Tag Archives: National Defense Strategy

CMC Berger Wants to Retool Kit for Leaner, Lethal Marine Corps

CMC Berger Wants to Retool Kit for Leaner, Lethal Marine Corps

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Gen. David H. Berger addresses an audience of senior enlisted Marines and Sailors about Force Design at the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Symposium in Quantico, Va. on Oct. 17, 2019. US Marine Corps Photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger previewed a shift in focus for the Marine Corps soon after taking over the job this summer, with his Commandant’s Planning Guidance. Now, he’s previewing what that shift will mean for the gear the Marines use and how they spend their money, writing in an essay in War on the Rocks that the service is over-invested in gear to support traditional land wars and under-invested in naval expeditionary capabilities. Read More →

Navy Prefers Fielding 'Revolutionary' Combat Capability Through New Weapons Rather than New Hull Designs

Navy Prefers Fielding ‘Revolutionary’ Combat Capability Through New Weapons Rather than New Hull Designs

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Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) pulls along pierside in Naval Base San Diego, Dec. 7, 2018. US Navy Photo

SAN DIEGO – The Navy is striving to field “revolutionary combat capability” in new ships and through mid-life modernizations, but it can do so while keeping risk low by focusing on new weapons and systems rather than radical new hull designs, the program executive officer for ships said. Read More →

Mark Esper Sworn In as Next Defense Secretary

Mark Esper Sworn In as Next Defense Secretary

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Mark T. Esper answers questions from members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., July 16, 2019. US Army Photo

This post was updated with additional information from the Pentagon.

Army Secretary Mark Esper has been confirmed to serve as the next secretary of defense in a 90-8 vote in the Senate on Tuesday. He was sworn in during an Oval Office ceremony on Tuesday evening. Read More →

New Commandant Berger Sheds 38-Amphib Requirement in Quest to Modernize USMC for High-End Fight

New Commandant Berger Sheds 38-Amphib Requirement in Quest to Modernize USMC for High-End Fight

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U.S. Marine Corps AAV-P7/A1 assault amphibious vehicles assigned to Combat Assault Company, 3rd Marine Regiment, unload service members during an amphibious landing demonstration as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise at Pyramid Rock Beach on Marine Corps Base Hawaii July 29, 2018. US Marine Corps photo.

New Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger outlined his largely naval priorities for the Marine Corps, and he’s willing to shed some key tenets of the Marines’ amphibious force planning in recent years – including the demand for 38 amphibious warships to support a 2 Marine Expeditionary Brigade-sized forcible entry force. Read More →

SECDEF Nominee Esper Commits to High-End Direction for Pentagon

SECDEF Nominee Esper Commits to High-End Direction for Pentagon

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U.S. Secretary of the Army Dr. Mark T. Esper enters the room before his confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., July 16, 2019. Esper was nominated for Secretary of Defense by President Donald J. Trump on July 15, 2019. (DoD photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith)

CAPITOL HILL – Maintaining a technological edge, improving the lives of military families and continuing to present potential adversaries with an assured strong U.S. response to hostile acts would be among Secretary of the Army Mark Esper’s priorities if the Senate approves his nomination to lead the Department of Defense.

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Berger: Marine Corps May Have to Shrink to Afford Modernization, Readiness Goals

Berger: Marine Corps May Have to Shrink to Afford Modernization, Readiness Goals

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U.S. Marines with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, currently attached to 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, conduct morning accountability before dawn on April 5, 2019 during Exercise Balikatan at the Navy Education Training Command, Philippines. US Marine Corps Photo

CAPITOL HILL – The next commandant may need to reduce the size of the Marine Corps and focus on a smaller number of priority missions, to ensure that the service can stay ready to meet its requirements under the National Defense Strategy in a resource-constrained budget. Read More →

Next Chief of Naval Operations Will Lead a Navy Facing Readiness, Personnel, Technology Challenges

Next Chief of Naval Operations Will Lead a Navy Facing Readiness, Personnel, Technology Challenges

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Adm. Bill Moran, the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, speaks with sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73). US Navy Photo

When Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson took charge of the Navy in 2015, the service was still largely a support element for the larger U.S. effort in the Middle East. When Richardson leaves this summer, his successor will be at the helm of a service that is being grown and reshaped into a key role for the U.S. military’s drive toward high-end warfare in a new era of great power competition. Read More →

New Defense Strategy, Commitment to Readiness Drove Major Shifts in Navy Budget

New Defense Strategy, Commitment to Readiness Drove Major Shifts in Navy Budget

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Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group participates in a strait exercise in the Atlantic Ocean on April 7, 2019. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – The Navy’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget request includes tectonic shifts in how the Navy does business – swapping a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier for unmanned surface vehicles and other technologies – and it comes even as the service is reevaluating what sized fleet and what mix of ships the Navy needs to meet future challenges. Read More →

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