US Navy evacuating virus-struck aircraft carrier Roosevelt

Yahoo – AFP, Paul HANDLEY, April 1, 2020

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he does not see US military adversaries
taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to threaten the United States (AFP
Photo/Brendan Smialowski)

The US Navy is evacuating thousands of sailors from the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in Guam after its captain warned a coronavirus outbreak was threatening the lives of the crew.

With dozens of COVID-19 cases discovered, a senior official said the navy was rapidly arranging hotel rooms on the Pacific island for many of the 4,000-plus crew, while organizing a skeleton team of uninfected sailors to keep the ship operational.

Pentagon officials admitted the Roosevelt's plight was a challenge for military readiness, noting that defense forces worldwide are equally confronted by the pandemic.

"The plan at this time is to remove as many people off the Teddy Roosevelt as we can, understanding that we have to leave a certain amount of folks on-board to perform normal watch-standing duties that keep the ship running," Rear Admiral John Menoni, commander for the Marianas region, told reporters in Guam on Wednesday.

Earlier this week the captain told the Pentagon that the new coronavirus was spreading uncontrollably through his ship and called for immediate help to quarantine its crew.

"The spread of the disease is ongoing and accelerating," Captain Brett Crozier wrote in a letter to superiors.

"We are not at war. Sailors do not need to die," he pleaded.

"Removing the majority of personnel from a deployed US nuclear aircraft carrier and isolating them for two weeks may seem like an extraordinary measure," Crozier said. "This is a necessary risk."

Hotels in Guam

Menoni said a plan was being developed to get as many sailors off the ship as possible, and they were awaiting the arrival of 40 US Marines health specialists to help in testing.

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper says he does not see US military adversaries 

taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to threaten the United States (AFP 

Photo/Brendan Smialowski)

He said only sailors deemed healthy would be housed outside the Guam naval base, a strategically important Pentagon port in the middle of the western Pacific Ocean.

"No one is allowed off the base unless they have tested negative for COVID-19," Menoni said.

Crozier did not give the number of infections aboard the ship, and the Navy is not offering figures for security reasons.

But one official said it was fewer than the 100 reported by US media.

More than 1,400 Defense Department employees, contractors and dependents have been infected by the novel coronavirus, including 771 military personnel, the Pentagon said.

Balancing health and security

The Roosevelt's docking in Guam on March 28 left both of the Pentagon's western Pacific aircraft carriers in port, with the USS Ronald Reagan berthed in Japan, also reportedly suffering an unknown number of coronavirus cases.

On Tuesday Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly admitted it was a challenge for US forces' defense readiness.

"This is a unique circumstance and we're working through it, and trying to maintain that proper balance, to ensure our friends and allies, and most importantly our foes and adversaries out there, understand that we are not standing down," he told CNN.

"We have the responsibility to protect the seas and to protect our friends and allies around the world. We have to adjust the best way we can to do that."

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he did not see anyone testing US military readiness amid the pandemic.

"Not at this time," he said on Tuesday.

"What we find, tend to find right now, it's that a lot of countries have turned inward and are focusing inward," he said.

Eight rescued from Thai cave, but five remain trapped

Yahoo – AFP, Thanaporn PROMYAMYAI, Richard SARGENT, July 9, 2018

Thai soldiers walk out from the Tham Luang cave area as operations continue
for the 8 boys and their coach trapped inside (AFP Photo/YE AUNG THU)

Elite divers hauled four more young footballers out of a flooded Thai cave on Monday, authorities said, bringing to eight the number saved in a stunning rescue mission but still leaving five others trapped.

"Hooyah," the Thai Navy SEALs, who have played a crucial role in the against-the-odds operation, said in a Facebook post as they announced that a total of eight members of the "Wild Boars" football team had been rescued on Sunday and Monday.

Thais have been fixated on the crisis, hoping desperately for the safe return of the 12 boys and their 25-year-old football coach, after they ventured into the Tham Luang cave complex after practice and became trapped by rising waters more than a fortnight ago.

The extraction of the four on Monday followed a similar pattern to the previous day, with the youngsters emerging in quick succession just before nightfall after navigating a treacherous escape route of more than four kilometres (2.5 miles) that included extremely narrow and flooded tunnels.

Although the rescued eight were all presumed to be the boys, aged between 11 and 16, authorities did not reveal their identities nor confirm whether the coach remained inside the cave.

