When a developer in Hamilton changes their mind about what they're building in a neighbourhood you would think that some of the first folks to know about it would be the neighbours the ones directly affected by the construction impact the development will have on their community.

In this city, it seems, the neighbours are the last to find out. Take the ongoing development at Main and Walnut. It was originally proposed as a mixed-use residential tower. Then, in February, after the developer applied for a minor variance (a one-storey addition) neighbours discovered that the building was now to be a hotel. And, they learned by their own digging, that the developer, Vrancor, had made that change sometime in 2019 but didn't tell the neighbourhood. Neither did the planning department, which also didn't even inform Ward 2 Councillor Jason Farr. Why? Because the area is zoned to allow for a hotel, so there was ostensibly no need to share the change until the minor variation request was posted.

Now, consider another development, at King and Queen, by the same developer. Here, neighbours were told two years ago that a 10-storey hotel and a six-storey student residence were to be built in the Strathcona neighbourhood. Vrancor said it was also planning a 15-storey tower on a lot across Market Street on the old Greening Donald factory land. But at least a year prior, a letter from the city to the developer shows, Vrancor had been discussing an 11-storey residence and a 25-storey development for King and Queen.

When did Strathcona residents know about the intended 25-storey development? About a month ago, when a Vrancor representative revealed the "new" plans for the site at a Strathcona Community Council meeting. Nobody from the city had said word one. This, despite the fact that in December the developer had applied to make site-specific amendments to the Strathcona Secondary Plan and the Transit Oriented Corridor Plan, and is petitioning the city to change zoning so that more favourable downtown parking zoning would apply to its building currently outside downtown borders.

News of requests to change hard-fought and collaborative urban plans was not shared by the Vrancor representative at the community council meeting. Nor was it shared by anyone at the city. Like the folks in Corktown, we had to find out ourselves, by reading through dozens of lengthy documents the developer had to provide. City officials might argue that by advising residents of changes to the development they were letting the community know that the developer had also petitioned the city for site-specific plan amendments, but that assumes a level of the understanding of the planning process that is not held by most citizens.

And we know that planners and councillors are constrained by legal concerns from proactively sharing advice or information that they are not permitted by statute to divulge. But that only reveals that the system is fundamentally broken, not that it is best practice. From a citizen point of view, it looks like a developer gets all the help and support they need, while citizens get none.

I know city planners are hardworking and that their department is understaffed and handcuffed by legalities and regulations. I also applaud the city's desire to implement a "push notification" system that will give neighbourhoods an early warning of development changes. But, that doesn't alter the situation right now. And, right now the only advantage citizens have in a development process that seems slanted against us is trust and information. We would be naive to trust a developer to provide us timely information we're just a nuisance. But we should be able to trust the city to not see us as an irritant and to share vital changes to collaboratively forged plans promptly.

And, as importantly, I think the city needs to proactively engage in a public information campaign about the importance of these changes. Right now they are communicating, badly, only the information they must. And, that communication is not wrapped in any context or explanation of its import to the community. That's not helpful.

As community activist Cameron Kroetsch recently argued, the city's desire for inclusivity should embrace the inclusion of citizens in the processes and planning changes that shape our communities. There should be no development around us, without us. As citizens it seems the deck is stacked against us in our fight for livable neighbourhoods. In fact, engaged citizens feel that they spend years collaboratively developing secondary neighbourhood plans only to have to spend the following years defending that plan from developers.

This city needs to regain its citizens' trust. Transparency and inclusivity in the face of developers who take runs at hard-fought and collaborative urban planning would be a good start.

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Opinion | Deck is stacked against citizens in Hamilton planning process - TheSpec.com

The moon, or supermoon, is seen as it sets over Washington on Monday, Nov. 14, 2016. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Skywatchers are in for a treat next week when the full worm supermoon rises in the sky.

Marchs full Moon, called the full Worm Moon, reaches peak fullness at 1:48 p.m. EDT on Monday, March 9, explains the Old Farmers Almanac. Look for the spectacularly bright Moon as it rises above the horizon that evening!

