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Alan W. Dowd is a Senior Fellow with the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes on the full range of topics relating to national defense, foreign policy and international security. Dowd’s commentaries and essays have appeared in Policy Review, Parameters, Military Officer, The American Legion Magazine, The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations, The Claremont Review of Books, World Politics Review, The Wall Street Journal Europe, The Jerusalem Post, The Financial Times Deutschland, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Examiner, The Detroit News, The Sacramento Bee, The Vancouver Sun, The National Post, The Landing Zone, Current, The World & I, The American Enterprise, Fraser Forum, American Outlook, The American and the online editions of Weekly Standard, National Review and American Interest. Beyond his work in opinion journalism, Dowd has served as an adjunct professor and university lecturer; congressional aide; and administrator, researcher and writer at leading think tanks, including the Hudson Institute, Sagamore Institute and Fraser Institute. An award-winning writer, Dowd has been interviewed by Fox News Channel, Cox News Service, The Washington Times, The National Post, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and numerous radio programs across North America. In addition, his work has been quoted by and/or reprinted in The Guardian, CBS News, BBC News and the Council on Foreign Relations. Dowd holds degrees from Butler University and Indiana University. Follow him at twitter.com/alanwdowd.

ASCF News

Scott Tilley is a Senior Fellow at the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes the “Technical Power” column, focusing on the societal and national security implications of advanced technology in cybersecurity, space, and foreign relations.

He is an emeritus professor at the Florida Institute of Technology. Previously, he was with the University of California, Riverside, Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, and IBM. His research and teaching were in the areas of computer science, software & systems engineering, educational technology, the design of communication, and business information systems.

He is president and founder of the Center for Technology & Society, president and co-founder of Big Data Florida, past president of INCOSE Space Coast, and a Space Coast Writers’ Guild Fellow.

He has authored over 150 academic papers and has published 28 books (technical and non-technical), most recently Systems Analysis & Design (Cengage, 2020), SPACE (Anthology Alliance, 2019), and Technical Justice (CTS Press, 2019). He wrote the “Technology Today” column for FLORIDA TODAY from 2010 to 2018.

He is a popular public speaker, having delivered numerous keynote presentations and “Tech Talks” for a general audience. Recent examples include the role of big data in the space program, a four-part series on machine learning, and a four-part series on fake news.

He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Victoria (1995).

Contact him at stilley@cts.today.

US Nuclear Submarine Struck Uncharted Seamount in South China Sea: Navy Investigation

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Categories: ASCF News Missile Defense

Comments: 0

Source: https://www.theepochtimes.com/us-nuclear-submarine-struck-uncharted-seamount-in-south-china-sea-navy-investigation_4081489.html

161214-N-CC918-003 BREMERTON, Wash. (Dec. 15, 2016) The Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) departs Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for sea trials following a maintenance availability. (U.S. Navy photo by Thiep Van Nguyen II/Released)

A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine that was severely damaged in early October in an accident in the South China Sea struck an uncharted underwater mountain, an investigation has found, the Navy said on Monday.

The USS Connecticut (SSN-22), a Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine, was operating in international waters in the Indo–Pacific region on Oct. 2 at the time of the collision, which resulted in 11 crew sustaining injuries—none life-threatening—a defense official told USNI News.

A spokesperson for the 7th fleet, which operates in the Western Pacific and Indian oceans, told media outlets that a probe determined that the vessel had collided with a geological formation.

“The investigation determined USS Connecticut grounded on an uncharted seamount while operating in international waters in the Indo–Pacific region,” the spokesperson first told USNI News.

The investigation’s findings have been handed over to the fleet’s commander, Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, to “determine whether follow-on actions, including accountability, are appropriate,” the spokesperson said.

The Navy previously said that the USS Connecticut “struck an object while submerged,” without elaborating.

“The submarine remains in a safe and stable condition. USS Connecticut’s nuclear propulsion plant and spaces were not affected and remain fully operational,” the Navy said in a statement at the time. “The extent of damage to the remainder of the submarine is being assessed. The U.S. Navy has not requested assistance.”

The Navy has three classes of nuclear-powered submarines in service. According to the Navy, Los Angeles-class submarines are the backbone of the submarine force, with approximately 40 now in commission.

Seawolf-class submarines are exceptionally quiet, fast, well-armed, and equipped with advanced sensors. The Seawolf-class has eight torpedo tubes and can hold up to 50 weapons in its torpedo room. But the Navy only has three Seawolf-class submarines because the construction stopped due to the end of the Cold War.

The last known instance in which a submerged U.S. submarine struck another underwater object was in 2005. Then, USS San Francisco (SSN-711) struck an underwater mountain at full speed near Guam. One sailor died in the incident, USNI News reported.

The Chinese communist regime claims total sovereignty over the South China Sea, a stance that is not accepted by the United States and its allies. The Chinese regime protests the presence of the U.S. Navy in the area.

The South China Sea is among many points of growing contention between Washington and Beijing, including the status of Taiwan, the island that the regime claims as its own, despite Taiwan being a de facto independent country, with its own military, democratically-elected government, and constitution.

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