Thursday, October 30, 2025
Abby Shepherd is a Navy reporter. Before joining Inside Defense in November 2023, she was an intern with Politico's E&E News and a city government reporter with the Eudora Times in Kansas. She graduated from the University of Kansas in May 2023, with degrees in journalism and political science.
The Senate Armed Services Committee supports the purchase of a second Virginia-class submarine and a third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in fiscal year 2025 while restricting funding for two of the Navy’s surface ship programs, according to an executive summary of the committee’s defense authorization bill.
A return to full mission capability for the V-22 Osprey fleet is not expected until mid-2025, a senior naval official told members of Congress today.
The Navy is seeking industry support for development of the DDG(X) large surface combatant's power and propulsion system and will provide updates on DDG(X) development plans at a July 15 industry day.
The Navy is seeking to expand its unmanned surface vessel portfolio -- specifically small, long-endurance vessels -- according to a request for information posted Thursday.
BAE Systems has received a $95 million contract from the Navy to design electronic warfare advanced countermeasure pods that will allow the P-8 Poseidon aircraft to detect and counter incoming threats.
Over 100 vehicles and 200 U.S. Marines took part in the recent ninth Native Fury exercise -- a biennial event that brought together the Marine Corps and U.S. Army along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and concluded May 24 in the UAE.
Labor is shipbuilder HII’s “biggest risk,” CEO Chris Kastner said Wednesday, and the company is implementing several programs and incentives to mitigate this -- amid a decline in the company’s workforce following the COVID-19 pandemic.
An amendment included in yesterday’s House defense policy bill urges prioritization of sealift readiness and would require updates from top defense and transportation officials on vessel capacity and transportation infrastructure.
An amendment included in the House defense policy bill -- passed by the House Armed Services Committee in a 57-1 vote late last night -- would allow foreign shipyard repairs on U.S. Navy ships, an issue also recently brought forward by Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.
This year's biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise will kick off in late June, the Navy announced Tuesday.
The Navy's Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants will brief industry members on how the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel program will impact surface warfare during an upcoming industry day.
The Navy's timeline for fielding the MQ-25 Stingray uncrewed aircraft system on certain aircraft carriers has shifted, after a recent provision was included in this week's House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee mark-up of the fiscal year 2025 defense policy bill.
To strengthen its organic industrial base -- made up of government-owned industrial centers -- the Navy has invested $345 million across 200 various projects at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division in Maryland.
A robotics technology company has been awarded a five-year contract for production, sustainment and development of the MK20 Defender Remotely Operated Vehicle platform -- which the Navy will use for its Maritime Expeditionary Standoff Response (MESR) -- according to a contract announcement.
The Navy needs to find a more cost-effective method of retaliating against Houthi drones and missiles in the Red Sea -- an ongoing threat posed toward merchant and military vessels since last October, Surface Warfare Division Director Rear Adm. Fred Pyle said at a Center for Strategic and International Studies panel Tuesday.
Funding for the procurement of the Medium Landing Ship should be prohibited until the Navy secretary ensures the ship's design meets several requirements, according to the recently released House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee’s mark-up of the fiscal year 2025 defense policy bill.
The creation of a national maritime strategy is necessary amid "great power competition, aging infrastructure and the threat of high-intensity war," according to a bipartisan, bicameral document released by lawmakers today.
A legislative proposal brought forward by the Navy will potentially allow the service to acquire foreign, used vessels to bolster sealift capacity.
There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to shipbuilding delays, but labor is the most contributing factor, shipbuilder HII Chief Executive Officer Chris Kastner told investors in a first-quarter earnings call Thursday.
Capacity for ship repairs and construction continues to be a top issue for the Navy and Marine Corps, service officials told lawmakers today on Capitol Hill. Outsourcing ship repairs to foreign countries is a potential solution, the officials added, one already raised last month by Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.