Brookings Institution

Australia’s First Nuclear Submarine Could Be a Reality in 30 Years, Former PACOM Commander Testifies

Able Seaman Combat Systems Operator Benjamin Stewart participates in an Anti-Submarine Warfare exercise with a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine during Exercise ARC21 in 2021. Royal Australian Navy Photo

Developing a nuclear-powered submarine with Australia could happen in 30 years if the United States commits to a tight timetable, retired Adm. Harry Harris told lawmakers Tuesday.

Harris, a former commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, called Australia the United States’ key ally...

https://news.usni.org/2023/02/07/australias-first-nuclear-submarine-could-be-a-reality-in-30-years-former-pacom-commander-testifies

Russian Forces Unprepared to Protect Against Drones, Lack Adequate Command and Control, Panel Says

Image of the suspected Ukrainian USV circulating on Russian social media. Image via Naval News

Attacks on Russia’s Black Sea fleet over the weekend are showing Moscow the vulnerability of its ships in port to new types of unmanned weapons, a Kremlin analyst at the CNA said Tuesday.

Samuel Bendett said recent sea drone and unmanned aerial system swarm attacks have the potential to seize “the show going forward.”

He added that buying commercial drones – particularly quadcopters for intelligence,...

https://news.usni.org/2022/11/01/russian-forces-unprepared-to-protect-against-drones-lack-adequate-command-and-control-panel-says

Hyten: China’s ‘Unprecedented Nuclear Modernization’ Chief Concern

Chinese DF-5B Nuclear Weapons. People’s Liberation Army Photo

The speed of China’s “unprecedented nuclear modernization” and its “build-out of a modernized triad” is the biggest concern for the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as he nears the end of his tenure.

In the last year, the Chinese have built two new ballistic missile silo fields for their intercontinental ballistic missiles.

“There’re no limits on what they can put in those silos,” adding to the threat, Air Force Gen. John...

https://news.usni.org/2021/09/14/hyten-chinas-unprecedented-nuclear-modernization-chief-concern

Berger: War With China Not ‘An Inevitability,’ But Competition Will Endure

Gen. David Berger, the 38th commandant of the Marine Corps, visits Camp Lejeune, N.C., on May 3, 2021. US Marine Corps Photo

While the commandant of the Marine Corps has ushered in a slew of changes to prepare the service for potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific region, Gen. David Berger today emphasized that he does not believe war between the U.S. and China is inevitable.

Speaking at a Tuesday virtual forum hosted by the Brookings Institution, Berger said he has spent the last decade studying...

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/18/berger-war-with-china-not-an-inevitability-but-competition-will-endure

German Foreign Minister: Berlin Seeks ‘Transatlantic New Deal’ with U.S.

Germany’s foreign minister said today that Berlin is working through a “transatlantic new deal” with Washington covering global security, economic issues, climate change and overcoming the coronavirus pandemic, putting aside four years of strained relations between the two powers.

Heikko Maas quoted President Joseph Biden saying “America is back,” adding “and Germany is by your side,” he said at a Brookings Institution online forum.

German soldiers “are standing shoulder to shoulder with American...

https://news.usni.org/2021/03/09/german-foreign-minister-berlin-seeks-transatlantic-new-deal-with-u-s

Panel: China Copied Silicon Valley’s Model to Outpace the Pentagon in Weapon Development

The launch of the Type 75 big-deck amphib in Shanghai on. PLAN Photo

The Pentagon’s complicated and time-consuming acquisition process impedes the United States’ ability to innovate and keep up with China’s technology development, several experts said last week.

In contrast to the Department of Defense, China “effectively copied” Silicon Valley’s quick-decision investment strategies with start-ups in its technology race with the United States, according to the director of the Pentagon’s...

https://news.usni.org/2021/03/08/panel-china-copied-silicon-valleys-model-to-outpace-the-pentagon-in-weapon-development

HASC Chairman Calls on Congress to ‘Scrub’ F-35 Program

Two U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning IIs, assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 164 (Reinforced), 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, stand chained to the flight deck aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD-8). US Navy Photo

“We’ve got to seriously scrub” programs like the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter in Congress instead of rewarding “people for failure, not results” in developing new weapons systems, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Friday.

Sp...

https://news.usni.org/2021/03/05/hasc-chairman-calls-on-congress-to-scrub-f-35-program

CJCS Milley: Character of War in Midst of Fundamental Change

Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks in a virtual meeting during a U.S. Naval War College Advanced Flag and Executive Course (AFLEX) at the Pentagon on Oct. 26, 2020. DoD Photo

The world is in the midst of a fundamental change in the character of warfare as a variety of nations begin to field directed energy, hypersonics and autonomous systems, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Thursday.

“I would argue that today [we] are in the middle of a...

https://news.usni.org/2020/12/04/cjcs-milley-character-of-war-in-midst-of-fundamental-change

SECDEF Esper Preparing For Future Defense Spending Cuts

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper speaks to the media during in the Pentagon Briefing Room on April 14, 2020. DoD Photo

When the bill comes due for Congress to pay off nearly $3 trillion in spending bills passed to spur economic activity during the COVID-19 shutdown, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper worries future Pentagon budgets will take a hit.

For the Department of Defense to continue increasing its readiness and modernize its forces, the Pentagon needs its topline budget to grow between 3...

https://news.usni.org/2020/05/04/secdef-esper-preparing-for-future-defense-spending-cuts

House Considers Bill Halting Reprogramming Defense Funds for Border Barrier

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, Chairman of the House Armed Service Committee, is briefed on the capabilities of the F-35A Lightning II during his visit at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. Air Force photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Armed Services Committee is considering clawing back into the Pentagon the money for shipbuilding and aircraft President Donald Trump is redirecting this year to fund border barrier construction.

During the past week, representatives from both sides of the aisle stated they were...

https://news.usni.org/2020/03/02/house-considers-bill-halting-reprogramming-defense-funds-for-border-barrier

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