August 4th Weekly Update

SHIP LOCATIONS:

Ship & Group Locations Checked / Updated (July 29 – August 4)

• RIMPAC 2012: Concludes (August 3) (...no alien invasion reported) (US Navy )

SHIP LOGS:

July 31

• HMS Sutherland (FFG): in Indian Ocean, relieves HMS Westminster (FFG), Westminster expected in UK in August (Royal Navy )

August 1

• HMS Daring (DDG): returns to UK from Indian Ocean deployment, relieved by Diamond (Royal Navy )
  
• HMS Middleton and Pembroke (MCM): assist disabled cargo ship in Gulf of Aden on (July 27), currently enroute to UK after 2.5-year term in Persian Gulf
  
• USS A. Lincoln (CVN-72): is scheduled to arrive at Norfolk on (August 7) (US Navy )
  
• USS Simpson (FFG-56): returns to Norfolk from EUCOM / APS deployment (removed from log)
  
• Russia announces that metal cutting on their first Mistral Class LHD began at Russia's Baltic Shipyard (RIA Novosti )
  

August 2

• USS Kearsarge (LHD-3): in Atlantic providing NROTC Surace Orientation and CORTRAMID with USS Gravely (DDG-107)
  
• USS C. Vinson (CVN-70): Begins PIA Maintenance Period (US Navy )
  

August 3

• RFS Chabanenko (DDG): preparing for NORTHERN EAGLE 2012 (Naval Today )
  
• USS Essex (LHD-2): visits Pearl Harbor, HA
  
• USS Nimitz (CVN-68): visits Pearl Harbor, HA
  
• USS Swift (HSV-2): Visits Liberia (US Navy )
  

GROUND UNITS LOGS:

Ground units locations updated per DOD reports, up to (July 29 – August 4) (http://www.defense.gov/releases/ )

• 1^st Marine Division, 7^th Regiment – KIA @ Helmand, Afghanistan (Aug 1)
• 1^st Infantry Division, 4^th Brigade – KIA @ Paktika, Afghanistan (Aug 1)
• 2^nd Infantry Division, 2^nd Stryker Brigade – KIA @ Khakrez, Afghanistan (July 26)
• 10^th Mountain Division, 10^th Sustainment Brigade – KIA @ Wardak, Afghanistan (July 28)
• 173^rd Airborne Brigade – KIA @ Kharwar, Afghanistan (July 27)

NOTEWORTHY NEWS:

July 29

• USA: US Navy tests the X-47B unmanned combat drone, flying it from Edwards AFB to Pax River testing center. The UCAS will be tested for carrier operations, including arrested landings and catapult launches (LA Times )

July 30

• RUSSIA: Russia is expecting to finalize an agreement with Ukraine by end of year allowing it to modernize the naval base in Crimea and homeport modern warships there, as well as continue using the airfield at Nitka to train carrier pilots (...also mentioned are plans to build three CVNs in the near future) (RIA Novosti )
• SYRIA: Syrian Charge d' Affaires in London resigns his post in protest of the regimes handling of the civil conflict in Syria; In Aleppo, Syrian forces bombard positions with tanks, artillery and helicopter gunships. The army says rebel strongholds have been captured, but the rebels disagree

August 1

• IRAN: Debka reports that Iran's supreme leader summoned the top military chiefs for what was termed their last war council. The leader was disclosed as estimating a timeline for conflict as being in September or October, and each Chief provided updates to their contingency plan for retaliation
• ISRAEL: A Palestinian anti-tank missile was successfully defeated by the “Wind Jacket” active defense system installed on an armored vehicle.
• I remember a few years ago when Israel invaded southern Lebanon in response to Hezballah actions, and spotting a strange device installed on an IDF Merkava tank that was part of the successful follow-up force (not the blunted initial force). I speculated openly about it being a new active defense system for IDF vehicles, and I forwarded it to my contacts for verification, but received no reply. This is the first openly reported confirmation (that I can think of) of a domestically produced vehicle defense system for the IDF. The only other viable system is currently installed on Russian armor. Hmmm, possible Russian collaboration? Drone tech for Active Defense tech?
• SYRIA:
• UN Observers report Syrian AF jets firing on rebel positions in Aleppo (this constitutes an escalation, only artillery, armor and gunships were used previously)
• RIA Novosti reports Turkey has been supplying the Free Syria Army with about 2-dozen MANPADS air defense systems, initially reported by NBC.

August 2

• TURKEY: Army holds exercises near Syrian border, is expected to last 1-week (RIA Novosti )

August 3

• RUSSIA: Now Russia says it's fleet in the Mediterranean might visit Tartus, Syria
• ...note the CG in the pic, but not in ORBAT, pic might not be of the actual Task Force, or they haven't fully disclosed the Black Sea Fleet part of it ...if this is an accurate pic, I bet it's the Moskva from the Black Sea Fleet ...note also their plans to drill again in September (RIA Novosti )
• I think part of my problem with reporting Russia's ships near Syria is that the current ORBAT info is non-existant, but the initial Chabanenko TF orbat seems to remain intact. I'm thinking the current TF in the Mediterranean is part of the Smetlivy deployment, but without mentioning which ships are involved. The Chabanenko TF may be in place as wello, but without the declared Flagship, which remains in the North Sea training for NORTHERN EAGLE. At the same time the Kuznetsov CSG is forming, and plans to train and then go to Syria as well. Either way, this should be considered... The Russians have a task force in the Mediterranean; It has a strong amphibious component; It has 1-3 DDG's or FFG's protecting it, and posssibly a CG / BCGN; It will be boosted soon by their CV; The Russian's are sending mixed signals about it's ORBAT, activities, mission, and timeframes, but expect the force (in some form) to remain in place until the end of the year, maintain a hidden offensive amphibious ability behind a declared evacuation mission, to peak in strength late Fall to early Winter if the CV enters the area; Expect them to “own” the area for 6-months. Also, listen to what the UK and France say about Syria. They may send a TF to Syria after the August exercises near Sardinia that is able to directly challenge the Russians ship for ship. But, like Libya, I expect the US to fall to the rear in a support roll ...but that may depend on the US presidential election.

August 4

• SYRIA: Kofi Annan quit as UN coordinator to the ME,some say due to his inability to resolve the Syrian situation in any satisfactory manner, and Ban Ki Moon expresses fear over the fragmentation of Syria into warring factions as various militias continue to form throughout country, some competing with and displacing others. The army continues to pound Aleppo and Damascus (DEBKA ) (Reuters )