Latest news with #Seabees
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Marines and sailors are building trenches for the drone age
Picturing a sky full of drones over their head, American sailors and Marines teamed with troops from the Latvian Army this month to turn a clearing in the woods into a network of trenches designed specifically to survive attacks from above. Naval Combat Engineers, or Seabees, from Naval Construction Battalion 14 and Marines from the 8th Engineer Support Battalion took part in an exercise in Skrunda, Latvia, to quickly build and reinforce trenches. It was meant to hone their ability to make a defensive position capable of withstanding attacks from enemy drones. 'These field fortifications are built to reduce detection, limit exposure to unmanned systems, and enhance force protection across the battlespace,' said Lt. j.g. Wiatt Lewis, of Naval Construction Battalion 14, in a Navy release. The anti-drone training came during the large-scale annual Baltic Operations, or BALTOPS, a large-scale exercise held mostly at sea or in the air. However, the multi-unit drills around drone threats highlighted the role the machines now play on both battlefields and planning centers. Small, cheap, and easily modified, uncrewed aerial systems, or UASs, have quickly become a valuable part of modern warfare. They can quickly fly towards a target and either drop munitions or deliver a payload in a one-way attack. UASs can attack in large swarms meant to overwhelm a defensive position. Militaries, such as the Ukrainian armed forces, have tried several high- and low-tech ways to repel them, from radio jammers to rigging up several Kalashnikovs together as one big anti-air gun. In many ways, the construction in Skrunda looks — based on photos shared by the Navy — like the kind of trenches soldiers built during World War I. Wooden support beams dot muddy earthworks, with the occasional plank of wood or metal for stable footing for troops. There are some more intricate elements meant to deal with three-dimensional threats, including large overhead beams and a mesh of branches and brush for concealment. The BALTOPS exercise is primarily focused on naval tactics and skills, but combat engineering has long been a key specialty of both Navy and Marine units.. In this case, on-the-ground construction was sped up thanks to a mobile sawmill that Latvian engineers brought with them. In Ukraine, networks of trenches were built out and modified in part to deal with the danger of drones in its ongoing war with Russia. Nets are put up to try and snag small quadcopters coming in for attacks, and some earthworks are dug to avoid long linear patterns that could leave troops open to attack from a lateral direction. These modern warfare trenches have also shown how high-tech systems can be integrated into older defenses, with dugouts set up with wireless Internet routers, charging stations, and other tools for cyber and electromagnetic warfare. Ukraine's own attack on Russian airfields this month highlighted just how quickly small drones can devastate a fixed position. It also raised concerns about how the United States would be able to defend its bases and forward positions. Combat trenches in World War I were primarily designed to provide protection against artillery bombardments across No Man's Land, with enemy reconnaissance often dealing with the same elevation and visibility limits. In Latvia, U.S. troops outlined other challenges. The Seabees and Marines said that they now have to be aware of other ways positions could be detected. 'We are always thinking about our visibility from above, the effects of thermal detection, and how to keep the position secure from multiple angles,' Staff Sgt. Austin Leigh, a combat engineer with the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, said in a release. Sailors who can't deploy will be moved to empty jobs under Navy program Air Force relieves commander of pilot training squadron US military's highest ranking transgender officer says separation process is broken Army bringing in big tech executives as lieutenant colonels Trump reverts 7 Army bases to former names with new honorees, including Delta Force soldier
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Locally-based USS Gravely deployed to Gulf of America
YORKTOWN, Va. (WAVY) — The guided missile destroyer USS Gravely is being deployed to the southern border to counter illegal immigration, drug and weapons trafficking, as well as transnational crime. 'Gravely is just one part of a phase of events that we have been involved in to support southern border operations,' said Admiral Daryl Caudle, commander of the U.S. Fleet Forces. The Department of Defense described the move as a significant shift, giving the U.S. Navy a direct role in stopping threats before they reach American shores. Gravely's most recent deployment was in the Red Sea, facing a different kind of adversary than what they'll encounter near the southern border. Caudle said their mission and mindset is set with educational training leading up to the deployment. 'They get intelligence briefs, specifically to the area in which they're operating,' he said. 'There's education before they deploy.' Working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, Gravely will conduct operations such as search and seizure while working to deter illegal immigration and drug trafficking. 'These ships are trained in boarding and seizure, search and seizure operations,' Caudle said. 'That can be part of this. Just leveraging that exquisite, capability down there gives great maritime domain awareness.' When asked about the potential for more local sailors to join Gravely in the southern waters, Caudle mentioned sailors working functions on the physical border itself. 'We're also providing people, along with the Marine Corps, for … border operations as well — Seabees, could be Navy Expeditionary combat folk,' he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Thank You for Your Service, JK Petty
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – James K. Petty, or as he likes to be called 'JK,' told 7 NEWS he always heard how great the Navy was. In 1953 at 17-years-old, he said he had his dad sign the papers so he could set out to do what was always in the plans, and that was to join the armed forces. 'And I went in the United States Navy,' Petty shared. 'And my first year I served, I was in Monterey, California.' Petty started on shore duty where he worked as a firefighter. 'I drove with local crews for structural fire, and I stayed there a year,' Petty explained. 'And then I went aboard the U.S.S. West Wing, which was a steel haul minesweeper, and we went to Japan.' Petty did that until 1957 when he discharged from the service. He went on to become a police officer, then he worked as a builder. That work would eventually put him right back in the Navy working for the 'Seabees.' 'In 1942 in World War II, the Seabees were formed to aid the allied forces as far as building merchant facilities,' said Petty. The United States Naval Construction Battalion, also known as the 'Seabees' built infrastructure and provided disaster recovery support. 'Any type of construction work, block runways, helicopter pads, that type of thing is what the Seabees was designed to do,' said Petty. His background in cabinetry made him the perfect fit. 'In the Persian Gulf War we did a lot of work for Saudi Arabia, the country of Saudi Arabia, and we built some helicopter pads inside of Iraq,' said Petty. As a Builder Senior Chief, Petty had quite the crew and equipment under his belt. 'So in the yard that I was responsible for it was a $5 million dollar inventory,' Petty said. 'So you can you can just can you picture this all of that material.' Petty said his hard work paid off. 'When I came home, I got a Navy Marine Corps, a commendation medal,' he explained. 'A diploma like thing showing outstanding leadership.' When not deployed, Petty said the work still continued. 'I did a lot of local building for disabled people that couldn't afford to actually pay to have things done,' said Petty. He said they'd supply the materials and he'd supply the manpower. That would continue until Petty retired from the job in 1996 after 22 years of service. 'I did retire from the Seabees, but I really haven't retired yet,' Petty giggled. As you can imagine, Petty keeps the wheels rolling. 'I got a little shop out here in the back yard so I can fix things, small cabinets,' Petty said. 'Just to have something to do. I don't want to sit down and die you know? And that's what happens.' When that time does come, Petty said he's content knowing it's been a life well lived, and well served. 'Life has been good. You know?,' Petty said. 'I've had my part of the ups and downs, but there's there's a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing I can get on my knees and pray.' 'JK' Petty, Thank You for Your Service. To nominate a veteran like 'JK' Petty to be featured in our Thank You for Your Service series, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
