USS Roosevelt (DDG-80) left,the guided missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) on Feb. 19, 2014. US Navy Photo
Rapid growth in the capability and quality of guided missiles — mostly Chinese in origin — is causing the U.S. Navy to rethink the number of surface ships it needs to effectively fight a high-end war. Read More
Coast Guard Cutter Stratton. US Coast Guard Photo
On a warm July day in 2014, U.S. Coast Guard deck hands took in the mooring lines at 0930 on board USCGC Stratton, one of the Service’s newest Legend-class national security cutters.
Stratton slowly drifted away from the San Diego pier while a show-stopping three short blasts sounded from the ship’s whistle, alerting nearby maritime traffic that the 418-foot steel vessel was backing out. The engines shifted, increasing speed ahead. Stratton was outbound for sea. Read More
Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, walks with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Cmdr. Kazutaka Sugimoto on Feb. 6, 2015. US Navy Photo
The incoming U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) commander, Adm. Harry B. Harris, testified before Congress late last year that “China’s rise as a regional military and global economic power, and in particular, its rapid military modernization and assertive behavior toward regional neighbors present opportunities and challenges that must be managed effectively. This is our most enduring challenge.” Read More
The following is a remembrance of World War II Medal of Honor recipient Marine 1st Lt. Jack Lummus. The piece appeared in Naval History in 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima with the original title, “To Love a Lost Hero.” Before the war, Lummus had played in the National Football League for the New York Giants and had played college ball at Baylor. Read More
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) leads a formation of ships from Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12 during a maneuvering exercise on Sept. 23, 2014. US Navy Photo
Just four days ahead of the 73rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy announced its intention to award Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc (HII). approximately $4 billion to construct the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) super carrier, the second vessel of the new Gerald R. Ford-class of carriers. The cost has raised eyebrows, as the Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) experienced cost overruns of 22 percent. Read More
Leader of the Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau
On Jan. 3, 2015 Boko Haram militants initiated an attack on Baga, a village situated near Lake Chad in northeastern Borno state, Nigeria, and on the villages surrounding it. Read More
USS George Washington (CVN-73) with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kongou-class guided-missile destroyer JS Kirishima (DDG-174) on Nov. 18, 2014. US Navy Photo
One of the first questions facing the new Congress and the administration when they look at security issues in Asia this year is deciding whether to invest in new capabilities, to counter new threats including cyber or continue to invest in platforms — like aircraft carriers — to demonstrate the United States continued commitment to the region, a senior policy analyst said Monday. Read More
Visit, board, search and seizure team members pull alongside the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG-104) to practice ship boarding. US Navy Photo
In a rare bilateral exercise, the U.S. and China conducted anti-piracy training off the pirate-prone Gulf of Aden, the Navy said in a Thursday statement. Read More
NAVSEA commander Vice Adm. William Hilarides. via Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The head of the U.S. Navy’s shipbuilding and maintenance arm spends a lot of time thinking about risk.
The risks of building some ships to a commercial standard, the risk of cyber attacks to ship systems, and the risks of determining how much maintenance can slide on a surface ship while at the same time getting the ship to its expected service life all focuses of U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) head, Vice Adm. William Hilarides in the last year. Read More
Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP) Vice Adm. Bill Moran at Recruit Training Command (RTC) on Sept. 12, 2014. US Navy Photo
Employee retention is very much on the mind of the man whom a civilian organizational chart would label as the U.S. Navy’s head of human resources.
Vice Adm. Bill Moran— Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Manpower, Personnel, Training and Education (N1)—in his 15 months on the job has seen signs of a looming sailor exodus that could be on par to retention woes following the Cold War and just before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Read More
