Budget Industry

HASC Chair Thornberry Doesn’t Anticipate Spending Dip in Next Defense Budget

House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) traveled to Europe in mid-April with several members of Congress to visit troops stationed overseas and to meet with our allies in the region. Among other stops, he met with Maj. Gen. Niel Nelson, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, right.

CAPITOL HILL — A time of steady, predictable military funding could be at hand, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said on Tuesday.

The House of...

https://news.usni.org/2018/09/25/hasc-chair-expects-fy2020-defense-spending-to-be-similar-to-fy-2019

U.S. Aircraft Carrier Deployments at 25 Year Low as Navy Struggles to Reset Force

USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) transits the Pacific Ocean while underway in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations on Aug. 4, 2018. US Navy Photo

This post has been updated to include a statement from the Navy as well as an explanation of how USNI News tabulated its data.

THE PENTAGON – Aircraft carriers – the most visible tools of U.S. military power – are spending more time in maintenance and at home even as the Pentagon has declared it’s entered a new era of competition with China and Russia.

According...

https://news.usni.org/2018/09/26/aircraft-carrier-deployments-25-year-low

Senators Press Nominee to Lead U.S. Forces in Korea on Military Exercises

Army Gen. Robert Abrams, commander in 2016. US Army Photo

Senate Armed Services Committee members expressed concerns over the Trump administration’s position on military exercises and U.S. troop presence South Korea in exchange for vague promises from Pyongyang about denuclearization during a confirmation hearing for the top U.S. military officer in Korea.

“The suspension of the exercise this past August and September I would say was a prudent risk if we’re willing to make the effort to change...

https://news.usni.org/2018/09/26/senators-press-nominee-lead-u-s-forces-korea-military-exercises

Marine Corps Cancels AAV Survivability Upgrade

Marines with Bravo Company, 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, enter the ocean with their Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV) on Camp Schwab beach, Okinawa, Japan, June 29, 2018. US Marine Corps Photo

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — The Marine Corps has canceled its Amphibious Assault Vehicle Survivability Upgrade effort with SAIC and will instead focus its efforts on the Amphibious Combat Vehicle that will eventually replace the AAV.

The service issued a stop work order in late August, Manny...

https://news.usni.org/2018/09/25/marine-corps-cancels-aav-survivability-upgrade

New Prototype Demonstration Series Will Continue Navy, Marine Push for Rapid Capability Boosts

Lance Corporal Drew Rothwell, a rifleman with Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, looks at a tablet that has been enhanced with Beartooth radio, test new communication capabilities with a digital radio that pairs with mobile devices to send encrypted short bursts of data via long ranges without reliance on infrastructure, during the Urban Advanced Technologies Exercise 2018 (ANTX18), March 22, 2018. Urban ANTX18 is an innovative approach to concept of...

https://news.usni.org/2018/09/25/new-prototype-demonstration-series-will-continue-navy-marine-push-rapid-capability-boosts

Report to Congress on Status of Iran’s Nuclear Programs

The following is the Sept. 19, 2018 Congressional Research Service report, Iran’s Nuclear Program: Status.

From the report:

Iran’s nuclear program began during the 1950s. The United States has expressed concern since the mid-1970s that Tehran might develop nuclear weapons. Iran’s construction of gas centrifuge uranium enrichment facilities is currently the main source of proliferation concern. Gas centrifuges can produce both low-enriched uranium (LEU), which can be used in nuclear power...

https://news.usni.org/2018/09/23/report-congress-status-irans-nuclear-programs

Document: National Cyber Strategy

The following is the National Cyber Strategy that was released by the White House on Sept. 20, 2018.

From the report

America’s prosperity and security depend on how we respond to the opportunities and challenges in cyberspace. Critical infrastructure, national defense, and the daily lives of Americans rely on computer-driven and interconnected information technologies. As all facets of American life have become more dependent on a secure cyberspace, new vulnerabilities have been revealed and new...

https://news.usni.org/2018/09/20/document-national-cyber-strategy

Construction Starts on Future Oiler USNS John Lewis

NASSCO rendering of T-AO 205 class of oiler.

Construction started Thursday on the first of the Navy’s new class of fleet replenishment oiler, the future USNS John Lewis (T-AO 205).

The Navy and General Dynamics-National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO) held a ceremony at the San Diego shipyard celebrating the start of construction of John Lewis. The ship is named for long-time Congressman Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and pillar of the Civil Rights movement, once completed the oiler will provide...

https://news.usni.org/2018/09/21/construction-starts-on-future-usns-john-lewis-first-of-navys-new-oilers

Major Navy Programs Likely Protected From Expected Tighter Pentagon Budgets

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Pentagon is banking on billions in savings through operational efficiencies to sustain and modernize the military but if the plan doesn’t work the Department of Defense may have to cut major weapons programs to make up the difference, a defense expert told reporters on Thursday.

Between Fiscal Year 2019 and 2023, the Pentagon expects to save roughly $46 billion by cutting waste in the department. But at a time when future budgets are expected to remain flat at best,...

https://news.usni.org/2018/09/20/36699

NAVSEA: New Pentagon Strategy Putting Pressure on Private, Public Maintenance Yards to Deliver Ships on Time

Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command Vice Adm. Tom Moore answers questions during a town hall meeting with Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City. US Navy Photo

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Pentagon’s new focus on high-end warfare with sophisticated adversaries will put increased emphasis and pressure on Navy readiness, and the service’s maintenance infrastructure needs to better in fixing ships on time, the head of Naval Sea Systems Command said on Tuesday.

Taking cues from Secretary of Defense...

https://news.usni.org/2018/09/19/navsea-new-pentagon-strategy-putting-pressure-private-public-maintenance-yards-deliver-ships-time

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