newest JSOW Variant Enters Operational Testing

JSOW C-1 and Super Hornet: a potent combination (Source: Raytheon)

Raytheon Company and the US Navy successfully completed the final free flight in the integrated testing phase for the Joint Standoff Weapon C-1.

During the development test, JSOW C-1 demonstrated its effectiveness against moving maritime targets, a crucial capability against current and future surface warfare threats. The weapon is on track to start operational testing (OT) this spring and is slated for delivery to the fleet in 2016 after the successful completion of OT.

USS Peleliu to Decommission After More Than 34 Years of Service

USS Peleliu (Source: US Navy)

SAN DIEGO - The amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5) is scheduled to be decommissioned after more than 34 years of service in a ceremony on Naval Base San Diego.

The last general-purpose amphibious assault ship of the Tarawa class, Peleliu's decommissioning marks the end of a career comprising multiple deployments to US 7th and 5th fleets, humanitarian efforts and peacekeeping missions.

US Navy Issues Contract Modification to Lockheed Martin to Construct, Procure Littoral Combat Ships

Photo credit EagleHerald

The US Navy has issued a Lockheed Martin-led industry team a contract modification for one fully funded 2015 Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) valued at $362 million, along with $79 million in advanced procurement funding for a second ship. The balance of the second ship will be funded by Dec. 31, 2015.

USNS Trenton (JHSV 5) Completes Acceptance Trials

JHSV by Austal (Source: General Dynamics Mission Systems)

Joint High Speed Vessel USNS Trenton (JHSV 5) successfully completed Acceptance Trials (AT) on March 13, 2015 in the Gulf of Mexico; the last significant milestone before delivery of the ship. This milestone achievement involved the performance of intense comprehensive tests by the US Navy while underway, which demonstrated the operation of the ship’s major systems and equipment.

US Demonstrates Continued Support with Malaysia at LIMA 2015

Capt. Austin Brown reviews his F-16 Fighting Falcon demonstration with a member of the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition crew March 16, 2015, in Langkawi, Malaysia. Brown is a pilot assigned to the Pacific Air Forces demonstration team. (Source: US Air Force photo/1st Lt. Elias Zani)

LANGKAWI, Malaysia  - The Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 15 (LIMA 15), which is the largest airshow in the region, officially commenced on March 17.

The United States supported the event with approximately 450 Sailors, Airmen and Marines, demonstrating its continued partnership with the country of Malaysia.

US Marines Demonstrate Capabilities to Malaysian Armed Forces

A Malaysian soldier watching the Osprey during the demonstration (Source: USMC)

SEPANGGAR, SABAH, Malaysia – Members of the Malaysian armed forces, alongside Malaysian and U.S. government officials, observed a theater security cooperation event with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit here Feb. 27.

The amphibious air-ground demonstration provided an opportunity for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and MAF to build relationships and pave the way for future exercises in Malaysia.