The celestial event will be the first of three supermoons in 2020, according to the Old Farmers Almanac. EarthSky notes that the full worm moon will be the second-closest of the years supermoons.

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Supermoons happen when the moons elliptical orbit brings it to the closest point to Earth while the moon is full. The phrase was coined in 1979, according to NASA.

The Moon will appear full for about 3 days centered on this time, from early Sunday morning into early Wednesday morning, adds NASA, on its website.

The March full moon, which is also known as the crow moon, crust moon, sap moon and sugar moon, played an important role in Native American culture.

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The more northern tribes of the northeastern United States knew this as the Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signaled the end of winter, explains NASA, on its website. Other northern names were the Crust Moon, because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing by night, or the Sap (or Sugar) Moon as this is the time for tapping maple trees.

Southern tribes, however, dubbed the celestial event the "worm moon," as a result of the casts left by earthworms on the thawing ground.

Some experts described the spectacular February full moon, or snow moon, as a supermoon, although others feel that it does not qualify as that category of celestial event.

MORE NEWS: Watch FOX 35 News live for the latest local, national, and trending news

The snow moon was one of the largest full moons of 2020.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers

GET UPDATES ON THIS STORY FROM FOXNEWS.COM.

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Full worm supermoon on deck: What you need to know - FOX 35 Orlando

In the third week of Festival of the Gods, we are basking in Heliods Glory and The Immortal Sun Emblem! In this event, our spells cost 1 less, all our creatures get +1/+1 and we get to draw an extra card each turn but we are not able to use the loyalty abilities of Planeswalkers. Read on for event details, tips and strategies, and decklists tailor made for this event. If you wish, you can click here to skip straight to the decklists!

Daylight is breaking on this weeks Festival of the Gods event and the radiant glory of Theros God of he Sun. Heliod is burning brighter than ever. Each player has an emblem with the effects of The Immortal Sun and starts with only six cards. How will you outshine your opponent?

The following cards are banned:

Faerie Vandal Narset, Parter of Veils Irencrag Pyromancer Lavinia, Azorius Renegade Improbable Alliance

Due to the effects of The Immortal Sun emblem, Planeswalkers with only loyalty abilities are banned in this event.

Heliod is often invoked at dawn meals and in matters of family honor, legal proceddings, and marraiages to name a few. His areas of influence include the sun, law, justice, kinship, and retribution. He is occasionally symbolized by a pegasus.

In addition, the MTG Arena team has confirmed on reddit that Planeswalkers with passive abilities from War of the Spark can still be played, except these Planeswalkers that are banned but not displayed on the event page (not including Narset):

To clarify, youdo nothave to re-enter the event and you only have to pay the entry fee once. There is no limit on the number of losses (or victories). Play as much as you want for the duration of the event.

Firstly, lets break down the Emblems abilities one by one and see how we can exploit it.

Ob Nixilis might be a bit too slow for this event, but could be an interesting inclusion. Jace, Wielder of Mysteries can also be used as a win condition.

So as many people might expect, a creature based aggro strategy is probably the best kind of deck for this event as it can make use of all the abilities very well. The normal run of the mill Mono Red Aggro, Rakdos Sacrifice and Gruul Aggro will perform great here. If youre just looking for a cheap deck, play 20 Islands and 40 Persistent Petitioners!

Decks like Temur Reclamation and Jeskai Fires (remember to replace the Teferi) can also be very good as they have sweepers and powerful cards like Fires of Invention and Wilderness Reclamation that can come down a turn earlier. Do keep in mind once Fires of Invention is out, its normal rules will still apply, meaning the number of lands will dictate what you can play without paying its mana cost.

All decks below are built around making best use of The Immortal Sun Emblem!

We will be back this weekend with Standard decks from MagicFest Lyon, and next weeks Festival is also going to be very exciting as we get Historic Brawl officially supported for the first time! Enjoy the event, as games are sure to be quick and dirty.

Also remember, you can always engage in our growing MTG Arena Zone community:

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The Immortal Sun - Festival of the Gods: Heliod's Glory Event Guide and Decklists MTG Arena Zone - MTG Arena Zone

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Arkansas continues its streak as road warriors this weekend, traveling to the Lonestar State for its first quad meet of the 2020 season. The Razorbacks will compete against LSU for the second week in-a-row, Centenary and host-school Texas Womens University.

