Will US supply Australia with AUKUS subs? ‘That’s not going to happen,’ key US lawmaker says

Will US supply Australia with AUKUS subs? ‘That’s not going to happen,’ key US lawmaker says
Will US supply Australia with AUKUS subs? ‘That’s not going to happen,’ key US lawmaker says

The US should take the “next Virginia class that’s built, designate that to the Australian AOR, and [say] we’re going to dual-crew it with Australian sailors and US sailors,” Rep. Rob Wittman tells Breaking Defense.

AUKUS at 1 year: Aussie defense brief says Navy faces ‘high risks’ in modernization race

AUKUS at 1 year: Aussie defense brief says Navy faces ‘high risks’ in modernization race
AUKUS at 1 year: Aussie defense brief says Navy faces ‘high risks’ in modernization race

“The key strategic risk remains we might need the SSNs much earlier than the proposed schedule,” Neil James, executive director of the non-partisan watchdog, the Australia Defence Association, said.

Navy assessing LA sub fleet for possible life extensions

Navy assessing LA sub fleet for possible life extensions
Navy assessing LA sub fleet for possible life extensions

The fact the Navy can extend some of its submarine fleet’s life by several years is likely due in part to the time some of those boats have sat in docks awaiting maintenance.

Aussies to pick ‘mature’ nuke sub design; Is UK’s Astute class frontrunner?

Aussies to pick ‘mature’ nuke sub design; Is UK’s Astute class frontrunner?
Aussies to pick ‘mature’ nuke sub design; Is UK’s Astute class frontrunner?

Analyst Tim Walton thinks it’d be wise for Australia to field other, complementary undersea warfare capabilities such as “the Transformational Reliable Acoustic Path System and mobile sensors such as Wave Gliders with towed arrays to inexpensively monitor straits and ocean areas.”

Small RIMPAC Ends With Big Allied Missile Barrage

Small RIMPAC Ends With Big Allied Missile Barrage
Small RIMPAC Ends With Big Allied Missile Barrage

A video released by the Navy shows Harpoon ship-killing missiles launched by the Canadian frigate HMCS Regina and US destroyer USS Lake Erie tearing into the ship, along with a French-made Exocet missile fired by an offshore patrol vessel from Brunei.

Acting SecDef Shanahan’s First Message: “China, China, China.”

Acting SecDef Shanahan’s First Message: “China, China, China.”
Acting SecDef Shanahan’s First Message: “China, China, China.”

PENTAGON: In his first day on the job, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan gathered civilian leaders of the military services to deliver a simple message: “China, China, China.”

Navy To Begin Arming Subs With Ship-Killer Missile

Navy To Begin Arming Subs With Ship-Killer Missile
Navy To Begin Arming Subs With Ship-Killer Missile

It’s a major shift after decades in which submarines focused on projecting power ashore, with their only anti-ship weapons being their rarely-used torpedoes. Driving the change: increasing anxiety about China.

Three Attack Subs ‘Not Certified To Dive’; Navy F-35s at 15 Percent Readiness

Three Attack Subs ‘Not Certified To Dive’; Navy F-35s at 15 Percent Readiness
Three Attack Subs ‘Not Certified To Dive’; Navy F-35s at 15 Percent Readiness

CAPITOL HILL: Navy readiness is “heading in the wrong direction,” the Government Accountability Office told the Senate this morning, with only 15 percent of Navy F-35Cs rated “fully mission capable.” At the same hearing, a four-star admiral acknowledged three nuclear-powered attack submarines were still stuck awaiting overhaul, with the USS Boise expected to be out of action…

McCain Stands Against Trump’s OMB Pick

McCain Stands Against Trump’s OMB Pick
McCain Stands Against Trump’s OMB Pick

  UPDATED: Mulvaney Wins Confirmation Thursday By 2 Votes; McCain Only GOP to Vote No WASHINGTON: In a move that took some by surprise, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. John McCain, declared his opposition to President Trump’s pick to run the crucial Office of Management and Budget. McCain is the only…

Rep. Forbes On The Shrinking Sub Fleet: HASC Hearing Preview

Rep. Forbes On The Shrinking Sub Fleet: HASC Hearing Preview
Rep. Forbes On The Shrinking Sub Fleet: HASC Hearing Preview

[UPDATED]: WASHINGTON: Tomorrow is a big day for Navy submarines on Capitol Hill. A hearing of the House Armed Services seapower and projections forces subcommittee will focus on some of the knottiest issues in undersea warfare: – staying ahead of the Russians and Chinese. – getting extra funding for the Navy’s new ballistic missile submarine,…

Navy: USS Miami, RIP – Congress, Please Keep Buying Virginia Class Subs

[Updated 4:30 pm] WASHINGTON: The US Navy has decided to scrap the fire-ravaged USS Miami, whose repair bill from arson had soared to $700 million from $450 million. It’s the first time the Navy has written off a damaged sub since the USS Bonefish burned in 1988, and it brings the attack submarine force down to 54…

Early Estimate Pegs USS Miami Sub Fire Damage Up To $500 Million

UPDATED: Includes Info About Sub Deployment Skeds; Past Major Sub Fixes WASHINGTON: The Navy is telling Congress that the nuclear-powered USS Miami suffered $400 million to $500 million in damages from the impressive fire that injured seven and left the ship a smoldering mass at drydock. The estimate is being provided at congressional request and…