Category Archives: Long Form

Shock Trials, Missile Launches, CONOPS Refinement Await LCS Program This Summer

Shock Trials, Missile Launches, CONOPS Refinement Await LCS Program This Summer

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The littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1) transits alongside the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in preparation for a replenishment-at-sea training exercise on April 28, 2015. US Navy photo.

The littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS-1) transits alongside the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) in preparation for a replenishment-at-sea training exercise on April 28, 2015. US Navy photo.

The Littoral Combat Ship program will reach several major milestones in the coming months, from conducting full ship shock trials on both hull variants, to demonstrating a new expeditionary mine mission package, to refining operational concepts, the outgoing program executive officer told USNI News in a May 2 interview. Read More →

Navy Digging Out Of Fighter Shortfall; Marines Still Struggling To Fly At Home

Navy Digging Out Of Fighter Shortfall; Marines Still Struggling To Fly At Home

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F/A-18E-F Super Hornet. Boeing photo.

F/A-18E-F Super Hornet. Boeing photo.

A three-pronged approach is helping the Navy keep its strike fighter inventory shortfall at a “manageable” level –speeding up legacy Hornet life extension work, preparing to conduct the Super Hornet life extension program more efficiently, and buying new Super Hornets – though the Marines’ legacy Hornet fighter inventory is so strained there are hardly any planes available for day-to-day squadron training, Navy and Marine aviation leaders said last week. Read More →

Essay: An Open Letter to the Next Secretary of the Navy

Essay: An Open Letter to the Next Secretary of the Navy

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Flag of the U.S. Secretary of the Navy

Flag of the U.S. Secretary of the Navy

You are out there somewhere. Perhaps you are currently serving in a senior national security position. You may be advising one of the current presidential candidates on defense policy. You could be a leader in industry, or academia. You may be working at a think-tank or serving as an elected or appointed official in state or federal government.

You are the next Secretary of The Navy. Read More →

Navy Finds Urgency In Staving Off A Sub Shortfall Decades In The Making

Navy Finds Urgency In Staving Off A Sub Shortfall Decades In The Making

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North Dakota (SSN 784) sits moored at the graving dock of General Dynamics Electric Boat prior to its christening ceremony in Groton, Conn. on Nov. 2, 2013. US Navy Photo

North Dakota (SSN 784) sits moored at the graving dock of General Dynamics Electric Boat prior to its christening ceremony in Groton, Conn. on Nov. 2, 2013. US Navy Photo

A spike in demand for the Navy’s attacks submarines, just ahead of a spate of decommissionings and a dip in new SSN construction, is leading the Navy to look at some previously unthinkable measures to mitigate the upcoming shortfall in the fleet. Read More →

Essay: When it Comes to Ship Survivability, Prayer Isn’t Enough

Essay: When it Comes to Ship Survivability, Prayer Isn’t Enough

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Officials survey the damage of USS Tripoli while the ship was in drydock in Bahrain following a mine attack. US Navy Photo

Officials survey the damage of USS Tripoli while the ship was in drydock in Bahrain following a mine attack. US Navy Photo

In the early morning of Feb. 18, 1991, the U.S. amphibious warship USS Tripoli (LPH-10) struck an Iraqi contact mine in the northern Persian Gulf, ripping a 25-foot by 23-foot hole in her starboard side below the waterline. Read More →

A Decade of San Antonio

A Decade of San Antonio

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Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, sponsor of LPD-17 the San Antonio, christens the Navy's the in New Orleans in 2003. US Navy Photo

Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, sponsor of LPD-17 the San Antonio, christens the Navy’s the in New Orleans in 2003. US Navy Photo

Ten years ago, on Jan. 14, 2006, lead ship USS San Antonio (LPD-17) was commissioned as a Navy warship. But the immediate future looked bleak for the amphibious transport dock program. Read More →

Essay: Building a Mediterranean Arc of Stability for America's Long War

Essay: Building a Mediterranean Arc of Stability for America’s Long War

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The United States is truly involved in a Long War. While the Army and Marine Corps have enjoyed long periods between combat operations, the Air Force and naval aviation have been continuously deployed for combat since the just after the Iraqis invaded Kuwait in August of 1990. Continuous combat operations have now stretched for twenty-five years, making our commitment to the Middle East the longest war involving a major Western power since the Thirty Years’ War, which ended in 1648. Read More →

Essay: How Offering Tomahawks for Foreign Military Sales Will Strengthen Allies and Deter Adversaries

Essay: How Offering Tomahawks for Foreign Military Sales Will Strengthen Allies and Deter Adversaries

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USS Barry (DDG=52) fires Tomahawk cruise missiles in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn on March 11, 2011. US Navy Photo

USS Barry (DDG=52) fires Tomahawk cruise missiles in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn on March 11, 2011. US Navy Photo

The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) has long been a mainstay of the U.S. strike weapon inventory. Launching from ranges out to 1,000 miles and armed with a 1,000-pound warhead, it is the Navy’s “Kick Down the Door” weapon, attacking well-defended high-value land targets. The BLK IV missile is the latest variant in a steady progression of capability, incorporating mission planning, navigation and guidance, and command and control upgrades designed to improve responsiveness and target flexibility. Combat-proven and operationally reliable, Tomahawk remains a weapon of choice for planners and commanders alike. The FY 2016 budget maintains production and inventory levels, reflecting a continued high demand signal. Read More →

Essay: Mistakes Are Not War Crimes

Essay: Mistakes Are Not War Crimes

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In this photograph released by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) on October 3, 2015, fires burn in part of the MSF hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz after it was hit by an air strike. MSF Photo

In this photograph released by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) on October 3, 2015, fires burn in part of the MSF hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz after it was hit by an air strike. MSF Photo

Let’s get one thing straight: Accidents are not war crimes. Unintentional or collateral damage does not constitute a war crime, even when there are noncombatant deaths. The advent of precision weapons has fostered an unrealistic expectation regarding the applications of military force, which is substantially at odds with the reality of combat. Read More →

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