The Razorbacks will be looking to break a three-meet losing streak, on the hunt for their first win since their upset of Georgia at home on February 7 (196.950 196.750). The Gymbacks are undefeated against TWU and quad-meet opponent Centenary, posting a 5-0 record against both. Arkansas is still looking to outscore LSU for the first time since 2012 when they beat the Tigers in two of their three meetings.

Arkansas saw TWU in action last season at the Arkansas Quad Meet in Fayetteville, the Gymbacks finished first (196.525) and TWU finished third (192.175).

Only the seniors, Jessica Yamzon, Hailey Garner and Sarah Shaffer have faced Centenary since arriving at Arkansas when the Gymbacks hosted Centenary in a tri-team event in 2017. Garner won the uneven bars title with a then career-best 9.925 in the event, the highest score by an Arkansas gymnast in any event in 2017. Yamzon also won the all-around title in the Arkansas win.

The last time out, junior Sophia Carter won her 23rd career title on Friday evening, tying her career-high score on the floor with a 9.950 in the event. Carters performance helped Arkansas finish strong against No. 5 LSU but ultimately fell to the Tigers in Baton Rouge, 197.125 195.725. Sophomore Kennedy Hambrick and redshirt-freshman Bailey Lovett also tied a career-highs with their 9.925 and 9.900 respectively on the beam. Lovetts famous double-layout first pass scored her a 9.900, making it six out of nine times this season she scored a 9.900 or higher.

Arkansas has won 22 event titles through nine meets. Carter and Hambrick are the only with multiple event titles and there are three first-time title winners, Lovett, Laird and Elswick. Hambrick has the team-high with ten total titles, the only event she hasnt won a title in is vault.

Kennedy Hambrick has scored a 9.850 or higher in seven of her nine floor routines dating back to the start of the season good for 78% of her routines. Three of her last five routines have scored a 9.925.

Visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com for the latest information on all things Arkansas Gymnastics. You can also find the Hogs on social media by liking us on Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Gymnastics) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@RazorbackGym).

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First Quad Meet of the Season on Deck for Gymbacks - Arkansas Razorbacks

After the wintry mix and colder temperatures set in Thursday night, Friday started cold with wind chills falling into the single digits. Friday will only get into the mid 30's but wind speeds will settle down in the afternoon.

As a high pressure system moves in for the weekend we'll see a wonderful warm up that we haven't had in over 131 days. October 27th was the last time we got above 50 degrees and October 21st was the last time we broke 60.

We're set to hit both this weekend!

Sunny skies across the board with the high pressure center keeping things clear. This will develop a southwest breeze for Saturday and Sunday though that will transport the warmer temperatures into western Wisconsin.

Wind speeds will be from the west-southwest at 10 to 20 mph. There will be a few extra clouds mixing in Sunday as a low pressure system aims to bring light rain to Wisconsin to start next week.

Don't forget we spring ahead Saturday night so set the clocks forward, and test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. This is a good time to change their batteries.

Otherwise, the longer term forecast shows consistent 40+ highs and a few shots at rain. The warmer trend is still around as we head into the second week of March.

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It's a "double brat and a beer on the deck" type of weekend - WQOW TV News 18

Before he was a beloved deckhand on Below Deck Mediterranean, Colin Macy-OToole commanded the ferry back and forth from Fire Island and shared some pretty insane incidents that occurred on his route.

Macy-OToole dished with the hosts from the Out in the Wild podcast about how he ended up on Below Deck Med, his crazy experiences as a ferryboat captain, plus his first encounter with Bravo producer Andy Cohen. Macy-OToole says his first brush with Cohen occurred long before he ended up on the show. He added that landing on Below Deck Med was almost a fluke as he was originally supposed to appear on Below Deck season 5 when Nico Scholly was bosun.

