Brought to You by the Members of the U.S. Naval Institute
Defense Secretary James N. Mattis speaks to Airmen during a town hall at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, Jan. 16, 2018. US Air Force Photo
THE PENTAGON — During Friday morning’s rollout of his new National Defense Strategy, Defense Secretary James Mattis summed up the document succinctly. “Everything we do must contribute to the lethality of our military. We cannot expect success fighting tomorrow’s conflicts with yesterday’s weapons or equipment.” Read More
A crane moves the lower stern into place on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) at Huntington Ingalls Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va. The second Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier is now 50 percent structurally complete. US Navy Photo
CAPITOL HILL – Next month’s Pentagon budget request to Congress will include a 30-year shipbuilding plan, Navy leadership said today. Read More
The Nimitz-class aircraft carriers USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), left, and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) conduct dual aircraft carrier strike group operations in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. US Navy photo.
CAPITOL HILL – The Navy and lawmakers are considering how to clarify the chain of command for forward-deployed surface forces to ensure future readiness and accountability while service leadership insists it has done a sufficient job holding accountable those who contributed to last year’s fatal destroyer collisions. Read More
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) is pictured while chairing the seapower and projection forces subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. DoD Photo
House Armed Services Committee members will have a chance on Thursday to ask Navy leadership how it will take action in the aftermath of two recent surface readiness reviews and to follow up on this week’s announcement of criminal and administrative actions taken against Navy officers involved in last summer’s two fatal surface ship collisions. Read More
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in an undated photo.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R- S.C.) said “it’s just a matter of time” before North Korea crosses a red line — like testing another warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile — that the Trump administration sees compelling it to take military action on the peninsula. Read More
San Antonio-class amphib Portland (LPD-27) launches at Ingalls Shipbuilding. HII Photo
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Navy wants the next amphibious ship it buys to be the first of the next-generation LX(R) amphibs rather than another “bridge ship” to the new class, two service officials said, after Congress appears to be leaving the choice to the Navy. Read More
Adm. Philip S. Davidson, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, presents a surface warfare officer pin to Midshipman 1st Class Jacob Wirz, recognizing his achievement as the first midshipman to select a ship during the U.S. Naval Academy’s Ship Selection Night in Alumni Hall. During ship selection, first class midshipmen assigned to the surface warfare community choose their first ship and homeport. US Navy photo.
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Navy is taking a serious look at its Surface Warfare Officer candidate training, with the hopes of creating more proficient officers before assigning them to ship crews, the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command said today. Read More
USNI News polled its writers, naval analysts and service members on what they consider the most important military and maritime stories in 2017.
The following is part of a series. Please also see Top Stories: International Acquisition, Navy Operations, Marine Corps Operations, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Acquisition, International Operations and New Administration.
2017 began with the promise of planning for a larger fleet: at the end of 2016, the Navy announced a 355-ship requirement, and the incoming Trump Administration expressed its support for a larger military and a heftier Navy. Few concrete steps were taken this year, though, to begin a buildup – though many programs that will be pivotal to the 355-ship fleet of the future reached significant programmatic milestones in 2017.
Streamers mix with falling snow during the christening of the future guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) at the Bath Iron Works shipyard Saturday, April 1, 2017 in Bath, Maine. US Navy photo.
WASHINGTON NAVY YARD — The Navy is preparing to release the request for proposals (RFP) for at least 10 Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers (DDG-51), with a presolicitation notice going out on Dec. 14 and the RFP set for release within the next month, the DDG-51 program manager told USNI News. Read More
Newport News Shipbuilding cut a 35-ton steel plate to kick off advance construction of the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN 80) on Aug. 24, 2017. Ship’s sponsors and U.S. Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles (left) and Katie Ledecky (center), along with Newport News Shipbuilding President Jennifer Boykin (right), signed the steel that will become part of Enterprise’s foundation. Newport News Shipbuilding photo.
The upcoming contract award for the future aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN-80) will be part of a Defense Department pilot program to award major contracts faster, and Navy leadership is eyeing it as an opportunity to save money by buying two carriers instead of one. Read More
