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In the Military Gregg K. Kakesako |
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Navy could relinquish
leader’s spot atop
Pacific ForcesA Washington news report last week says the Navy will be in for a fight to retain the four-star post now held by Adm. Thomas Fargo as commander of Pacific Forces and who may retire later in the year. The Pacific Command has been mostly led by Navy admirals since it was created in 1947. Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reportedly wants to name Air Force Gen. Gregory Martin as Fargo's successor.
A spokesman for Fargo at Camp Smith declined to comment on the report by "Inside the Pentagon," which is the first time it has been publicly mentioned that Fargo may retire this year. A Camp Smith spokesman would only say that "no announcement has been made."
Fargo was elevated to head the largest geographical combatant command in the U.S. military three years ago after serving as commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. His area of responsibility makes up more than 50 percent of the Earth's surface, 43 countries, 16 time zones and nearly 60 percent of the world's population.
The same report says Rumsfeld is expected to nominate Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James Cartwright for a fourth star and the top job at Strategic Command, a position that traditionally has rotated between Navy and Air Force officials since its creation in 1992.
Navy leaders in the past have argued they alone are prepared to demonstrate U.S. military presence with their warship fleets in the vast Asian region, the report says. But the Army and Air Force, which have had considerable numbers of forces based throughout the region for more than 50 years, have pushed for greater control.
Martin is a fighter pilot with more than 4,500 flying hours who has spent a cumulative nine years in the Pentagon over his 34-year military career. He earned his fourth star in 2000 and commanded U.S. Air Forces in Europe during last year's war in Iraq. Today, Martin heads Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
A classified Navy study, released by the Boston Globe last week, recommends permanently stationing nine submarines at Guam where they would be closer to areas where they are most commonly deployed, in part to monitor Russian and Chinese submarine fleets.
A Pacific Fleet Submarine Forces spokeswoman at Pearl Harbor, where 17 Los Angeles class submarines are based, referred questions on the report to the Pentagon. The Navy would not officially comment on the budget deliberations, in keeping with a Defense Department policy not to discuss such proposals before final decisions are made.
Guam already has two Los Angeles class nuclear attack submarines -- the USS Corpus Christi and the San Francisco -- berthed in Agana. A third -- the USS Houston -- is slated to join them soon.
The Globe report also said the same study recommends cutting the Navy's attack submarine force by as much as a third as a cost-saving measure. It proposes cutting the submarine fleet from 55 vessels to as few as 37. That reduction would be accomplished by retiring older Los Angeles-class submarines and buying fewer new Virginia-class subs.
The Navy study, the officials said, cites a number of possible scenarios for reducing the submarine force, including one that would reduce the fleet to the low 40s and one that would cut it to 37, or by nearly 20 boats, the newspaper reported. Each vessel costs well over $2 billion. The proposals would not affect the 18 nuclear-armed Trident submarines.
An Air Force sponsored rock 'n' roll tour featuring Hootie and the Blowfish and four members of the New England Patriots cheerleaders, will make a stop at Hickam Air Force Base May 21. The event -- open only to active duty, Department of Defense civilian workers and their families -- will begin at 7 p.m. at Hickam's Freedom Tower mall. The Hickam concert is the last stop of Operation Pacific Greeting which has toured Air Force bases in Japan and South Korea.
Moving up
>> Schofield Barracks: Col. Howard Killian will succeed Col. David Anderson as commander of U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii.>> Kaneohe: Cmdr. Thomas McGovern relieved Cmdr. Joseph Lisenby as commander of Patrol Squadron 47.
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.