Latest news with #USSTheSullivans
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
How has US shifted military jets and ships in Middle East?
Live Events US aircraft moving to the Middle East Warships taking out Iranian missiles and ready to protect US bases (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The US is shifting military aircraft and warships into and around the Middle East to protect Israel from Iranian attacks as President Donald Trump warns Tehran to step back from the social media posts saying his patience with Iran was "wearing thin" have raised the possibility of deepening US involvement, perhaps by using its bunker-busting bomb to strike a key Iranian nuclear site built deep underground in the doesn't have the massive munition it would take to destroy the Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant, or the aircraft needed to deliver it. Only the US America's national security leaders discuss the next steps, the Pentagon has moved to ensure that its troops and bases in the region are a look at the US military presence in the Middle East:In a social media post, Trump warned that "we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran."US officials insisted as of Tuesday that the American military has not taken any offensive actions against Iran, only defensive strikes to take out incoming Iranian missiles to protect US fighter jets and refuelling tankers have been deployed to the region, but officials have declined to provide specific numbers. Fighter jets have joined in launching strikes to defend Israel, but officials said Tuesday that no American aircraft were over Intel, a group that reviews open source information in real time in the Middle East, said the U.S. Air Force had put additional refueling aircraft and fighter jets in strategic locations across Europe, including England, Spain, Germany and Greece. The information was obtained from public aviation tracking fighter jets have been patrolling the skies around the Middle East to protect personnel and installations, and bases in the region are on heightened alert and are taking additional security precautions, the officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military Secretary Pete Hegseth has not provided any details, but said on Fox News Channel late Monday that the military movements were to "ensure that our people are safe."American warships also are shooting down Iranian ballistic missiles targeting Israel, with the USS The Sullivans and the USS Arleigh Burke launching strikes over the Sullivans has been joined in the Eastern Mediterranean by the USS Thomas Hudner this week to continue those defense strikes, while the Arleigh Burke has moved away from the area, according to a U.S. USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is in the Arabian Sea with the four warships in its strike group. They are not participating in the defense of Israel. But they are positioned to provide security for U.S. troops and bases along the Gulf of Oman and the Persian USS Nimitz has been long scheduled to take over for the Carl Vinson and is heading west from the Indo-Pacific region toward the Middle East. The official said it is slated to arrive in the region by the end of the month, and the two carriers would likely overlap at least for a short time before the Vinson heads home to San also are destroyers in the Red Sea, and others are based in the Western Mediterranean and participating in exercises in the Baltic Sea.
San Francisco Chronicle
18-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
How the US has shifted military jets and ships in the Middle East
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is shifting military aircraft and warships into and around the Middle East to protect Israel from Iranian attacks as President Donald Trump warns Tehran to step back from the conflict. Trump's social media posts saying his patience with Iran was 'wearing thin" have raised the possibility of deepening U.S. involvement, perhaps by using its bunker-busting bomb to strike a key Iranian nuclear site built deep underground in the mountains. Israel doesn't have the massive munition it would take to destroy the Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant, or the aircraft needed to deliver it. Only the U.S. does. Here's a look at the U.S. military presence in the Middle East: US aircraft moving to the Middle East In a social media post, Trump warned that 'we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran.' U.S. officials insisted as of Tuesday that the American military has not taken any offensive actions against Iran, only defensive strikes to take out incoming Iranian missiles to protect Israel. Additional U.S. fighter jets and refueling tankers have been deployed to the region, but officials have declined to provide specific numbers. Fighter jets have joined in launching strikes to defend Israel, but officials said Tuesday that no American aircraft were over Iran. Aurora Intel, a group that reviews open source information in real time