Launch of guided-missle destroyer Delbert Black (DDG-119). HII Photo
Chances are the Navy’s leaders of a proposed 355-ship fleet have not even finished high school yet, according to Pentagon estimates. Read More
House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) traveled to Europe in mid-April with several members of Congress to visit troops stationed overseas and to meet with our allies in the region. Among other stops, he met with Maj. Gen. Niel Nelson, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, right. Photo courtesy Thornberry’s official Facebook page.
ARLINGTON, Va. — Expect Congress to consider reversing the nearly five-year policy of limiting Department of Defense spending, and either amend or repeal the 2011 Budget Control Act soon, the chair of the House Armed Services Committee said on Wednesday. Read More
The Virginia-class attack submarine Pre-commissioning unit John Warner (SSN 785) is moved to Newport News Shipbuilding’s floating dry dock on Sept. 1, 2014. Huntington Ingalls Industries photo.
The Navy has confirmed that its submarine industrial base can continue building two Virginia-class attack submarines a year even while adding the Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine to its workload, giving a key congressman confidence in the House’s plan to boost submarine procurement in the coming years. Read More
Littoral Combat Ships USS Freedom (LCS-1) and USS Coronado (LCS-4) sit at the pier at Naval Station San Diego on Feb. 17, 2016. USNI News photo.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this post incorrectly stated where a nuclear reactor the Trump administration delayed to free up funds for a second Littoral Combat Ship would be used. The reactor will be installed as part of a yet to be determined carrier overhaul, not on USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74).
The Trump administration is pushing back the purchase of a reactor core for a future carrier overhaul carrier, savings on amphibious ship modernization and deferring a radar for a destroyer upgrade to pay about $500 million for second Littoral Combat Ship hull in the second budget. Read More
The House Armed Services Committee passed its annual defense bill on Thursday after a 14-hour markup, sending the bill to the full House of Representatives with no major changes to its recommended procurement profile.
Though few amendments that passed directly affect Navy and Marine Corps programs, several that failed or were withdrawn sparked serious debates about how the Navy ought to address pressing issues of the day: hypoxia concerns in the Navy’s fighter fleet, how to transition from the Littoral Combat Ship, industry’s ability to upgrade to the Flight III guided-missile destroyer design and more. Read More
Four F-35B Lightning II aircraft perform a flyover above the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) on Nov. 20, 2016. US Navy Photo
The Senate Armed Services Committee version of the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act piles on more ships and aircraft over the Pentagon’s request in a plan that spends more than $20 billion above the Trump administration’s request, according to an executive summary of the legislation that the SASC issued on Wednesday night. Read More
The guided-missile destroyers USS Russel (DDG 59), USS Chung Hoon (DDG 93) and the guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) follow the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) during a show of force transit on Aug. 11, 2015. US Navy photo.
The House Armed Services Committee’s annual defense bill expresses lawmakers’ national security priorities through not only spending decisions but also through hundreds of pages of policies, “sense of Congress” statements and requests for more information.
The Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act being considered this week highlights this year’s emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region, on boosting offensive and defensive aviation capabilities to a next-generation level, and ensuring the Navy is ready to maintain and operate the fleet while preparing for tomorrow’s potential battles. Read More
The aft mast lands on the future amphibious transport dock Portland (LPD-27) in August 2015. Huntington Ingalls Industries photo.
The House Armed Services Committee released its Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act language this evening, in a bill that spends billions more than the Navy had asked for on five additional ships and more than two dozen additional aircraft. Read More
Two U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron 31 fly a combat patrol over Afghanistan on Dec. 15, 2008. US Air Force Photo
The House Appropriations defense subcommittee is considering a bill today that would provide $584.2 billion in defense base budget spending and would give the Navy additional ships and aircraft beyond its request. Read More
House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) traveled to Europe in mid-April with several members of Congress to visit troops stationed overseas and to meet with our allies in the region. Among other stops, he met with Maj. Gen. Niel Nelson, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, right. Photo courtesy Thornberry’s official Facebook page.
The House’s 2018 defense bill is likely to go far beyond the Pentagon’s spending request, with House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) telling reporters he wants to see a $640-billion top line for the base budget that would largely include items in the services’ unfunded priorities lists. Read More
