By RICHARD R. BURGESS
Managing Editor
The Clinton Administration and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico have
reached a compromise to break the deadlock over the future of the
Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility (AFWTF) on Vieques, an island
off the coast of Puerto Rico. Under the compromise, the Navy and Marine
Corps will be allowed to resume training on the island for three years,
but the future of the range beyond 2003 will be decided by referendum.
The impasse was
at least temporarily broken when President Bill Clinton issued a
directive to Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen allowing the Navy to
conduct weapons training--using inert ordnance only--on Vieques for 90
days per year (down from the previous180 days). The Navy will be
required to give the government of Puerto Rico 15 days' notice before
any training is conducted. The Department of Defense will work in
cooperation with Puerto Rican authorities to ensure that the range is
accessible for training and unencumbered by trespassers.
The Navy also
will: (a) transfer 110 acres of property to Vieques Municipal Airport to
allow for runway extension, and (b) provide training in airport safety
and firefighting. The Navy also will submit legislation to Congress to
transfer to the government of Puerto Rico most of the land on the
western side of Vieques surrounding the Naval Ammunition Facility there.
A referendum of
the registered voters of Vieques--to be held within 270 days before or
after 1 May 2001--will present two alternatives. One alternative calls
for the Navy to cease training on Vieques by 1 May 2003. If that option
is selected, the Navy will transfer its property on Vieques within one
year to the General Services Administration or to the Department of the
Interior, as appropriate. Any ordnance remaining will be swept and the
land restored will then be available for further transfer.
The second
alternative will permit the Navy to conduct live-fire training on terms
proposed by the Navy. If that option is selected, $50 million will be
requested from Congress to improve housing and the local infrastructure
and housing on the western side of Vieques.
Cohen welcomed
the announcement, and praised the parties involved in the negotiations
on the future of Vieques. "Most importantly," Cohen said,
"this clears a path for a fair, objective referendum through which
the people of Vieques can chart the future and [determine] how the Navy
fits within that vision."
Fifth Bob
Hope LMSR Named for Army Hero
The Military
Sealift Command's newest sealift ship has been christened Pililaau (T-AKR
304) in honor of an Army private 1st class who was awarded the Medal of
Honor for heroism in the Korean War. The Pililaau is the fifth of seven
Bob Hope-class large medium-speed roll-on/roll-off (LMSR) sealift ships
built by the Avondale Division of Litton Ship Systems.
PFC Herbert K.
Pilila'au (19281951) was a member of a company defending a section of
"Heartbreak Ridge" near Pia-ri, Korea, on 17 September 1951
until the company was ordered to withdraw because of a shortage of
ammunition. Pilila'au, who voluntarily remained behind to cover the
withdrawal, fired his remaining automatic weapon's ammunition and
grenades, then fought the enemy hand-to-hand with a trench knife and his
fists until he was mortally wounded. When Pilila'au's position was
recaptured, 40 dead enemy soldiers were found in the vicinity.
The 950-foot
Pililaau was christened by her cosponsors, Agnes Kuumaewa Pilila'au Kim,
sister of the ship's namesake, and Polly Ellis, wife of Adm. James O.
Ellis Jr., commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe, who also was present
at the christening ceremonies. The matrons of honor were Mercy Pilila'au
Garcia, sister of Mrs. Kim, and Linda M. Matthews, sister-in-law of Mrs.
Ellis. Four of Pilila'au's brothers also attended the ceremonies.
Former
Secretary of the Navy Sean O'Keefe was the principal speaker at the
christening ceremonies at the Avondale shipyard in New Orleans, La. Also
speaking at the 8 January ceremonies were Rep. David Vitter (R-La.);
Vice Adm. George P. Nanos Jr., commander of the Naval Sea Systems
Command (NAVSEA); Vice Adm. Gordon S. Holder, commander of the Military
Sealift Command; Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. Privratsky, commander of the
Military Traffic Management Command; Capt. David J. Vogel, the NAVSEA
supervisor of shipbuilding, conversion, and repair in New Orleans; Jerry
St. Pé, CEO of Litton Ship Systems; and Thomas M. Kitchen, president of
Avondale Industries.
"This ship
will save lives in support of the U.S. armed forces, just as Private
Pilila'au did on the cold battlefields of Korea so many years ago,"
said O'Keefe. "I congratulate all who had a hand in its
construction. Be proud of that accomplishment and celebrate the legacy
of the hero this ship is named for."
The 62,000-ton
Bob Hope-class LMSRs feature six decks of cargo space totaling
approximately 390,000 square feet. Roll-on/roll-off loading is augmented
by two 110-foot pedestal cranes. The ships are designed to carry
military helicopters, vehicles, and other cargo to potential crisis
areas around the world.
