ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Despite the commandant’s stark warning about the vulnerability of current amphibious warships, the Marines are not moving away from amphibious operations. But to operate in the future highly contested littoral waters, the amphibious force must be more…
Navy to Commission Littoral Combat Ship Indianapolis
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy will commission its newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, USS Indianapolis, during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony on Oct. 26 in Burns Harbor, Indiana, the Defense Department said in a release. The future USS Indianapolis, designated LCS 17, honors Indiana’s…
Air Force to Manage Next-Generation MUOS, Navy Secretary Announces
WASHINGTON — The secretary of the Navy said that the U.S. Air Force, not the Navy, will manage the program for the next generation of the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS). The MUOS, built by Lockheed Martin, is a communications satellite equipped…
Navy C-40 Fleet Deliveries Complete
PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy’s C-40 fleet has undergone some major changes in the last few months — adding two airplanes, one squadron and completing its current planned aircraft procurements, according to a Naval Air Systems Command release. The Tactical Airlift Program Office (PMA-207)…
Coast Guard Cutter Dependable Returns Home After Patrol in Caribbean Sea
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dependable returned home Oct. 23 after a 49-day patrol conducting counter-drug and migrant interdiction missions in the Caribbean Sea, the Coast Guard 5th District said in a release. The…
Berger Plan to Build More Smaller and Cheaper Ships Could Greatly Expand Available Expeditionary Force, Analysts Tell NDIA Conference
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger’s proposal to build a lot of different, smaller and cheaper ships — including unmanned vessels — to substitute for or augment large amphibious warships is not yet clearly defined, but presents…
New Force Structure Assessment Will Address Needs of ‘Great Power Competition,’ Two Top Requirements Officers Say
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — U.S. Navy and Marine Corps requirements and capabilities leaders are working together to produce an Integrated Naval Force Structure Assessment, which will replace the Navy assessment that usually shapes the shipbuilding plan, the two top requirements officers…
Cutter Alex Haley Returns Home After 40-Day, 5,000-Mile Patrol
KODIAK, Alaska — The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley returned to their homeport in Kodiak on Oct. 20 following a 40-day deployment throughout the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, the Coast Guard 17th District said in a release. Since departing Kodiak in…
Coast Guard Repatriates 76 Dominicans Following Three Interdictions at Sea
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutter Diligence repatriated 76 of 80 Dominican migrants to a Dominican Republic navy vessel on Oct. 18 following the interdiction of three separate illegal migrant voyages near Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard’s 7th District said in a release. …
Five Transport Vessels Survive, Thrive in Hostile Water Simulation, Tactical Adviser Says
Aware that in the increasingly tense global security environment the U.S. Navy’s sealift and logistical support fleet may have to sail through seas contested by a near peer adversary, U.S. Transportation Command recently sent five unarmed transport vessels through simulated…
