Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) Bataan left Naval Station Norfolk, Va. for an eight month deployment on Saturday. Read More

Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) Bataan left Naval Station Norfolk, Va. for an eight month deployment on Saturday. Read More
The aircraft carrier, nuclear-powered for the last 50 years, and its embarked air wing remain arguably the most valuable and effective instrument for shaping the national military strategy, with proven applicability from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to high-end maritime strike warfare.
Bob Work, former Marine and second highest ranking civilian in the Department of the Navy, has been selected by President Obama to be the next Deputy Secretary of Defense, the number two job at the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel told Pentagon reporters on Friday.
The U.S. Navy is in the process of switching out a number of warships forward deployed to Japan with newer vessels. The latest ships to be replaced are USS Denver (LPD-9), an Austin-class amphibious transport dock ship, and the mine countermeasure ships USS Avenger (MCM-1) and USS Defender (MCM-2), the Navy announced this week. Read More
The following is from the four way defense budget game played by the American Enterprise Institute, Center for a New American Security, Center for Strategic and International Studies and Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment. Read More
The first in a new class of amphibious warship has completed its acceptance trials, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) announced this week. Read More
China is set to deploy submarines sometime this year armed with nuclear tipped missiles capable of striking Alaska or Hawaii, according to a January assessment from the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI). Read More
Crew from CGC Jarvis detain a self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) in the Eastern Pacific off the coast of Central America, on Oct. 21, 2009. US Coast Guard Photo
CORRECTION: A previous version of this post titled: ‘Coast Guard: Budget Cuts Led to 30 Percent Increase in U.S. Drug Traffic’ misstated the cuts to the service resulted in a 30 percent increase in drug traffic to the U.S. The Coast Guard’s operations for interdiction missions fell by 30 percent. It is unclear if there is a direct correlation.The post and the headline have been amended to clarify the distinction. Additionally, the annual number of narcotics produced in Latin America is 800 metric tons and 400 metric tons are consumed in the U.S., not 800 million and 400 million. USNI News regrets the error.
“The only place we could squeeze” to meet the $200-million bill the Coast Guard faced under sequestration “was drug interdiction and migrant interdiction,” the service’s outgoing commandant told a key oversight subcommittee on Tuesday. He estimated that because of those cutbacks there was a 30 percent drop in operations to interdict drugs from entering the United States last year.
An artist’s conception of the Amphibious Ready Group with the addition of Mobile Landing Platforms. US Marine Corps Photo
The following is from the U.S. Marine Corps 2013 Seabasing Required Capabilities Annual Report.
The Seabasing Required Capabilities Annual Report is published to provide Navy and Marine Corps capability developers, program managers, operational planners and warfighters an overview of key programs managed and monitored by the Seabasing Integration Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Combat Development & Integration. The Annual Report also provides a list of required capabilities for the Afloat MAGTF to effectively operate in the seabase and to extend naval power ashore through the conduct of naval expeditionary operations. Read More
X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator is towed into the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) on May, 13 1980. US Navy Photo
The Fiscal Year 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will not force the U.S. Navy to restructure its Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) aircraft program, service officials said. Read More