CVN 78 Construction Underway!

Keel Laid for Newest U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier
By DEFENSE NEWS STAFF
Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding and the U.S. Navy marked the keel-laying of the newest aircraft carrier Nov. 14 in ceremonies at Newport News, Va.

The ship is named after Gerald R. Ford, the 38th U.S. president. Ford's daughter, Susan Ford Bales, is the ship's sponsor and authenticated the keel when her initials were welded onto a metal plate.

The carrier, numbered CVN 78, represents the first new U.S. carrier design since the 1960s. The ship will have a smaller crew than previous flattops and incorporate new technologies, including an Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launching System, advanced arresting gear and dual-band radar.

The new ship should join the fleet in 2015.

FBI Alerts India On Nuclear Terrorism Threat

NEW DELHI - Indian authorities have put security on high alert near nuclear plants and related facilities, following tips from the FBI.

New Delhi is closely following the interrogation of U.S. citizen David Headley by the FBI and has sent senior intelligence agency officials to the United States to gather more information.

Sources in the Indian Defence ministry said the FBI is providing information from the Headley interrogation on a selective basis. The high alert was sounded after it was leaned that Headley had visited states housing India's nuclear facilities.

Headley, 49, was arrested in October at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport as he prepared to board a flight to Philadelphia, intending to travel to Pakistan. The FBI also arrested Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 48, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, for alleged involvement in terror activities.

There are six major nuclear energy plants operational in India: Narora in state of Uttar Pradesh, Kaiga in the state of Karnataka, Tarapur in Maharashtra state, Kalpakkam in the state of Tamil Nadu, Kakrapar in Gujarat state and Kota in the state of Rajasthan. In addition, there are research and development centers, such as Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Trombay.

FBI data on Fort Hood suspect scrutinized

FBI data on Fort Hood suspect scrutinized: "WASHINGTON — The FBIs effort after 9/11 to improve terrorism investigations will face sharp scrutiny this week as Congress begins probing whether authorities missed or ignored warning signs about the Army major charged with murdering 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas.Inquiries will focus on FBI-led terrorism task forces that were expanded after 9/11 to unite federal and local authorities in 100 cities.

The Joint Terrorism Task Force is 'our nations front line on terrorism,' the FBI says on its Web site.Yet lawmakers are questioning the task force that investigated Maj. Nidal Hasan in December and did not tell the Pentagon that he had exchanged 10 to 20 e-mails with a radical Muslim cleric.'A lot of the dots were not connected,' Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said Sunday on CBSs Face the Nation.

Leahys committee will question Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday. The Senate homeland security committee opens its probe Thursday.The FBI has defended its actions, and former security officials say the case illustrates constraints on exchanging investigative results.'There are limits on sharing information on U.S. persons,' said former Department of Homeland Security intelligence chief Charles Allen. 'There are issues of privacy, civil rights and civil liberties, and those are taken very seriously.'The terrorism task force did not share information about Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, because it found his e-mails were 'consistent with research' being done by Hasan, who 'was not involved in terrorist activities or planning,' the FBI said last week.

Task forces cannot give records to other agencies unless an agency requests them and the task force approves, the FBI said in its statement. No one asked for information about Hasan, the FBI said.Former White House homeland security adviser Frances Townsend said in an interview that investigators need to probe both the task force and how the military dealt with information about Hasan. 'Even if the FBI handled it correctly, the second level of inquiry is, What did the Defense Department do with it?' Townsend said.Michigan Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday on Face the Nation, 'We had a lot of information on Hasan, but Im not sure that we put all these things in place so that we would have been in a position to perhaps stop what happened.

'Melissa Ngo, publisher of the Privacy Lives newsletter, said she worries lawmakers will take aim at privacy laws cited by the FBI in explaining restrictions on its ability to share information on Hasan.'The focus should not be on privacy laws,' Ngo said. 'The investigator decided that there is no potential threat, which prevented evidence-sharing. The focus should be on the investigation.'Related stories* 13 premeditated murder charges for Hasan* President Obama’s remarks at Hood memorial* Hospital: Hood shooting suspect awake, talking* Chaplain asks for prayers for accused shooter* Casey cautions on backlash against Muslims* Suspect off ventilator, breathing on own* Obama praises those who stopped shooter* Cleric: ‘Something wrong’ with Hasan* Work deeply affect Hood suspect, uncle says* George, Laura Bush visit wounded Hood soldiers* Hood community gathers to mourn victims* Suspect in Hood shootings remains in coma* Soldiers say carnage could have been worse* Shooting suspect said goodbyes before attack* Suspect was to deploy to Afghanistan* Online support follows Hood shootings* Tragedy assistance group was at Hood during shootings* Muslim group condemns Hood shootings* Shooting suspect was set to deploy* Hasan among May 2009 officer promotions"

(Via Air Force Times - News.)

Liftoff of Space Shuttle Atlantis!

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:28:46 PM CST

Space shuttle Atlantis and its crew of six astronauts are headed for space, ready to begin their 11-day mission to the International Space Station. The climb to orbit takes about 8 1/2 minutes.

Following a smooth countdown, with no technical issues and weather that steadily improved throughout the afternoon, the shuttle lifted off on time from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:28 p.m. EST.

NASA TV will air a post-launch news conference at no earlier than 3:30 p.m. EST, and on the Web at www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Gates blocks release of detainee abuse photos

By Stephen Ohlemacher - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Nov 15, 2009 12:01:47 EST
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Robert Gates has blocked the public release of any more pictures of foreign detainees abused by their U.S. captors, saying their release would endanger American soldiers.

The Obama administration filed a brief with the Supreme Court late Friday saying that Gates has invoked new powers blocking the release of the photos.

The American Civil Liberties Union had sued for the release of 21 color photographs showing prisoners in Afghanistan and Iraq being abused by Americans. Federal courts had rejected the government’s arguments to block their release, so Congress gave Gates new powers to keep them private under a law signed by President Barack Obama last month.

Gates’ order specifically cites the 21 pictures sought by the ACLU, plus 23 additional ones cited in a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. However, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the order covers all photographs from investigations related to the treatment of individuals captured or detained in military operations outside the United States between Sept. 11, 2001, and Jan. 22, 2009.

Gates’ new powers were included in a budget bill for the Homeland Security Department.

“Public disclosure of these photographs would endanger citizens of the United States, members of the United States armed forces, or employees of the United States government deployed outside the United States,” Gates said in his order blocking release of the photos.

The release of photos showing prisoners being abused by U.S. soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq sparked international outrage.

Jameel Jaffer, director of the ACLU National Security Project, said the group will continue to fight for the release of the photographs, arguing that Gates’ order was overly broad.

“We think the photos are an important part of the historical record. They are critical to the ongoing national conversation about accountability for torture,” Jaffer said. “It sets a bad precedent for the government to be suppressing information that relates to government misconduct.”

Obama initially indicated he would not fight the release of the photographs, but he reversed course in May. The president said he was persuaded that disclosure could further incite violence in Afghanistan and Iraq, and endanger U.S. troops there.

The photographs at issue were taken by service members in Iraq and Afghanistan and were part of criminal investigations of alleged abuse. Some pictures show “soldiers pointing pistols or rifles at the heads of hooded and handcuffed detainees,” Solicitor General Elena Kagan said in an appeal to the high court.