Danzig
Announces Restoration Of Navy With Tailhook Ties
Secretary of
the Navy Richard Danzig has announced the long-awaited restoration of
Navy ties to the Tailhook Association, the professional association of
carrier aviation. The Navy had terminated ties with the association in
1991 after investigations determined that there had been serious
misconduct by naval officers at the association's conventions.
The restoration
decision was made after Danzig, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jay L.
Johnson, and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James L. Jones Jr. met with
officials of the Tailhook Association after studying the findings of
Navy Department officials who attended the 1999 Tailhook Convention as
official observers.
"The
shameful events at the Tailhook Convention in 1991 led to a withdrawal
of our support for the association," Danzig said. "Over the
past eight years, however, the association took a number of constructive
steps that warranted a review of its status. Based on those steps ... we
have concluded that the time is right. We fully expect the Tailhook
Association will continue to provide support to the Navy and, more
specifically, to naval aviation."
The Tailhook
Association leadership has "pledged to enhance naval aviation and
serve as a forum for educating our younger aviators," said Johnson.
"It is important for us to renew ties to an organization that can
foster professional growth, camaraderie, and pride."
CNO Johnson
Approves Additional IDTC Reductions
Chief of Naval
Operations (CNO) Adm. Jay L. Johnson has approved further reductions in
the interdeployment training cycle (IDTC) in active-fleet ships. The
reductions--described by Johnson as "unnecessary inspections,
maintenance, and paperwork"--are designed to improve combat
readiness and to enhance the quality of life for Sailors.
The newest
reductions--based on recommendations made by the Fleet Review Board
(FRB) in November 1999--include changes to the HAZMAT (hazardous
materials) program, the Missing, Lost, Stolen, Recovered (MLSR) program,
and afloat nonaviation ordnance-handler qualifications and
certifications.
Johnson also
praised a new program that partners Sailors with NAVSEA (Naval Sea
Systems Command) engineers to find better ways of doing business.
According to the CNO, fleet Sailors already have identified more than
240 outdated maintenance procedures. "To date, 112 of these
recommendations have been either fully or partially approved by Navy
in-service engineers," Johnson said. "More recently, an
additional 216 change recommendations have been received. Action on
these recommendations is being expedited."
NAVSEA's review
of Preventive Maintenance System (PMS) requirements, with its focus on
Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM), has reduced surface ship PMS
manhours by 34 percent Navy-wide, Navy officials said.
"We are
moving forward with improvements, listening to the deckplate Sailors who
are shouldering the workload, and making smart decisions that reduce the
workload during the interdeployment training cycle," said Capt.
Dana Roberts, executive secretary of the FRB. "Taking advantage of
technology to redesign the process of doing maintenance aboard ship is
going to be a major part of our Sailor's legacy."
Johnson
emphasized that, as the IDTC reduction process continues, changes will
not be made at the cost of fleet readiness. "The FRB process is
forcing hard looks at the way we do business. Some people are uneasy
about the scope and speed of these changes--that is human nature. It is
important to remember that our focus has not changed--combat readiness,
taking care of our people, and upholding our core values remain
paramount," the CNO said. "We are not changing for change's
sake, but building on the Navy's rich history of taking the initiative,
thinking creatively, assessing risks, and taking bold action to get the
job done.
"In the
process," he said, "we are giving commanding officers and
ISICs (immediate superiors in command) more control in the running of
their ships and squadrons."
Sea
Service Notes
The Naval Air
Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Naval Air Station Patuxent River,
Md., is preparing to carry out flight testing of the Marine Corps'
newest helicopter upgrades, the UH-1Y "Huey" utility
helicopter and the AH-1Z Super Cobra helicopter gunship--improved
versions of the UH-1N and AH-1W helicopters currently in service. Three
AH-1Zs and two UH-1Ys--scheduled to make their first flights in the fall
of 2000--will arrive in Patuxent River in early 2001 for concurrent
developmental and operational testing.
Secretary of
the Navy Richard Danzig has selected Camden, N.J., as the final home for
the battleship New Jersey, which will become a floating museum. The Home
Port Alliance, a consortium of interest groups in Camden, was selected
over the USS New Jersey Battleship Commission, which hoped to berth the
ship in Bayonne, N.J. However, Danzig praised Joseph Azzolina, chairman
of the USS New Jersey Battleship Commission, whose personal efforts over
a 20-year period were probably the most important factor in persuading
the Navy to transfer the battleship to New Jersey. "His personal
quest and patriotic efforts have been instrumental in bringing the
battleship to the state," Danzig said.
Correction:
On page 118 of the January 2000 Almanac of Seapower, the correct name of
DDG 81 is Winston S. Churchill; in addition, DDG 997, USS Hayler, should
be included on the list of Spruance-class destroyers.
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