The following is the Oct. 7, 2020 Congressional Research Service report, Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress. Read More
Category Archives: Aviation
SECNAV Teases New Budget Overhaul, Strategies Set to Reshape Naval Operations
Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite visiting HMS Queen Elizabeth at sea off the coast of Flamborough, United Kingdom on Oct. 1, 2020. US Navy Photo
BALTIMORE, Md. – The maritime services are poised to release several documents in the next few weeks that will outline a new path forward for the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard under the National Defense Strategy, Navy Secretary Braithwaite previewed on Wednesday. Read More
SECDEF Esper Calls for 500-Ship Fleet by 2045, With 3 SSNs a Year and Light Carriers Supplementing CVNs
The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group transits in formation with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group while conducting dual carrier and airwing operations in the Philippine Sea on June 23, 2020. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated to include additional information from Secretary Esper’s rollout of Battle Force 2045.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced a new future fleet plan for the Navy that would grow the attack submarine force, supplement nuclear-powered aircraft carriers with light carriers to achieve greater day-to-day presence, and invest heavily in small and unmanned ships for distributed operations. Read More
Introduction to the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance Program
The following is the Congressional Research Service In Focus report, Air Force Next-Generation Air Dominance Program: An Introduction. Read More
Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell Takes Command as New Navy Air Boss
Vice Adm. DeWolfe Miller is properly relieved by Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell as Commander, Naval Air Forces and Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific during a change of command ceremony aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) at Naval Air Station North Island Oct. 2. U.S. Navy Photo.
Vice Adm. Kenneth Whitesell formally began his role as the Navy’s ninth Air Boss last week, the service recently announced. Read More
Navy Fielding MQ-8C Fire Scout to Operational Squadrons Ahead of Deployment Next Year
Sailors from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22 observe as the MQ-8C Fire Scout is delivered to the squadron on Sept. 15, 2020. HSC-22 is the first HSC squadron on the East Coast to operate all three systems. They are responsible for manning, training and equipping personnel to operate the MH-60S Knighthawk, MQ-8B Firescout and MQ-8C Firescout. US Navy photo.
The Navy is getting closer to operating the new and larger MQ-8C Fire Scout variant on its Littoral Combat Ships, with two squadrons taking possession of their first aircraft and working towards safe-for-flight certification. Read More
VIDEO: HMS Queen Elizabeth Strike Group Assembles
The full U.K. Carrier Strike Group assembled for the first time during Group Exercise 2020 on Oct. 4, 2020. Royal Navy Photo
The U.K. Royal Navy has assembled its largest carrier strike group in almost 40 years, the service announced on Monday. Read More
USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Oct. 5, 2020
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Oct. 5, 2020, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship. Read More
Marines Release More Details on F-35B, KC-130J Collision
A Marine KC-130 crash lands in California Sept. 29, 2020.
The Marine Corps has released new information about its F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter that crashed earlier this week after a mid-air collision with a KC-130J tanker. Read More
Nowell: Navy Wants Diverse Recruits In All Career Fields to Lead to More Diverse Leadership
Sailors assigned to the command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20) salute while manning the rails as the ship gets underway from Gaeta, Italy, on May 18, 2020. US Navy Photo
The chief of naval personnel said the Navy is looking at not only how much diversity is coming in the front door during recruiting but also what career fields those sailors from underrepresented groups are choosing – with concerns that women and minorities are ending up in communities with few or no opportunities to rise through the ranks to flag officer. Read More
