U.S. Army Paratroopers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, deploy from Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina, Jan. 1, 2020. U.S. Army photo
THE PENTAGON – After sending Marines from Kuwait to beef up security at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said a battalion of Army paratroopers will now serve as the regional quick-response force, a role previously filled by the Marines. Read More
Undated photo of Russian AGI Viktor Leonov.
This post is part of a series of review stories looking back at the top naval news from 2019.
The U.S. Navy pushed its interoperability with foreign allies and partner nations in 2019 to counter increased naval activity by Russia and China.
China and Russia, though, did not sit still during the year. Each nation’s navy took great strides in attempting to bolster their fleets. The work to increase capabilities, though, was not smooth, as Russia’s and China’s military planners faced technical challenges and developed new strategies. Read More
Undated photo of IRGCN fast attack boat.
The U.S. “maximum pressure” campaign to stop Tehran’s meddling in its neighbors’ affairs, scale back its missile programs and comply with a nuclear weapons agreement has instead exposed America’s regional partners to Iran’s military reach, a panel of regional agreed on Thursday. Read More
USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) transits the Strait of Hormuz on May 7, 2019. US Navy Photo
The Navy pays a steep price keeping an aircraft carrier with escorts on station to deter attacks on oil tanker traffic operating in and around the Persian Gulf as part of the United States’ “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, according to a new report. The ongoing carrier operations in the region are not only pricey for the U.S. Navy but also creates the potential to disrupt energy markets if a confrontation escalates. Read More
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) transits the Strait of Hormuz as an MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter from the Nightdippers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 lifts off from the flight deck on Nov. 19, 2019. US Navy Photo
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) moved into the Persian Gulf for the first time since since it was scrambled to the Middle East in May, even as its replacement, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is back at sea with its air wing in final preparation to deploy after an electrical failure. Read More
USS Mason (DDG-87) moors pierside at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Mason, USS Bainbridge (DDG-96), and USS Nitze (DDG 94), returned to their homeport of Naval Station Norfolk, Va. on Nov. 5, 2019. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated to clarify the Navy cannot immediately deploy an aircraft from the East Coast to replace Lincoln.
Three guided-missile destroyers escorts returned to their Norfolk, Va. homeport on Wednesday while their carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), remains on station just outside the Persian Gulf, a Navy official confirmed to USNI News on Thursday. Read More
An MH-60S Knight Hawk helicopter attached to the Nightdippers of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 flies by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) during a search and rescue training exercise on Oct. 13, 2019. US Navy Photo
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Lincoln Carrier Strike Group will remain on station in the Middle East while its relief carrier is still undergoing unexpected repairs on the East Coast, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Robert Burke said. Read More
The following is the Oct. 22, 2019 Congressional Research Service report, Iran: Internal Politics and U.S. Policy and Options. Read More
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) transits the Arabian Sea on Sept. 22, 2019. US Navy Photo
THE PENTAGON – Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has not extended the deployment of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group even in the midst of what the Pentagon described as a buildup of forces in Saudi Arabia to defend U.S. forces and interests against Iranian aggression, a Defense Department spokesman told USNI News. Read More
The following is the Oct. 9, 2019 Congressional Research Service report, Iran’s Nuclear Program: Status. Read More
