The following names are those of Marines and sailors who died in 2018 while at sea, in combat or during training accidents, according to USNI News records and Navy and Marine Corps reports. Read More
Recent Posts By the Author
Trump: Mattis Will Step Down on Jan. 1; Shanahan to Serve as Acting SECDEF
U.S. Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis meets with Lithuania’s Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 28, 2018. DoD Photo
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis will hand over leadership of the Pentagon two months earlier than originally announced, President Donald Trump said on Twitter on Sunday. Read More
Destroyer Paul Ignatius Passes Acceptance Trials Ahead of Early 2019 Delivery
The Ingalls-built destroyer Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) launched at first light Saturday morning, Nov. 12, 2016. Ingalls Shipbuilding photo.
Guided-missile destroyer Paul Ignatius (DDG-117) has completed its acceptance trials ahead of an expected early 2019 delivery to the Navy, Naval Sea System Command announced on Friday. Read More
U.S. Carrier in Middle East Focused on Missions Over Afghanistan, Maritime Security
Sailors huddle to communicate as an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151 launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in the Arabian Sea on Dec. 18, 2018. US Navy Photo
Afghanistan – not Syria – has been the primary focus of the air wing embarked aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) since the carrier strike group entered U.S. 5th Fleet in early December, USNI News has learned. Read More
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis Resigning
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visits the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea in 2017. DoD Photo
This post will be updated as new information becomes available.
Jim Mattis, the longest-serving cabinet secretary of the Trump Administration, submitted his resignation on Thursday following the White House announcement the U.S. would withdraw about 2,000 ground troops from Syria and reports of a drawdown in Afghanistan. Read More
USS Freedom Gets Underway After Two Years of Repairs
USS Freedom (LCS-1) departs a pier in San Diego under its own power on Dec. 10, 2018. US Navy Photo
Littoral Combat Ship USS Freedom (LCS-1) left a pier in San Diego, Calif., for the first time in more than two years, after an extensive repair period to fix the ship’s propulsion system. Read More
GAO: Navy Surface, Sub Repair Backlog Grew in 2018; 3 Attack Boats Now Not Certified to Dive
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) prepares to pull into Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Va. in 2017. US Navy Photo
CAPITOL HILL – Maintenance backlogs continue to plague the Navy’s surface ship and attack submarine readiness, with the service losing the equivalent of 17 ships for operational tasking this year due to delays in getting repairs, according to an analysis from the Government Accountability Office. Read More
Marines Identify Hornet Pilot Who Died After Crash with KC-130J off Japan; 5 Marines Still Missing
Marines with the Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Bats Squadron 242 (VMFA (AW)-242 Bats), Marine Air Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing before taking off in the F/A-18D Hornet at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan on Nov. 21, 2018. US Marine Corps Photo
The Marines have identified the F/A-18D Hornet pilot who died in a hospital after a crash with a KC-130J off the coast of Japan. Read More
Vice. Adm. James Malloy Confirmed to Lead 5th Fleet Following Death of Former Commander
Then-Rear Adm. Jim Malloy, commander of Carrier Strike Group 10 in 2016. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated to include Vice Adm. Malloy’s confirmation by the Senate.
The Senate has confirmed an admiral with extensive Middle East experience to lead the U.S. Navy’s forces in U.S. Central Command after being nominated on the same day. Read More
UPDATED: 5 Marines Still Missing Following F-18 Hornet, KC-130J Crash; Second Recovered Marine Dies in Hospital
Marines with the Joint Humanitarian Assistance Survey Team, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, prepare for take-off aboard a KC-130J Hercules aircraft on Kadena Air Force Base on Sept. 27, 2018. US Marine Corps Photo
A Marine recovered from a crash between a Marine F-18D Hornet Fighter and a KC-130J transport aircraft off the coast of Japan has died in the hospital, according to a statement from the service. Read More
