How the surface fleet can meet the Chinese challenge

How the surface fleet can meet the Chinese challenge
How the surface fleet can meet the Chinese challenge

Long-range missiles, missile defenses, and robotic ships will be essential adjuncts to the big, expensive “Death Stars” that dominate the Navy budget, says Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute.

US 5th Fleet commander: ‘Dramatic uptick’ in Iran’s drone use

US 5th Fleet commander: ‘Dramatic uptick’ in Iran’s drone use
US 5th Fleet commander: ‘Dramatic uptick’ in Iran’s drone use

“What is different… is a dramatic uptick in the UAV activity in the region, both in terms of their capability, their profiles, and the density of activity,” Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said.

For unmanned vessels, Navy still working out maintenance strategy

For unmanned vessels, Navy still working out maintenance strategy
For unmanned vessels, Navy still working out maintenance strategy

Sensors could provide a solution, but before that the Navy must defend its unmanned ambitions before skeptical lawmakers.

Top Lawmaker: Army Budget Needs ‘Not Even Close’ to Navy, Air Force

Top Lawmaker: Army Budget Needs ‘Not Even Close’ to Navy, Air Force
Top Lawmaker: Army Budget Needs ‘Not Even Close’ to Navy, Air Force

Rep. Joe Courtney’s comments on on the heels of other lawmakers and military officials pushing for the Navy to get a larger slice of the 2022 defense budget

Navy’s New Unmanned Plan Short on Specifics, But Big On Ambition

Navy’s New Unmanned Plan Short on Specifics, But Big On Ambition
Navy’s New Unmanned Plan Short on Specifics, But Big On Ambition

“There is an underlying commitment to move as fast as you can… because the pacing threat is constantly moving and accelerating,” said Lt. Gen. Eric Smith, commander of Marine Corps Combat Development Command.

Esper Echoes Reagan Buildup, Calls For Billions More For Ships

Esper Echoes Reagan Buildup, Calls For Billions More For Ships
Esper Echoes Reagan Buildup, Calls For Billions More For Ships

The SecDef wants more money for the Navy’s shipbuilding account, and one way to get it is to dip into an existing account, a powerful Congressman says.

Navy Awards Study Contracts On Large Unmanned Ship – As Congress Watches Closely

Navy Awards Study Contracts On Large Unmanned Ship – As Congress Watches Closely
Navy Awards Study Contracts On Large Unmanned Ship – As Congress Watches Closely

Today’s deals for designs — Large Unmanned Surface Vessels displacing 2-3,000 tons — reflect the ‘take it slow’ approach being forced on the service.

Navy Wants Robot Boats But Will Still Need Sailors To Fix Them

Navy Wants Robot Boats But Will Still Need Sailors To Fix Them
Navy Wants Robot Boats But Will Still Need Sailors To Fix Them

“We need to find a balance of vehicle designs that enables the cost to be cheap enough that we can afford them, but it’s not so highly optimized towards the purely unmanned spectrum that it’s cost prohibitive to maintain them.”

The Spectacular & Public Collapse of Navy Force Planning

The Spectacular & Public Collapse of Navy Force Planning
The Spectacular & Public Collapse of Navy Force Planning

Planning for a 21st century Navy of unmanned vessels, distributed operations, and great power competition has collapsed. Trapped by a 355-ship force goal, a reduced budget, and a fixed counting methodology, the Navy can’t find a feasible solution to the difficult question of how its forces should be structured. As a result, the Navy postponed…

Navy Debates 355 Fleet; But Armed Robo-Ships Are Still Years Away

Navy Debates 355 Fleet; But Armed Robo-Ships Are Still Years Away
Navy Debates 355 Fleet; But Armed Robo-Ships Are Still Years Away

The admiral in charge of building the future fleet says while he doesn’t know how many ships the Navy needs, he’s certain it will look vastly different from today’s fleet.

Pentagon, Navy, In Dark About Trump’s USS Truman Decision

Pentagon, Navy, In Dark About Trump’s USS Truman Decision
Pentagon, Navy, In Dark About Trump’s USS Truman Decision

The Defense Secretary was given a last-minute heads-up about the White House’s demand to keep the USS Harry S. Truman afloat, and the Navy scrambled Wednesday morning to change its message to Congress.

232 Unmanned Ships May Be Key To Countering China, Russia

232 Unmanned Ships May Be Key To Countering China, Russia
232 Unmanned Ships May Be Key To Countering China, Russia

WASHINGTON: The Navy is scrambling to write its new acquisition and operational playbook on the fly, a decision based as much on what US rivals are doing as it is on what the service hasn’t done in recent decades. The construction and innovation booms being undertaken by the Chinese — and to a lesser extent…

Robot Wolfpacks: The Faster, Cheaper 355-Ship Fleet

Robot Wolfpacks: The Faster, Cheaper 355-Ship Fleet
Robot Wolfpacks: The Faster, Cheaper 355-Ship Fleet

Smaller unmanned vessels will act as expendable scouts and decoys, larger ones — over 50 meters — will carry masses of missiles, while manned ships will carry both the largest systems and the human beings essential for rapid adaptation in combat.

‘Be Ready To Fight Now’: Top Admiral On Russia & China

‘Be Ready To Fight Now’: Top Admiral On Russia & China
‘Be Ready To Fight Now’: Top Admiral On Russia & China

“The Battle of Guadalcanal was a brutal campaign, but shows us what the next fight could be like,” Vice Adm. Brown said. “Usually, the CO (skipper), XO (executive officer) and senior officers – even admirals – were killed immediately – but what happened?”