March 29, 2024

Del Toro Confirmed As Next NavSec

Carlos Del Toro, a retired Navy commander and businessman, was confirmed over the weekend as the 78th secretary of the US Navy and the second Hispanic American to lead the department.

DoD Eyes Reduced Spending on Carriers

Carrier

The Pentagon is considering a reduction in its aircraft carrier force structure as part of the upcoming fiscal 2022 budget submission to Congress.

Navy Screens for Coronavirus in Pacific

coronavirus

Navy steps up coronavirus screenings for Pacific-deployed personnel, dependents, and visitors as South Korea, Japan, and Singapore report substantial numbers of coronavirus cases.

Baltimore’s Liberty Ship Needs a New Home

liberty ship

The John W. Brown is one of only two fully operational Liberty ships, which transported vast numbers of military personnel and countless tons of cargo during the war — and the only one sailing regularly out of the port city where it was built, Baltimore, where it’s lease expires September 2019.

Trump Considering Space Force in DoD

Big Pricetag for Space Force

President Trump, honoring Army for its football team and praising all five branches of the military, suggests discussions are ongoing about a sixth branch — a space force.

Exploring America’s Forgotten Battlefield

USS Monitor/NOAA image

Two years after the discovery of the Atlantic Ocean graveyard of planes, a German U-boat and a Navy freighter, NOAA researchers are finally exploring America’s forgotten battlefield from World War II.

MD Fracking Rules Proposed

fracking

Maryland’s fracking ban expires in October 2017, legislative opponents will try to prohibit the practice altogether before the ban expires, but the Maryland Department of the Environment has rolled out fracking regs which would ban drilling in three watersheds in Western Maryland and require extensive safeguards around drilling sites.

China’s Territory Expansion Efforts Draw US Ire

China’s development of artificial islands in So. China Sea draws criticism from DoD officials, including US Pacific Command head Adm. Harry Harris.

Pax Reservist on the List to Move to Mars

Navy Reserve Lt. Cmdr. Oscar Mathews, assigned to NAS Patuxent River, makes the 100-person cut for a chance to move to Mars. Mars One, a not-for-profit foundation seeks to establish permanent human life on Mars.

DoD Budget: R&D vs Immediate Threats

Pentagon leaders say a returned emphasis on R&D is necessary for the US to maintain its competitive edge as a tug of war continues between them and the services still looking to fill near-term needs.