As AUKUS looms, US Navy sub leaders sound alarms at home
“We are in our most dangerous decade right now with the geopolitical threats we face,” said Vice Adm. Bill Houston, commander of submarine forces.
Navy ‘scoping study’ to examine shipyard capacity, potential for a new yard
"What is our true capability and capacity?" Rear Adm. Jonathan Rucker said. "If we make the assumption that we're never going to get better, the answer is we don't have enough [shipyards]. But we're doing a lot of stuff" to improve the service's infrastructure in the meantime.
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Threat warning and survivability in the modern battlespace
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Navy plans to seek block buy for next five Columbia-class subs
A five-sub buy would have the potential to save billions in taxpayer dollars if executed well.
Navy orders safety stand down after finding sub leaders ‘fell short’ of navigation standards
A top Navy submariner said the safety investigation into the Connecticut incident is nearing completion.
Departing Navy Secretary Pushes For New Pacific Fleet Vs. China
Ousted SecDef Esper liked the idea, but Navy Sec. Braithwaite - with just two months left in office -- hasn't spoken about it with the new Acting Secretary before rolling the idea out today.
Navy Rushes To Check Contractors After Submarine ‘Debacle’
The 12-hull, $128 billion Columbia class program is the Navy’s cornerstone project not only for a new class of submarines, but also for the United States’ nuclear triad, which relies on a mix of air, land, and sea-launched nuclear missiles.
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Submarine Maintenance Backlog Threatens Crisis Response: Admiral
CRYSTAL CITY: The good news? The US submarine fleet is meeting day-to-day demands around the world, without having to do the extra-long deployments that have ground down surface ships and sailors. The bad news? A massive maintenance backlog that could idle 15 submarines for months – costing an estimated seven to 15 years of time […]
Frigate RFP Pioneers New Shipbuilding Approach
CRYSTAL CITY: When the Navy publishes its Request For Proposals to design a new frigate, probably today, there should be no surprises for industry. That’s by, well, design. In stark contrast to the predecessor program, the Littoral Combat Ship, where the Navy changed key specs midway through construction at great expense, the frigate is a […]
15 Subs Kept Out of Service: 177 Months Of Drydock Backups
WASHINGTON: A massive maintenance backlog has idled 15 nuclear-powered attack submarines for a total of 177 months, and the Navy’s plan to mitigate the problem is jeopardized by budget gridlock, two House Armed Services Committee staffers told Breaking Defense. That is almost 15 submarine-years, the equivalent of taking a boat from the 2018 budget […]
Spending Bill Delay Would Trip Up Nuclear Missile Sub: CR Vs. ORP
CRYSTAL CITY: If Congress doesn’t pass the annual defense spending bill — already 26 days overdue — by January 1st, the Navy’s top priority program may miss its sailing date 14 years from now. The Ohio Replacement SSBN submarine, which will carry 70 percent of American nuclear warheads, “will come to almost a screeching halt” without […]
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Next-generation KC-390 Millennium expands multimission options for air forces
The jet-powered transport’s speed, survivability and multi-mission agility position it as a viable option to the C-130 for the US and NATO allies.
Run Silent, Run Scared: ‘A Crucial Year’ For Navy’s New Nuke Sub
FAIRFAX, VA: “No one should be sleeping comfortably at night,” Rear Adm. Dave Johnson warned Navy submariners and contractors today. For the fleet’s top priority program, the replacement for the aging Ohio-class nuclear missile submarine, fiscal 2015 “is a crucial year,” the Program Executive Officer for all submarine programs said this morning. “If we in this […]
Set Cyber Zebra: Navy Shipboard Cybersecurity
FALLS CHURCH, VA: Sure, everyone’s sick of the word “cybersecurity” and endless discussion of “attacks,” Vice Adm. William Hilarides said today, making prominent air quotes with his fingers. Navy submariners in particular, safe beneath the waves, tend to think of cyber as someone else’s problem — but “not so fast,” he told the annual Naval […]
Run Silent, Go Deep: Drone-Launching Subs To Be Navy’s ‘Wide Receivers’
WASHINGTON: This Saturday the Navy will christen its newest nuclear-powered submarine, the $2.6 billion USS Minnesota at the Newport News shipyard in Virginia. Countless movies have cemented the popular image of subs as stealthy underwater killers, stalking hapless surface vessels with periscope and torpedo. But today’s Navy is experimenting with launching robotic mini-subs and even […]
Nuclear Navy Frets Over Panetta’s Concessions To New Zealand
WASHINGTON: As the administration courts New Zealand’s support for its new Pacific strategy, at least some submariners are uneasy that the US might make too many concessions at the expense of the nuclear navy. “The SecDef for some reason became fascinated with New Zealand,” said Rear Adm. Robert Thomas, noting the country’s contributions in Afghanistan […]