Russia warships return from 13,000km Pacific patrol with China vessels

Vessels from the Russian Navy returned from more than three weeks of joint-patrolling the Pacific Ocean with Chinese warships – manoeuvres that came close to the US West Coast.

Warships of Russia’s Pacific Fleet, together with a detachment of Chinese navy ships, travelled more than 7,000 nautical miles (13,000km) through the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, the Bering Sea, and the Pacific Ocean, Interfax news agency reported on Sunday.

Navy Allowed to Kill or Injure Nearly 12 Million Whales, Dolphins, Other Marine Mammals in Pacific

What if you were told the US Navy is legally permitted to harass, injure or kill nearly 12 million whales, dolphins, porpoises, sea lions and seals across the North Pacific Ocean over a five-year period?

It is true, and over one-quarter of every tax dollar you pay is helping to fund it.

A multistate, international citizen watchdog group called the West Coast Action Alliance (WCAA), tabulated numbers that came straight from the Navy's Northwest Training and Testing EIS (environmental impact statement) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Letters of Authorization for incidental "takes" of marine mammals issued by NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service.

The Navy’s New $4.4 Billion Ship Is A Big, Shiny Waste Of Money

The Navy’s largest and costliest destroyer was sent out to sea Monday for final trials before its delivery to the military.

The future USS Zumwalt features an angled hull that looks like a hybrid of something out of Soviet Russia and a James Bond movie.

Staff from Bath Iron Works, the Maine shipyard that built the destroyer, and Navy crew members will be on board during the trials for testing and to help prepare the ship for delivery.

Exclusive: Navy Secretly Conducting Electromagnetic Warfare Training on Washington Roads

Without public notification of any kind, the US Navy has secretly been conducting electromagnetic warfare testing and training on public roads in western Washington State for more than five years.

An email thread between the Navy and the US Forest Service between 2010 and 2012, recently obtained via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by Oregon-based author and activist Carol Van Strum in November 2014, revealed that the Navy has likely been driving mobile electromagnetic warfare emitters and conducting electromagnetic warfare training in the Olympic National Forest and on public roads on Washington's Olympic Peninsula since 2010.

Royal Navy Ship Sent To Tackle Migrant Smugglers Isn't Actually Going To Be 'Turning Back' Boats

David Cameron has announced that a Royal Navy ship will join Nato attempts to tackle smugglers bringing migrants across the Aegean Sea - but he may have misunderstood what the vessel will actually be doing.

The Prime Minister hailed Britain's involvement in the mission: "It’s an opportunity to stop the smugglers and send out a clear message to migrants contemplating journeys to Europe that they will be turned back. That’s why the UK is providing vital military assets to work with our European partners and support this mission."

The front page of The Independent backed up this idea, claiming the RFA Mounts Bay ship was dispatched "to turn back migrants", while the Metro wrote: "Royal Navy ships will be sent to turn back boats".

Navy Uses US Citizens as Pawns in Domestic War Games

Beginning in mid-January, Navy SEALs will be practicing unannounced and clandestine combat beach landings across Washington State's Puget Sound and many other coastal areas of that state.

The simulated combat exercises, which will include the use of mini-submarines and other landing craft, will deposit Navy SEALs carrying "simulated weapons" on 68 beach and state park areas in Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Washington's west coast, unbeknownst to most of the relevant government agencies tasked with overseeing these areas.

Navy Expands Domestic War Games, Despite Public Concern Over Alleged Illegalities

In an act of ongoing domestic military expansion, the US Navy is disregarding federal and state laws that require it to adhere to consultations with state historic and archeological preservation groups during the run-up to its war games across western Washington State.

The Navy's recent action on November 6, which many are now referring to as "going rogue," also comes on the heels of the Navy producing an environmental impact statement in October in preparation for war gaming on Washington State's Olympic Peninsula without finishing required consultations with the US Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Did the US Navy Break Federal Laws to Push War Games Over National Forests?

The US Navy aims to begin conducting electromagnetic warfare training across much of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula soon.

Meanwhile, it is being accused of breaking federal laws in order to secure the permits necessary to move forward with its training operations.

Karen Sullivan worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service for 15 and a half years, and is an expert in the bureaucratic procedures the Navy is supposed to be following.

Documents Show Navy's Electromagnetic Warfare Training Would Harm Humans and Wildlife

If the US Navy gets its way, it will begin flying Growler supersonic warplanes over Olympic National Forest and wilderness areas of the Western Olympic Peninsula next September in order to conduct electromagnetic warfare training exercises.

As Truthout previously reported, this would entail flying 36 jets down to 1,200 feet above ground in some areas, in 2,900 training exercises lasting up to 16 hours per day, 260 days per year, with the war-gaming going on indefinitely into the future. The Navy's plans also include having 15 mobile units on the ground with towers emitting electromagnetic radiation signals for the planes to locate as part of their exercises.

What to Do with the Drunken Sailor? Ban the Beer

One of the perks of serving in the Royal Canadian Navy is over: no more subsidized cold ones while at sea. The ban was ordered on Dec. 12 after an internal review of incidents that took place last July in Southern California. The ban does not apply when vessels are docked or there is a special occasion.

The HMCS Whitehorse was withdrawn from an international maritime training exercise last summer because of three incidents of drunkenness and sexual assault in San Diego.* A summary of the internal review does not include any details of the incidents themselves.

Fewer Arctic warships, leased tankers a sign of more modest shipbuilding plan

OTTAWA - The Harper government is trimming its expected order of Arctic patrol ships and evaluating a set of unsolicited proposals to convert civilian cargo ships for use by the Canadian navy, The Canadian Press has learned.

Both steps are a sign that more modest expectations have been set for the government's national shipbuilding strategy, which has yet to deliver a single vessel some three years after the shipyards were chosen in 2011.

The navy is set to retire its two replenishment ships, HMCS Preserver and the fire-damaged HMCS Protecteur, without having any replacements ready to sail, despite a decade-long replacement program.

Royal Canadian Navy's Combat Readiness Questioned In Internal Review

The Royal Canadian Navy is facing serious challenges to meet its combat readiness requirements, according to a review by the Department of National Defence.

The Chief Review Services Evaluation cites a range of issues, from a lack of maintenance staff to keep ships seaworthy to inadequate combat training.

The report finds that having a combat-ready navy is essential and consistent with the government's priorities.