Navy Scours Budget To Build More Ships; SecNav Looks To WWII Carriers As Model For Future

Navy Scours Budget To Build More Ships; SecNav Looks To WWII Carriers As Model For Future
Navy Scours Budget To Build More Ships; SecNav Looks To WWII Carriers As Model For Future

In his first substantive public comments about the fleet since assuming the job in May, Kenneth Braithwaite talks about carrier cuts, pumping up shipbuilding budget, and promises from Defense secretary Esper

USS Vinson Flies F-35s & Quietly Readies For New Refueling Drone

USS Vinson Flies F-35s & Quietly Readies For New Refueling Drone
USS Vinson Flies F-35s & Quietly Readies For New Refueling Drone

Headlines have celebrated the carrier’s new F-35s — but the Navy also added upgrades to the Vinson for the MQ-25 refueling drone, which could be a game-changer for future ops.

Bonhomme Richard Fire Forces Tough Choices On Navy and DoD

Bonhomme Richard Fire Forces Tough Choices On Navy and DoD
Bonhomme Richard Fire Forces Tough Choices On Navy and DoD

Whether the ship can be repaired is a question Pentagon leaders will grapple with in coming weeks, along with discussions over the US presence in the Pacific, and the Navy’s modernization schedule.

West’s Nuke Carriers Slammed While China Signals Taiwan, Japan

West’s Nuke Carriers Slammed While China Signals Taiwan, Japan
West’s Nuke Carriers Slammed While China Signals Taiwan, Japan

Monday may have marked a turning point for how the Navy, and perhaps the Pentagon, is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, raising questions over how deeply it might cut into military operations and what toll it will take on military readiness and operations.

Marines Pound USS America’s Deck With F-35Bs: VIDEOS!

Marines Pound USS America’s Deck With F-35Bs: VIDEOS!
Marines Pound USS America’s Deck With F-35Bs: VIDEOS!

ABOARD THE USS AMERICA: Somewhere near San Diego on the Pacific Ocean, the Marines have been putting F-35Bs and their pilots through a series of qualifications and tests with an eye to better understanding just how the small-deck carriers, the F-35s, V-22s and combat-ready Marines can best function together. With a careful eye on both China and…

F-35B Weapons Bay Fire: No Fleet Or Unit Groundings

F-35B Weapons Bay Fire: No Fleet Or Unit Groundings
F-35B Weapons Bay Fire: No Fleet Or Unit Groundings

WASHINGTON: So far it looks like an isolated incident, but the Marines at Beaufort Marine Air Station report an F-35B was damaged by a fire in its weapons bay during a training flight. The Oct. 27 aircraft mishap, first reported by my colleague Hope Hodge Seck at Military.com, has been tentatively classified as Type A, meaning…

80,000 Tons Of Innovation: USNS Montford Point, The Navy’s New Mobile Landing Platform

We attended the christening last week of the newest US Navy ship, an 80,000 ton (fully laden) vessel that is not an aircraft carrier. Instead, the USNS Montford Point is the first of a new class of Navy ships, a Mobile Landing Platform, in essence a deployed port at sea. The ship, built at General…

The Coming Of The America Class: A Driver of Innovation

A christening of a ship of the line is rare. When it happens, thoughts of how that ship might be used, where it might operate and how it might make new naval history are part of the excitement. This was clearly evident at the Oct. 20 christening of the USS America, the fourth ship of…