USNI News Graphic
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of May 24, 2021, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship. Read More
Ships from the U.S. Navy’s Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (IWOARG), the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group and the French and Norwegian navies transit the Atlantic Ocean in formation during a photo exercise on May 17, 2021. US Navy Photo
NATO’s Steadfast Defender 2021 exercise is helping participating countries return to “a deterrence mindset,” as Russia continues a military buildup and increases its aggression, according to a Navy admiral. Read More
HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) visits Western Scotland for the first time on March 20, 2021. Royal Navy Photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.K. plans to have a greater British presence in the Indo-Pacific region, as it adheres to a recent security assessment that calls for a pivot to Asia, the top admiral in the Royal Navy said on Wednesday. Read More
F-35B Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 21 The ‘Wake Island Avengers’ conducts carrier qualifications in an F-35B Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II aboard Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Queen Elizabeth at sea off the coast of the United Kingdom (UK) on May 2, 2021. US Marine Corps Photo
The Marine fighter squadron that will be part of the largest F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter deployment to date landed aboard the U.K. Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) on Sunday, the U.S. Marine Corps announced. Read More
Marine F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 13 line the apron at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, April 26, 2021. US Air Force Photo
When the “Wake Island Avengers” of U.S. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 land on the United Kingdom’s aircraft carrier, it will mark the largest-ever deployment of F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters in the history of the program. Read More
A U.K. F-35B Lightning II on the Flight Deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth on Nov. 6, 2019. UK Royal Navy Photo
The U.K. Ministry of Defense is thinking beyond its own pair of carriers in how it might use its future 48 F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters around the world, U.K. Armed Forces minister James Heappey told reporters on Monday. Read More
HMS Queen Elizabeth leads a flotilla of destroyers and frigates from the U.K., U.S. and the Netherlands, together with two Royal Fleet Auxiliaries on May 10, 2020. Royal Navy Photo
The Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) is set to drill with Japanese maritime forces in the Pacific during its maiden deployment this spring, the U.K. Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday. Read More
A U.K. F-35B Lightning II on the Flight Deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth on Nov. 6, 2019. UK Royal Navy Photo
The U.S. and U.K. defense secretaries formally signed an agreement outlining their joint participation in the Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group deployment this spring. Read More
HMS Queen Elizabeth R08 arriving back in Portsmouth July 2, 2020 after a period at sea conducting Operational Sea Training. UK Royal Navy Photo
The U.K. Royal Navy’s first carrier strike group in 38 years has reached Initial Operating Capability (IOC) ahead of its first operational deployment later this year, the U.K. government announced today. Read More
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Austin McBain, a fire support specialist with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) Information Group, monitors a radio during exercise Summer Fury 20 in Yuma, Ariz., on July 14, 2020. US Marine Corps Photo
This post is part of a series of stories looking back at the top naval news from 2020.
2020 was a turning-point year for the Marine Corps. After previewing changes to come in his Commandant’s Planning Guidance released last year, Commandant Gen. David Berger released a Force Design 2030 document this year outlining major changes in how the service would operate and equip itself. No longer would the Marine Corps be a service schlepping around tanks for sustained ground operations; rather, it would be light and mobile, using small ships to maneuver around islands and shorelines to attack an adversary from all angles and challenge their ability to track and target the small and on-the-move units. Read More