in the Middle East, said the U.S. Air Force had put additional refueling aircraft and fighter jets in strategic locations across Europe, including England, Spain, Germany and Greece. The information was obtained from public aviation tracking websites. U.S. fighter jets have been patrolling the skies around the Middle East to protect personnel and installations, and bases in the region are on heightened alert and are taking additional security precautions, the officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has not provided any details, but said on Fox News Channel late Monday that the military movements were to 'ensure that our people are safe.' Warships taking out Iranian missiles and ready to protect US bases American warships also are shooting down Iranian ballistic missiles targeting Israel, with the USS The Sullivans and the USS Arleigh Burke launching strikes over the weekend. The Sullivans has been joined in the Eastern Mediterranean by the USS Thomas Hudner this week to continue those defense strikes, while the Arleigh Burke has moved away from the area, according to a U.S. official. The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is in the Arabian Sea with the four warships in its strike group. They are not participating in the defense of Israel. But they are positioned to provide security for U.S. troops and bases along the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. The USS Nimitz has been long scheduled to take over for the Carl Vinson and is heading west from the Indo-Pacific region toward the Middle East. The official said it is slated to arrive in the region by the end of the month, and the two carriers would likely overlap at least for a short time before the Vinson heads home to San Diego. There also are destroyers in the Red Sea, and others are based in the Western Mediterranean and participating in exercises in the Baltic Sea. US troops are on heightened alert and families are allowed to leave The forces in the region have been taking precautionary measures for days, including having military dependents voluntarily leave bases, in anticipation of potential strikes and to protect personnel in case of a large-scale response from Tehran. Officials said they were not aware of many families actually leaving. Typically around 30,000 troops are based in the Middle East, and about 40,000 troops are in the region now, according to a U.S. official. That number surged as high as 43,000 last October in response to heightened tensions between Israel and Iran as well as continuous attacks on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. The B-2 and the bunker buster The Air Force's B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is the only aircraft that can carry the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, known as the bunker buster. The powerful bomb uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to reach deeply buried targets — and then explode. There are currently no B-2 bombers in the Middle East region, although there are B-52 bombers based at Diego Garcia, and they can deliver smaller munitions. AP writer Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.
Business Insider
08-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
BAE Systems awarded $108.57M Navy contract
BAE Systems (BAESY) was awarded a $108.57M firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance, modernization and repair of the USS The Sullivans fiscal 2025 Docking Selected Restricted Availability. The scope of this acquisition includes all labor, supervision, equipment, production, testing, facilities, and quality assurance necessary to prepare for and accomplish the Chief of Naval Operations Availability for critical modernization, maintenance, and repair programs. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $110.36M. Work is expected to be completed by March 2027. This contract was competitively procured using full and open competition via the System for Award Management website, with two offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command is the contracting activity.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sullivan influences strong on new USS Iowa
Kelly Sullivan, right, a member of the USS Iowa commissioning committee and her father Jim Sullivan, center, pose with U.S. Army veteran Bill Keane of Waterloo at a watch part for the commissioning of the USS Iowa submarine at Waterloo's Grout Museum District. They also attended the commissioning of the The USS The Sullivans in 1997 in New York, named for Jim's father and great uncles. Kelly Sullivan is that ship's sponsor. (Photo by Pat Kinney) WATERLOO — Kelly Sullivan remembers another cold April day 28 years ago. On a Staten Island pier in New York harbor, she was expecting her first biological child — her daughter Kelcie — but gave birth to another — the Navy destroyer USS The Sullivans, hull number DDG-68, named for her grandfather and great uncles who died together in World War II. She gave the order, 'Man this ship and bring