Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin meets with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila, July 29, 2021. DoD Photo
MANILA – The Duterte administration has re-committed to the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) basing deal that would let U.S. forces operate from the Philippines after a meeting with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Read More
Federal firefighters assess damage in the hangar bay aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) on July 15, 2020. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated with additional details of the sailor accused of starting the fire aboard the former Bonhomme Richard (LHA-6).
The Navy has filed charges against a sailor for allegedly deliberately starting a fire last year that quickly spread and consumed much of the interior of amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6), the service announced Thursday. Read More
Sailors assigned to Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron (MSRON) 11 sail through San Diego Bay aboard 34-foot Sea Ark patrol boat as part of sea trials during Maritime Expeditionary Security Group (MESG) 1’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) on July 20, 2021. US Navy Photo
The House Armed Services Committee readiness subcommittee wants to make sure the independent report on the health of the Navy’s fleet continues in perpetuity.
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USVs Ranger and Nomad unmanned vessels underway in the Pacific Ocean near the Channel Islands on July 3, 2021. US Navy Photo
The pair of Ghost Fleet ships the Navy and the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office are using as testbeds to prove large autonomous vessels can operate effectively at sea are slowly moving toward completely unmanned operations. Read More
A Chinese amphibious armored vehicle loaded aboard the car ferry Bang Chui Dao in 2020. CCTV image via The James Town FoundationChinese Navy Converting Commercial Car Ferries to Launching Amphibious Landing Craft
When a Chinese ferry joined the People’s Liberation Army Navy for an amphibious landing exercise in July 2020, observers noticed something different. Read More
Royal Malaysian Navy Frigate KD Lekiu (FFG30) sailing with Royal Navy Carrier Queen Elizabeth (RO8) and Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS Evertsen (F805) during the Passex exercise in the Malacca Strait on July 25, 2021. Malaysian Royal Navy Photo
KUALA LUMPUR — The Queen Elizabeth Carrier Strike Group is making its way into the South China Sea with some ships already there ahead of carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08). The strike group has partially disaggregated into different elements following the conclusion of Exercise Konkan with the Indian Navy, held from 21 to 22 July in the Bay of Bengal. Read More
A firefighter working on the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) fire on July 15, 2020. US Navy Photo
THE PENTAGON – Lessons from the fire that took out a 40,000-ton U.S. warship are trickling out into the fleet a year after the blaze, the head of U.S. Naval Surface Force told reporters this week. Read More
USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118) at Bath Iron Works
THE PENTAGON – The Senate Armed Services Committee Fiscal Year 2022 authorization bill adds an additional destroyer, a Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport and five more F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters for the Navy, according to a summary of the markup issued on Thursday by the SASC. Read More
IRINS Makran passes through the Great Belt strait in Denmark en route to the Baltic Sea on July 22, 2021. Photo by @shipoholic used with permission
This post has been updated with additional information from the Danish Armed Forces.
Iran’s largest warship is now in the Baltic Sea – a first for the Iranian Navy – according to photos from ship spotters provided to USNI News. Read More
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark Milley speak during a press conference held in the Pentagon Press Briefing Room, Washington, D.C., July 21, 2021. DoD Photo
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will travel to Southeast Asia later this week, as China increased protests of U.S. military operations in the Western Pacific and enflamed territorial disputes with nations bordering the South China Sea.
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