The Navy released the seventh set of documents from a previously classified investigation into the April 10, 1963 loss of USS Thresher and its crew of 129 sailors off the coast of New England. Read More
Friday, April 9, 2021
U.S. Carrier Strike Group, Amphibious Warships Massed in South China Sea as Regional Tensions Simmer
Monday, April 5, 2021
Navy ‘Struggling’ to Modernize Aging Cruiser Fleet As Tight Budgets Push Pentagon to Shed Legacy Platforms
Navy Developing Land-Based Unmanned Vehicle Testing Sites as Early Design Work Continues
Medium Displacement Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MDUSV) prototype Sea Hunter pulls into Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii on Oct. 31, 2018. US Navy Photo
The Navy is making arrangements for land-based testing of its Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel prototype and eyeing similar plans for its Large USV, as the sea service tries to get Congress on board with its plans to rapidly field unmanned vehicles in all domains to create a hybrid manned-unmanned force. Read More
HASC Chair Smith: Pentagon Needs Realistic Budget Priorities
Roger Zakheim, left, Washington director of the Ronald Reagan Institute, speaks with House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., on April 13, 2021. Reagan Institute Photo
The central question facing Pentagon acquisition isn’t the size of the budget top line or the number of ships in the Navy, but how to get the maximum capability for the defense dollar, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Tuesday. Read More
Officials: the Philippines Expanding South China Sea Patrols Near Disputed Reef
Republic of the Philippines Navy ship BRP Jose Rizal (FF 150) steams in a multinational formation during a photo exercise off the coast of Hawaii during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise on Aug. 21, 2020. US Navy Photo
MANILA – The Philippines has sent additional ships on Tuesday to its maritime territory that is subject to China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, officials announced on Tuesday. Read More
Report to Congress on Command and Control
The following is the April 8, 2021 Congressional Research Service In Focus report, Defense Primer: What Is Command and Control? Read More
More Mechanical Issues Found on Cruiser USS Vella Gulf, Repair Timeline Extended
USS Vella Gulf (CG-72) conducts a replenishment-at-sea with USNS Joshua Humphreys (T-AO-188) on July 22, 2020. US Navy Photo
A new set of mechanical issues are extending repairs on an almost 30-year-old guided-missile cruiser that has been sidelined since February, USNI News learned on Monday. Read More
USS Arleigh Burke Arrives in Spain, USS Donald Cook Will Head to Mayport
A Sailor removes a mooring line from a bollard to assist the guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) in getting underway while pier-side at Naval Station Norfolk Mar. 26. US Navy Photo
Destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) pulled into Naval Station Rota, Spain over the weekend as it officially becomes part of the Forward Deployed Naval Force-Europe (FDNF-E). Read More
French Navy Exercise Combines Ships from 5 Navies on Short Notice
U.S. Navy Ensign Micael Lozano, left, and Lt. Erik Bohman observe (from left to right) HMAS Anzac, IN Satpura, and FS Tonnerre from the bridge wing of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset (LPD 25) during La Perouse 2021. US Navy Photo
Amphibious warship USS Somerset (LPD-25) joined ships and aircraft from five countries in the Bay of Bengal last week for a multi-lateral exercise designed to help the navies quickly organize and operate as an integrated, combined maritime force. Read More
Navy Software Factory, The Forge, Wants to Reshape How Ships Get Upgraded
The Forge software factory was set up in Riverdale, Md. — just off the University of Maryland College Park campus — in March 2021 to begin using a rapid software development and testing approach to bring maintenance fixes and new capabilities to the fleet. USNI News photo.
RIVERDALE, Md. – The Navy’s potential enemies are quickly increasing the size and sophistication of their fleets, which means the Navy needs to move faster too in bringing in new capabilities. Read More
Persistent Chinese Maritime Militia Presence off Philippines Raises Concerns in Manila
Overview of Whitsun Reef in the South China Sea and Chinese vessels moored in the waters surrounding the boomerang-shaped coral reef on March 23. MAXAR Photo
MANILA – Chinese maritime militia vessels remained berthed at the Whitsun Reef, which is located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, lending credence to what Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana described as China’s plot to permanently occupy the feature. Read More
