Wednesday, November 19, 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.
Several lawmakers pushed back Tuesday against U.S. Transportation Command Commander Gen. Randall Reed’s request to raise the limit on buying foreign-made and used ships, arguing for resources to be shifted to domestic shipbuilding instead.
As a variety of unmanned underwater vehicles are prepped for deployment in the next year, the Navy has implemented a “confidence course” to test-run UUVs -- a course that has held dozens of runs in the past year, according to an official.
Aircraft carrier industrial base members prepared today to plead their case on Capitol Hill, asking for $600 million in advanced procurement funding for the fifth Gerald R. Ford-class carrier (CVN-82) in fiscal year 2026, and for contract awards to be granted no later than FY-29.
The White House has tapped Navy veteran and Heritage Foundation research fellow Brett Sadler to head the Maritime Administration, according to a congressional posting Monday.
A new positioning system that allows unmanned surface vessels to operate in GPS-denied environments is now operational within the Navy -- a landmark in the service’s efforts to boost navigational capabilities in contested areas.
ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER GERALD R. FORD -- Off the coast of Virginia, the multiweek Composite Training Unit Exercise is underway for the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) -- a series of test events to be completed before the warship's next deployment, projected to be later this summer, according to officials.
A new bill introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers would establish a national commission on the maritime industrial base, following previous congressional and executive moves to bolster national shipbuilding efforts.
Naval ship availability is about 67% depending on the day, a senior Navy official told lawmakers Wednesday -- far from the 80% combat-surge readiness goal set in place by former Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti in a plan to effectively counter China by 2027.
As part of a new Australian AUKUS submarine industry strategy, shipbuilder HII has been awarded a $9.6 million (AUD) -- or roughly US$6 million -- contract to deliver a pilot program meant to integrate more Australian suppliers and products into the U.S. industrial base.
To remedy the state of shipbuilding in the United States, no factor is more important than addressing labor shortages and boosting wages, a naval analyst told lawmakers today.
The limit on buying used and foreign vessels should be raised even higher, Gen. Randall Reed, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, told lawmakers Wednesday.
The Navy is seeking information from sources hoping to participate in this year's red and blue team test exercise -- known as the Robust Artificial Intelligence Test Event.
The Navy intends to award Raytheon Technologies a contract for potentially three lots of its next-generation airborne electronic attack jamming system, which is set to replace the legacy ALQ-99 jamming pods on EA-18G Growlers.
Billions of dollars have been invested in the nation’s shipbuilding industrial base by the Navy and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, yet the effectiveness of these funds is difficult to determine -- made even more tedious by a lack of coordination between the two groups, according to the Government Accountability Office.
John Phelan, President Trump’s nominee to serve as the next Navy secretary, told lawmakers today that if confirmed, he will personally review all existing contracts and renegotiate them if needed.
The Navy is seeking responses from industry members and government organizations regarding counter-uncrewed systems -- specifically capabilities with a technology readiness level of five or higher -- according to a government notice issued today.
The Navy is progressing in testing across several ship programs, with advances that include the completion of key survivability testing for the lead Ford-class carrier.
The Navy is seeking additional sources for Contractor Owned Contractor Operated (COCO) services meant to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance via unmanned aerial systems, according to a request for information issued Feb. 5.
A new unmanned surface vessel may result from talks between the Navy and lawmakers, following a year filled with debate over how to phase out larger, more bespoke systems in favor of a streamlined solution -- an effort industry has been heavily involved in as well.
The Marine Corps is conducting research to fulfill the second block of its navigation program, which aims to modernize positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) and global positioning system (GPS) capabilities, according to a request for information issued today.