her to life!' and the sailors, men and women, ran on board and manned their stations. On Saturday, she watched another woman, who has become her friend, do the same thing, as former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack give those orders to the crew of the new USS Iowa submarine, hull number SSN-797, in Groton, Conn., where the sub was built. Sullivan, also a member of the USS Iowa commissioning committee, had planned to be in Connecticut to support her friend. Due to travel and other complications, she did the next best thing. She attended a watch party for the commissioning ceremonies at Waterloo's Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum, part of the Grout Museum District. The Waterloo event, one of more than two dozen parties around the state, was attended by dozens of Cedar Valley residents who filled the museum 'mess hall' events area, including many Navy and other military veterans. One of those veterans was Kelly Sullivan's father — Jim Sullivan, the son of Albert Sullivan, the youngest of the five brothers. He was a toddler when his dad and uncles George, Francis, Joseph and Madison were killed when the USS Juneau was sunk during the naval Battle of Guadalcanal. He followed his father and uncles into the Navy and served on a destroyer. Kelly and her father were surrounded by well-wishers who also turned out to welcome Iowa's new namesake ship into service. 'It's a historic day for the Navy, a historic day for Iowa,' Kelly Sullivan said. 'I think the biggest thing is celebrating our state, our great state, and all the people who have served our country from Iowa. Iowa has a rich history of service and patriotism. Today's a day where we celebrate that. It's a big deal.' It was the end of a long process, six years, to build and commission the Iowa, a Virginia-class nuclear submarine with the most up-to-date firepower and 'silent running' technology. It was a challenge for contractors, crew and the commissioning committee. Work continued through the COVID-19 pandemic. 'The thing that really amazed me is all the people who make this happen,' Sullivan said. 'People don't realize what happens behind the scenes.' Many of the commissioning committee members were Iowans and Navy veterans; Iowa firms helped with the construction. 'It's neat to have so many Iowans involved in this process. And it's been wonderful to watch the whole thing unfold for all these years. 'I feel honored to have been part of it,' Sullivan said, and she emphasized the USS Iowa sailors feel a part of the state of Iowa as well — as evidenced by crew members volunteering to help clean up the grounds of the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown, and parts of Cedar Rapids, after the August 2020 derecho. 'They sent a truck full of USS Iowa volunteers,' Sullivan said. 'They had generators, they had electric chainsaws, water, food and fuel. And they came for four days. They met in Marshalltown — Christie Vilsack met me there.' They removed downed trees and limbs and helped restore some of the adjacent storm-damaged cemetery. 'And then they went to Cedar Rapids and did work,' she said. 'Those sailors, they're our family,' Sullivan said. 'It's just like The Sullivans. We have sailors from The Sullivans that come to visit Iowa all the time. Because that's their state. It's even more so with these sailors. These sailors feel a family connection to the state of Iowa. They'll bring their grandkids here, and kids here, and say, 'This is the state that represents the boat that I am plank owner (original crew member) of.' ' Sullivan said she also connected USS Iowa sailors with a Navy cycling crew which participates in RAGBRAI, Iowa's annual cross-state bicycle ride, and they are part of that team now as well. 'They also go to the State Fair — they're very well represented at the State Fair — they've been here (in Waterloo) a couple of times for Iowa Irish Fest, RAGBRAI and the derecho (relief effort). That's just a few of them. So many more things than that. That's the thing we also now celebrate, is that these sailors are now part of our Iowa family.' The new USS Iowa is the latest and best sub in the fleet in terms of armaments and capabilities, and the first submarine with total accommodations for a crew of men and women. But it is also loaded with tradition — and one of those traditions is the role of the ship sponsor, a role that Sullivan and Vilsack are very mindful of. The sponsor, traditionally a woman, is chosen by the Secretary of the Navy. She is technically considered a member of the crew. Sullivan has always referred to the USS The Sullivans as 'my ship' and Christie Vilsack feels the same way. Vilsack, a journalism graduate of the University of Iowa and a former columnist for the Mount Pleasant News where her husband, former Gov. Tom Vilsack, served as mayor before seeking state and national office, expressed her feelings in her new online column, 'Common Ground,' she now writes as a member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. 