RAF Typhoon jets arrive in London to test Olympic security

Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have arrived at an airbase in London for a large-scale Olympic security exercise.

The aircraft will be based at RAF Northolt, taking part in nine days of training over London and the home counties until 10 May, as part of operation Exercise Olympic Guardian.

It is the first time fighter jets have been stationed at the historic west London site since WWII.

But anti-military campaigners warn the jets will create a "climate of fear".

The Typhoon jets, which can travel at up to 1,370 miles per hour, will put pilots through their paces, testing security in the skies ahead of their vital role during the 2012 Olympic Games, which start in July.

Military chiefs have alerted residents in south-east England about the operation, warning that they will notice an increase in often loud air activity, especially on 4 and 5 May.

Bringing 'real fear'

Defence Secretary Phillip Hammond said: "Whilst there is no specific threat to the Games, we have to be ready to assist in delivering a safe and secure Olympics for all to enjoy."

He said the Typhoon operation at RAF Northolt underlined the "commitment of the Ministry of Defence and our armed forces to keeping the public safe at a time when the world will be watching us".

But the Stop the War Coalition has criticised the move as "unacceptable", arguing that heavy military activity in the capital will cause unnecessary fear.

Lindsey German of the campaign group said ordinary people should not be forced to put up with the measures.

"Far from safeguarding Londoners as they go about their daily lives, they will bring a real fear of explosions and the prospect of these places becoming a target for terrorist attack."

"We are told by the Government that the war in Afghanistan is being fought so that we don't have to fight on the streets of London", she said.

"These manoeuvres give the lie to that, and show that the war has made Britain a more dangerous place."

Air Vice-Marshal Stuart Atha, air component commander for Olympics air security, said the training was "essential" and in line with "preparations for most Olympics" in recent years.

"What we have is just prudent precautionary measures in place in the unlikely event that a threat from the air does manifest itself."

He denied fighter aircraft would be patrolling the skies as a matter of course throughout the summer, adding the operation "would not set a precedent for any sort of enduring military commitment" in the area.

"This is a once in a generation event and I think the UK public would expect us to be prepared for this", he said.

'Strong support'

However, he added the MoD would try to keep the amount of flying to a minimum, balancing the need to reduce disturbance with the key aim of ensuring forces are "ready for their important role delivering air security for the Olympics".

"We hope that people will understand the need for this very important training, and we thank them for their continued strong support", he said.

Exercise Olympic Guardian is taking place on land, sea and air in the London and Weymouth areas between 2 May and 10 May.

The security operations will also include:

Royal Navy Sea King helicopters based at RAF Northolt

RAF Puma helicopters and Royal Navy airborne early warning helicopters stationed at a Territorial Army centre in Ilford, east London

The berthing of HMS Ocean at Greenwich, with a number of Royal Navy Lynx helicopters on board

The deployment of HMS Bulwark and other ships to Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour

The operation of fast jets and helicopters over Greater London and the Home Counties

13,500 military personnel will be involved in protecting the games

It was also recently revealed that surface-to-air missiles could be deployed at six sites in London during the games.

Last month, a sonic boom from two Typhoon aircraft that were responding to an emergency signal was reported to have been heard in Bath, Coventry and Oxford.

Puricelli assures will insist on claims over militarization of South Atlantic

Defence Minister Arturo Puricelli assured that the Argentina government will reiterate its claims over the UK militarization at the Malvinas Islands and highlighted the backing of the Latin American country in the fight for the sovereignty of the achipelago.

"Our country will reiterate the claims accompanied by several countries, specially Latin America," Puricelli assured in the anniversary of the baptism of fire of the Army on May 1 1982 during the Malvinas Islands war.

During the rally held at the VI Air Brigade at the city of Tandil, the head of the ministry assured that "the support of the countries, specially from Latin America, will help Argentina achieve its aim of recovering its soverignty over the Islands."

According to Puricelli, the Malvinas Islands is the "only place militarized in South America."

Navy fires 4 leaders in 2 separate incidents

The Navy on Tuesday sacked two commanding officers, an executive officer and a senior enlisted leader — all due to professional shortcomings.

The Navy fired Cmdr. Dennis J. Klein as CO of attack sub Columbia on May 1.

The commanding officer and top enlisted on a Hawaii-based attack submarine were fired for a loss of confidence in their abilities, Submarine Force Pacific said. Their reliefs came only minutes after the announcement of firings at the Navy’s San Diego, Calif.-based drug screening lab.

The submarine reliefs are unrelated to those at the drug screening lab. All told, they bring the Navy to nine CO and nine senior enlisted reliefs for cause this year.

Onboard attack submarine Columbia, Cmdr. Dennis Klein, the CO, and Master Chief Electronics Technician (SS) Don Williams, the chief of the boat, were relieved by the commander of Submarine Squadron 7, Capt. James Pitts.

“It was determined that Commander Klein didn’t exhibit adequate leadership” during some assessments, said SUBPAC spokeswoman Cmdr. Christy Hagen, adding: “Master Chief Williams failed to provide the deckplate-level leadership and backup required of the position of the chief of the boat.”