Even though he applied to be on the show as a joke, he was called for Below Deck season 5. His girlfriend at the time didnt want him to go on the show, so he backed off. Macy-OToole later found himself single and set sail on Below Deck Med. While he may have found some of the guests on the show to be pretty wild, their antics may not compare to what he saw as a ferryboat captain.

When the hosts asked for stories, Macy-OToole wanted to make sure they were appropriate for the audience. Ive got a couple of stories, but I dont want to be inappropriate, he says.

He recalls being approached by a passenger while he was hanging out with a young new crew member. A guy comes up to us and was like, Theres a guy you know, smoking. You cant smoke on the boat, Macy-OToole explains. This guys smoking in the back. Its midnight or whatever. So we asked the new kid, Alright check it out see whats happening. Macy-OToole reveals that when the new crew member ventured over to the passenger, he wasnt exactly smoking. But rather a passenger was performing oral sex on someone. Needless to say, Macy-OToole shared that the young new crew members life was forever changed.

But, Ive had people as a captain, guys come on the boat with just a shirt on, Macy-OToole says. No underpants. No anything. Hey, as long as youre sitting down and not being an a**hole, I dont care.

Speaking of Fire Island, Macy-OToole says he first met Cohen while he was working as a ferryboat captain. He says he met Cohen about five years ago when Cohen was staying on the island. He didnt know who I was at the time, Macy-OToole shares.

So if you have a house over at the beach, and you get an Amazon package, instead of you going back to Sayville and getting the package, well just deliver you the package, Macy-OToole describes. Like you just call in, I have a package for Cohen. So you pick it up, this is about five, six, seven years ago. And we have a package for an A. Cohen. So me and all the girls were there like, Oh that would be funny if it was Andy Cohen!'

Macy-OToole recalls docking the boat with Cohens package. And right in front, waiting for us to dock is Andy Cohen in his little bathing suit just booty popping. Im like, Alright its his.' Macy-OToole recalls that Cohen approached him for the package, which was $3 for the delivery. Hes like patting himself down, like, I dont have any money on me,' Macy-OToole says.

He remembers Cohen asking random people if they had any money and ended up borrowing the $3 from a stranger. Macy-OToole said he re-told the story on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen just kidding around. After the show, he gives me a bottle of Don Julio and says, Sorry for being a pain in the ass., Macy-OToole laughs adding he only told the story because he thought it was comical.

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'Below Deck Med': Colin Macy-O'Toole Shares Wild Experiences in Boating (And the Funny Moment He Met Andy Cohen) - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Entrepreneurs are learning it's time to batten down the hatches in startup land.

Legendary venture capital firm Sequoia Capital sent a memo to its company founders and chief executives on Thursday, warning them of the potential business consequences of the coronavirus and its ripple effects. It described the pandemic as the "black swan of 2020."

The memo, which has been posted online and has spread through all of "tech Twitter," told company founders to prepare for the worst. The partners at the global venture firm have already seen startups suffer a decline in business activity and breaks in their supply chain. Fears of an economic downturn could make it much harder for them to raise outside funds, they said.

People on Twitter are describing the memo as "the sequel" to another dramatic warning from the firm 12 years ago.

On an early October day in 2008, Sequoia called an emergency meeting of its entrepreneurs, including Alfred Lin, a partner at Sequoia and a former executive at Sequoia-backed Zappos. Lin and others heard from a handful of partners and sat through a presentation on the worsening financial crisis and measures their businesses could take to blunt its effects.

The first slide had an image of a tombstone that read "R.I.P. Good Times."

The weeks leading up to the meeting saw the collapse of Lehman Brothers, the bailout announced, and the worst week of losses in the history of the Dow Jones.

In Sequoia's recent memo to founders, Lin shared a memory of the event.

"We didn't know then, just like we don't know now, how long or how sharp or shallow of a downturn we will face," Lin wrote. "What I can confirm is that the presentation made our team and our business stronger."

The deck, which we've shared with Sequoia's permission below, includes some of the same recommendations that the firm issued this week in its memo.

The slide show presentation known as "R.I.P. Good Times" gave Sequoia's company founders a gloomy forecast.

