Navy to more than double training events near Ketchikan
The U.S. Navy is planning to more than double the number of training events conducted in the West Behm Canal north of Ketchikan, Alaska.
In an agreement signed Oct. 31, the Navy announced it will increase the number of testing events involving vessels at the Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility will increase from about 28 in a year to 60, The Ketchikan Daily News reported.
The Navy will also conduct new activities in Behm Canal, including cold-water training, “countermeasures” testing and electromagnetic measurement.
The Navy estimates that the Behm area will see 2,762 hours a year of acoustic stress related to testing. The Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility — commonly called SEAFAC — measures sounds generated by vessels.
The decision to increase testing in the Behm Canal comes after years of research and consulting with federal agencies such as the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as well as public meetings in affected areas, including 2012 and 2014 public meetings in Ketchikan.
Behm Canal, which rings Revillagigedo Island, often hosts whales, dolphins, porpoise, sea lions, seals, otters, fish and seabirds. Navy officials say the effects of more training on wildlife and the fishing industry should be minimal.
Copies of the Navy’s record of decision and the final environmental impact statement are available at the Ketchikan Public Library and online. AP
Russian fighter from carrier crashes near Syria’s shores
The Russian military says one of its fighter jets based on an aircraft carrier currently near Syria’s shores has crashed on a training mission, but its pilot survived.
The Defense Ministry said Nov. 14 that the crash of the MiG-29 fighter will not affect the operations of the Admiral Kuznetsov carrier.
It said the jet’s pilot bailed out safely and was picked up by a rescue team.
The ministry said the jet crashed due to a technical problem while on its way to land on the carrier, but didn’t elaborate on what went wrong.
The carrier and escorting ships arrived in the eastern Mediterranean Sea last week. Pilots of the carrier-borne fighters have been conducting flights over Syria to survey the area. AP
Judge hears testimony about injuries during Bergdahl search
A military officer testified Nov. 14 that he saw another soldier shot in the head during the 2009 search for U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who’s accused of endangering his comrades when he walked off his post in Afghanistan.
The testimony came at a pretrial hearing at which an Army judge also agreed to delay Bergdahl’s trial by several months until May 15, 2017.
Prosecutors are arguing that the judge should allow evidence of two wounded soldiers’ injuries into the case to help them show that Bergdahl’s disappearance effectively put other military members in harm’s way.
Bergdahl is charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, the latter of which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Before the testimony on the soldiers’ injuries, Army Col. Jeffery Nance decided to push the trial back to May after prosecutors requested a delay. They cited the pace at which they’re able to get approval to give the defense classified evidence.
Defense attorneys also informed the judge that they were still waiting on software, computers and security equipment that would allow them to review some of the sensitive material.
Nance expressed frustration and told prosecutors that he would call military officials as witnesses at a pretrial hearing in December if some of the issues with classified information aren’t resolved.
Bergdahl, who’s from Hailey, Idaho, walked off his post in Afghanistan in 2009 and was held captive by the Taliban and its allies for five years.
Iran, China sign military cooperation agreement
Iran’s state TV is reporting that Iran and China have signed an agreement to hold joint military drills and cooperate in fighting terrorism.
Iranian Defense Minister Gen. Hossein Dehghan signed the agreement Nov. 14 along with his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan.
In addition to the joint military training exercises, the report said that Iran and China seek to “create a collective movement to confront this threat” of terrorism.
The two nations have upgraded their military ties in recent years, with each country’s naval ships visiting the other’s ports. AP
Navy to expand sonar, other training off Northwest coast
The U.S. Navy has finalized a plan to expand sonar testing and other warfare training off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and northern California.
The Navy decided Nov. 4 to implement its preferred plan after a lengthy review that included a determination from the National Marine Fisheries Service that the exercises would not have major impacts on endangered orcas and other marine mammals.
The Navy said in its decision that it will follow strict guidelines and employ measures to reduce effects on marine species.
Critics worry the military activities can kill and harm whales and disrupt their feeding and communications. They contend that the Navy isn’t doing enough to ease the impacts or restrict activities in areas that are biologically important for the animals. AP