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In the Military Gregg K. Kakesako |
See also: For Your Benefit
Expeditionary
Strike Group braces
for longer deploymentThe 5,000 sailors and Marines belonging to the Navy's experimental Expeditionary Strike Group, which includes the Pearl Harbor-based cruiser USS Port Royal and nuclear submarine USS Greeneville, have been told to expect a possible eight-month deployment instead of a typical six-month cycle.
The Navy's first Expeditionary Strike Group, headed by former Hawaii Navy Region commander Rear Adm. Robert Conway, has its command center on the USS Peleliu, an amphibious assault ship, which left San Diego on Friday. The Peleliu resembles a small aircraft carrier and carries a fleet of 12 CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters, four CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopters, six AV-8B Harrier attack jet fighters, three UH-1N Huey helicopters and four AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters.
The first of the Navy's next-generation attack submarines was christened USS Virginia yesterday at Electric Boat Corp.'s shipyard in Groton, Conn. It will be commissioned next July as the sixth Navy ship to honor the state since the original USS Virginia was commissioned in 1777. The last was a nuclear-powered cruiser that was decommissioned in 1994. The Virginia class will have improved stealth, sophisticated surveillance capabilities and special warfare enhancements, the Navy said. The submarines will be able to conduct covert, long-term surveillance of land areas, littoral waters or other sea forces.
The Army News Service said on Aug. 19 that soldiers deployed to high threat areas will continue to receive imminent danger pay, and family separation pay when the new fiscal year starts Oct. 1, quoting Department of Defense officials. In April, Congress authorized an increase in both family separation allowance, from $100 to $250, and imminent danger pay, from $150 to $225. These increases were part of the FY 03 Department of Defense Supplemental Funding. This funding was temporary and will expire Sept. 30 at the end of this fiscal year. If Congress doesn't vote to renew the increases in family separation and imminent danger pay, the Department of Defense will use "other authority available to the department to make up for any shortfalls," according to Pentagon statement.
Moving Up
Fort Shafter>> Col. Brian J. Donahue has assumed command of the 516th Signal Brigade, relieving Col. Monica M. Gorzelnik.
Hickam Air Force Base
>> Cmdr. Bette Bolivar Bush has assumed command of the Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1, relieving Cmdr. Robert Fink, whose next assignment will be chief staff officer with Mine Countermeasures Squadron 2, located in Ingleside, Texas.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
"In the Military" was compiled from wire reports and other
sources by reporter Gregg K. Kakesako, who covers military affairs for
the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. He can be reached can be reached by phone
at 294-4075 or by e-mail at gkakesako@starbulletin.com.
