The following is the Sept. 15, 2020 Congressional Research Service report, Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans: Background and Issues for Congress. Read More
Category Archives: Aviation
Esper: Unmanned Vessels Will Allow the Navy to Reach 355-Ship Fleet
Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks to sailors aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) on Sept. 17, 2020, during a visit to California. USNI News photo.
ABOARD AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CARL VINSON, OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA – Defense Secretary Mark Esper told sailors today that heavy investment in unmanned systems would be key to the Navy reaching 355 or more ships and having the lethality and survivability needed if a conflict were to break out with China. Read More
U.S. Admiral Talks 3rd Chinese Aircraft Carrier: ‘Go Ahead and Build that Big Ship’
Chinese carrier Shandong. PLA Photo
China’s pursuit of more aircraft carriers validates the U.S. Navy’s commitment to building more American aircraft carriers in the future, the U.S. admiral in charge of providing forces to the fleet said on Thursday. Read More
Complete Command Probe into USS Theodore Roosevelt COVID-19 Outbreak
Capt. Brett Crozier
The following is the complete June 19, 2020 command investigation and appendices into the chain of command response to the COVID-19 outbreak aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt. Read More
Navy Sharpening Anti-Submarine Warfare Skills in Black Widow Exercise
An MH-60R Seahawk Helicopter, attached to Helicopter Marine Strike Squadron (HSM) 46, prepares to lower a dipping sonar transducer during anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training with the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1) on Sept. 12, 2020. US Navy Photo
Now that the Navy’s recently reactivated U.S. 2nd Fleet is fully operational, the service is using the command structure that organization allows to sharpen its anti-submarine warfare skillset this week in Exercise Black Widow 2020 in the North Atlantic. Read More
Marines Placing Small UAVs into Ground Combat Element, As Aviators Still Refining Large UAS Requirement
U.S. Marines with Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron (VMU) 2 launch a RQ-21A Blackjack for Assault Support Tactics 2 at Canon Air Defense Complex (P111), Yuma, Ariz., Oct. 12, 2016. US Marine Corps photo.
While the Marine Corps is still charting its path forward for large drones, the service is moving smaller unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) into its ground combat units. Read More
Navy Harnessing New Technology to Restructure Aviation Training
Wilfred Merkel, simulator requirements officer for Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA), provides guidance to 2nd Lt. Liam Wells, a student naval aviator assigned to the “Rangers” of Training Squadron 28, in March 2019. US Navy photo.
The Navy is incorporating new technologies into its aviation training curriculum, from hand-held devices to full simulators, to better train airmen to fly and fight their aircraft. Read More
USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Sept. 14, 2020
USNI News Graphic
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Sept. 14, 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
Valiant Shield 2020 Kicks Off Today As Joint Force Assembles in Mariana Islands
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) leads a formation of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5 ships as U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress aircraft and U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornets pass overhead for a photo exercise during Valiant Shield 2018 on Sept. 17. US Navy photo
Joint forces are assembling around Guam and the Mariana Islands Range Complex for high-end Pacific exercise Valiant Shield 2020, which kicks off today. Read More
Tom Cruise, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Cast Buzz Tailhook
Tom Cruise speaking at the Tailhook 2020 symposium.
Tom Cruise, better known as Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, made a virtual appearance at a conference on Friday thanking the Navy for the assistance the service provided for the upcoming “Top Gun” sequel. Read More
