Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Sen. John McCain in 2015.
THE PENTAGON — The chairman of Senate Armed Services Committee again criticized Defense Secretary Ash Carter for a reluctance to detail U.S. presence operations in the South China Sea during a Thursday Senate hearing. Read More
An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Black Knights of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 4 operates near the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and the People’s Republic of China medical ship Peace Ark (T-AH 866) during a close formation of 42 ships and submarines from 15 international partner nations during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2014. US Navy photo.
The United States has not revoked its invitation to China to participate in this year’s Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise despite increasingly aggressive behavior towards its neighbors in the South China Sea because the U.S. hopes China may still participate in a “system of cooperative nations,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said April 15 aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74). Read More
The Pentagon recently began funding maritime security projects with countries in the South China Sea aimed at giving them the capability to monitor activities in their territorial waters and air space amidst concerns of regional Chinese expansion. Read More
A test shot of an electromagnetic railgun. US Navy Photo
A little publicized Pentagon office tasked with tweaking existing U.S. military capabilities for new roles and missions is a key player in the Department of Defense effort to stay ahead of Russian and Chinese weapon programs. Read More
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter speaks at a press conference on May 1, 2015. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated with additional information from Ash Carter’s presentation.
WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Ash Carter will release a defense budget next week that increases spending on the current fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria but primarily postures the force to succeed against a future high-end threat. Read More
Sioux City (LCS-11) during the ship’s moveout at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine yard in Wisconsin. Lockheed Martin photo.
Lockheed Martin is continuing with its Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship program as planned despite notice from the secretary of defense that the ship program will be truncated, the vice president for littoral ships and systems told reporters Thursday evening. Read More
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus on Jan. 14, 2016 addressing the Surface Navy Association symposium. US Navy Photo
A month after a terse memo from the Office of the Secretary of Defense that accused the Navy of spending too many resources to plus up its ship numbers, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus defended his seven-year shipbuilding record in a speech at the Surface Navy Association symposium on Thursday. Read More
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in the background as Secretary of Defense Ash Carter flies in a V-22 Osprey on Nov. 5, 2015. DoD Photo
A version of this post originally appeared on Observer.com.
The United States Navy just struck an iceberg. It won’t sink the fleet, but it will damage its ability to deter emerging global conflicts. And one of those challenges became more apparent last week when the Chinese announced it was building its second aircraft carrier. Read More
The following is the Dec. 22, 2015 letter from Secretary of Defense Ash Carter to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) outlining the U.S. Oct., 27 2015 freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea. Read More
USNI News polled its writers, naval analysts and service members on what they consider the most important military and maritime stories in 2015. Read More
