Navy's New Atlantic Fleet Begins Full Operations with Critical NATO Exercise

Less than a year after it was re-established,having been drydocked in 2011 by the Obama administration,the US Navy's Atlantic Fleet (Commander 2nd Fleet,or C2F) achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) on 29 May 2019.That means it can now lead fleet-wide operations,developing and employing forces at the highest level of warfare,as well as interoperating with allies and partners in the North Atlantic and Arctic.The C2F is based in Norfolk,Virginia.It is under the command of VADM Andrew "Woody" Lewis,a US Naval Academy graduate and distinguished naval aviator.The new fleet is a response to Russia's aggressive activity and China's increasing influence in the North Atlantic and Arctic.Both countries have been steadily developing and deploying advanced weapons systems and maritime assets that challenge the defences of North America and Europe alike. *
C2F's major European debut mission will be leading the annual Exercise Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) in the Baltic Sea,leveraging increased lethality,interoperability and integrated warfighting capability with regional allies and partners.VADM Lewis described BALTOPS as being:
an unambiguous display of strength in the Baltic Region.As an Alliance,increasing our capabilities across all domains,as well as building a command-wide network,will give us the ability to deter aggression and project stability.*
C2F will ensure access and defend the US,allied and partner interests.In partnership with the Naval War College and the warfare development centres,C2F will be a hub in the Navy's concept development and implementation,ensuring that when the Navy operates around the world,it is prepared to compete,fight and win in this era of great power competition,the Navy said.The motto of C2F is "Ready to Fight."*
BALTOPS 2019 runs from 9-21 June.With air,maritime and ground assets from 18 nations,BALTOPS participants will exercise air defence;maritime interdiction;anti-subsurface warfare;mine countermeasures;and amphibious operations,in order to strengthen joint leadership and teams across all layers of the battlespace.BALTOPS will demonstrate resolve in defending the Baltic Sea Region by executing a series of combined tactical manoeuvres  and scenarios.For example,some of the drills are to be staged off the heavily militarised Russian enclave of Kaliningrad,which is nestled between Poland and Lithuania.BALTOPS must show that establishing and maintaining maritime superiority is uppermost in the minds of the NATO and partner forces charged with securing the Baltics..

Nature Note:Meadow Vole

A meadow vole(Microtus pennsylvanicus) scampered across the driveway one August morning,from under a hedge to under an eastern red cedar.It was a rare sighting of the small mammal,a rodent most people never realise is around.They mainly eat grasses,roots,twigs and other vegetable matter and do not come indoors;nor are they considered a pest.*The meadow vole's colouration is variable,from reddish to blackish brown or gray,and it has a short tail.They range from Northern Canada and Alaska down the Rockies and Appalachians south to New Mexico and Northeast Georgia,favouring meadows,marshes and woodland glades.*These rodents have a system of runways and burrows.Prolific,they nest below ground or under rocks and logs in a grass or shredded bark nest.In winter,they nest under the snow.They are sometimes called field mice,and some species of voles are known for a cyclic buildup and crash of population,keyed to the food supply.*The meadow vole is pretty much of a ghostly creature.In more than 20 years,I have only noted them a handful of times along the Pennsylvania-Maryland border.

Nature Note:One Opossum Morning-a wildlife encounter

One morning in late July,I saw that the garage was a bit messed up,with snow shovels on the floor and dry leaves scattered about.It must have been a cat fooling around,I thought.When I opened the car hood,I saw what it really was that  had caused the ruckus:an opossum,North America's only marsupial,or pouched mammal.This unique animal even appears in a current TV commercial.
My opossum was lying still on her side on a big nest made of dry leaves and bits of plastic.She was "playing possum" with me,pretending to be dead.The nest was right up against the battery.She was actually a young opossum,born in the spring.I put some work gloves on and lifted her up.She hissed at me and bit me lightly with her many small teeth.I put her back down,fearing rabies.
I called Animal Control for assistance.Meantime,the animal had gotten deep within the engine.An animal control officer responded within an hour and poked her with a plastic baton.This indeed dislodged her.She ambled away across the drive,headed for a pine plantation.My guest the garage opossum hasn't been back since,convinced that engines are really no place for an arboreal mammal.

The Bluebird,A North American Favorite

An Eastern Bluebird family of four has been noted along the Pennsylvania-Maryland border.Such a sighting is fairly common in open woods and farms.Bluebirds,which are cavity nesters,stay in the Mid-Atlantic region year-round.It's probably the parents and their two young of the year.
The three bluebird species of North America are some of the most popular birds.There are Western and Mountain Bluebirds as well as Eastern.You really can't mistake them for anything else.As Thoreau noted,they carry the sky on their backs.On a cloudy day,however,they may well go undetected by humans rushing around.Their plumage isn't so obvious in low light conditions.
At this time of year,the bluebird family is looking for berries to eat,as insects are in short supply.The little Asian pears,which are just pits covered by a very thin layer of fruit,are also sustaining them.Their two-note call is often given on the wing.
Building a trail of bluebird boxes has become one of the leading scout and nature center projects.