GULF OF OMAN (NNS) — The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) responded to a distress call from the M/V Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman the morning of June 13. The Bainbridge received a call from…
Corps Begins Fielding Mobile Satellite Communication System
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — The U.S. Marine Corps recently began fielding a next-generation narrowband satellite communication system that assists warfighters in connecting to networks on the battlefield, Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) said in a June 12 release….
U.S. Department of Transportation Launches Port Infrastructure Development Program
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) posted a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to apply for $292.7 million in discretionary grant funding through the new Port Infrastructure Development Program, the department said in a June 12 release. “This…
Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless Returns from 58-Day Patrol
PENSACOLA, Fla. — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Dauntless returned to their homeport in Pensacola, Florida, June 12 after a 58-day patrol in the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guard 8th District said in a release of the same…
Coast Guard Repatriates 18 Migrants to the Dominican Republic
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutter Winslow Griesser (WPC-1116) repatriated 18 Dominican migrants to a Dominican Navy patrol vessel June 11 near Samana, Dominican Republic, following the interdiction of an illegal migrant voyage Monday just off the…
Top HASC Republican Says His Vote Hinges on GOP’s 2020 Budget Add-Ons
The House Armed Services Committee’s ranking Republican says his vote to pass the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act will depend on whether the final bill continues the recent progress is preparing the military to confront Russia and China or…
Presidential Helicopter Program Approved for Production of 6 Aircraft
PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The U.S. Navy’s presidential helicopter program awarded a $542 million contract to Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, on June 10 to build six VH-92A aircraft, spares and support equipment, the Program Executive Office for Assault and…
Raytheon, United Technologies to Merge
ARLINGTON, Va. — The merger of the Raytheon Co. and United Technologies Corp. (UTC), announced June 9, will result in a defense company with a broad portfolio in weapons, sensors, mission systems, avionics and propulsion. In a joint announcement, Raytheon…
House Armed Services Chairman Downplays Party Differences Over 2020 Defense Spending
The House Armed Services Committee chairman downplayed the partisan differences over the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization but said the “biggest threat” to adequate defense funding was the failure to reach agreement on lifting punishing spending caps. Although the chairman’s…
Coast Guard Commissions New Fast-Response Cutter in San Juan
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Doyle (WPC-1133) was commissioned into service June 8 during a ceremony at U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release. The…