Brought to You by the Members of the U.S. Naval Institute
MV-22B on the deck of USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). Gidget Fuentes Photo Used with Permission
ABOARD AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS CARL VINSON — Ten days into a two-week fleet battle experiment on this aircraft carrier off the California coast, the Navy is getting a good look at how the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor can fit into flight and deck operations of its carrier fleet. So far, the outlook is promising. Read More
The Budget Control Act of 2011 is probably the largest challenge the next administration faces and not just in defense but spending across all the federal agencies,” one of the nation’s leading experts on defense budgets told reporters Tuesday. Read More
An RQ-7B Shadow of VMU-3. USNI News photo.
POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, ISLAND OF HAWAII – The RQ-7B Shadows of Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron (VMU) 3 are flying in the Hawaiian skies during the Rim of the Pacific exercise for the first time, bringing a new forward observer and artillery-calling capability to the amphibious force despite being build to support ground troops. Read More
Maj. RIchard Norton. Photo via US Marine Corps
The Marine Corps has identified the pilot who was killed in an F/A-18C Hornet crash near Twentynine Palms, Calif., the service announced today. Read More
An F-35B Lightning II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 takes off during exercise Red Flag 16-3 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., July 20. This is the first time that the fifth generation fighter has participated in the multiservice air-to-air combat training exercise. US Marine Corps photo.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Marine Corps’ top aviator said the F-35B Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter pilots have matured in their understanding of the new platform in the year since the service declared initial operational capability (IOC), pushing themselves to push past planned tactics and create a new way of using the fifth-generation technology. Read More
A U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18C Hornet aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, taxis down the runway at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska on June 20, 2016. US Marine Corps Photo
A Marine Corps pilot in an F/A-18C Hornet died last night in a crash during a training mission near Twentynine Palms, Calif. Read More
An Australian sniper looks out over the Pohakuloa Training Area’s Range 10 prior to a U.S. Marine platoon with Australian support attachments conducting the test event on July 18, 2016. USNI News photo.
POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, ISLAND OF HAWAII – Flying into the Pohakuloa Training Area, more than 6,000 feet above sea level and nestled between two volcanoes on the Big Island, the ground below looks nothing like a tropical Hawaiian paradise. The day starts out cold, and as soon as the sun warms up the mountainside, fog and rain are ushered up the mountain that cool down the area again.
Among the lava rocks grow scraggly trees and brown grasses, and aside from wild goats and nenes there are few signs of life.
Where better for Marines and soldiers to bring out their big guns? Read More
Lt. Gen. David H. Berger (right), the outgoing commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force, passes the unit colors to Lt. Gen. Lewis A. Craparotta (left) during a change of command ceremony at Camp Pendleton on July 27, 2016. US Marine Corps Photo
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — The Marine Corps’ largest warfighting command changed hands on Wednesday as Lt. Gen. Lewis Craparotta took the helm of the 50,000-member I Marine Expeditionary Force from Lt. Gen. David H. Berger. Read More
Amphibious assault vehicles depart the well deck of amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22) while Royal Australian Navy LHD landing craft wait to escort them on July 18, 2016. US Navy Photo
ABOARD USS AMERICA, NEAR HAWAII – As the head of the Rim of the Pacific 2016 amphibious task force progresses through the exercise, the New Zealander works from an office aboard an American ship filled with Australians, Indonesians and other personnel from the across the Pacific.
And for Commodore James Gilmour, that’s just how Pacific operations should be. Read More
An artist’s rendering of the planned Sikorsky VH-92A presidential helicopter. Sikorsky Image
The next presidential helicopter program has passed its critical design review ahead of the first test flight in 2017, Sikorsky said in a Monday statement. Read More