Asked if the remaining five would be shuttled out together, rescue operations chief Narongsak Osottanakorn said it was up to the divers whose meticulous plans, including stashing extra oxygen tanks along the route, are "set for four people, if we bring five we have to change the plan".

In a late-night press conference he also delivered a message from Thai premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha, a gruff former general:

"The Prime Minister wants this to be a lesson, this should not happen again in Thailand," Narongsak said.

The saga has dominated global headlines, with the team spending nine days unaccounted for inside the cave, before British divers found them -- emaciated and dishevelled -- huddling on a muddy bank above the flooding.

Diagram of the Tham Luang cave and facts on the operation to free a trapped 

football team. (AFP Photo/Gal ROMA)

Authorities then struggled to determine the best way to save the "Wild Boars", with the group stuck on a shelf above the floodwaters in pitch darkness.

Among the ideas were drilling an escape route through the mountain, or leaving them for months until the monsoon season ended and the flooding subsided.

But with oxygen levels inside dropping to dangerous lows and the prospect of heavy rains flooding the area completely, authorities decided they had to move quickly and take the group out through the water-filled tunnels.

Deadly dangers

Narongsak described Sunday's initial rescue bid as "D-Day" when it was launched, and there were fears that any one of many potential pitfalls could prove deadly.

Among these were that none of the boys had scuba diving experience, and that they could easily panic while swimming underwater across twisted passageways in darkness.

Dozens of foreign divers and other experts from around the world were brought in to help the rescue effort, working alongside the Thai Navy SEALs.

But the death of a former Thai Navy SEAL diver who ran out of oxygen in the cave on Friday underscored the danger of the journey.

The first successes on Sunday offered hope of a fairytale ending to the ordeal.

Rescue chief Narongsak on Sunday described their journey out, escorted by the elite divers, as "smooth".

A man offers food to Buddhist monks near the hospital where the boys rescued 

after being trapped in a nearby cave for nearly two weeks have been brought 

for observation (AFP Photo/TANG CHHIN Sothy)

Crucially, round-the-clock pumping to ease some of the flooding paid off and threatened heavy rains did not arrive.

That led an upbeat Narongsak to promise more "good news" on Monday afternoon that materialised a few hours later with the emergence of the other four.

But although the eight were rescued, there were concerns they may have contracted an illness while in the cave.

Narongsak said after the first four boys were rescued that they would be quarantined "for a while because we are concerned about infections".

And rain could still re-emerge as a threat for the remaining five, particularly if there are complications that could delay the extraction further.

Authorities have repeatedly said the rain could re-flood crucial parts of the cave complex that have been drained and make the escape route much harder or even impossible to navigate.

Weather forecasters warned heavy rain could hit the area through the week.

Premier Prayut visited the rescue base on Monday night to deliver his congratulations to all those involved, but also to offer a note of caution.

"Everyone should be proud. (But) the mission is not over yet," Prayut said.

Three missing Dutch warships in Java Sea were salvaged for scrap

DutchNews, February 13, 2017

The HNLMS Kortenaer in the 1930s 

Three Dutch naval wrecks that went missing from the bottom of the Java Sea appear to have been taken illegally by scrap dealers, NOS reports. 

An investigation by Dutch and Indonesian experts found evidence of a salvage operation at the sites where cruisers SNLMS De Ruyter, Java and Kortenaer were sunk by Japanese ships in 1942, with the loss of around 1,100 sailors. 

Prime minister Mark Rutte asked the Indonesian government to investigate after divers reported in December that the wrecks had vanished. 

Photographs of the seabed and interviews led researchers to the conclusion that the ships had been deliberately removed. Education and science minister Jet Bussemaker said a detailed study of the seabed would now be carried out. 

In total seven shipwrecks have disappeared from the Java Sea. Divers made the discovery during preparations for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Java Sea which involved Dutch, Indonesian, British, American and Australian warships. 

A total of 2,200 Allied servicemen died, including 900 Dutch and 250 Indonesian nationals. The battle led to the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. 

