The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) established the 601st Unmanned Aerial System Squadron on March 4, 2021, operating the Boeing Insitu ScanEagle UAS from its base at Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. It is the RMN’s first unit dedicated to unmanned aerial…
Coast Guard Reducing Some Marine Protector Patrol Boats for Budget Reasons, Commandant Says
ARLINGTON, Va. — Budget constraints are the main reason the Coast Guard is decommissioning a few 87-foot Marine Protector-class patrol boats, the Coast Guard commandant said, but the capabilities of other boats will compensate for the change. “We are taking…
Coast Guard Commandant Outlines Future of Service in San Diego
SAN DIEGO — The Commandant of the United States Coast Guard delivered his third state of the Coast Guard address March 11 at Coast Guard Sector San Diego, Coast Guard Headquarters said in a release. Adm. Karl Schultz outlined his…
Navy Aims to Fast-Track Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning to Maintain Dominance
Like a bolt from the blue, the Navy has a new modernization priority — Project Overmatch, a campaign to accelerate delivery of artificial intelligence, machine learning and tools needed to allow the fleet to disperse forces, mass fires, integrate unmanned…
China Adopts ‘Assertive Posture’ With Eye on Taiwan, Admiral Says
Admiral Philip Davidson, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, speaking at the American Enterprise Institute on March 4 and in testimony to Congress on March 9, said the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is stepping up its pressure on Taiwan…
Senators, Congressmen Reintroduce the Energizing American Shipbuilding Act
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, joined Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pennsylvania, in reintroducing the Energizing American Shipbuilding Act, Wicker’s office said in a March 11 release. Reps. John Garamendi, D-California,…
Coast Guard Cutter Dorado Decommissioned after 23 Years of Service
MCKINLEYVILLE, Calif. — The Coast Guard Cutter Dorado (WPB-87306) was decommissioned March 10 after 23 years of service during a ceremony in Crescent City, California. The Dorado was the Coast Guard’s sixth 87-foot Marine Protector-class patrol boat to serve as…
Cutter Offloads 7,500 Pounds of Interdicted Cocaine, Marijuana in San Diego
SAN DIEGO — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Bertholf (WMSL-750) offloaded approximately 7,500 pounds of seized cocaine and marijuana in San Diego, March 10, the Coast Guard 11th District said in a release. The drugs, worth an estimated…
AeroVironment’s Arcturus UAV Subsidiary Awarded $7M for SOCOM UAS Program
SIMI VALLEY, Calif., March 9, 2021 – AeroVironment Inc.’s wholly owned subsidiary Arcturus UAV, now operating under the AeroVironment brand, was awarded a competitive task order valued at approximately $7 million from the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), the company said…
DOD Releases Fiscal Year 2020 Freedom of Navigation Report
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Department of Defense (DoD) released on March 10 its annual Freedom of Navigation (FON) Report for Fiscal Year 2020. During the period from Oct. 1, 2019, through Sept. 30, 2020, U.S. forces operationally challenged 28 different excessive…
