Naval Reserve Association

18News NotesFISHERMAN REELS IN RUSSIANARTIFACTFisherman Erik Eidi made the catch ofa lifetime about fifteen miles off theWashington coast. Despite its massiveproportions and incredible weight (13 X 7feet and 3000 pounds), his unique prizedidn’t put up a fight. That’s because theBellingham, Washington, cod fishermandidn’t reel in a fish, but what is believed tobe a Russian communication device thatdates back to the Cold War. Eidi had ahunch that his discovery might have anational security value. That was verifiedwhen the Navy wanted to conduct aninvestigation. However, under maritimelaw, the artifact belonged to Eidi; and, afternegotiations, he agreed to let the U.S. Navy“borrow” the Russian artifact. That’s exactlywhat some of our Navy officials are doingnow. It will be determined if this is ofinterest or not, since it is very old. The Navyplans to return the device to Eidi as soon asthey complete the investigation. The fishermansees the investigation as an appraisalbecause he wants to cash in on his find. He’seven willing to negotiate directly withMoscow for the best price.NAVY TO ESTABLISHEXPEDITIONARY AND RIVERINEFORCESA July memorandum from the office ofoutgoing Chief of Naval Operations, ADMVern Clark, spells out a series of actions toexpand the Navy's capabilities to prosecutethe so-called Global War on Terror. Keydirectives call for establishing expeditionaryand riverine warfare units with the Navy.Specifically, Clark has ordered creation of:An Active Component riverine warfareforce by 2006 and two Reserve Componentriverine units by 2007.NAVY TAKES POSSESSION OFFASTEST EXPERIMENTAL SHIPThe Navy took delivery of its newestexperimental ship, Sea Fighter (FSF 1), atNaval Station Everett, WA, in July. TheNavy’s fastest ship, Sea Fighter will operateat greater than 50 knots and has a range ofapproximately 4,000 nautical miles. Theship will move to San Diego. Sea Fighter isintended to serve as the platform to test thetechnologies and manning concepts that willallow the Navy to operate more effectively.The ship will also be used to evaluatethe hydrodynamic performance, structuralbehavior, mission flexibility, and propulsionsystem efficiency of high-speed vessels, andwill also serve as a test bed for developmentalmission packages. The ship can accommodatetwo helicopters on its flight deck and hasbays for 12 flexible mission modules, a sternramp/cradle that can be lowered at sea tolaunch and recover a variety of manned andunmanned vehicles, and a small crew of 16Navy Sailors and ten Coast Guardsmen.CHINA DENIES BUILDINGAIRCRAFT CARRIERChinese vice-minister of the nationaldefense industrial commission says thatChina has no plans for building an aircraftcarrier. The vice-minister of the Commissionof Science Technology and Industry forNational Defense said that there are no plansfor an aircraft carrier, but said their navy isupgrading its equipment in other ways.China has a vast maritime space, and itsnavy is responsible for safeguarding thenation’s maritime security and sovereignty.USN TOUTS SUCCESS OF MARITIMEPATROL AIRCRAFT PROGRAMAfter awarding Boeing a $3.89 billioncontract to develop a multimission maritimepatrol aircraft, the Navy said the effort hasexperienced “one success after another.”The P-8A is setting the standard for futureacquisition programs. The P-8A, based onBoeing’s 737 twin-jet commercial airliner, isintended to enter service in 2013, and willreplace the propeller-driven LockheedMartin P-3 Orion in the land-based maritimepatrol mission.MILITARY UPDATE: PANEL HASDESIGNS ON RETIREMENT PAYThe Defense Advisory Committee onMilitary Compensation has a plan to studyprivate sector-like changes to military payand retirement, the kind that DefenseSecretary Donald Rumsfeld has endorsedfor several years. The committee adopted anagenda that calls for studying over the nextfew months a new military retirement systemvesting members in benefits earlier thanthe current 20-year retired pay system, butalso with reduced annuities for futureservice members if they retire before age 60;combining that reduced “defined benefit”plan with a 401(k)-type contributory plan,similar to the military’s tax-deferred ThriftSavings Plan but with some governmentmatching of service member contributions;streamlining the military’s arsenal of 67 specialand incentive pays by eliminating those seenas ineffective and increasing the use ofwhatever “targeted” pays would remain;overhauling compensation for Reserve andNational Guard forces to “recognize theirfull integration” into U. S. operational forces,as evidenced by their expanded role in Iraq andAfghanistan; and slowing growth in militaryhealth care costs by raising TRICAREenrollment fees and copayments. Studyingthese issues will help the committee recommenda “strategic architecture” for future changesto military compensation, said retired ADMDonald L. Pilling, committee chairman.Draft recommendations are due to David S.C.Chu, Undersecretary of Defense for Personneland Readiness, in September.SEABEES TASKED WITH NEW CIVILAFFAIRS ROLEThe Naval Construction Force is formallygetting a new job: civil affairs. Since thestart of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Seabeeshave done civil affairs work in Iraq, helpingbuild and repair the country’s electricalgrids, water systems, roads, schools, andclinics. The Navy wants to expand thatcapacity with the formation of a ReserveComponent (RC) civil affairs battalion togive Army and Marine Corps units a break.The starting point will be a Navy RC civilaffairs unit being established by 2006,followed by a battalion in 2007. A Navy RCnaval mobile construction battalion includesabout 685 sailors. Turning to Navy RC tostand up the battalion is a natural choicebecause of a wealth of civilian experienceresident there.IRAQI PILOT TO BE BURIED WITHU. S. TROOPS HE CARRIEDThe remains of CAPT Ali Abass will beburied with some of the remains of fourmembers of a U. S. Air Force team who diedbeside him when their plane crashed near theIranian border. Abass will be one of about60 foreign nationals buried at ArlingtonNational Cemetery. Families of the dead werepresented with the remains that were identified,and they had their separate funerals and burials.Some of the remains were mixed together;and despite use of the latest technology, theycould not be separated. Air Force regulationsrequire that the commingled remains be buriedtogether in a single coffin. The gravestonewill bear all five names.NRA NEWS/SEPTEMBER 2005