Rocky Mountain Navy Asociation Newsletter February 2018

Rocky Mountain Navy Association

News The Rocky Mountain Navy Association (RMNA) is a not-for-profit, organization to promote the United States Navy and the Naval Reserve in the local community. Specific out reach efforts have been extended to civic organizations, educational institutions, and the business community. RMNA also provides mission support to the local recruiting command and offers a wide variety of professional development assistance programs to the naval reserve community. Newsletter Contact: James Garrett, CAPT, USNR (Ret.), garrettj3745@yahoo.com This is an interactive newsletter so Click on underlined inks or photos for websites for more information or zoom the page.

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Vol. 3 Issue 2

February 2018

Reminding you of next monthly RMNA Luncheon at the American Legion Post, 5400 East Yale, Denver (southeast corner of I-25 and Yale), on Wednesday, March 7th, gathering around 11:30 a.m.

See You There!

RMNA Interests and Activities Denver Council of Navy League https://www.facebook.com/Denver-Navy-League-295522804808/ Colorado ESGR

https://www.facebook.com/colorado.esgr.1

Navy Recruiting District Denver http://www.cnrc.navy.mil/Denver/ Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) http://www.nrotc.navy.mil/ U. S. Naval Academy Blue and Gold http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/BGO/ USS Colorado (SSN 788) Commissioning Committee http://usscoloradocommittee.org/ Members Annual Golf Tournament This newsletter is posted online to our website at (www.navrescolorado.org) and Facebook page at (https://www.facebook.com/RockyMountainNavyAssociation/) Do you have an idea or a success story to share? Maybe you’ve heard of an upcoming event that we should all support. Send me your ideas @ garrettj3745@yahoo.com. There are so many interesting experiences and opportunities to learn and our newsletter is just one way that information can be shared.

On February 6, 1935 the board game “Monopoly” went on sale for the first time. By the way, there's no such place as Marvin Gardens. There is an area in Atlantic City called Marven Gardens. Apparently, it was misspelled on the first prototype of the game and never got fixed.

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Welcome to USS Colorado (SSN-788) Commissioning Committee web site. USS Colorado (SSN788) is the 15th Virginia Class submarine. It was delivered to the Navy on September 21, 2017 and is currently conducting shakedown operations. After shakedown is complete, it will be commissioned on March 17, 2018 at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, CT. The Committee's purposes are to promote awareness within the state, provide support for the crew, and to help organize and raise money for the events surrounding commissioning.

Invitation Status 05. February 2018 · For those becoming curious about invitations, they should be in the mail in the next few days.

They have been ready since last Thursday, but the Navy has had a problem with their postage machine, so we are hoping the commissioning invitations can be mailed very soon. The reception invitations will be mailed out with postage stamps starting this afternoon. We will let everyone know the status through our our newsletter and this web site and Facebook. No need to email to find out.

(February Newsletter is the last two pages)

Pentagon expands campaign against Taliban in Afghanistan The Department of Defense said the 24 guided munitions it dropped from a B-52 as it shifted its campaign toward areas of Northern Afghanistan is a record for the aircraft.

By James LaPorta | Feb. 7, 2018 at 4:20 PM

Feb. 7 (UPI) -- United States ForcesAfghanistan said they have launched a series of precision strikes in Northern Afghanistan as part of ongoing counter-revenue operations aimed at stemming the flow of narcotics and financial support to the Taliban.

The air campaign over the last four days has targeted Taliban training facilities in Badakhshan province, which officials say prevented the "planning and rehearsal of terrorist acts near the border with China and Tajikistan," the Pentagon announced on Tuesday.

The Pentagon said strikes also targeted stolen Afghan National Army vehicles that were being converted into vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, or VBIEDs. The weapons are similar to the kind seen late last month when the Taliban detonated an emergency vehicle packed with explosives in the Afghan capital of Kabul, killing at least 95 and injuring more than 158.

Read article……

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Are We Losing Our Will To Fight?

The public maintains confidence in our military, and the majority supports its funding. Please send a message to your congressional members today.

Our nation seems to be losing the will to fight; there are several tell-tale signs. Our youth have a declining ability or propensity to serve, and more than half of parents would not recommend military service to their children. Congress, the 535 members entrusted with lawmaking and speaking for our entire nation, has consistently been unable as a body to fully fund our national defense. Pockets of staunch support are not enough to sway the collective will.

Stopgap measures under continuing resolutions are more symbolic than substantive; while they keep the government open for business, they fail to fulfil our nation’s need to organize, train, and equip our forces. Because appropriations define the will of Congress, and the power of the purse validates their priorities, the scale of will is tipping more toward “somewhat interested” versus “all in.”

Click on links or photos for websites or more information

Thankfully, our defense leaders have not wavered on their will to fight — they remain all in.

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, in his National Defense Strategy for 2018, clearly stated in his introduction that his “enduring mission is to provide combat-credible military forces needed to deter war and protect the security of our nation.”