It predicted that venture-backed startups would raise smaller rounds at later stages if they could even secure a term sheet. They might see the number of exits slip, as companies take longer to go public, and the bigger companies change their acquisition strategy to conserve capital.

The firm told its founders that "acquiring entities will favor profitable companies," and it would be necessary for them to become cash-flow positive to survive.

Cuts were a "must," Sequoia's partners said. Entrepreneurs would need to review employee salaries, potentially decrease headcount, and slash their marketing budgets and they had to do it fast.

"Spend every dollar as if it were your last," the deck read.

The firm's recent coronavirus memo has been described as the "2020 version" of the "R.I.P. Good Times" deck, because of its take on the business landscape and smart recommendations for any startup.

We're sharing the full deck from 2008 with Sequoia's permission.

The rest is here:
Sequoia's coronavirus memo is eerily similar to another warning the VC firm gave to startup founders in 2008. Here's the full 'R.I.P. Good Times'...

For those looking to find strong Consumer Discretionary stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Deckers Outdoor (DECK - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Consumer Discretionary peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Deckers Outdoor is one of 240 individual stocks in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #8 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank includes 16 different groups and is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors.

The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. DECK is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for DECK's full-year earnings has moved 5.18% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

According to our latest data, DECK has moved about 2.29% on a year-to-date basis. Meanwhile, the Consumer Discretionary sector has returned an average of -13.45% on a year-to-date basis. As we can see, Deckers Outdoor is performing better than its sector in the calendar year.

Looking more specifically, DECK belongs to the Shoes and Retail Apparel industry, which includes 13 individual stocks and currently sits at #114 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have lost 11.75% this year, meaning that DECK is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

DECK will likely be looking to continue its solid performance, so investors interested in Consumer Discretionary stocks should continue to pay close attention to the company.

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Has Deckers Outdoor (DECK) Outpaced Other Consumer Discretionary Stocks This Year? - Zacks.com

There are so many jaw-dropping moments that Below Deck producers had a hard time choosing three. Pic credit: Bravo

There have been seven seasons of Below Deck with over 100 episodes airing. Below Deck executive producers, Mark Cronin and Courtland Cox, are revealing some of the most jaw-dropping moments of the series.

Fans of the hit Bravo show know there is plenty of shocking and dramatic moments for producers to choose.

The last season alone gave viewers some of the most WTF moments of the series, and that doesnt include what didnt air on television.

Along with sharing what fans get wrong about the show, Mark and Courtland are revealing the times that Below Deck made their jaws drop.

Yes, it was hard for them to pick three out of the million things that have shocked them over the years.

There is no question Ashton Pienaar going overboard during Season 6 was the scariest moment in the series.

Courtland said producers initially had no idea what was going on because they were in the control room.

As a producer, Im in the control room watching, and I can only see what the cameras are shooting. So, I see that moment. I see the rope starting around Ashtons ankle, and then I see him go in the water, and then three seconds later, I see a camera being set down on the deck of the boat. And, as a producer, Im yelling at my camera operators. Im saying, Why are we not shooting? Whats happening? And its not until well after the fact that I realize that our camera operator had set his camera down to untie the line to let Ashton free from the rope that hes entangled in, Courtland shared with The Daily Dish.

Season 1 featured Kat Held defying an order by Captain Lee Rosbach not to go out, and to stay on the boat. The captain watched her sneak off the yacht via the security cameras.

It made the producers list because it was so entertaining.

Thats one of those moments where its like. Its so perfect the way that it happens as Lees watching it and laughing at Kat walking off the boat. You couldnt script that any better than what actually happened in that real moment. As a producer, watching those things really happen on the boat, those are the things that, in the midst of a crazy production when youre tired, you see those moments, and youre like, that is completely amazing and magical, Courtland expressed.

Its time for a One Second Quiz: #BelowDeck Edition with @Lesdoggg #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/jSkOmb9uwy

Fallon Tonight (@FallonTonight) January 23, 2020

It might seem shocking that of all the WTF moments during Season 7, chef Kevin Dobsons penis cake made the list.

The reaction from the guests, minus the primary Jemele Hill because she already went to bed, was priceless.

