Thursday, December 7, 2023
The Marine Corps is extending the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle prototype evaluation period until at least fiscal year 2026 and preparing to add an additional mission role variant, equipped with a 30mm gun and turret, to the assessment.
Military leaders from the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom appeared on Friday night to foot-stomp recent progress within the AUKUS security partnership and announce several new initiatives in the agreement’s technology-focused second pillar.
Defense officials are preparing to launch multiple new initiatives within the technology-focused second pillar of AUKUS, including a string of joint exercises using autonomous maritime systems and a series of innovation challenges aiming to incentivize companies from the three nations to compete to fill key capability gaps.
The Navy has completed the initial technical review for a developing hypersonic weapon system and will publish an official request for proposals for the program's engineering and manufacturing development phase in the second quarter of fiscal year 2024.
The Navy's Ship-to-Shore Connector amphibious craft will not achieve initial operational capability until later in fiscal year 2024, marking a delay of more than six months for the program that will eventually replace the aging fleet of Landing Craft Air Cushion vessels.
The Navy last week published its first comprehensive cyber strategy detailing seven lines of effort to ready the service for a global operating environment where cyber capabilities are increasingly important for national defense.
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith has been released from the hospital and is continuing his recovery at home and preparing for an upcoming heart procedure after suffering a cardiac arrest on Oct. 29, according to a service press release.
The Navy plans to establish its own variant of the Army’s Man Transportable Robotic System Increment II, a remotely operated platform used to detect and dispose of landmines and other explosives, according to a request for information posted earlier this month.
The Navy is well-equipped to weather a continuing resolution running through the first quarter of fiscal year 2024 but the service will see significant disruptions to high-priority acquisition programs -- including key submarines, surface ships and munitions -- if the CR stretches to a full year.
Two members of the House Armed Services Committee today said they are “optimistic” a series of legislative proposals intended to help implement the AUKUS security partnership will soon be enacted by Congress.
Hiring and retaining a robust workforce is the key challenge the submarine industrial base must overcome to reach the Navy's desired production rate of one Columbia- and two Virginia-class submarines each year, according to a senior official.
Within the next year, the Australian government will announce the "shipbuilding partner" that will build the future SSN-AUKUS submarine and help to develop the vessel's requirements, an Australian Navy official said today at the Naval Submarine League Symposium.
The Navy is nearing completion of an initial capabilities document for the future SSN(X) submarine and expects to begin conducting an analysis of alternatives for the program in 2024, a senior service official said today.
The Navy plans to extend the service life of the ballistic missile submarine Alaska (SSBN-732), the first of five Ohio-class boats that could receive life extensions to reduce the risk of gaps appearing in the fleet as next-generation Columbia-class submarines come online.
The Navy has released a request for information for the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel, a future platform intended to carry a variety of modular payloads and provide anti-surface warfare capabilities to the fleet.
The U.S. industrial base could receive a $2 billion investment as soon as 2025 if lawmakers pass pending AUKUS implementation legislation before the end of the calendar year, according to a Congressional Budget Office cost estimate.
The Senate voted 86-0 today to confirm Lt. Gen. Christopher Mahoney as Marine Corps assistant commandant days after Commandant Gen. Eric Smith was hospitalized following an undisclosed medical emergency, leaving the service with no Senate-confirmed No. 2 officer.
The Senate voted 95-1 today to confirm Adm. Lisa Franchetti as the next chief of naval operations, breaking a months-long hold that left Franchetti serving as the acting CNO while awaiting senate confirmation.
Shipbuilder HII has exceeded its annual hiring goal with over 5,000 new hires through the third quarter of 2023, according to company executives, who said they are still working to improve retention rates.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) advanced the nominations of three senior military officials on Tuesday, seeking to fill key Defense Department positions that have been left vacant due to a blanket hold by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).