Naval News Today
U.S. has high confidence it hit satellite fuel tank
The Pentagon said on Thursday it was very confident that a Navy missile hit the toxic fuel tank of a defunct U.S. spy satellite, which could have caused harm if it had fallen to Earth intact.
The spectacular and unprecedented strike took place over the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday after a U.S. Navy cruiser launched a missile as the satellite sped through space at more than 17,000 mph (27,400 kph), officials said.
“This was uncharted territory. The technical degree of difficulty was significant here,” said Marine Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“You can imagine, at the point of intercept, there were a few cheers that went up in operations centers and on that ship,” Cartwright told reporters at the Pentagon.
Both Russia and China had expressed concern ahead of the mission, with Moscow suggesting it could be used as cover to test a new space weapon.
But Washington said the only reason for the mission was to prevent harm to humans from the tank of hazardous hydrazine fuel on the bus-sized satellite, which was expected to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere within the next couple of weeks.
Japan Opposition Wants Min To Quit After Destroyer Mishap
Japan’s opposition Thursday called on the defense minister to quit after a top naval ship seen as key to protecting the country ploughed into a small fishing boat, leaving a father and son missing.
Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba was heading Thursday to the coastal village where the father and son lived to share his sympathies with fishermen there, who charged that sloppy surveillance by the naval crew caused the accident.
The Atago destroyer, Japan’s newest and largest ship with the state-of-the-art Aegis combat system, crashed Tuesday into a fishing boat off Japan’s Pacific coast on its way back to Hawaii.
The impact smashed in two the tuna-fishing boat of a 58-year-old fisherman and his son, who remained missing two days later despite an extensive search involving the military.
Japan Destroyer’s Crew Saw Fishing Vessel, Japan Times Reports
Crew on board the Japanese destroyer that collided with a fishing boat before dawn on Feb. 19 may have seen the smaller vessel 12 minutes before the crash, the Japan Times said, citing a Defense Ministry report.
The information about the collision, which sliced the 7-ton fishing boat in half leaving its father and son crew missing, contradicts earlier statements the fishing trawler was spotted only two minutes before the crash, the newspaper said.
A crew member on watch saw a green light on the fishing boat at 3:55 a.m., the report said. The crew took evasive action at 4:06 a.m., one minute before the collision, the Times reported. Maritime law requires boats operating at night to display a green light on their starboard side and a red light on the port side to aid other traffic, the paper said.
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Bio: I currently teach security studies at the graduate level, hold a BS in management and a MA in national security studies, and am pursuing a MA in systematic and philosophical theology. I've written for Navy Times, Proceedings, Armed Forces Journal and a number of blogs. As a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserve, I attained the rank of Commander, deployed five times for four different conflicts and served as a Foreign Area Officer and a Surface Warfare Officer. During my seven years in the private sector, I worked in the fields of information technology and publishing, and even ran for public office once.
