March 19, 2024

CNO: Navy 7,000 Short on New Recruits

Training

The US Navy is likely to miss its recruiting goals this year, acting Chief of Naval Operations ADM Lisa Franchetti told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week. “We’re going to be about 7,000 short,” she said.

Global Aviation on Display This Week

Aviation

The 2023 Paris Air Show opens today. Among the US military aircraft on display will be the F-25, F-15E, and F-16. Here, an Air Force F-15 and two F-35s in a training exercise May 17. (US Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Penny Snoozy) 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 Paris Air Show opens this week after a four-year hiatus. At this event, all things global aviation take…

Inaugural Spark! Career Fair a Success

Spark!

By all accounts, the inaugural Spark! Student Career Awareness Fair was a success. More than 440 students from the tri-county area participated in The Patuxent Partnership event March 30, 2023.

Clutch Issues Ground Some V-22 Ospreys

V-22 Ospreys

A US Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey approaches the flight deck of the Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary sea base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams on January 6, 2023. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Conner D. Blake/Released) 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 Naval Air Systems Command grounded a subset of V-22 Osprey aircraft last week due to hard clutch engagement issues with the tilt-rotor aircraft, reports…

Contractors Get Half of DoD Budget

$1.3T Budget

More than half of the Pentagon’s yearly budget goes to private contractors. In 2021, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman received over $116 billion in Pentagon contracts while paying their top two dozen executives a total of $287 million. The CEOs of the top five contractors received compensation ranging from $18 million to $23 million each.

Another Historic Moon Launch for NASA

Moon Mission

NASA’s biggest test flight of the year is set to launch this morning. At 8:30 am EDT today, Monday, the Artemis 1 mission, an ambitious flight to the moon by NASA’s most powerful rocket ever — the Space Launch System — will head into space.

Pax Alum 1st Native Woman to Fly Into Space

Pax Alum

NAS Patuxent River alum Nicole Mann will be the first Native woman to fly into space this fall. She is scheduled to be aboard the SpaceX Crew-5 mission to go to the International Space Station.

BAMS-D Aircraft Welcomed Back to Pax

BAMS

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.

New Helicopters Headed to Andrews

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.