Policy
Navy Shipbuilding Plan Draws Lawmakers’ Ire Anew
Like last year’s, the new long-range plan offers a three-option menu and fewer amphibs than Congress mandates.
Science & Tech
Why the Navy & Air Force Can't Get Lasers Across the 'Valley of Death'
A new GAO report details missing links in efforts to move directed-energy weapons from the lab to the field.
Defense Systems
When Training Simulation Is Better Than Reality
It all comes down to risks, access, and how tailored the virtual environment can be.
Ideas
How to Advance US-Saudi Defense Cooperation
There’s room for progress short of a formal alliance.
Science & Tech
Navy Expands Unmanned Operations to 4th Fleet
U.S. Southern Command’s naval component will follow 5th Fleet into heavy-duty experimentation with drones.
Science & Tech
The Navy Wants Drones to Counter China’s Gray-Zone Moves
CNO says the upcoming 4th Fleet experiments will inform an eventual move into Indo-Pacific operations.
Science & Tech
Sea-Air-Space Conference Wire 3: The Next Drone-Using Fleet
Day 2 of the Navy League conference brought word that 4th Fleet will join 5th Fleet as a focus of the Navy's experiments with unmanned craft.
Threats
Satellite Ground Stations Are Vulnerable, US Warns
The Space Development Agency is beefing up satellite constellations—but keeping an eye on terrestrial attacks.
Defense Systems
Navy Wants Simulators That Measure Learning, Not Just Reps
The service’s LVC leader says more sophisticated data-capture methods are on the way.
Business
Sea-Air-Space Conference Wire 2: Drones and Their Antidotes
Unmanned craft are big on Day 1 of the Navy's League's annual conference.
Policy
Can F-35 Engine Plan Get Foreign OK?
The U.S. Air Force decided to upgrade the existing engine instead of pursuing a new adaptive engine, and will likely talk to partners about the change later this year.
Business
Insitu’s New Shipboard Drone Launches and Catches Other Drones
The FLARS quadcopter nabs larger fixed-wing Integrators in flight and lowers them to the deck.
Threats
Sea-Air-Space Conference Wire: Amphibs, Drones, and More
As the nation's largest naval conference opens just outside Washington, the leaders of the Navy and Marines disagree about just how and when to acquire amphibious warships.
Business