Granted, Kevin was following orders by creating the penis cake Jemele wanted. However, chief stew Kate Chastain purposely let him deliver the penis cake knowing the primary went to bed.

Kevin is terrified by the reaction to that. He falls into a depression. You cannot write those moments, Mark admitted.

The producers revealed there are about five or six moments each season that keep life interesting for those working on Below Deck.

Those moments are also not necessarily the same ones fans would choose.

Below Deck will return for Season 8 in fall 2020 on Bravo.

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Below Deck producers reveal three jaw-dropping moments of the series - Monsters and Critics

Key point:Light carriers are smaller than regular supercarriers, but they are cheaper to build and still function like a flattop. They also carry Marines and their supplies and weapons to any fight anywhere in the world.

Were the USS America to cruise alongside the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, the average Joe might struggle to distinguish their purposes. Both flat-tops measure longer than two-and-half football fields in length and carry jet fighters and helicopters.

But the America and her sistership Tripoli are technically Landing Helicopter Assault vessels numbered LHA-6 and LHA-7 respectively: super-sized members of the gator navy of amphibious assault ships designed to deploy the expeditionary units of the U.S. Marine Corps onto hostile shores. In addition to the Navy crew of 1,000-1,200 sailors and officers, each LHA can carry nearly 1,700 Marines.

Unlike the catapult-launched Rafale-M jet fighters on the Charles de Gaulle, the America and Tripoli can only deploy short-takeoff and vertical-lift capable jump jets from their decks. You can see a video of an F-35B hovering down for a landing on the America here.

Rather than using nuclear reactors to achieve brisk speeds of 30 knots, 45,000-ton LHAs use an innovative hybrid electric/gas-turbine propulsion system pioneered in the final Wasp-class LHD, USS Makin Island. The electric propulsion is used for slower cruising speeds while the gas-turbine becomes more efficient near the more modest maximum speed of twenty knots.

However, unlike the Wasp-class Landing Helicopter Docks (LHDs) they were based upon, America and Tripoli lack floodable well deck which can carry landing craft to ferry troops ashore. (This video shows how the Wasps cavernous well deck works.)

All that space has instead gone to dramatically expanded aviation facilities and fuel stores. The ships medical facilities were also reduced by two-thirds.

Instead of watercraft, the LHAs rely on squadrons of MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotors, sophisticated hybrid aircraft combining the vertical lift ability of a helicopter and the speed and range of an airplaneto insert troops by air.

Officially, a typical air wing on the America would include a dozen Ospreys, six Harrier or F-35B jump jets, seven AH-1Z Viper attack and four CH-53K heavy transport helicopters to support troops ashore, and two MH-60S choppers for anti-submarine and search-and-rescue duties.

But if the Navy wants to, it could instead cram up to twenty fighters on the LHDs, turning them effectively into light aircraft carriersa class of ship the Navy hasnt built since World War II. Like the lower-end escort carrier, the concept was that there were many missions like aircraft delivery and convoy escort that would benefit from air support, but didnt require the massive firepower of a full carrier air wing with seventy to a hundred warplanes.

Indeed, during the invasion of Iraq in 2003 the Navy used the LHDs Bataan and Bonhomme Richard as pocket carriers primarily to launch Harrier airstrikes in Iraq.

However, the subsonic Harrier, though a versatile support platform, was substantially inferior in performance to equivalent land-based or catapult-launched fighters.

The new supersonic-capable F-35B Lightning II stealth jets entering service with the Marine Corps are far more capable of taking on fourth- and fifth-generation fighters and launching longer-range strikes. Combined with the F-35s surveillance capabilities, this means future air wings on LHDs and LHAs will be far more versatile.

As the Pentagons chief strategic contingency is preparing for the possibility of conflict with China, the Marine Corps sees the Pacific Ocean as its most important likely battleground.

A U.S.-China conflict might play out over small islands in the South China Sea in which the Chinese military has installed airfields, missile batteries and naval bases. And it may prove inefficient or risky to delegate a full-sized supercarrier to operations targeting these islands, or defend islands to which Marine and Army forces have deployed their own missile batteries.

