US Coast Guard – Coast Guard's Plans on Ice

Defense Technology International – One of the Coast Guardís duties is to patrol the freezing cold waters off the northernmost coast of our United States. And they canít do it in shoddy boats. Two of the three USCG polar icebreakers ñ the Polar Star and Polar Sea ñ have exceeded their intended 30-year service lives. And on the serviceís current schedule, the first replacement ship might not enter service for another decade.
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US Navy – Navy: Aging P-3s safe despite mishaps

Navy Times – The Navyís traditionally safe P-3 Orion patrol aircraft community has suffered six in-flight mishaps this fiscal year ó including its first Class A mishap in at least 10 years. But despite a steady uptick in mishaps, and the December grounding of 39 P-3s because of fears that wing sections could break off in flight, Navy and civilian officials insist the Orion is still safe to fly.
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US Navy – Navy Reacts To Missile Threats

Defense Technology International – Tests this summer of Raytheon Standard Missile 2 weapons from the Aegis cruiser USS Lake Erie were intended to demonstrate technology for a quick-reaction defense against ballistic missiles in their terminal phase. In the dry terminology of missile defense, this may not sound critical, but it indicates that the Navy is very worried about a new threat: the anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM).

Indications are that China, in particular, is developing an ASBM – an intermediate-range ballistic missile tipped with a guided warhead. The weapon outranges any sea-based weapon, including strike aircraft, and is hard to intercept with the most widely used versions of the Standard Missile, which are designed to hit aircraft.

The Navy is responding rapidly, according to RAdm Alan Hicks, program director for Aegis missile defense at the Missile Defense Agency.
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