– Virginian Pilot – After tracing the cause of a helicopter crash that killed three sailors to a wiring bundle that had been rubbing against a worn-out fuel line, the Navy turned its attention to the remaining fleet of MH-53E Sea Dragons sitting on the flight line at Norfolk Naval Station. The findings: The chafing problem existed to some degree in every Sea Dragon helicopter, placing each at risk for a similar catastrophe. In the weeks that followed, maintenance crews replaced degraded fuel lines and any wires that showed signs of chafing. Soon the remaining 28 Sea Dragons were flying again over Hampton Roads and abroad. Although the Sea Dragon is the Navy’s oldest, most maintenance-intensive and most crash-prone helicopter, the service remains confident in the long-term safety of the aircraft.

– National Interest – Here’s a thought experiment: would America build the U.S. Navy currently plying the seven seas if it were starting from scratch? Color me skeptical. If not, what kind of navy would it build, and how can we approximate that ideal in light of budgetary constraints, a slew of legacy platforms that can’t simply be scrapped and replaced, and an organizational culture and history that frown on revolutionary change?

– USNI News – The U.S. will launch a comprehensive air campaign to exterminate the Islamic State of Iraq and the Syria (ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group that has been ravaging those two nations. President Barack Obama announced the launch of the new full-scale American intervention during a televised speech on Sept. 10.

– Stars and Stripes – The USS Bonhomme Richard will likely miss its next underway deployment after a botched $3 million resurfacing of the amphibious assault ship’s flight deck.

– Defense News – The USS Independence had a successful RIMPAC exercise.

– Real Clear Defense – Greenert’s Navigation Plan Makes the Best of a Terrible Hand.

– Breaking Defense – You wouldn’t expect the Navy to test its weapons in the desert. But that’s just what happened Thursday at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, an Army facility 500 miles from the sea, where a Standard Missile-6 successfully intercepted a mock cruise missile flying low and slow over land. Hitting that target is one sign of how far Navy missile defense programs have cast their net beyond their traditional domain.

– National Defense – While unmanned underwater vehicle technology is advancing, it is not maturing as quickly as UAVs.

– USNI News – China and Russia’s submarine forces are flexing their prowess in the undersea domain by operating further from their respective country’s homeport – in some cases within striking distance of the United States. Given the expansion in operations, anti-submarine warfare (ASW) platforms on both coasts of the United States will be required to monitor and defend the nation more frequently. Foreign submarine operations near the homeland are not necessarily immediate threats, but do require careful thought as the Navy prepares to execute future ASW missions. As budget and naval policymakers continue to plan for the future, ASW must remain a high priority for either homeland or overseas defense. The good news is that the U.S. Navy has new platforms and technology coming online that can provide a significant advantage in the undersea domain.

– Aviation Week – It would be nearly impossible to steal even a wink of sleep in the stateroom of CVN 76 Ronald Reagan during nighttime air ops in the middle of the Pacific off the Hawaiian coast during the Rim of Pacific (Rimpac) exercise…

– USNI News – Four NATO warships are due in the Black Sea in the next several days ahead of an international maritime exercise to include Ukraine.