Shinzo Abe on April 7, 2020. Japanese Government Photo
Japan’s next prime minister is expected to follow Shinzo Abe’s path in tightening Tokyo’s military ties with the United States and expanding the nation’s definition of “self-defense” to counter China’s and North Korea’s threats, four Indo-Pacific security experts said Tuesday.
Michael Green, Japan chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in an online forum “all [of the likely candidates to succeed Abe] are...
Mark Esper speaks on Sept. 2, 2020 aboard the decommissioned battleship USS Missouri. DoD Image
The U.S. “will not back down; we will not yield” in maintaining the international rule of law, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Wednesday at a ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of the formal ending of World War II.
Speaking aboard USS Missouri (BB-63) Wednesday in Hawaii, Esper quoted President Ronald Reagan that the United States’ intention is to maintain “peace through strength” and...
Attack boat Vermont (SSN-792) float-off on March 29, 2019. General Dynamics Electric Boats Photo
The Navy has created stability for the defense industrial base during the coronavirus pandemic by awarding contracts early to create a plentiful backlog of work, and the service’s acquisition chief said he doesn’t want to lose that stability heading into the new fiscal year, which could kick off with a continuing resolution.
Fiscal Year 2021 starts one month from today, and it’s unclear whether...
Sea Transport Solutions Image
The Marine Corps’ new Light Amphibious Warship program is already in industry studies, with the service pushing ahead as quickly as possible in an acknowledgement that they’re already behind in their transformation of the force.
Maj. Gen. Tracy King, the director of expeditionary warfare on the chief of naval operations’ staff (OPNAV N95), said today that LAW was perhaps the most important investment the Marine Corps was making to optimize itself for expeditionary...
An F/A-18E Super Hornet attached to the ‘Gunslingers’ of Strike Fighter Squadron 105 prepares to land on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) on July 15, 2020. US Navy Photo
The Navy and Air Force are working to determine the best way to approach and cooperate on their respective Next Generation Air Dominance efforts, according to the Navy’s chief acquisition official.
James Geurts told reporters today that while it’s premature to discuss the specific...
USS Mustin (DDG-89) transits the Taiwan Strait on Aug. 18, 2020. US Navy Photo
A guided-missile destroyer conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea past the Paracel Island chain on Thursday, one day after China launched missile tests in the South China Sea, U.S. 7th Fleet announced on Thursday.
USS Mustin (DDG-89) operated past the islands that are claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan.
“This freedom of navigation upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea...
USS Stockdale (DDG-106) transits the Gulf of Oman on Jan. 5, 2019. US Navy Photo
The Navy’s latest effort to define its next large surface combatant is underway, with the director of surface warfare (OPNAV N96) saying the top-level requirements for the ship class are due to the chief of naval operations by the end of the year.
Rear Adm. Paul Schlise said today that “we’ll take the initial top-level requirements for our next surface combatant – you might have heard it called the Large Surface...
The following is the Aug. 26, 2020 Congressional Research Service report, Artificial Intelligence and National Security.
From the report
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing field of technology with potentially significant implications for national security. As such, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and other nations are developing AI applications for a range of military functions. AI research is underway in the fields of intelligence collection and analysis, logistics, cyber...
https://news.usni.org/2020/08/27/report-on-artificial-intelligence-and-national-security
USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) pierside at Huntington Ingalls Industries Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard on April 16, 2019. US Navy Photo
A deficit of ship repair capacity and an expected change in the Navy’s needs for large combatants versus smaller ones may force the entire industry to rethink their roles in construction and maintenance work going forward, a panel of officials said this week.
The two halves of the Navy’s Team Ships acknowledged that more companies would need to get involved in ship...
https://news.usni.org/2020/08/26/lack-of-u-s-warship-repair-capacity-worrying-navy
