The U.S. Navy is seeking to shave $1.4 billion from the Marine Corps fiscal year 2021 budget request and to reduce the active-duty force by 2,100, according to new Defense Department budget documents. The Marines’ piece of the Navy Department’s…
Navy, Marines Say Readiness Improving in Pacific After Fatal Air, Sea Crashes
WASHINGTON — Stating that command readiness is their top priority, senior U.S. Navy and Marine Corps leaders told Congress they are improving manning, training and maintenance procedures in the wake of three fatal sea and air accidents. In a joint…
Report Criticizes U.S. Defense Industrial Base; Cites Workforce Shrinkage, Intellectual Property Theft
ARLINGTON, Va. — The health and readiness of the U.S. defense industrial base, plagued by intellectual property theft and a shrunken workforce, rates a barely passing grade on a report card issued on Feb. 5 by the sector’s largest industry…
Brainpower Will Yield Advantage in ‘Great Power Competition,’ Navy Leaders Say
TYSONS CORNER, Va. — With strategic adversaries like Russia and China catching up technologically, the United States will need to rely on “intellectual ability” to maintain a competitive military advantage, according to acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly. The technological gap…
‘Compliant’ Doesn’t Mean Secure, Navy CIO Says
TYSONS CORNER, Va. — The Department of the Navy has a security problem, and it’s embedded in the institutional culture, according to the Navy’s top informational technology executive. “We are losing the Department of Navy’s information every day. And we’re…
New Shotgun-like Ammo Could Shield LCS from Drones
ARLINGTON, Va. – Naval ordnance experts will be testing heavy weapons precision ammunition, that could hit enemy drones “like a shotgun blast,” offering a counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) shield for littoral combat ships (LCS). Rogue civilian drones and enemy attack…
Coast Guard, Too, Has Role to Fulfill in ‘Great Power Competition,’ Vice Commandant Says
ARLINGTON, Va. – The U.S. Coast Guard has a unique role in the growing global rivalry with Russia and China, the service’s second-ranking leader says. In addition to Department of Homeland Security, law enforcement and maritime rescue missions, Coast Guard…
Unmanned Watercraft for Expeditionary Warfare Progressing Rapidly
ARLINGTON, Va. — The development of unmanned watercraft for expeditionary warfare has been progressing rapidly, said the program manager of U.S. Navy Unmanned Maritime Systems. “We made a tremendous amount of progress in the expeditionary warfare area in 2019,” Capt….
‘Great Power Competition’ Drives Navy, Marines to Integrate Beyond Joint Operations, Berger Tells SNA
ARLINGTON, Va. — The strategy behind the integration of the Navy and Marine Corps is being driven by China’s emergence as a sea power, according to the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. “The thing that has driven us to…
CNO Wants Larger Slice of Defense Budget to Modernize, Meet China Threat
ARLINGTON, Va. — American commerce depends on the seas, and it’s the U.S. Navy that secures that economic prosperity, the chief of naval operations said here, arguing for a bigger slice of the Defense Department budget. “American commerce is maritime…
