Budget Calls for 4.6% Pay Raise for Service Members
The White House released its fiscal 2023 budget Monday. The $733 billion spending plan calls for a 4.6% pay raise for service members, but the services would see its active-duty end strength drop. The Navy would see a decrease of about 600 personnel.
Navy Pilots Continue Russian Deterrence Missions
US Navy pilots are flying dozens of daily missions from the USS Harry S. Truman in the Mediterranean region. The Truman has been in the region since December, making it the longest stretch in decades for US ships to stay in that region.
US Ramping Up Evacuation Efforts
Biden faces global pressure to extend Afghanistan evacuation efforts as Taliban warns: extending the deadline means “extending the occupation … [which] will provoke a reaction.”
Biden to the World: ‘America Is Back’
President Joe Biden, speaking to the virtual Munich Security Conference, reassured world leaders of America’s commitment to its European allies. “America is back, the transatlantic alliance is back, and we are not looking backward. We are looking forward together,” Biden said. The president also reversed several foreign policy moves by the Trump administration.
New Commandant at Naval Academy
COL James “J.P.” McDonough III will be the next commandant at the US Naval Academy. The Marine Corps artillery officer was a 1994 graduate of the academy.
Biden Transition Team Decries Lack of DoD Cooperation
President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team has criticized the Pentagon for the abrupt halt in meetings and information sharing. “A failure to work together can have consequences well beyond January,” a spokesman for the team said.
South China Sea Topic of TPP Webinar
Gregory Poling of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative will lead the upcoming “Rock & Rules: American and the South China Seas” webinar Oct. 21. The Patuxent Partnership and St. Mary’s College of Maryland Center for the Study of Democracy will co-sponsor the event.
Carrier Reagan Heads Back to South China Sea
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan strike group has returned to the South China Sea as tensions with China continue to rise.
Save the Date for TPP So. China Sea Webinar
The Patuxent Partnership and St. Mary’s College of Maryland Center for the Study of Democracy will co-sponsor the “Rocks & Rules: America and the South China Sea” webinar. Save the date: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, from noon to 1:30 pm.
Arson Suspected in Bonhomme Richard Fire
Arson is suspected as the cause of a July 12 fire that damaged the USS Bonhomme Richard. A US Navy sailor was being questioned. The fire on the amphibious assault ship, docked in San Diego, burned for more than four days.
