– Virginian Pilot – The Navy has sidelined its fleet of coastal patrol boats operating out of Bahrain after inspections revealed “significant structural damage,” and has limited the operations of five patrol boats homeported at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek.

– Air Force – A new operational concept looks to prepare the US and its allies to deter or defeat Chinese power.

– Defense Technology International – In the interest of providing a little more perspective on what the recent postponement of the Littoral Combat Ship downselect and what frequent criticisms of the program might mean for the future of the U.S. Naval force as a whole, you have to look at some of the figures–numbers of ships, yearly shipbuilding goals, etc.–that the Navy is projecting in its five and thirty-year shipbuilding plans.

– Defense Technology International – Just a week after the Navy announced that it had pushed its contract award date for the Littoral Combat Ship back yet again, only committing to make its decision between the competing Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics hulls “as expeditiously as practicable,” the Government Accountability Office has come out with a highly critical report that raises some serious questions about the next two hulls that the bidders are currently building.

Aviation Week and Space Technology – Tight Budgets, Needs Alter USN Unmanned Efforts

Fiscal constraints will be a major driving factor in the capabilities that the U.S. Navy will seek in unmanned vehicles in the coming years, says the chief of naval operations, Adm. Gary Roughead. However, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) will be called upon to fill what he calls a “capability gap” in the Navy’s ability to collect intelligence in the maritime domain.

Aviation Week and Space Technology – US Navy Envisions Many Unmanned Platforms

The U.S. Navy’s ambitious pursuit of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) was, if anything, simply a glimmer in the eye of a few rogues in the service just a decade or so ago. Fast forward to the present, and the Navy has emerged with funded programs, a cohesive vision and a procurement corps aggressively engaging industry—three things that any U.S. project needs to garner support, and money, from Congress.

Virginian Pilot – Navy’s riverine patrol: Peacekeeping in a war zone

US Navy Riverine Squadron 1 is halfway through a six-month tour. Traditionally, the mission of riverines is to secure inland waterways such as rivers and swamps. They are known for their integral role in the Vietnam War, and they come well-equipped for combat. During this deployment, however, the squadron’s 200 sailors have not engaged in any firefights. Instead, like most U.S. forces in Iraq these days, their mission focuses on peacekeeping.

Virginian Pilot – Ashland returns with a story to tell: Pirates

Few Navy vessels have been attacked by Somalis since at least the 1800s – making the USS Ashland a rare ship to have a brush with piracy.

Florida Times – Underwater guards? Forget SEALs, it’s sea lions, dolphins

Boats with intimidating displays of weapons patrol the waters at the port at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. But if underwater intruders elude a patrol boat’s sophisticated electronic surveillance, something else waits in the depths that Navy officials say cannot be fooled. For five years, 10 California sea lions and four Atlantic bottlenose dolphins have provided underwater security for Ohio-class submarines ported at Kings Bay as part of the Swimmer Interdiction Security System.

CBS – U.S. Navy Successfully Uses Laser to Shoot Down Drones

The U.S. Navy has used a a laser weapon to shoot down four unmanned aerial vehicles in a test that rings up memories of Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars” missile defense shield in the 1980s.

(Thanks to Jordan for the link!)

Defense Technology International – Build Up Naval, Air Forces After Current Wars, Experts Say

A blue-ribbon panel of bipartisan national security experts is warning Congress that there should be no peace dividend after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down, because U.S. naval and air forces will have to grow in light of China and North Korea.

Washington Post – U.S. nears key step in European defense shield against Iranian missiles

Since last year, the Navy has been deploying Aegis-class destroyers and cruisers equipped with ballistic missile defense systems to patrol the Mediterranean Sea. The ships, featuring octagonal Spy-1 radars and arsenals of Standard Missile-3 interceptors, will form the backbone of Obama’s shield in Europe.

Washington Post – Navy poised to pick builder of new Littoral Combat Ship this summer

The Navy plans to pick a winner this summer in the contest to build a new high-speed warship that can prowl close to shorelines as a vital part of future military strategy. But whether the service can live up to its promises to build an inexpensive ship that can do a variety of missions remains a big question, defense industry analysts and congressional leaders say.

Defense Technology International – US Plans Sub-Launched UAV Test

The US Naval Research Laboratory plans to demonstrate the launch of an unmanned aircraft from a submerged submarine – and not just any UAV, but a fuel cell-powered aircraft that has already demonstrated the ability to stay aloft more more than 6 hours.

Virginian Pilot – Northrop Grumman’s move won’t alter Navy’s course

The Navy has shrugged off Northrop Grumman Corp.’s decision to sell or spin off its shipbuilding business, including the Newport News shipyard that builds aircraft carriers and submarines.

Virginian Pilot – Northrop Grumman may sell shipbuilding operations

Northrop Grumman Corp. is poised to shed its shipbuilding operations, including the Newport News shipyard that builds the Navy’s aircraft carriers.

Wall Street Journal – Navy Weighs Ship’s Design, Along With Its Own Future

The contest to build the Littoral Combat Ship underscores a broader discussion taking place inside and outside the Navy about the future size and shape of the service’s fleet.

US Naval Institute Proceedings – The Right Submarine for Lurking in the Littorals

Antisubmarine SSKs are small, quiet, and maneuverable—just the thing for operating in shallow and narrow waterways.

Defense Technology International – Growler Grows Up

The U.S. Navy’s efforts to ready the growing EA-18G Growler fleet for operational use are ramping up.

Defense Technology International – Navy Grappling with Climate Change

On May 21st, the U.S. Navy released its Climate Change Roadmap, a document developed by the sea service’s Task Force Climate Change that lays out the basic parameters of how the Navy sees climate change affecting its operations, and what steps it may need to take over the next five years.

US Naval Institute Proceedings – Reintegrating our Wounded Warriors

“A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards.” -President Theodore Roosevelt

Armed Forces Journal – Deep dive

Self-inflicted attack sub cuts cripple America’s sea superiority

Washington Post – CBO says submarine program will be more expensive than Navy’s estimates

The Navy’s new nuclear-missile submarine could cost, on average, about $1 billion more than the service projects, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Each submarine could cost about $8.2 billion, or almost 14 percent more than the Navy’s estimate of $7.2 billion, the CBO said. The first ship of the class — typically the most expensive — could run as high as $13 billion, or $4 billion over the Navy estimate, the nonpartisan agency said in a report released Tuesday.

Defense Technology International – Air-Sea Battle: The Other Future

Tuesday morning, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments presented its report on the “air-sea battle” on Capitol Hill, introduced by Sens. Joe Lieberman and John Thune. The report and associated presentation are worth a detailed read. Let’s just say that the ideas are far reaching and suggest a future for the US military that’s very different from its “boot centric” present.

New York Times – Quiet Resistance to Women on Subs

While the decision to allow women to serve on submarines opens a prestigious career path to women and increases the Navy’s recruiting pool for submarine postings, it has been met with quiet resistance within what has long been proudly called “the Silent Service,” according to active-duty and retired submariners.