The service secretaries clearly support this goal: Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson upon being sworn in May 16, 2017, said, “We have got a lot of work to do under the guidance of Secretary of Defense Mattis, and with the support of the United States Congress, we will restore the readiness of the force so that we can win any fight, anytime, anywhere.”

Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer stated in a letter to his troops Aug. 29, 2017, “Our priorities center on People, Capabilities, and Processes. … Readiness, lethality, and modernization are the requirements driving these priorities.”

Secretary of the Army Mark T. Esper, in a letter to his troops Nov. 21, 2017, wrote, “As I return to duty, I want you to know that my first priority is Readiness—ensuring the Total Army is ready to deploy, fight and win across the entire spectrum of conflict.”

All four of these noted defense leaders are veterans. They get it, and we are well served by their continued service.

Chair of the House Armed Services Committee Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), is also all in. He shared his concern in a Feb. 1 speech: “We lost 23 servicemembers to hostile actions in 2017. We lost four times more than that to training-related accidents. This budget dysfunction has a human cost, and our military is bearing the brunt of it. So, all those people who say ‘Yes, we need more funding for the military — only if I get my way on this immigration issue,’ or ‘only if I get my way on this domestic spending issue,’ that's wrong."

American Voters are more inclined to support military funding today than they were in 2008, according to Gallup. When asked in 2008, 55 percent of those polled said military funding was just right or too little. In 2017, that figure jumped to 65 percent, while those who thought the military was overfunded declined from 44 percent to 31 percent in that same period. And it is worth noting Gallup once again confirmed our nation thinks highest of our military among societal institutions, ranking it No. 1 each year since 1998.

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Marines Need Submarines: Commandant Neller On Major War

By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. on Friday, February 9, 2018 4:00 AM

SAN DIEGO: Why does the Marine Corps Commandant want the Navy to build more attack boats? “As a naval force, part of a maritime campaign, we need more attack submarines,” Gen. Robert Neller said at the AFCEA-USNI WEST conference.

Commandant Robert Neller (right) and Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson

“we’re going to have to fight to get there.”

“When was the last time we had to fight to get to the fight? We just went,” Neller mused. Today, though,

Read article……

Neller: Future Marine Corps Could be an ‘Older, More Experienced’ Force By: Gidget Fuentes February 8, 2018 9:48 PM SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The Marine Corps has a long, storied history as a formidable – and young – fighting organization.

But will the future force that must lean on highly-skilled, technical warfighters expert in areas like cyberspace, electronic warfare and information warfare require an older, more seasoned force?

The answer, according to the top Marine, might be yes.

That’s an expectation that Gen. Robert Neller sees as a likely necessity as the Marine Corps structures to meet the growing cyber threats by peer competitors and staffed with enough personnel with the skills and know-how to help the service keep that competitive edge.

The Marine Corps is in the midst of a “force modernization” effort geared to shaping the service for the future operating environment that will put even greater demands on the largely conventional fighting force. Read article……

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Why? “I want to get where I’m going,” Neller said to laughter from the audience. “A bunch of lance corporals with M4s on the flight deck are not going to help me out.” In other words, if the amphibious warships carrying the Marines are to make it to striking distance of a hostile shore without being sunk, they need an escort of Navy submarines and aircraft — and (though Neller didn’t mention this last one) probably also Aegis ships for anti-aircraft and missile defense.

Is China Getting Ready To Test a Railgun?

By Kyle Mizokami Parked on the Yangtze river is something that sure looks like a railgun, and a sign that China might have beaten the U.S. Navy in putting this weapon on a ship.

Click here for article‌.

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China appears to be the first country to place a electromagnetic railgun on a ship. The weapon was spotted on an old Chinese Navy landing craft in Wuhan and images of it quickly spread across the Internet. If this is true, then China has placed a real railgun on a warship before the U.S. Navy, which has been testing its own railgun on land for years.

Electromagnetic railguns are an entirely new type of weapon system that use electricity and magnetism instead of the energy of a gunpowder explosion. Railguns use electricity to generate very strong electromagnetic fields between two rails. A conductive metal device, called an armature, picks up a projectile and accelerates down the path between the rails, slinging the projectile downrange.

Images of the Yuting I-class amphibious ship Haiyangshan with a large gun turret-like object appeared on social media yesterday morning. The ship, which is a 390 -foot tank-landing ship designed to carry up to 10 tanks or 500 tons of cargo, has a wide cargo deck area that is currently is crowded with shipping containers and equipment. Mounted on the bow of Haiyangshan is what clearly looks like a gun turret with a large, stepped barrel.

Click arrow for slideshow

To the Struggle Against World Terrorism (also known as the Tear of Grief and the Tear Drop Memorial) is a 10–story sculpture by Zurab Tsereteli that was given to the United States as an official gift of the Russian government as a memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks in 2001 (26 of whom were Russian[1]) and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.[2] It stands at the end of the former Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey. Groundbreaking was done on September 16, 2005, in a ceremony attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin,[3] and was dedicated on September 11, 2006, in a ceremony attended by former U.S. President Bill Clinton.[2][4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_the_Struggle_Against_World_Terrorism http://susiesbigadventure.blogspot.com/2010/09/911-teardrop-memorial.html

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If some graphics are unreadable in the current size, just zoom the pdf to increase the size.

