Gidget Fuentes

About Gidget Fuentes

Gidget Fuentes is a freelance writer based in San Diego, Calif. She has spent more than 20 years reporting extensively on the Marine Corps and the Navy, including West Coast commands and Pacific regional issues.

Recent Posts By the Author


Marines Prove CH-53Es Can Resupply Ballistic Missile Submarines

Marines Prove CH-53Es Can Resupply Ballistic Missile Submarines

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U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Joseph McDonnell, a crew chief with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 462, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, lowers a package to the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Maine (SSBN-741) during a vertical replenishment (VERTREP) in the Philippine Sea, May 9, 2023. US Marine Corps Photo

Hauling goods via transport helicopter to replenish a military unit is a routine assignment. Dangling supplies over a ballistic submarine skimming across the Western Pacific is anything but routine. Read More →

Pacific Battle Problem Tests Expanded Use of Networked Autonomous Warships

Pacific Battle Problem Tests Expanded Use of Networked Autonomous Warships

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The Seahawk medium displacement unmanned surface vessel steams in the Pacific Ocean during the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Integrated Battle Problem on May 3, 2023. US Navy Photo

The future maritime fight, as Navy officials see it, will involve military forces with a mix of manned and unmanned aircraft, ships and other systems. Some actions will one day involve solely uncrewed platforms. Read More →

‘Fight the Base’ Drills Keep Marines on Homefront Sharp Against Modern Threats

‘Fight the Base’ Drills Keep Marines on Homefront Sharp Against Modern Threats

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U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Cory Kim, left, and Sgt. Cameron Scungio, both explosive ordnance disposal technicians, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Arizona, review details about the operation during the Semper Durus 2023 training event at 16th street base housing, MCAS Yuma, April 11, 2023. U.S. Marine Corps Photo

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – In the next major conflict, the U.S. military sees Marines and other U.S. forces deployed across the Indo-Pacific and facing an agile, tech-savvy and equally-capable enemy. Read More →

SEAL Training Center Gets New CO Early as Navy Continues Inquiry Following 2022 Trainee Death

SEAL Training Center Gets New CO Early as Navy Continues Inquiry Following 2022 Trainee Death

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Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUDs) students participate in Surf Passage at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. US Navy Photo

Command of the Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado, Calif., changed hands Tuesday as Capt. Brian Drechsler handed over the reins a few months earlier than planned to Capt. Mark “Clint” Burke, Navy officials told USNI News. Read More →

Marine Corps: New Training Unit Will Improve Marines’ Transitioning from AAV to ACV Operations

Marine Corps: New Training Unit Will Improve Marines’ Transitioning from AAV to ACV Operations

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An ACV with 3d Assault Amphibian Battalion, 1st Marine Division onshore and USS Anchorage (LPD-23) and two Navy safety boats in the water. USNI News Photo

Revamped instruction at a schoolhouse at Camp Pendleton, Calif., will help the Marine Corps better train Marines to operate the new Amphibious Combat Vehicle and prevent more rollover incidents, the service announced Wednesday. Read More →

Marines Stand Back Up 'Tomcats' as a F-35C Lighting II Squadron

Marines Stand Back Up ‘Tomcats’ as a F-35C Lighting II Squadron

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U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Janet Marrufo (left) and Lt. Col. Michael Fisher, both with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 311, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), unfurl the U.S. flag during a reactivation ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, April 14, 2023. US Marine Corps Photo

MIRAMAR MARINE CORPS AIR STATION, San Diego, Calif. — A deactivated squadron got new life as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 311 in a Friday ceremony attended by scores of combat veterans and an F-35C Lightning II jet sporting the “Tomcats” historic squadron logo. Read More →

Former Austal USA Executives Indicted for Alleged Accounting Fraud, Face SEC Complaint

Former Austal USA Executives Indicted for Alleged Accounting Fraud, Face SEC Complaint

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USS Tulsa (LCS 16) returns to Austal USA after launching from the drydock at BAE Ship Systems on March 16, 2016. US Navy photo.

A federal grand jury on Friday indicted former Austal USA executives on felony fraud charges, alleging that they intentionally manipulated costs and earnings reports and mislead company investors and shareholders about the true costs of building Littoral Combat Ships for the U.S. Navy. Read More →

AUKUS Plan: Aussie Sailors to Serve on American Subs, RAN to Buy U.S. Virginia Attack Boats

AUKUS Plan: Aussie Sailors to Serve on American Subs, RAN to Buy U.S. Virginia Attack Boats

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President Joe Biden greets British Prime Minister Rishi Surnak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese the AUKUS bilateral meeting in San Diego, Calif, March 13, 2023. DoD Photo

This post has been updated with additional information from the announcement ceremony.

SAN DIEGO – The leaders of Australia and the United Kingdom joined President Joe Biden at the Navy’s submarine base in San Diego, Calif., Monday to mark a historic trilateral agreement aimed at bolstering security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. Read More →

Adm. Linda Fagan Calls for Continued Coast Guard Investment to Meet Homeland, Global Demands

Adm. Linda Fagan Calls for Continued Coast Guard Investment to Meet Homeland, Global Demands

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Admiral Linda L. Fagan, Commandant of the Coast Guard, speaks to guests during the 2023 State of the Coast Guard Address in Washington, D.C., Mar. 7, 2023. The State of the Coast Guard Address speaks to the vision for the service. (U. S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Giles)

With demands for its presence overseas and home and its missions on the rise, the Coast Guard continues to transform itself to meet missions at home and overseas and adapt to recruit and manage a high-tech workforce, the service’s top officer said this week. Read More →

Pilot Course Aims to Build Marines’ Skills as Communicators for the Future Fight

Pilot Course Aims to Build Marines’ Skills as Communicators for the Future Fight

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Marines with 9th Communication Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, trouble shoot a network connection during a certification exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Feb. 27, 2023. US Marine Corps Photo

SAN DIEGO – Expeditionary communicators will be critical to the command and control of small Marine Corps units dispersed across far-flung islands in contested terrain, service officials say. Read More →