March 18, 2024 

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced today that the president has made the following nomination: 

Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James F. Glynn for appointment to the grade of lieutenant general, with assignment as commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific; and commanding general, Fleet Marine Forces Pacific. Glynn is currently serving as the deputy commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Quantico, Virginia. 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Joseph B. Hornbuckle for appointment to the grade of rear admiral. Hornbuckle is currently serving as commander, Fleet Readiness Centers, Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland.

USCENTCOM 

March 16, 2024 
 

TAMPA, Fla. –  On March 16, between 7:50 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthis launched two unmanned Aerial vehicles (UAV) from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea. United States Central Command (CENTCOM) forces successfully engaged and destroyed one UAV and the other is presumed to have crashed into the Red Sea. There were no reports of damage or injuries from ships in the vicinity. 

Between 9:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. (Sanaa time), CENTCOM destroyed five unmanned surface vessels and one UAV in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defense. It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels. 

March 15, 2024  

TAMPA, Fla. – Between approximately 8:30 and 10:50 p.m. (Sanaa time) on March 15, Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships. 

By Richard R. Burgess, Senior Editor 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Department of the Navy is proposing to procure 75 aircraft with $16.2 billion in the fiscal 2025 budget, but those 75 are divided among only five types. 

The 2025 budget proposed funding 13 F-35B Lightning II strike fighters for the Marine Corps; 13 F-35C carrier-based variants for the Navy and Marine Corps; 19 CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopters for the Marine Corps, 27 T-54 multi-engine training aircraft for the Navy, and three MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aerial refueling aircraft for the Navy. 

The budget is noteworthy in that the 2025 procurement funding of such types as the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighters, EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye radar warning aircraft, MH-60R/S helicopters, MV-22B and CMV-22B Osprey transport aircraft, AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom helicopters, P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, MQ-4C Triton and MQ-9A Reaper unmanned surveillance aircraft, and TH-73A Thrasher training helicopters — barring adjustment by the Congress — has been completed, although in some cases deliveries are ongoing. In some cases, the production lines will remain open for some time, building aircraft for foreign customers and which could resume production for the Navy and Marine Corps if needed.  

The only new types on the five-year horizon are a replacement for the T-45 Goshawk training jet and a replacement for the E-6B Mercury strategic communications aircraft, planned to be a version of the C-130J Super Hercules.  

Procurement of the KC-130J Super Hercules tanker/transport for the Marine Corps is being gapped for four years, with one planned for fiscal 2029. The fact that C-130Js are in production for other services and nations means that this gap does not have major implications for the Lockheed Martin production line. 

The 2025 Future Years Defense Plan lists planned Department of the Navy procurement for 2026 through 2029 as 58, 67, 77, and 90 aircraft, respectively. 

Noteworthy is — as of this writing — that the fiscal 2024 defense budget still is mired in the Congress. 

MARCH 15, 2024 

The Navy will christen its newest Virginia-class attack submarine, the future USS Idaho (SSN 799), during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony March 16, at General Dynamics Electric Boat, in Groton, Connecticut.  
  
The Honorable Nickolas H. Guertin, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) for Research, Development, and Acquisition (RDA), will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Senior representatives from the Navy, the shipbuilders, Congress, and the state of Idaho are also expected to speak. 

In a twist on the time-honored Navy tradition of breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow, the Submarine’s Sponsor, Ms. Teresa Stackley, will christen the boat with water she has collected from several lakes in Idaho. Stackley is the daughter of a Navy Sailor and is the spouse of the Honorable Sean Stackley, a former Naval officer who served as ASN (RDA) from 2008 to 2017. 

The submarine, which began construction in 2017, will be the 26th Virginia-class fast attack submarine and the fifth U.S. Navy ship to be christened with the name Idaho. The last ship named Idaho was battleship BB 42, commissioned in 1919.  

Though landlocked, the state of Idaho prides itself in its rich Naval history and continuing contributions to the fleet. The Navy’s Acoustic Research Detachment on Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho’s largest and deepest body of water, is a state-of-the-art facility that supports research, development, testing, and evaluation of submarine acoustic stealth technology and propulsor design. Lake Pend Oreille is a critical body of water to the U.S. Submarine Force. 

Virginia-class submarines are built to operate in the world’s littoral and deep waters while conducting anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface ship warfare; strike warfare; special operations forces support; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; irregular warfare; and mine warfare missions. This next-generation attack submarine provides the Navy with the capabilities required to maintain the nation’s undersea superiority well into the 21st century. 
  
 

USCENTCOM, March 14, 2024 

 
TAMPA, Fla. – Between 6:50 a.m. on March 14 and 12:40 a.m. on March 15 (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden and two additional ASBMs towards the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage reported to U.S. or coalition ships. 

Additionally, United States Central Command successfully engaged and destroyed nine anti-ship missiles and two unmanned aerial vehicles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels. 

MCLEAN, Va. – March 14, 2024 – The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a contract worth approximately $86 million to continue supporting its Mobile Deployable Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Combat Systems, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (MDC5ISR) programs. 

The five-year contract from the U.S Naval Air Systems Command’s Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Webster Outlying Field Special Communications Mission Solutions Division will involve the company providing engineering and technical services for new and legacy MDC5ISR systems and platforms.  

“As a leading systems integrator, our team brings an unmatched level of expertise to the program,” said Lisa Hand, Vice President and General Manager, BAE Systems Integrated Defense Solutions. “We have provided quick reaction, integrated C5ISR solutions on this program for more than 35 years and we are proud to continue our support to warfighters deployed around the globe.”  

This follow-on contract includes support for a variety of MDC5ISR products including small craft, transportable systems, en-route communication systems, and intra-platform systems for the U.S. Navy, Special Operations Forces, Homeland Security, and for other Department of Defense (DoD) and non-DoD agencies.  