Indeed, the LHD USS Wasp deployed in April 2019 with ten F-35Bs onboard and buzzed Chinese troops deployed at Scarborough Shoal, an occupied by Chinese troops but claimed by the Philippines.

Light carriers might also be appropriate in scale for protecting vital convoys traversing the vastness of the Pacific against sporadic air and submarine attacks using their onboard fighters and helicopters respectively.

The cost of the America-class LHAs reflects the efficiency argument well: the three ships ordered together were developed and built for $10 billion. Thats less than a single $13 billion Gerald Ford-classsupercarrier.

Bringing Back the Well Deck

Nonetheless, Marines have understandable objections to the removal of the ability to deploy landing craft from a nominally amphibious ship.

Afterall, air-cushion landing craft (LCAC) can carry up to 180 soldiers, 60-75 tons of supplies on each load, and vehicles as large as an Abrams main battle tank. Meanwhile, an Osprey can only carry 10-15 tons or thirty-two personnel. The only vehicle the MV-22B is certified to carry internally is a Growler jeep.

The Marine Corps, however, is increasingly convinced that D-Day style amphibious landings on defended beachheads are less and less likely to be viable in modern warfare.

Its not merely that they fear a bloodbath on the beaches of the sort depicted in Saving Private Ryan or Letters from Iwo Jima.

Strategists worry that long-range shore-launched anti-ship missiles will make it unlikely that landing craft, and even the larger LHDs and LHA carrying those landing craft, will be able to approach close enough to even deposit their troops in the first place. Surely, giant amphibious ships stuffed full with over a thousand Marines would be particularly tempting targets.

America-class LHAs can at least thin out threats up to thirty miles away with their two Evolved Sea Sparrow missile launchers before having to rely on Phalanx gatling cannons and Rolling Airframe Missile launchers and Nulka decoys for point defense. But none of these systems can even hope to stop anti-ship ballistic missiles entering service in Iran and China.

Thus, the Marine Corps recently abandoned its former objective of maintaining thirty-eight amphibious assault ships in service (it currently has thirty-two) which can deployed two full brigades into battle between them, in favor of dispersing troops amongst more numerous, though less capable, auxiliary and even robotic ships.

That may explain why the Navy prioritized the ability to launch additional troop-carrying Ospreys from over a hundred miles away which can land behind enemy lines rather than exposed beachheads.

But that doesnt change the issue of logistical throughput: if you need to rapidly reinforce a beachhead with heavy weapons, vehicles and supplies, landing craft are preferableespecially once nearby enemy defenses are suppressed.

The Ospreys themselves, while highly flexible, are also expensive to maintain and operate per flight hour. Furthermore, exhaust from both the Osprey and, especially, the F-35Bs inflict heat damage to the flight deck over time, limiting the advisability and increasing the cost of surging high-intensity flight operations over prolonged periods. The Navy has been continuously adapting the ships to prevent heat damage for years.

Therefore, in a bid to restore flexibility, the third America-class ship, Bouganville (LHA-8) which was laid down in March 2019 in Mississippi, will see the well-deck restored with a capacity for two LCACS. The island is trimmed down to allow more flight deck parking spot in compensation for lost hangar space. Armament and sensors are re-situated onto the vessels island superstructure, including a brand-new EASR radar also destined to equip future Gerald Ford-class carriers.

The new configuration inevitably requires tradeoffs. According to a chart at Navy Recognition, Bougainville falls squarely in between the Wasp-class LHD and the first two America-class boats with 38,000 square feet of deck space dedicated to aviation, but has less than half the aviation fuel capacity of her sister ships and more limited vehicle stowage.

Despite these downsides, the restoration of the ability to carry landing craft should improve the America classs flexibility. Still, naval planners will hopefully bear in mind the carriers secondary potential to serve as economy-size aircraft carriers for missions that dont require $13 billion supercarriers.

Sbastien Roblin holds a masters degree in conflict resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring.

Image: Reuters

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F-35 Stealth Fighters Are Now Ready to Launch From America's "Light" Carriers - The National Interest Online