Defense Systems
The Navy used drones to sink a retired warship
Lessons from the SINKEX are shaping the service’s plans to buy and fight.
Business
Navy greenlights low-rate production of drone refueler
A contract for three MQ-25A aircraft is expected this summer.
Defense Systems
Drone boats make debut in Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan
Service officials envision a 450-hull fleet by 2031.
Threats
US escort of ships through Hormuz is a ‘gift to the world,’ Hegseth says
But secretary says the escorts are temporary, and the world should “step up.”
Ideas
Navy EA-18Gs over Iran, Venezuela show rise in aerial electronic attack
Here's what's next for the Navy jamming plane.
Threats
Marine commandant: Every combatant command has requested an amphibious ready group
The demand is about twice as high as the Marine Corps’ goal of three deployed at any given time, Gen. Eric Smith said Thursday.
Policy
Acting SecNav: ‘I’m not going to have my son go to war the way I did'
Industry can help prevent the Pentagon from making GWOT-era mistakes, said Hung Cao, filling in for his recently ousted boss.
Science & Tech
SOCOM adding AI, autonomy ‘at every level,’ commander says
Fast adoption illustrates smaller organizations’ ability to harness disruptive tech.
Defense Systems
Navy’s drone refueler notches first flight—but it won’t be on aircraft carriers until 2029
The MQ-25A delay pushes deliveries another two years past the prior reschedule.
Threats
US Navy ordered to ‘shoot and kill’ alleged Iranian mine-laying boats amid ceasefire
Hegseth says U.S. has "all the time in the world" as the number of interdicted vessels grows.
Science & Tech
Navy scientists seek tech breakthroughs in areas that companies ignore
With private-sector R&D funding rising, the Office of Naval Research is adjusting to new budget priorities.
Breaking News
Policy
Navy secretary leaving the Pentagon, ‘effective immediately’
His departure, long rumored, came as the Navy is fighting Iran and rolling out its proposed budget.
Business
The Navy will keep shrinking until the industrial base catches up
A commission on the service’s future is looking at ways to help the service along as ships wear down before they can be replaced.
Policy
Sub that sank Iranian warship reflects Navy’s drive to adapt, CNO says
“That was a glimpse of the future force,” Adm. Caudle said at Sea-Air-Space.
Science & Tech
Why the US can’t copy Ukraine’s robot navy
Command and control will remain a human endeavor—even as the Pacific fills with robo-boats.
Ideas
How to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
It will take existing, though battered, diplomatic and military frameworks plus some creative thinking.
Ideas
Unheeded lessons from the US warship nearly sunk by an Iranian mine
A strangely amnesiac effect seems to surround the threat of underwater weapons that wait.
Ideas