USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) in port in Tallinn, Estonia, on May 27, 2022. US Navy Photo
At least three U.S. warships are operating in the Baltic Sea ahead of two weeks of international drills in the region, according to U.S. 6th Fleet. Read More
Littoral combat ship USS Sioux City (LCS 11) transits the Suez Canal, May 29. U.S. Navy Photo
In a first for the class, a Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship is now operating in the Persian Gulf. Read More
Crewmembers attached to the Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Oregon (SSN-793) man the ship during a commissioning ceremony in Groton, Conn., on May 28, 2022. US Navy Photo
The second Virginia-class Block IV nuclear attack submarine commissioned in Connecticut on Saturday. Read More
Tom Cruise as Capt. Pete Mitchell filming Top Gun: Maverick. Paramount Photo
“Top Gun: Maverick” is a love letter to American naval aviation and comes as the Navy faces the toughest recruiting environment in a generation. Faced with a dwindling pool of potential sailors, the service could struggle to meet its Fiscal Year 2022 goal of bringing in 40,000 enlisted sailors and 3,800 officers into the sea service. But if history is any guide, the sequel to the naval aviation blockbuster might not do much to bring in new recruits. Read More
Route of Russian and Chinese bombers during an exercise near Japan and South Korea. Japanese MoD Photo
Four Chinese H-6 bombers and two Russian Tu-95 bombers conducted joint flights together on Tuesday around Japan and the Republic of Korea, prompting both countries to scramble fighter aircraft to monitor the flights. The joint flights took place the same day U.S. President Joe Biden was meeting his Australian, Indian and Japanese Quad grouping counterparts in Tokyo, though both the Russian and Chinese defense ministries stated that the flights were part of their annual military cooperation plan and not directed towards anyone. Read More
Danish land-based Harpoon launcher in 2002.
The Danish Armed Forces are sending long-range anti-ship missiles to Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters on Monday. The range of Denmark’s coastal defense Harpoons could put Russian ships at risk in the Northern Black Sea, a naval analyst told USNI News. Read More
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) departs Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) for a regularly scheduled deployment, May 20, 2022. US Navy Photo
A Chinese surveillance ship and a Russian surveillance ship made separate transits through Japan this week. Read More
USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) transits through the Danish Straits and enters the Baltic Sea on May 13, 2022. US Navy Photo
Swedish officials are requesting a larger U.S. naval presence in the Baltic Sea as part of the ongoing diplomatic push for Sweden and Finland to join NATO, two defense officials told USNI News on Thursday. Read More
USS Vicksburg (CG-69) getting repaired at BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair, Va., on April 8, 2022. Christopher P. Cavas Photo used with permission
A Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser the Navy wants to decommission next year is nearly finished with a modernization overhaul that costs hundreds of millions of dollars, a service official told lawmakers today. Read More
Sea Hunter sits pierside at Naval Base San Diego, Calif., during the Unmanned Surface Vessel Division (USDIV) One Establishment ceremony on May 13, 2022. US Navy Photo
NAVAL BASE SAN DIEGO, Calif. – A quartet of experimental unmanned surface vessels will set sail for Hawaii this summer for a test of a new unit focused on ramping up the Navy’s use of drones to bolster the surface fleet’s lethality. Read More
