U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Ryan Worthington, a brass quartet trumpet player for the 1st Marine Division Band, performs Taps during the anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal at the Guadalcanal American Memorial in the Solomon Islands, Aug. 7, 2022.

U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Ryan Worthington, a brass quartet trumpet player for the 1st Marine Division Band, performs Taps during the anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal at the Guadalcanal American Memorial in the Solomon Islands, Aug. 7, 2022. U.S. Marine Corps / Cpl. Dillon L. Buck

The Naval Brief: Wargaming Taiwan’s defense; Abe Lincoln homecoming; Captain remembered for saving frigate; and more...

Welcome to The Naval Brief, a weekly look at the news and ideas shaping the sea services’ future.

Deterring conflict in the Pacific. A group of experts gathered at a Washington D.C. think tank to see how to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion, and found that it was possible—but at a high cost to human life and equipment, Defense One reports. The U.S. lost more than a dozen ships and submarines, a number of aircraft, and thousands of troops, while also expending all of its anti-ship missiles in a matter of days. 

Carrier’s deployment ends. After seven months, the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is returning home to San Diego on Thursday after operating in the Pacific in the 3rd and 7th Fleet areas. Defense One visited the aircraft carrier last month while it was participating in the Rim of the Pacific exercise in Hawaii, and heard how the Marine Corps F-35Cs aboard were a “game-changer.”

Famed captain of USS Samuel B. Roberts dies. Capt. Paul Rinn’s diligence in training his crew for emergencies helped them save the USS Samuel B. Roberts in 1988 when it struck an Iranian contact mine in the Persian Gulf. Defense One’s Bradley Peniston co-wrote Rinn’s obituary in the Washington Post this week. The efforts of the crew to save the ship are still used as a case study by the Navy.

Sign up to get The Naval Brief every Thursday from Caitlin M. Kenney, Defense One’s military services reporter. Senior leaders from the Navy, Marine Corps, and other military services came together in the Solomon Islands this past weekend to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal


From Defense One

The Navy's Fleet Plan Has Two Strikes Against It // Brent D. Sadler

A recent report about the plan is classified, which will hinder leaders' efforts to talk about it, and the service lacks a confirmed acquisition chief.

US Will Spend $89M To Eradicate Russian Landmines In Ukraine // Jacqueline Feldscher

One hundred demining teams will work over the next year to clear the areas Russia held

Chinese Disinformation Group Targeted Pelosi's Taiwan Visit // Patrick Tucker

Efforts to attack critics of the PRC online have expanded in recent months.