Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Maritime Raid Force prepare to board the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD-48) from a Rigid-Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) on June 23, 2019. US Marine Corps Photo
THE PENTAGON – The Marine Corps continues its drive to become a more agile and maritime-focused force that can respond to tensions quickly and buy decision space for military leaders and diplomats, the commandant said. Read More
China News Photo
This post has been updated to correct comments attributed to Stephen Kitay to Stephen Ganote.
The way China is aggressively asserting itself in the South China Sea likely will be the way Beijing will behave in the increasingly contested domain of space, the executive secretary of the National Space Council said Monday. Read More
The following is the Sept. 24, 2019, Congressional Research Service report, U.S.-China Strategic Competition in South and East China Seas: Background and Issues for Congress. Read More
The following is the Sept. 24, 2019 Congressional Research Service, China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress. Read More
Taiwan Hai Lung-class submarine in 2009
A modern submarine force to deter China’s ambitions to take over Taiwan tops the island’s unmet defense needs, its first civilian defense minister told a Washington, D.C., audience on Wednesday.
The following is the Aug. 30, 2019 Congressional Research Service report, China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities — Background and Issues for Congress. Read More
Sailors and maritime forces of ASEAN member states salute while standing in formation together during the opening ceremony for the ASEAN-U.S. Maritime Exercise (AUMX) at Sattahip Naval Base, Thailand. US Navy Photo
KUALA LUMPUR — The U.S. has kicked off a new exercise in the Western Pacific with participation of the maritime assets of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The ASEAN Maritime Exercise (AUMX) began on Sunday at the Sattahip Naval Base, Thailand. Read More
U.S. Marines with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit fire an M777 Howitzer during a fire mission in northern Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve on Mar. 24, 2017. US Marine Corps Photo
The National Defense Strategy says the Pentagon should focus on countering and deterring China and Russia, but the department’s $738-billion budget request for Fiscal Year 2020 suggests it intends to put money into other lesser priorities, the author of a major analysis of Pentagon spending told USNI News. Read More
U.S. Marine Forces Europe and Africa deputy director of communication Master Sgt. Chad E. McMeen uses a commercial-grade Quadcopter to capture aerial video footage of the USNS William R. Button on the pier in Rota, Spain, during the preparation phase of Trident Juncture 2015. US Army photo
THE PENTAGON – The Defense Department’s effort to connect sources of capital with small companies that need investment will begin with a focus on those that design and manufacture small unmanned aerial systems, the Pentagon’s acquisition chief told reporters today. Read More
An F-35B Lightning II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), prepares to land aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), while another F-35B Lightning II flies over on Dec. 4, 2018. US Marine Corps Photo
THE PENTAGON – Officials in Tokyo have requested Marines deploy F-35B fighters aboard Japan’s largest warships, a U.S. defense official confirmed to USNI News on Friday. Read More