The company will perform work in Lexington Park, Maryland; St. Inigoes, Maryland; and Little Creek, Virginia.   

USCENTCOM, March 13, 2024

TAMPA, Fla. – Between 2:00 a.m. and 4:50 p.m. (Sanaa time) on March 13, Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden. The missile did not impact any vessels and there were no injuries or damage reported. 

United States Central Command then successfully engaged and destroyed four unmanned aerial systems (UAVs) and one surface-to-air missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. 

It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels. 

By Richard R. Burgess, Senior Editor 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The government of Nigeria is slated to receive 12 AH-1Z Viper helicopter gunships, becoming the third foreign customer for the Viper. 

In a March 12 contract announcement, the Naval Air Systems Command awarded to Bell Textron of Fort Worth, Texas, a $455 million “firm-fixed-price, undefinitized contract for the production and delivery of 12 AH-1Z helicopters for the government of Nigeria, as well as provides associated engineering, program management and logistics support, and non-recurring engineering for obsolescence.” 

Deliveries to the Nigerian government are expected to be complete by July 2028. 

Bell built 189 AH-1Zs for the U.S. Marine Corps and 12 for Bahrain, and is building four for the Czech Republic, along with eight UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. The Czech Republic also is receiving free of charge six AH-1Zs and two UH-1Ys that formerly were part of the U.S. Marine Corps’ inventory.

USCENTCOM, March 12, 2024 

TAMPA, Fla. – Between 2:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) on March 12, Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired one close-range ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward USS Laboon in the Red Sea. The missile did not impact the vessel and there were no injuries or damage reported. 

United States Central Command and a coalition vessel successfully engaged and destroyed two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen. 

It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships. These actions are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels. 

March 12, 2024 | By Joseph Clark  

The specialized Army unit tasked with establishing a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to deliver critical humanitarian assistance has wasted no time in making the complex operation a reality. 

The first of several watercraft used to construct the pier and manned by troops from the 7th Transportation Brigade began the weekslong transit from the unit’s homeport in Virginia to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility less than two days after President Joe Biden called on the military to conduct the emergency operation during his State of the Union Address. 

Today, four more Army vessels set sail from Joint Base Langley-Eustis to join the operation: USAVs Monterrey, Matamoros, SP4 James A. Loux and Wilson Wharf.  

The brigade, a component of the XVIII Airborne Corps, is the Army’s premier watercraft unit specializing in Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS.   

JLOTS systems can jointly employ Army and Navy logistics assets to deliver critical supplies to troops or civilians in austere environments anywhere in the world.  

“This is Army watercraft’s moment, and we’re up for it,” said Army Col. Samuel S. Miller, the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) commander. 

“The U.S. and the world will see our humanitarian capability on display and in action forward,” he said. “The 7th TB(X) is highly trained, mobile, versatile and capable to operate in these types of environments.”  

Delivering the capability involves the complex choreography of logistics support and landing craft vessels that carry the equipment used to construct an approximately 1,800-foot causeway comprised of modular sections linked together known as a Trident Pier.  

Once in theater, the unit will begin construction of the causeway off the coast of Gaza enabling the flow of critical aid from the sea to civilians affected by the ongoing conflict. The capability is expected to be operational in approximately 60 days.   

Deploying on short notice anywhere throughout the globe is par for course for the units that comprise the XVIII Airborne Corps, said Army Brig. Gen. John B. Hinson, the corps’ assistant commanding general for support. 

“We are the contingency corps for the Army,” Hinson said. “We have units, divisions, brigade combat teams, separate brigades, that can deploy anywhere in the world for any type of contingency operation in 18 hours.   

“The 7th TB(X) is one of these units that falls in that category where all of their units are very deployable for an immediate response force for different types of contingencies all around the world,” he said.  

Once operational, the pier will be capable of delivering up to 2,000,000 humanitarian aid meals per day.  

Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder previewed the capability Friday during a briefing at the Pentagon following Biden’s State of the Union Address.  

“This is part of a full-court press by the United States to not only focus on working on opening up and expanding routes via land, which are the optimal way to get aid into Gaza but also by conducting air drops,” Ryder said. 

The U.S. has conducted several humanitarian assistance airdrops into Gaza alongside the Royal Jordanian Air Force. The combined operations have delivered hundreds of thousands of badly needed meals to civilians.  

Biden said more aid is needed.  

Ryder stressed that the JLOTS capability enables the U.S. to continue delivering aid without putting boots on the ground in Gaza.   

“We’ll be working with partners in the region to be on the receiving end of , but at no time will we require U.S. forces to actually go on the ground,” he said. “Our role will be essentially to provide the service of getting to the causeway, at which point it will then be distributed.”  

Miller said the unit’s extensive training in environments throughout the world has prepared its soldiers to accomplish the mission in Gaza. 
 
JLOTS was last used operationally to deliver humanitarian assistance following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010.  

Soldiers from the 7th TB(X) train extensively in deploying the capability around the globe, including off the coast of Australia last summer in support of Exercise Talisman Sabre, a large-scale joint defense exercise between Australia and the United States. 

Experience: Talisman Sabre 

“We understand the importance of this mission, and the interests of the world in this regard,” Miller said. “When it may seem, at times, we have the weight of the world on our shoulders, we will forge across the water to deliver humanitarian assistance.”  

That same determination was echoed throughout the ranks.   

“We like what we do,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Benjamin Tate, the chief engineer on one of the vessels that set sail for Gaza today.   

“We’re extremely proud that we get to participate in humanitarian relief,” Tate said. “Me personally, if my family was in that situation, I’d want somebody to be willing to help. So, when we were told that was the task, our guys are ramping the boat up and getting ready.”