Related Article:

Indonesia says not to blame for missing WWII shipwrecks

Jokowi Wants Military to Pursue More Humanitarian Operations

Jakarta Globe, Eko Prasetyo, April 12, 2016

President Joko Widodo on board Indonesian battleship Frans Kaisiepo-368 during
 the opening of Komodo Exercise 2016, a multi-country naval exercise in Padang,
West Sumatra, Tuesday (12/04). (State Palace Press Photo/Rusman)

Jakarta. President Joko Widodo attended the opening of the five-day multi-country Komodo naval exercise, at the Indonesian Naval Base II in Padang, West Sumatra, on Tuesday (12/04).

In his speech, Joko stressed the importance of military operations other than war (MOOTW), including for humanitarian purposes.

“Improve health services. Build better public facilities. Help out in search and rescue missions. The real battle is to improve our humanity,” Joko said in his statement.

A total of 47 vessels from 16 countries will take part in the exercises until Saturday.

China hosts US military visit to aircraft carrier Liaoning

A US naval delegation has paid an official visit to Beijing's lone aircraft carrier, Chinese media sources say. The move comes as tension ratchets up between the two regional powers.

Deutsche Welle, 21 Oct 2015

China hosted the US Navy representatives earlier this week, the country's media reported on Wednesday, amid growing concern that territorial disputes in the South China Sea are leading Beijing and Washington toward conflict.

The 27-member delegation boarded the Liaoning, China's largest warship, on Monday to discuss with Chinese officials such topics as personnel training, medical support and strategies in aircraft carrier development, the Chinese navy's official blog reported.

The following day, US officials visited the navy's submarine academy.

Provocative moves

The visit comes amid heightened tension between Beijing and Washington after a series of aggressive steps taken by China to assert its authority in the South China Sea.

Earlier this month, China announced it had built two lighthouses on the contested Huayang Reef, which is also claimed by Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and other countries. Beijing lays claim to most of the South China Sea, something that has been repeatedly denied by Washington and its allies in the region.

The US government has called on China to halt its construction in the region and recently said it might sail its Navy ships in the vicinity of China's man-made islands, a provocative move from Beijing's point of view.

Easing tensions

The official trip earlier this week has been interpreted as an attempt by both sides to ease tensions and increase military transparency.

An editorial in China's state-sanctioned Global Times newspaper, for example, said the visit increased mutual understanding and trust while also displaying China's military confidence.

The Liaoning, a refitted former Soviet aircraft carrier, has come to be seen by many as a symbol for China's increasing military might. Former US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel participated in Washington's first official visit to the carrier in 2014.

blc/mz (AP, AFP, Reuters)

EU backs military action against Med people smugglers

Yahoo – AFP, 14 Sep 2015

Libyan coast guards escort a boatload of migrants, who had hoped to set off to

Europe with the help of people smugglers from the coastal town of Garabulli, on 

June 6, 2015 (AFP Photo/Mahmud Turkia)

Brussels (AFP) - EU member states approved on Monday plans for military action against people smugglers in the Mediterranean, seizing and if necessary destroying boats to break up the networks operating out of Libya.

"This important transition will enable the EU naval operation against human smugglers and traffickers in the Mediterranean to conduct boarding, search, seizure and diversion (of vessels)," the EU's council of ministers said in a statement.

The European Union launched a first, intelligence gathering phase of its EU NavFor Med operation in July and with that objective met, ministers agreed it was time to move on to the next step, the statement added.

The decision comes as EU interior ministers meet in Brussels to try and agree quotas for the redistribution of the massive flood of migrants fleeing war and upheaval across the Middle East and North Africa.

Many member states were reluctant to step up action against the traffickers for fear of getting embroiled in Libya, where rival factions have been fighting it out for control since the overthrow of longtime strongman Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

EU leaders agreed however that there had to be a much tougher response, including the use of force, after more than 700 migrants drowned off southern Italy in April.

The second phase of the operation approved Monday still restricts EU NavFor Med to action in international waters.

A third phase involves military action against people smugglers inside Libyan territorial waters, aiming to destroy their boats and networks before they set sail.

This step is more controversial given the increased risks and requires at a minimum a UN Security Council resolution and preferably Libyan government agreement.

A French Navy patrol ship rescues migrants aboard a fishing boat in the

Mediterranean Sea, on May 20, 2015 (AFP Photo)

EU efforts to help establish a national unity government in Libya which could grant such approval have so far failed but special UN envoy Bernardino Leon reported at the weekend that progress was being made.

Russia, current president of the UN Security Council, has said a resolution could be adopted this month but it would only apply to action on the high seas.

