U.S. and Philippine officials announced new programs to enhance their defense and security cooperation this week, which includes $500 million of foreign military financing from Washington to...
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
NORAD Jets Intercept Joint Russian, Chinese Bomber Flight Near Alaska
Russia and China conducted a joint bomber flight that entered Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone on Wednesday, marking the first time the two countries have flown near the United States.
The North American...
Navy Settles Lawsuit With Sailors Who Denied COVID-19 Vaccine
The Navy and the Department of Defense have settled a lawsuit over the former COVID-19 vaccine mandate with 36 members of the Special Warfare community, the law firm representing the plaintiffs announced Wednesday.
A settlement hearing between lawyers for the Special Warfare community members and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of...
https://news.usni.org/2024/07/24/navy-settles-lawsuit-with-sailors-who-denied-covid-19-vaccine
VCNO Lisa Franchetti Takes Command of Navy
Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti delivers remarks after relieving Adm. Mike Gilday on Aug. 14, 2023. USNI News Photo
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Adm. Lisa Franchetti took command of the U.S. Navy as the acting chief of naval operations, during a Monday morning ceremony at the Naval Academy.
Franchetti took charge of the service from retiring Chief of Naval Operations Adm Mike Gilday. Members of the official party, which included Franchetti, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and...
https://news.usni.org/2023/08/14/vcno-lisa-franchetti-takes-command-of-navy
VCNO Franchetti Set to be Interim Navy Head as White House Stays Silent on CNO Nominee
Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, speaks to the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) over the ship’s public address system on Feb. 25, 2023. US Navy Photo
However, since news broke that Paparo was the pick following a report from NBC, there has been no official nomination or intent to nominate announcement from the White House.
A Wednesday request for comment from USNI News to the National Security Council on the status of the nomination was not immediately returned.
Ad...
Philippines Announce 4 New Locations to Host U.S. Troops
Philippine Marines embark a U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey during KAMANDAG 6 at Naval Base Camilo Osias, Philippines, Oct. 2, 2022. US Marine Corps Photo
MANILA — The Philippines announced Monday four additional locations that will host visiting American troops under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), sites that the country said will boost its disaster response as they would also be used for humanitarian and relief operations during emergencies and natural disasters.
The four...
https://news.usni.org/2023/04/03/philippines-announce-4-new-locations-to-host-u-s-troops
Pentagon: Red Hill Defueling on Track, Joint Task Force Starting Environmental Assessment
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Pearl Harbor employees uses tools to relocate contaminated soil onto a wheelbarrow as part of NAVFAC Public Works Department and Joint Task Force-Red Hill’s (JTF-RH) hazard material spill recovery operation at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF) in Halawa, Hawaii, Dec. 1, 2022. US Army Photo
The Navy is on target to meet the July 2024 deadline to defuel the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in...
High Cost of Taiwan Invasion Will Dissuade China, Pentagon Official Says
Taiwanese Marines on Jan. 11, 2023. Taiwan Ministry of National Defense Photo
China will not attempt to invade Taiwan before the end of the decade because it understands the high cost, the senior Pentagon official in charge of Indo-Pacific security said Thursday.
“Deterrence is real; deterrence is strong” today and tomorrow, said Ely Ratner, the assistant secretary for the Indo-Pacific. The United States can likely deter Beijing from attacking the self-governing island 100 miles off the Chinese...
Defense Primer: U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces
The following is the Feb. 2, 2023, Congressional Research Service report, Defense Primer: Strategic Nuclear Forces.
From the report
The Nuclear Triad
Since the early 1960s, the United States has maintained a “triad” of strategic nuclear delivery vehicles. These include long-range land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), long-range submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and long-range heavy bombers equipped to carry nuclear-armed cruise missiles and gravity bombs. The number...
https://news.usni.org/2023/02/08/defense-primer-u-s-strategic-nuclear-forces
U.S., Philippines Add Four More Sites to EDCA Military Basing Agreement
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is welcomed to the Philippine Department of National Defense in Manila, Feb. 2, 2023. DoD Photo
MANILA – The United States and the Philippines have designated four additional bases for U.S. troops to operate from as both countries agreed to accelerate the full implementation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that will house American troops and their equipment in Philippine military camps located in strategic areas of the country.
The new sites...