Future Unclear on Littoral Combat Ships
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) said he will offer an amendment to save five US Navy littoral combat ships from an early retirement. Three separate congressional committees have approved defense budget plans that would block the Navy from scrapping five vessels from the problem-plagued ship class.
BAMS-D Aircraft Welcomed Back to Pax
The US Navy’s Global Hawks are back home at NAS Patuxent River after its more than a decade-long mission. Returning after a 13-year deployment that was initially supposed to be six months, the remaining Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator program, or BAMS-D, aircraft are on their way to tying off a storied career.
Inflation Bonus Proposed for Troops
Troops making less than $45,000 would get an “inflation bonus” under an amendment proposed to the $802 billion annual defense policy bill being hammered out by Congress.
Big Boost Proposed for DIU Budget
House lawmakers eye 70% funding boost for Pentagon’s commercial innovation hub, charged with transitioning commercial technology for military use. The unit’s leader, Mike Brown, unexpectedly announced in April he would retire from the position in September, reportedly over concerns about a lack of support for the DIU’s mission.
Kingsley New CO at NAS Patuxent River
CAPT Derrick Kingsley is the new commanding officer at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Kingsley’s role as Pax River CO follows his previous position as the base executive officer.
Morning Coffee Is Off the Burner
Morning Coffee is off the burner today, June 20, in observance of Juneteenth. We’ll be back Tuesday, June 21.
House Dems: No Inflation Add-On to $762B Defense Budget
A draft FY23 defense budget out of the US House Appropriation’s Committee rejects calls for an inflationary hike from 3% to 5% and sticks with the Biden administration’s $762B budget.
A Mixed Week for Women
The good news is, Google is paying15,500 female employees owed money to achieve equitable pay. Meanwhile, 79% of the CEOs in the top 100 government contracting firms are male. Furthermore, higher levels of “forever chemicals” when found in middle-aged women’s blood increase her risk of hypertension. The “forever chemicals” — PCFs — are associated with large scale fire retardants but are also in kitchenware and cosmetics.
Aircraft ‘Safety Pause’ Ordered by Navy
Three US Navy and Marine Corps aircraft crashes in the past week and a half — two of which were fatal — have led the Navy’s aviation community to undergo a “safety pause.” During the pause Monday, all non-deployed units reviewed risk-management practices and conducted training “on threat and error-management processes.”
New Helicopters Headed to Andrews
Joint Base Andrews, MD, will be the next location to receive the new MH-139 helicopter. The Grey Wolf will replace the aging UH-1N Huey and expand the base’s fleet size.
