While the Marine Corps' top service officer considers declaring the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter war-ready, the first operational aircraft must have a sufficient number of spare parts to deploy in 2017.
Lee Hudson was Inside the Navy's managing editor until June 2018. She has covered Navy and Marine Corps issues since 2011, reporting at the Pentagon, Capitol Hill, aboard ships and military facilities around the U.S. Previously she worked as a staff reporter at The Daily Review in Morgan City, LA, covering local government and crime. Lee graduated with a B.A. in Mass Communication and Marketing from Loyola University New Orleans.
While the Marine Corps' top service officer considers declaring the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter war-ready, the first operational aircraft must have a sufficient number of spare parts to deploy in 2017.
From this week's edition of Inside the Navy:
The potential future 37th commandant of the Marine Corps will have the same priorities as the current top service official, according to Lt. Gen. Robert Neller, who is nominated to succeed Gen. Joseph Dunford.
Congressional conference committee deliberations continue this week on the proposed fiscal year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, though several sources on Capitol Hill indicate that lawmakers are embroiled in heated debates over a handful of contentious issues, including defense acquisition reform, that could push negotiations into next month.
The Marine Corps recently completed the final milestone to declaring the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter operational, according to a service spokesman.
From this week's edition of Inside the Navy . . .
Pentagon officials, in a last-ditch effort to make its case to congressional defense authorizers, are arguing that an increase in Super Hornet aircraft production is not required and that keeping the production line open is cost-prohibitive for the Navy.
The Marine Corps recently cleared two milestones to declare its F-35B Joint Strike Fighter variant operational by the end of July, according to a service spokesman.
Lockheed Martin and Finnish vehicle manufacturer Patria mutually agreed to end their partnership for the Marine Corps' next-generation amphibious vehicle competition, according to a Lockheed spokesman.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter has recommended that President Obama nominate Lt. Gen. Robert Neller to become the next Marine Corps commandant.
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford will prioritize funding efforts that facilitate distributed operations in the next budget cycle as well as mitigating risk for Marines operating in Africa and the Pacific.
The Marine Corps will kick off its final operational readiness inspection of the Joint Strike Fighter short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing variant in mid-July before declaring the jet operational, according to a service spokesman.
The Marine Corps recently completed the first-ever MV-22 Osprey landing aboard a Dutch warship, according to a service statement.
A Senate panel is concerned with the Virginia Payload Module's stability, cost and schedule pressures and directs the Navy to submit a quarterly report to update congressional defense committees on the effort.
The Air Force estimates the cost of damages associated with a June 2014 F-35 fire exceeded $50 million, according to a recently released accident investigation board report.
The first group of sailors manning the Aegis Ashore site in Romania recently arrived at Naval Support Facility Deveselu, which is a step closer to the site becoming operational.
The Pentagon has awarded Lockheed Martin a $950 million advance acquisition contract for 94 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.
The Pentagon has awarded a $156 million contract to Pratt & Whitney in support of Joint Strike Fighter Low-Rate Initial Production Lot 10.
The House Appropriations defense subcommittee in its mark of the fiscal year 2016 defense spending bill slashed $68 million from the Marine Corps' next-generation amphibious vehicle, according to documents obtained by InsideDefense.com.
The Littoral Combat Ship Freedom variant (LCS-1) recently completed Rough Water Trials off the coast of Oregon for 11 days, according to a Navy statement.