Navy

(Newser) - A video of a tense encounter between US Navy ships and Iranian speedboats is a fake, Iran claims. "The footage released by the US Navy was compiled using file pictures and the audio has been fabricated," an unnamed official in the Revolutionary Guards tells the state-run Press TV. On the video, a voice can be heard threatening the US sailors, and the Iranians are warned several times they risk being fired upon. More »

(Newser) - Washington is firing diplomatic volleys at Tehran today after five Iranian ships "harassed" three US Navy ships in international waters yesterday, CNN reports. "Such actions are dangerous and could have quickly escalated into something much worse," the Pentagon press secretary said. "We see it as further evidence that Iran is unpredictable and remains a threat." Tehran shrugged off the encounter as "ordinary." More »

(Newser) - Two American sailors have been found dead in a hotel room while on shore leave in Ghana, Reuters reports. The cause of death remains unknown and the names of the soldiers have not been released, but "currently there is no suggestion of foul play," according to a Navy spokesman. Ghanaian authorities are investigating the death with the help of Navy officials. More »

(Newser) - Despite an exhilarating final push, the Midshipmen were held off by Utah in a 35-32 victory in last night's Poinsettia bowl, the AP reports. Navy certainly made it close, bringing the score within 3 with less than a minute to play, and successfully recovering their ensuing onside kick. However, Navy QB Kaheaku-Enhada was picked off to give Utah the close-fought victory. More »

(Newser) - A Japanese warship off Hawaii has shot down a US-made mock ballistic missile in flight over the Pacific Ocean, the BBC reports. The test, using a US-developed intercept missile, was the first of its kind by an American ally. Japan and the US stepped up their missile defense cooperation after North Korea test-fired a long-range missile over Japan in 1998. More »

(Newser) - An HIV-positive US Navy chaplain pleaded guilty today to several charges of forcible sodomy and an aggravated assault charge for not disclosing his HIV status to one man, the AP reports. Lt. Cmdr. John Thomas Matthew Lee, 42, was sentenced to two years; without the plea bargain, the charges could have carried a life sentence. More »

(Newser) - China has turned down another US Navy ship's request to make a port call in Hong Kong on New Year's Eve, bringing to three the number of vessels caught up in the dispute. The denial, announced today, accompanied China's last-minute decision last week to bar USS Kitty Hawk from visiting Hong Kong on Thanksgiving, Bloomberg reports. More »

(Newser) - The Marines are cutting orders of a nearly "bombproof" Hummer replacement from 3,700 to 2,225, reflecting a more peaceful Iraq and the success of the vehicle, reports the Christian Science Monitor . “Combine the reduction in attacks with the fact that we're not losing as many vehicles as we thought, and the Marines don’t need as many, said an official. More »

(Newser) - Tensions between the US and China took a turn for the worse today with China making clear that its refusal to let a US Navy carrier dock in Hong Kong was deliberate and not a simple "misunderstanding" as characterized by the White House. Beijing said "erroneous" US activities—including an arms sale to Taiwan—have left already iffy relations "disturbed and harmed," the AP reports. More »