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DEPSECDEF Hicks: DoD Wants Thousands of Drones to Counter China’s Military Mass Advantage

A Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel (USV) operates with guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119) in the Arabian Gulf during exercise Phantom Scope, Oct. 7, 2022. US Navy Photo

The Pentagon is betting that by fielding thousands of attritable autonomous systems across domains in fewer than two years, the United States can overcome China’s advantage of mass in manpower, ships, aircraft and missiles, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said in a Monday speech.

Speaking at...

https://news.usni.org/2023/08/28/depsecdef-hicks-dod-wants-thousands-of-drones-to-counter-chinas-military-mass-advantage

Navy Raises Battle Force Goal to 381 Ships in Classified Report to Congress

Guided-missile destroyer Harvey C. Barnum, Jr. (DDG-124) in dry dock at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in June 2023. BIW Photo

The Navy is now more than 80 ships short of the latest estimate of what the sea service thinks it needs to fulfill the Biden administration’s national security strategy.

The Battle Force Ship Assessment and Requirement, a congressionally-mandated report, requires 381 ships, up from 373 in the 2022 report, the first year it was released. As of Monday, the Navy’s battle...

https://news.usni.org/2023/07/18/navy-raises-battle-force-goal-to-381-ships-in-classified-report-to-congress

USS Chancellorsville to be Renamed After Former Slave Who Captured Confederate Ship

Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) conducts routine underway operations in the South China Sea, Nov. 29, 2022. US Navy Photo

A guided-missile cruiser that was named after a Confederate Civil War victory will be renamed in honor of a former slave who stole a Confederate States Navy ship in South Carolina and delivered it to the Union, the Navy announced in a late Monday statement.

USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) will be renamed after Robert Smalls, a former slave...

https://news.usni.org/2023/02/27/uss-chancellorsville-to-be-renamed-after-former-slave-who-stole-confederate-ship

Russian, Chinese Naval Exercise Wraps in East China Sea

A People’s Liberation Army Navy helicopter takes off from Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning in the Philippine Sea. JSDF Photo

The Russian Navy and the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) wrapped up their Joint Sea 2022 exercise in the East China Sea on Tuesday. The Russian surface action group transited northeast through the Tsushima Strait while the PLAN Liaoning Carrier Strike Group (CSG) continued its deployment to the Philippine Sea.

On Tuesday, a Russian cruiser, destroyer and two corvettes...

https://news.usni.org/2022/12/28/russian-chinese-naval-exercise-wraps-in-east-china-sea

Top Stories 2022: U.S. Navy Acquisition

The future USS Oregon (SSN-788) pierside at General Dynamics Electric Boat on Feb. 28, 2022. USNI News Photo

This post is part of a series looking back at the top naval stories from 2022.

This year saw the U.S. Navy moving down an acquisition path with more certainty than in 2021.

With the Biden administration embarking on its second budget cycle, the U.S. Navy released its first long-range shipbuilding plan in several years, providing more clarity to the industrial base on where the service is...

Defense Primer: U.S. Defense Appropriations Process

The following is the Nov. 17, 2022, Congressional Research Service Defense Primer: Defense Appropriations Process.

From the report

The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse in Article I, Section 9, which provides that “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” To fulfill this duty, Congress annually considers appropriations measures, which provide funding for numerous activities—such as national defense, education, and homeland...

https://news.usni.org/2022/11/18/defense-primer-u-s-defense-appropriations-process

Rep. Elaine Luria Loses House Seat to Navy Vet Jen Kiggans

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), Virginia State Senator Jen Kiggans

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), a former nuclear-qualified surface warfare officer, lost her House seat on Tuesday to fellow Navy veteran Jen Kiggans.

Luria, the vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee who has been vocal in her criticisms of the Navy’s shipbuilding strategy, lost to her Republican opponent, a former Navy helicopter pilot who has been a Virginia state senator since 2020.

“The peaceful transition of power is a...

https://news.usni.org/2022/11/09/rep-elaine-luria-loses-house-seat-to-navy-vet

Report to Congress on Military, Intelligence Issues on Russian Invasion of Ukraine

The following is the Sept. 14, 2022, Congressional Research Service report, Russia’s War in Ukraine: Military and Intelligence Aspects.

From the report

Russia’s renewed invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022 marked the start of Europe’s deadliest armed conflict in decades. After a steady buildup of military forces along Ukraine’s borders since 2021, Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, with Russian ground forces attacking from multiple directions.

Initially, Russian forces made...

https://news.usni.org/2022/09/20/report-to-congress-on-military-intelligence-issues-on-russian-invasion-of-ukraine

Navy Wants to Decommission 39 Warships in 2023

USS Vicksburg (CG-69) getting repaired at BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair, Va., on April 8, 2022. Christopher P. Cavas Photo used with permission

The Navy wants to shed 39 ships in Fiscal Year 2023, with the first ship set to depart on Halloween.

The list, which includes five guided-missile cruisers and nine Littoral Combat Ships, was released Friday as an administrative message. However, the composition of the final list is far from a done deal. Included on the inactivation list are several...

https://news.usni.org/2022/08/15/navy-wants-to-decommission-39-warships-in-2023

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