Navy Makes Changes to Basic Training

Sailors participate in a boot camp graduation ceremony at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, IL, September 7, 2018. (US Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Spencer Fling)

Morning Coffee is a robust blend of links to news around the internet concerning the Naval Air Station Patuxent River economic community. The opinions expressed here do not reflect opinions of the Leader’s owners or staff.

The US Navy is revamping its basic training, reports Navy Times. The training will be 10 weeks instead of eight, and the service is adding more mentorship, life skills, and personal and professional development to the boot camp curriculum.

Several former Pentagon leaders from the Trump administration have joined less traditional technology companies since ending their government service, reports Defense News. The moves align with an increased DoD focus on transformative technologies — from artificial intelligence to 5G networks to hypersonic weapons — and a more aggressive push to reach smaller tech companies and startups.

Mike Meaney, vice president of land and maritime sensors at Northrop Grumman, says his company is conducting research and development to adapt its electronic attack platform, currently built for the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, to fit on smaller ships, reports Defense News.

A federal judge dismissed one of two lawsuits filed by a group opposed to basing F-35s in Madison, WI, reports the Wisconsin State Journal. Safe Skies Clean Water sued the National Guard Bureau, claiming it failed to study and account for the effects of 27 construction projects being undertaken as the 115th Fighter Wing prepares Truax Field Air National Guard Base for the new fighter jets.

Norway says it will use F-35 aircraft for its NATO quick-reaction alert missions instead of using F-16s for the job, reports Defense News. Norway expects to have its fleet of 52 F-35s fully operational by 2025.

When the USS Abraham Lincoln deployed last week, its air wing included the Marine Corps F-35C stealth jets from Miramar air station for the first time, reports Times of San Diego. “Our ability to operate the F-35C in the Pacific greatly increases the Marine Corps’ naval expeditionary force capabilities by providing us the capacity to employ the most advanced electronic warfare capabilities on any aircraft today in support of fleet operations,” said LT COL Brendan Walsh, commanding officer of the Miramar squadron aboard the aircraft carrier.

The US and Japan have agreed to increase collaboration on research and development activities on emerging technologies, reports Breaking Defense, with an emphasis on advanced space systems and countering hypersonic missiles. US StateSec Antony Blinken and US DefSec Lloyd Austin met virtually with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi last week.

US Special Operations Command Europe is set to establish a forward-based Special Operations Forces headquarters in Albania, reports Army Technology. It will serve as a special ops hub in the Balkans.

Task & Purpose gave the Pentagon a 2021 report card, and it was a less than stellar one. “The Pentagon’s subpar performance in 2021 is not a perception problem. It’s a results problem,” according to the report, which issued grades in several areas, such as the January 6, 2021, US Capitol insurrection response, the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, getting troops to get COVID vaccinations, and fighting extremists in the military.

 

 

The USS Lyndon B. Johnson Zumwalt-class destroyer for the Navy is ready to leave General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in Maine and head to Ingalls in Mississippi for the final fitting out, reports Navy Recognition. The Johnson is the third and final Zumwalt-class destroyer built for the Navy.

Morocco’s Royal Navy wants to acquire two aircraft specialized in maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare, and search and rescue on the high seas, reports Morocco World News. Boeing with its P-8 Poseidon and Lockheed Martin with its SC-130J Sea Hercules are two of the companies in the running for the contract.

Two US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft joined five other nations — Australia, Canada, India, Japan, and South Korea — for the multinational Sea Dragon 22 exercise last week in the Indo-Pacific region, reports militaryspot.com.

A federal appeals court in Cincinnati, OH, rejected the Biden administration’s request to lift a court order to temporarily block the implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal contractors in Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee, reports ExecutiveGov.

The Marine Corps has separated more than 250 Marines due to their refusal to receive the COVID vaccine, reports USNI News.

US Forces Korea raised its health protection alert January 8 after posting its highest weekly tally of new COVID infections, reports Channel News Asia.

Late last week, Japan asked StateSec Blinken to keep US military members stationed in Japan on their bases to prevent the further spread of COVID, reports The Associated Press. A joint statement issued Sunday says that US personnel will now be required to stay on base for the next 14 days, reports The Hill

Army Reserve LT COL Michael Spillane who was relieved of his command in 2020 is now facing a discharge from the force after he expressed racist opinions to his troops and peppered his social media accounts with posts attacking public officials that his own lawyer described as racist, inflammatory, and in poor taste, reports Military.com.

The Association of Defense Communities honors Defense Community Champions each year. January 14 is the deadline to nominate people who make a difference in the communities that military members call home. ADC members may make nominations here.

The Maryland Humane Society Legislative Fund issued its report card for state legislators. Thirty of the state’s 47 senators earned perfect scores for their votes on animal rights bills, reports Maryland Matters. Read the 2021 Maryland Humane Scorecard here.

St. Mary’s County is the only county in Maryland to be chosen for SelectUSA’s EDO Diagnostic Data Program, reports The Southern Maryland Chronicle. SelectUSA, aims to facilitate business investment by providing economic development organizations with diagnostic data snapshots on the strengths and opportunities for their location. The county’s priorities include implementation of the AeroPark Innovation District Master Plan, the Sustainable Communities Lexington Park Initiative, and NAS Pax River’s tie to the local economy.