Bird Strike Grounds Navy Aircraft at Pax
An E-6B Mercury, a nuclear command-and-control plane, hit a bird while landing at NAS Patuxent River on Oct. 2. The Navy estimates the damage due to the bird strike at about $2 million.
Lawmakers Want Large-Scale DoD Cyber Exercise
Congress is requiring the Department of Defense to conduct a large-scale exercise gaming response to a national cyber incident.
No Tanks Will Roll in Trump’s Parade
President Donald Trump’s Veterans Day military parade will include wheeled military vehicles, but no tanks. This is to prevent “damage to local infrastructure,” the Pentagon says. The parade will, however, include a “heavy air component” at the end.
Organizational Changes Likely in Pacific Fleet
The US Navy is pressing toward a major organizational change that could strip US Pacific Fleet of some or all of its functions and consolidate that power under US Fleet Forces Command on the East Coast.
RADM Gordon Peters New Boss at NAVAIR
RADM Gordon Peters will be the new boss of Naval Air Systems Command. He replaces VADM Paul Grosklags as the top officer at NAVAIR. Also at NAVAIR, RADM Brian Corey will replace RADM Mark Darrah as the program executive officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons.
Navy Admonished to Fix Pilot Hypoxia Issues
The House Armed Services Committee tells the Navy to “fix” physiological issues facing fighter jet pilots and student pilots. Hypoxia incidents have been increasing in Navy aircraft over the past decade.
Pax Welcomes 1st Italian-Built F-35B
The first F-35B assembled outside of the US landed at NAS Patuxent River last week after completing a transatlantic flight from Cameri Air Base in Italy.
New Effort to Coordinate DoD Research, Development
The Pentagon is drafting a list of desired technologies as part of a new modernization strategy to coordinate DoD’s research and development, including at US laboratories and government-funded research centers. The goal is to make sure that the military is aligned across the services.
Scrambling to Avoid Gov’t Shutdown
Congress is scrambling to avoid a government shutdown. Republicans push for a short-term funding measure.
Navy Reviewing Behavior, Reducing Ranks
From the Fat Leonard scandal to a review of misconduct and poor performance, the US Navy will be clearing the ranks for younger sailors to move up.
