National Interest – James Holmes writes that Lisa Franchetti is trying to break a paradigm. Admiral Franchetti is the newish chief of naval operations (CNO), or seniormost uniformed U.S. naval officer. What she says matters. Judging from her just-released “Navigation Plan,” or policy directive to the U.S. Navy, the CNO has come to believe that the Navy’s strategy, operational doctrine, and fleet design have fallen behind discomfiting new realities.

USNI News – The following is Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti’s Navigation Plan for America’s Warfighting Navy that was released to the fleet on Sept. 18, 2024.

USNI News – The new fleet-wide guidance from the Navy’s top officer focuses on preparing the service for a potential war with China by 2027 as the maritime component of a joint “warfighting ecosystem.” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti will publicly issue her “America’s Warfighting Navy,” guidance to the wider fleet this week, more than a year into leading the Navy. The plan outlines her priorities for the service, which include fixing maintenance backlogs and recruiting, according to the final draft reviewed by USNI News.

National Interest – James Holmes writes that if the U.S. Navy is in a bad way—and it is, amidst travails such as collisions and other mishaps at sea, shipboard fires, shipbuilding debacles, and even photos of rusty ships of war—changing minds and hearts will make a start toward renovating its standing as the world’s premier saltwater fighting force.

USNI News –  The short-notice surge of U.S. warships from the East Coast to take on missile and drone threats in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea is informing a model for how the Navy will surge ships to fight in future conflicts, the commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command told a group of naval engineers on Tuesday.

USNI News – West coast carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) will remain in the Middle East as regional conflict intensifies, according to a Sunday Pentagon statement. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin instructed the carrier strike group to stay in U.S. Central Command as part of an increase of American forces in the region.

BBC – Diego Garcia, a remote island in the Indian Ocean, is a paradise of lush vegetation and white-sand beaches, surrounded by crystal blue waters.

But this is no tourist destination. It is strictly out of bounds to most civilians – the site of a highly secretive UK-US military base shrouded for decades in rumour and mystery.

The island, which is administered from London, is at the centre of a long-running territorial dispute between the UK and Mauritius, and negotiations have ramped up in recent weeks.

The BBC gained unprecedented access to the island earlier this month.

Navy Lookout – After the perceived failure of the Littoral Combat ship programme, the US Navy has shifted its focus back to building traditional frigates. In this piece, we examine the turbulent beginnings of the Constellation-class (FFG-62) project and look at the wider lessons for those involved in warship design and acquisition.

Center for Maritime Strategy – What would happen if the United States no longer deployed nuclear-powered aircraft carriers? The answer is chilling and compelling. Without a robust fleet of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the United States would no longer be able to deploy a credible deterrent capability to contested regions around the world. Without the presence of American carriers, authoritarian rulers, terrorist organizations, and non-state actors would run amuck. This is particularly evident today in the Middle East.

US Naval War College Review – Naval employment of uncrewed platforms is expanding, but their status and perception among both operators and adversaries are still evolving, with key differences from crewed platforms that affect diplomacy, political signaling, and conflict escalation.