Del Toro: Innovate Faster to Solve Navy’s Problems
NavSec Carlos Del Toro unveiled the new Naval Science and Technology strategy last week. It’s a “call to service” for scientists and engineers from across the country to help the military solve its problems. The Naval S&T strategy aims to strengthen collaboration with industry, academia, and partners and allies, to cultivate research and accelerate delivery of technological innovation. “S&T is a means, and maritime dominance is the ends,” Del Toro said.
’23 Brings Pay Hike to Federal Workers
This year all federal workers — military and civilian — will receive a 4.6% pay hike, the largest in two decades.
DoD Creates New UFO Task Force
The Defense Department will streamline the collection and analysis of UFO reports, following the government’s acknowledgment that these reports are worth studying and might pose a threat to national security.
Biden Shifts Focus of DoD Budget
The Biden administration’s first DoD budget proposal — for FY22 — declares climate change a “national security priority,” includes $30.8 million to address extremism among troops, and enhances training at all levels,
What Will Navy’s New Force Structure Plan Look Like?
Teams led by the US Navy’s chief of naval operations and the US Marine Corps’ commandant have been studying the services’ fleet size. The force structure plan, originally slated to be released in February, remains on track for the fall.
With NAVAIR Help, CH-53K Engine Problems Fixed
With the help of engineers from the Naval Air Systems Command, Sikorsky has solved its CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter’s gas re-ingestion problem.
Gilday, New Navy CNO, Takes Command
New Chief of Naval Operations ADM Michael Gilday took over as the highest uniformed office in the sea service last week. He says the Navy “will think differently.”
DoD Forbids Use of CBD Products by Service Members
As each military service has been rolling out its own policy regarding hemp-derived products like cannabidiol, or CBD, DoD issued this warning: “It’s completely forbidden for use by any service member in any of the services at this point of time.”
First F-35B Lands on British Warship
The first Royal Navy pilot to land an F-35B stealth fighter on Britain’s new HMS Queen Elizabeth tells his story. Flying the test jet from NAS Patuxent River, Royal Navy Cmdr. Nathan Gray touched down to start two months of flight tests.
Military on Display at Valiant Shield ’18
US military forces from the US Indo-Pacific Command participated in Valiant Shield 2018 last week near Guam with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, 15 surface ships, over 160 aircraft and around 15,000 military personnel.
