Fix Readiness First, Shipbuilding Second: Navy To Trump

Fix Readiness First, Shipbuilding Second: Navy To Trump
Fix Readiness First, Shipbuilding Second: Navy To Trump

WASHINGTON: Sure, the Navy needs more ships, but first and most urgently, it needs to fix the ships it already has. That’s what Navy leaders are telling Donald Trump. “When the transition team came around to all of us in the building and asked us what we could do with more money right now, the…

Navy Seeks Rail Guns, Lasers, Cruise Missiles To Improve Pacific Firepower

Navy Seeks Rail Guns, Lasers, Cruise Missiles To Improve Pacific Firepower
Navy Seeks Rail Guns, Lasers, Cruise Missiles To Improve Pacific Firepower

CRYSTAL CITY: “I’ve never wanted to enter any tactical scenario where all I had is a defensive capability. It’s a losing proposition,” said the chief of Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel Locklear. “You will defend yourself until you’re dead.” That was the PACOM commander’s blunt and public response when I asked him about the chronic imbalance between…

Littoral Combat Ship Cut Plan Reopens Navy Rift: Build ‘Em Fast Or Rugged

Littoral Combat Ship Cut Plan Reopens Navy Rift: Build ‘Em Fast Or Rugged
Littoral Combat Ship Cut Plan Reopens Navy Rift: Build ‘Em Fast Or Rugged

CRYSTAL CITY: The Littoral Combat Ship was supposed to be one of the fastest things in the fleet, but it seems like the skeptics – and the sequester – have caught up with it. The question is, what’s next? After a Pentagon memo  recommended slashing the program by more than a third — from 52 ships to…

House GOP Defense Heavies Slam China After Hypersonic Missile Test

House GOP Defense Heavies Slam China After Hypersonic Missile Test
House GOP Defense Heavies Slam China After Hypersonic Missile Test

CAPITOL HILL: Sometimes it can seem as if one lives on several different planets at the same time while living here in Washington. This afternoon saw three top GOP lawmakers decrying China after it apparently tested (we don’t know if the test was successful) a hypersonic vehicle. This evening, the Navy announced it is beefing…