More than 350,000 people have risked their lives crossing the Mediterranean this year, according to the International Organization for Migration, with nearly 3,000 losing their lives.

EU NavFor Med currently comprises four ships -- one Italian, one British and two German -- and sources said it will likely need several more vessels for the enlarged mission which is expected to begin next month.

The EU, which has no central armed force of its own, has taken part in a whole series of peacekeeping and civilian emergency missions, among them anti-piracy operations off the Horn of Africa, and military training in Somalia and Mali.

EU approves military mission to tackle migrant smugglers: sources

Yahoo – AFP, Alix Rijckaert, 19 June 2015

EU member states approved plans on Friday to launch as early as next week

 the first phase of a military operation against people smugglers in the Mediterranean,

sources said (AFP Photo/Jason Florio)

Brussels (AFP) - EU member states approved plans Friday to launch as early as next week the first phase of a military operation against people smugglers in the Mediterranean, sources said.

"Everything is now in place so that EU foreign ministers meeting Monday can approve the launch of the mission," one EU diplomat told AFP.

Other sources said member states have committed to supply enough ships and aircraft to allow the first, intelligence-gathering, phase of the operation to go ahead.

Stung into action by the loss of an estimated 800 migrants when their rickety boat sank off southern Italy, EU leaders agreed at an emergency summit in April to formulate a comprehensive plan to tackle the problem at source.

As well as boosting search and rescue efforts, they called on EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini to draw up military options against the ruthless traffickers exploiting the waves of humanity seeking to get to Europe across the Mediterranean.

The first phase of intelligence gathering is meant to be followed by active intervention to board and disable smuggler vessels and arrest the traffickers.

A third phase would extend these actions into Libyan territorial waters and possibly inside the country itself.

While some EU states such as Britain and France favour moving promptly to Phase 2 and 3, others have serious reservations about direct involvement in a chaotic Libya where rival factions are fighting for control and the internationally-recognised government has fled Tripoli to take up residence in Benghazi.

To meet these reservations, the EU April summit agreed that Phase 2 and 3 would only go ahead if the bloc obtained Libyan consent -- a difficult prospect -- and a UN Security Council resolution.

Russia, one of the five UNSC permanent members, and others "want a clear Libyan consent; we are still working on it," said a senior EU official who asked not to be named.

"We are rather optimistic that in the end there will be a UNSC resolution to go on with the other phases; there is no absolute certitude but there is a very good prospect," the official said.

Newly arrived migrants huddle together as they try to protect themselves from

 the rain while waiting to be registered in Mytilene, Greece, on June 19, 2015

(AFP Photo/Louisa Gouliamaki)

Opposition to sharing burden

Some 100,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean so far this year, most of them landing in Italy, Greece and Malta which all want their EU peers to share more of the burden.

The European Commission has proposed that 40,000 Syrian and Eritrean asylum-seekers who have arrived in Europe should be redistributed and that 20,000 Syrians living in camps outside Europe should be resettled across the 28-nation bloc.

Many member states are prepared to contribute to the humanitarian efforts of search and rescue but are less forthcoming when it comes to taking in more migrants or backing the military option.

Migration is a hugely sensitive issue and far-right and eurosceptic parties have capitalised on public concerns about a massive influx of refugees to make considerable inroads at the expense of established parties.

Earlier this week, EU ministers could not reach agreement on the Commission proposals.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Wednesday that member states remained "far from consensus" on how to distribute refugees between them.

"These are difficult discussions we're having at the moment and all my conversations with European colleagues show that we remain far from consensus and that a lot persuasion will still be necessary," he said.

"In our view, the best way is mandatory quotas for the European member states."

Germany last year took in 200,000 asylum seekers and expects as many as 450,000 this year.

Russia, China launch joint exercise in Mediterranean

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2015-05-02

Geng Yansheng, the spokeperson of China's defense ministry announced on
April 30 that China will launch Joint Sea 2015 exercise with Russia over the
Mediterranean Sea in May. (Photo/CNS)

Geng Yansheng, the spokesperson of the Chinese ministry of defense confirmed that the People's Liberation Army Navy and the Russian Navy will launch joint naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea later this month, according to our sister newspaper, Want Daily.

