Collins-class attack boats HMAS Dechaineux leads HMAS Waller and HMAS Sheean in formation in Cockburn Sound, near Rockingham Western Australia in 2013. RAN Photo
New submarines, frigates and offshore patrol vessels will be at the top of Australia’s list to modernize its military capabilities, its former defense minister told the Heritage Foundation on Tuesday. Read More
Sailors aboard the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS 3) prepare to launch an MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aircraft system from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35 on Aug. 16, 2015. US Navy photo.
The Navy’s summer series of bilateral exercises in the Pacific gave the Littoral Combat Ship USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) a chance to demonstrate emerging capabilities of the new platform, using its rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the first time in an operational context. Read More
Vice Adm. Robert Thomas, commander of U.S. 7th Fleet, delivers remarks during a change of command ceremony aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73). US Navy Photo
The head of U.S. naval forces in the Western Pacific said the U.S. would support an emerging plan to create multi-national patrols in the South China Sea that could bear similarities to anti-piracy patrols in the Strait of Malacca. Read More
Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, walks with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Cmdr. Kazutaka Sugimoto on Feb. 6, 2015. US Navy Photo
The incoming U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) commander, Adm. Harry B. Harris, testified before Congress late last year that “China’s rise as a regional military and global economic power, and in particular, its rapid military modernization and assertive behavior toward regional neighbors present opportunities and challenges that must be managed effectively. This is our most enduring challenge.” Read More
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works of Kobe Harbor in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture, Japan in 2006. via Wikipedia
The recent relaxation of Tokyo’s ban on arms exports has introduced Japan as a budding player in the international arms market. The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has given the go-ahead for Japanese firms to compete internationally for arms contracts. Read More
Sailor stands watch on the bridge wing of the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) on Jan. 3, 2014. US Navy Photo
The Navy’s forward deployed Littoral Combat Ship USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) has joined in the search for the missing Air Asia Flight QZ8501, the service announced on Sunday. Read More
USS Sampson (DDG-102) and an MH-60S Sea Hawk in 2010. US Navy Photo
The crew from USS Sampson (DDG-102) has recovered several bodies from the Air Asia Flight QZ8501 and delivered them to Indonesia, according to a Friday report in the Associated Press. Read More
USS Sampson (DDG-102) arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam on Nov. 6, 2014. US Navy Photo
The guided missile destroyer the U.S. sent to help search for a missing Air Asia flight has discovered debris from the plane, according to the service. Read More
USS Sampson (DDG 102) gets underway. Sampson leaves Singapore after a scheduled port visit on Dec. 29, 2014. US Navy Photo
The headline of this post was updated to reflect USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) is being prepared to travel to the search area for the missing Air Asia flight. As of this update, the ship is still docked in Singapore.
Responding to a request from the Indonesian government, the U.S. sent guided missile destroyer USS Sampson (DDG-102) to help in search for the missing Air Asia Flight QZ8501 and has prepped a black box detector for the effort, Navy officials told USNI News on Tuesday. Read More
