The following is the Congressional Research Service March 5, 2020 report, COVID-19: Global Implications and Responses. Read More
Top Stories
CNO, Commandant Asking for Fleet Wholeness Amid Pause in Future Force Structure Planning
USS America (LHA-6) sails in the Gulf of Thailand in support of Exercise Cobra Gold 2020 on March 1, 2020. US Navy Photo
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Navy and Marine Corps are caught in a battle with Pentagon leadership over the right force size to aim for and how quickly to try to get there, but the top officers in the sea services insist that everyone is on the same page about maintaining wholeness and readiness as the service grows. Read More
NATO’s Mediterranean Maritime Group Mission More Than Tracking Russian Subs
Italian frigate ITS Carabiniere (F 593), flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2), prepares to push into the Mediterranean Sea during Exercise Dynamic Manta 2020. NATO Photo
ABOARD ITS CARABINIERE, IN THE IONIAN SEA – The Mediterranean Sea has a host of security challenges: Russian submarine activity in the Eastern Med, instability in Syria and Libya, as well as the flow of migrants and illicit traffic throughout the region. Read More
CNO Gilday Defends 36-Month Carrier Cycle, Says Navy Has Never Missed a Deployment
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday meets with Sailors during his visit to Naval Expeditionary Intelligence Command. US Navy Photo
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The chief of naval operations defended the Navy’s force-generation model, saying that it could be tweaked to change the balance of deployed forces versus those ready to surge if needed – but the 36-month maintenance, training and deployment cycle fundamentally works. Read More
Coronavirus Concerns Prompt PACFLEET to Impose 14-Day Gap Between Port Visits
USS Russell (DDG-59), left, and USS Rafael Peralta (DDG-115) transit the Pacific Ocean Jan. 25, 2020. US Navy Photo
The U.S. Pacific Fleet has ordered all ships and afloat units in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility to remain at sea for 14 days between port visits, a quarantining restriction intended to limit transmission and exposure to the coronavirus, a Navy official said Thursday. Read More
SECDEF Esper Faced Bipartisan Criticism Over ‘Anemic’ Shipbuilding Plan
Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper is briefed on USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) advanced weapons elevators (AWE) by Capt. John J. Cummings, Ford’s commanding officer. Navy photo
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper faced sustained bipartisan criticism from the House Armed Services Committee over the Pentagon’s proposed shipbuilding plan during a Wednesday hearing on the Fiscal Year 2021 Pentagon budget.
SECDEF Esper Holds Back 30-Year Shipbuilding Outlook, New 355-Ship Plan Ahead of HASC Testimony
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper delivers a speech to students and faculty of the U.S. Naval War College on Aug. 27, 2019. US Navy Photo
Release of the Navy’s long-range shipbuilding plan and service’s plan to grow to at least 355 ships is on indefinite hold on orders from Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, USNI News has learned. Read More
Navy Steps Up Coronavirus Screenings for Pacific-Deployed Personnel, Dependents And Visitors
This illustration of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). CDC illustration
With U.S. Navy fleet concentration centers located in Pacific countries reporting outbreaks of the coronavirus, the service has started screening personnel, dependents and base visitors for the disease.
Schultz: Cutter Funding Welcomed But More Investments Needed to Sustain Coast Guard
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz delivers the 2020 State of the Coast Guard Address in Charleston, S.C., Feb. 20, 2020. Coast Guard Photo
While the Coast Guard Fiscal Year 2021 budget funded two important cutters programs, the service’s top official said more investment is needed to support the demanding daily operations at sea and at home. That includes closing the growing backlog of infrastructure repairs and updating failing information technology and communications systems. Read More
Navy Researching New Class of Medium Amphibious Ship, New Logistics Ships
A stern landing design concept. Sea Transport Solutions Image
The Navy’s research and development portfolio will devote $30 million to a “next-generation medium amphibious ship design” that will likely be based on an Australian designer’s stern landing vessel. Read More