Among the nine vessels which will participate in the exercise, known as Joint Sea 2015, three warships are from the PLA Navy's 19th escort task force currently patroling the waters of the Gulf of Aden. Those ships include the Weishanhu, a Type 903 replenishment ship, the Linyi and the Weifang, two Type 054A guided-missile destroyers according to Geng. He said that the joint exercise is not being carried out with any third nation in mind and has nothing to do with the political developments in the region.

The exercise is being launched to help China and Russia to gain the experience both nations need to face potential maritime threats in the future, Geng said. Like the military parade held in Moscow to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, which Xi Jinping will attend personally, it is aimed at strengthening the military-to-military relationship between China and Russia, according to the report.

Chang Ching, a researcher from Taiwan's Society for Strategic Studies said that the exercise is not the first time that the PLA Navy has deployed its ships to the Mediterranean Sea. He said that China deployed the Linyi to Yemen to evacuate its citizens from the war-torn nation earlier this year. He said that the exercise should also be considered part of China's military diplomacy because its vessels may visit countries in the region after the exercises.

Chagos islanders ‘betrayed’ by UK failure to decide on their return

Supporters of Chagossians’ return to the Indian Ocean atolls condemn the government’s postponement and ‘lack of political courage’

The Guardian, Jamie Dowrad, 4 April 2015

Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago and site of
 a major US military base. Photograph: Reuters

Supporters of the inhabitants of a British overseas territory deported from their homeland are furious that the government has reneged on a promise that it would decide before the election on whether they could return.

Shortly before parliament disbanded, the government said it would delay confirming whether the Chagossian people could go back to the Chagos Islands, a series of atolls in the Indian Ocean. The main island, Diego Garcia, has been leased to the US military since 1966. That agreement expires next year. Novelist Philippa Gregory, secretary of the UK Chagos Support Association, branded the delay “another serious betrayal of the Chagossian community”. She added: “Chagossians have suffered in exile for years, and it is disgraceful the government has failed to deliver a small measure of justice by supporting return.” Television presenter and author Ben Fogle will hand a petition to Downing Street after the election urging the next government to let the Chagossians go back.

A recent government-commissioned report from the consultancy giant KPMG suggested that allowing the Chagossians to return was feasible. Many Chagossians support a pilot resettlement of between 50 and 150 people which could be expanded if successful. However, James Duddridge, the Foreign Office minister, said the KPMG study “found there was not a clear indication of likely demand for resettlement, and costs and liabilities to the UK taxpayer were uncertain and potentially significant”. Some estimates suggests the cost of resettlement could be as high as £60m, a figure the association describes as “disingenuous”. It said money could be found from US payments for the use of Diego Garcia, the European Development Fund and private sector investment.

Some conservationists have expressed concerns about a repatriation programme. “The Chagos marine biodiversity and condition are a valuable international asset,” said Professor Charles Sheppard, chair of the Chagos Conservation Trust. “If these are damaged, or reduced in quality, the ocean’s peoples will be the losers.” But David Snoxell, a former high commissioner to Mauritius and co-ordinator of the Chagos Islands all-party parliamentary group, called on politicians from all sides to show leadership on the resettlement issue.

“If the FCO hadn’t dragged its feet on commissioning the feasibility study a decision on resettlement would have been taken long ago, and it would very probably have been in favour,” Snoxell said.“Now we have to wait until a new government settles in and that can take up to two years. Uncertainty on cost and on the number wanting to return are not the real obstacles. Nor are the handful of conservationists who do not want to share the territory with its former inhabitants The blockage is lack of political courage and direction.”

Related Article:

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Russia to use Chinese engines for Grachonok anti-terror boats

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2015-04-01

A Russian Navy Type 21980 Grachonok anti-terror boat. (Internet photo)

Russia has decided to introduce diesel engines from China for its Type 21980 Grachonok anti-terror boats after the Motor and Turbine Union based in Germany declared that it will no longer provide engines, according to Military Parade, a website covering global defense news based in Moscow.

China signed a contract with Russia last week for engines for the two Type 21980 Grachonok anti-terror boats with the serial numbers 01221 and 01222. Both vessels are currently being build by Vympel Shipyard. The vessels will be equipped with TBD620V12 main engines produced in China.

In addition, China has promised to supply two decelerators and two couplings for the vessels.

The Russian Navy placed an order for six Grachonok anti-terror boats from Vympel Shipyard in January 2014. Two shipyards located at Zelenodolsk are also responsible for the construction of the Type 21980 boats. It is unclear whether all the boats will use Chinese engines.