No investigation has been conducted, said Hagen, who was unable to go into any more details about the nature of the assessments or what Klein’s leadership shortfalls had been.

Klein, 41, is an Iowa native who graduated in 1992 from the University of Iowa with a physics degree, according to his official bio. Klein is the 2nd sub CO fired this year, according to Navy press releases.

Williams, 37, of Franklin, Wis., enlisted in May 1994, according to Navy Personnel Command records. He became a master chief last year. Williams is the 4th COB fired this year.

Capt. Dennis Boyer and Command Master Chief (SS) Manuel Meneses, both on the squadron’s staff, have temporarily assumed duties as CO and COB, respectively. Boyer has commanded Los Angeles-class sub Miami, a SUBPAC statement said.

The sub returned from a six-month Western Pacific cruise in December, Hagen said.

The other reliefs were shore-side.

The Navy Drug Screening Lab CO and XO’s firings stemmed from a poor command climate, said Capt. Cappy Surette, spokesman for the Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.

Cmdr. Lee Hoey, the CO, and Cmdr. Shelly Hakspiel, the XO, were relieved by Capt. Michael Macinski, the head of the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center based in Portsmouth, Va.

“The issues that led to the leadership change weren’t associated with the command’s mission of sample processing accuracy,” Surette said, adding that it was due to poor performance on command climate surveys. Some of these had been prompted by hotline reports to the inspector general, Surette said.

These are the second time in a month that BUMED leaders have been fired. The CO and CMC of Navy Health Clinic New England were fired April 6 after a survey found command climate problems.

“With the arrival a new leadership team at BUMED, there has been an increased call for intrusive leadership,” Surette said. “Every one of these events is isolated. However, there is a much greater focus on these in the Navy medical community.”

The San Diego site is one of the Navy’s three drug labs, which test urine samples for the presence of narcotics like cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy. The other labs are in Jacksonville, Fla. and Great Lakes, Ill.

According to command figures, the San Diego lab processed over 900,000 urine samples last year. Also on Tuesday, these labs began testing samples for frequently-abused prescription drugs like Vicodin and Valium.

Navy relieves Pearl Harbor-based submarine commander, citing inadequate leadership

The Navy has relieved the commander of the Pearl Harbor-based nuclear-powered submarine USS Columbia of his command on the grounds he displayed inadequate leadership, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The Navy also relieved the ship's top enlisted sailor of his duties.

Cmdr. Dennis Klein and Master Chief Petty Officer Don Williams were relieved due to a loss of confidence in their abilities to serve effectively, said Cmdr. Christy Hagen, the spokeswoman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet's submarine force.

Klein displayed inadequate leadership and oversight of his crew, while Williams failed to provide the leadership and backup required of his position as chief of the boat, she said.

    Cmdr. Christy Hagen, the spokeswoman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet's submarine force, said Tuesday Cmdr. Dennis Klein and Master Chief Don Williams were relieved due to a loss of confidence in their abilities to serve effectively.

"The relief was not made based on a one-time incident. It was based after a series of observations and assessments that over time led leadership to lose confidence in their abilities to hold command positions, hold positions of command authority," she said.

Both men have been temporarily reassigned.

Capt. Dennis Boyer, the deputy commander of Submarine Squadron 7, has assumed command of the ship.

The submarine and its crew are currently in Pearl Harbor for maintenance and training. The Columbia returned from a deployment to the western Pacific area in December.

Hagen said there won't be an investigation because the relief was not related to a behavioral issue that would require one.

In cases like this, the Navy generally conducts an administrative review to determine whether an individual's record should say he or she was detached for cause. Cases go to the Navy Personnel Command before anything like that is put into a sailor's record.

2 of first female U.S. Navy submariners investigated for fraud

Two of the first women to be chosen by the U.S. Navy to serve on submarines have had their duties reassigned and are being investigated for fraud, according to U.S. Navy officials.

U.S. Navy investigators are looking at whether the two women committed fraud by claiming excessive expenses while they trained for their submarine duty, according to Cmdr. Monica Rousselow, a spokesman for the Navy's submarine forces. The investigation began in February.

While details of the case and the officers names are not being released because the investigation is ongoing, a U.S. Navy official with knowledge of the matter said the two women are suspected of misrepresenting information about leases in their travel documents so their reimbursement pay was higher than it should have been.

Originally, a third female officer was being investigated but she was cleared of wrongdoing three weeks ago, Rousselow said.

Both officers have been temporarily reassigned to duties at the U.S. Naval submarine base at Kings Bay, Georgia, until the investigation is over, according to Rousselow.

The three officers were among a group of 24 women who were the first to be assigned to U.S. submarines in 2010 after a high-profile change of policy by the Navy that reversed the ban on women being part of the "silent service."

After being selected, the women went through an intensive 15-month submarine officer training program, which includes nuclear power school, submarine training and the Submarine Officer Basic Course.

The first of the 24 started their assignments on submarines in November and December of last year, Rousselow said.