'Most people associate a boat christening with a woman and broken bottle of champagne. That would be me on Jun 17, 2022. But the story of a boat sponsor christening a Navy vessel is about a special long-time relationship between a woman chosen by the Navy to care for the crew and families of for the rest of her life,' Christie Vilsack wrote. 'The officers, crew and families of the USS Iowa SSN-797 refer to me as the 'mom of the boat.' ' In those christening ceremonies, she said, 'Thanks to fellow Iowa teacher, Kelly Sullivan, sponsor of USS The Sullivans DDG-68, a ship to honor the five Sullivan brothers, including her grandfather, who were all killed at sea in World War II aboard the USS Juneau. She has been a great mentor and friend.' Kelly Sullivan is one of the most active and visible ship sponsors in the Navy, supporting the USS The Sullivans crew in Iowa, its home port in Florida, New York and even attended a port visit in Ireland. Similarly, she has engaged and helped Vilsack, also the daughter of a Navy veteran and aviator, into her role as USS Iowa sponsor as they've worked together on projects and events like Iowa Irish Fest and the derecho cleanup. 'I feel blessed to be involved, and to have those connections with Christie,' Sullivan said. 'She's fabulous, and she's going to make a great sponsor. She said, 'I love being a sponsor and I'm very blessed to have this role.' I'm proud of her. She has a very strong Navy family history and she's really excited about this.' And, Sullivan noted, Vilsack has her granddaughters involved with the ship as maids of honor, who serve as proxies in the sponsor's absence and carry on her role — potentially, Sullivan said, for the ship's entire service life. Also at Saturday's watch party was U.S. Army Korean War era veteran Bill Keane of Waterloo, who also attended the 1997 commissioning of the USS The Sullivans at Staten Island, New York with a large contingent of Cedar Valley area residents. He also is a member of the Sullivan Brothers chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Waterloo. He saw a parallel between the two commissioning ceremonies. It's 'Anchors Aweigh' for new USS Iowa 'It just feels wonderful because of the Iowa connection,' he said. 'We're just so proud of the Sullivan brothers, were proud of Kelly and the family and her devotion to history.' Reminders of the Sullivan brothers' sacrifice sail with the USS Iowa too. The official ship's crest bears a shamrock in commemoration of the brothers' Irish heritage and their service. It also bears a likeness of its predecessor ship, the battleship USS Iowa, BB-61, which served from World War II through 1990 and is now a museum in the Port of Los Angeles. One of the battleship's nicknames was 'The Grey Ghost,' and the submarine crew has drawn from that with its motto, 'Fear the Ghost.' The ship's crest also bears 47 stars for each of the sailors who were killed when the battleship's No. 2 gun turret exploded in April 1989. Members of the Battleship Iowa Museum were in Groton for the commissioning as well. Sullivan and Vilsack also are carrying on traditions from their ships' predecessor vessels in their roles as sponsors. Kelly's great grandmother Alleta sponsored the first Navy destroyer USS The Sullivans DD-537, which served from World War II through 1977 and is now at a military park in Buffalo, N.Y. Similarly, preceding Christie Vilsack as sponsor of the battleship USS Iowa was Ilo Wallace of Indianola, wife of U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace of Orient. He also served as secretary of agriculture, as Gov. Vilsack did during the Obama and Biden administrations. Vilsack also knows, from Sullivan's example, that a sponsor also supports a ship when its crew is at sea and potentially in harm's way. In November, the USS The Sullivans embarked on its fifth overseas deployment in the past three years. John Creery of Waterloo, who served in the Air Force from 1969-89 including a tour in Vietnam, said he had served at a fighter installation near the Bath Iron Works in Maine where the current USS The Sullivans was built and christened, but had never attended a ship launch, christening or commissioning. 'So this sounded kind of cool,' he said. The watch party also offered plenty of good-natured inter-service razzing and camaraderie among the many veterans in attendance — like the group of sailors who griped about a Marine veteran giving them orders while they nonetheless accommodated him to pose for a group photo. Jim Sullivan struck up a conversation with fellow 'tin can sailor' Paul Reuter of Waterloo, who served on the destroyer USS Robinson during the Korean War. Reuter told Sullivan his grandkids had asked him if he'd ever killed anyone while in service. 'I dunno … I was the cook …' he deadpanned. Patrick Kinney's blog, View from the Cedar Valley, is on Substack. This column is republished through the Iowa Writers' Collaborative. Editor's note: Please consider subscribing to the collaborative and the authors' blogs to support their work.