1950's Slideshow This is a 3 minute video slide show, and worth the time it takes to watch it. If you lived during the 1950s you will recognize the pictures And not need captions (since there are none).

If you didn't live in the 50's, see what you missed. A little nostalgia, some good memories, some not.

Absolutely amazing (American) World War 2 statistics and photos. I have always known that aircrew had the highest fatality rate but the loss rate (and cost of war) detailed below is absolutely horrific.

If you live for facts and statistics, this is just for you...

No matter how one looks at it, these are incredible statistics. Aside from the figures on aircraft, consider this statement from the article: On average 6600 American service men died per MONTH, during WWII (about 220 a day) - - - - - Most Americans who were not adults during WWII have no understanding of the magnitude of it. This listing of some of the aircraft facts gives a bit of insight to it.

• 276,000 aircraft manufactured in the US .

• 43,000 planes lost overseas, including 23,000 in combat.

• 14,000 lost in the continental U.S. The US civilian population maintained a dedicated effort for four years, many working long hours seven days per week and often also volunteering for other work. WWII was the largest human effort in history.

Click here for website…. Photos and more.

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MILITARY AND VETERANS APPRECIATION DAY WHEN: WHERE;

FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2018 COLORADO STATE CAPITOL, COLFAX AND SHERMAN, DENVER, CO.

If some graphics are unreadable in the current size, just zoom the pdf to increase the size.

Governor Hickenlooper hosts Military and Veterans Appreciation Day at the state’s Capitol, 26 January 2018.

More pictures on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/ photos/129681239@N06/ sets/72157691156374381/with/26113481398/

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USS Colorado (SSN 788) Commissioning Committee Newsletter # 27 February 2018 Invitation Update For those becoming curious about invitations, they should be in the mail in the next few days. They have been ready since last Thursday, February 1st, but the Navy has had a problem with their postage machine, so we are hoping the commissioning invitations can be mailed very soon. The reception invitations started being mailed out with postage stamps on February 7th. We will let everyone know the status through our our newsletter and this web site and Facebook. No need to email to find out.

Hotel / Travel Reservations For those wishing help with arrangements, AAA Colorado, a long term Committee Sponsor, will assist with travel and room reservations and has agreed to waive the service fee.

To have them assist you, contact either of the following: Stephanie Portugal, 303-753-8800x8122, sportugal@colorado.aaa.com

partment of the Navy. Businesses listed are provided solely for informational purposes.* Commissioning Week Schedule of Events We are still working on finalizing the activities surrounding Commissioning with no major changes since our last newsletter. we have posted the current Schedule of Events on our web site: https://usscoloradocommittee.org/commissioning-week-schedule/

Preparations for Commissioning Continue Things are taking shape for Commissioning Week. Today we received the banner acknowledging our sponsors that will be on display at our events during the week.

Kim Swanson, 303-753-8800x8124, kswanson@colorado.aaa.com Our block of rooms of the Marriott is almost out. Some additional area hotels to consider: Hilton Mystic – Mystic Motel 6 – Groton Groton Inn & Suites – Groton Quality Inn – Mystic Days Inn – Mystic The Inn at Mystic Residence Inn – Mystic Navy Lodge (military guests) – Groton Mystic Marriott – Groton

(860) 572-0731 (860) 445-8141 (860) 445-9784 (860) 572-8531 (860) 572-0574 (860) 536-9604 (860) 536-5150 (860) 446-3119 (860) 446-2600

*Listing of business entities does not constitute an endorsement by the Committee or Department of Defense or DeUSS Colorado (SSN 788) Commissioning Committee usscoloradocommittee.org

USS Colorado (SSN 788) Commissioning Committee usscoloradocommittee.org USS Colorado At Sea The ship is currently conducting shakedown operations in the Atlantic. During a period in January, a Public Affairs sailor from Commander Submarine Forces staff embarked aboard the boat to record COLORADO at sea.

180111-N-JE719-685 ATLANTIC OCEAN – (Jan. 11, 2018) Sonar Technician (Submarines) 3rd Class Christopher T. Woods stands lookout on the bridge of Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Colorado (SSN 788). Colorado is the 15th Virginia-class attack submarine and is scheduled to be commissioned March 17, 2018. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jeffrey M. Richardson/ Released)

80110-N-JE719-108 ATLANTIC OCEAN – (Jan. 10, 2018) Machinist Mate (Weapons) 3rd Class Dennis J. Capello conducts a system status check on the weapons launch console, while behind him, Information Systems Technician (Submarines) 3rd Class Austin J. Killough conducts a systems safety check aboard Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Colorado (SSN 788). Colorado is the 15th Virginia-class attack submarine and is scheduled to be commissioned March 17, 2018. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jeffrey M. Richardson/ Released)

USS Colorado (SSN 788) Commissioning Committee P. O. Box 630463 Littleton, CO 80163-0463