USNI News – U.S. forces destroyed four Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles the ground in Tuesday morning.

Defense News –  The U.S. Navy completed its first deployment of four unmanned ships, which spent five months in the Pacific testing concepts for how to integrate their capabilities into crewed fleet operations.

Breaking Defense – US Central Command today revealed that for the first time since Yemen-based Houthi began attacks on ships in the Red Sea in November, US forces seized “lethal, Iranian-supplied” arms heading to the militant group, including missile components. Two Navy SEALs, however, remain missing after the Jan. 11 operation.

War on the Rocks – The United States appears unwilling to embrace a collective approach to naval shipbuilding and sustainment with its allies and partners to compete with China. Decades-old protectionist legislation, “buy American” quotas, and technology transfer restrictions continue to limit meaningful industrial cooperation with allies. Whether and how the United States resolves this dilemma will determine the outcome of U.S.-Chinese naval competition, and with it the future of the United States in the Indo-Pacific.

Naval News – Austal USA, for the first time, showcased a T-AGOS 25 class undersea surveillance ship scale model.

Naval News – With over a third of the fleet projected to be unmanned by 2050, the Navy continues to develop and experiment with unmanned surface vessels.

Naval News – The US Navy is preparing for at-sea trials in 2024 of a capability to enable missiles to be re-loaded onboard surface ships deployed at sea. This capability will change the game in surface warfare operations, and would provide capability with relevance for current operations including those being conducted by USN destroyers in the Red Sea, according to the Secretary of the Navy.

Breaking Defense – There’s no lack of excitement in the Navy about the idea of an operational laser on a ship underway, but the service must be more “intellectually honest” about what’s possible, Rear Adm. Fred Pyle said at the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium.

War Zone – Mod 2.0 Arleigh Burke destroyers will get new radar, electronic warfare, and other capabilities as part of larger modernization push.

Defense News – The U.S. Navy’s first Constellation-class guided-missile frigate will arrive late amid workforce shortages, a program official said Thursday.

USNI News – The U.S. and the United Kingdom conducted a series of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen Thursday in retaliation for nearly three months of attacks on commercial shipping in the Middle East.

USNI News – The Navy currently has 22,000 gaps in at-sea billets for ranks E1-E4, an issue compounded by the Navy’s failure to meet its 2023 recruiting goals, the sea service’s chief personnel officer said Wednesday.

USNI News – Fleet Forces Command is working on a new plan to take a peacetime naval force and develop a construct for a U.S. Navy at war.

Defense News – The U.S. Navy’s surface fleet, still short of its readiness goal of 75 combat-credible surface ships at any given time, is pursuing new ways to boost its readiness.

Defense News – The chief of naval operations said Tuesday the service must “get more players on the field” as international crises demand more of the naval force, in her first major address since taking the helm of the Navy two months ago.

Breaking Defense – Alabama-based shipbuilder Austal USA says its new expeditionary medical ship will provide the US Navy with a “highly capable ambulance to shuttle casualties” from the battlefield in ways the service’s storied hospital ships were not designed.

Breaking Defense – The conflict in Gaza has drawn the US Navy’s surface forces into an extended missile and drone defense mission to support the Israeli Defense Forces.

Defense News – The U.S. Navy’s recent force structure study puts even greater importance on small combatants, the director of surface warfare said, a shift in priorities that could require the surface navy to rebalance its ongoing modernization plans.

USNI News – A U.S. guided-missile destroyer and fighters from aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) interdicted a dozen suicide drones and anti-ship missiles on Tuesday.

CNN – The US Air Force plans to bring the Pacific island airfield that launched the atomic bombings of Japan back into commission as it tries to broaden its basing options in the event of any hostilities with China.

Naval News – Austal USA received an $867.6 million undefinitized contract award for final design and construction of three Expeditionary Medical Ships from the U.S. Navy today.

War Zone – Orca, which Is set to perform a variety of missions for the Navy including mine laying, has suffered significant delays prior to delivery.

Jerusalem Post – The US Navy announced that they successfully launched and recovered an unmanned underwater vehicle for the second time ever in an early December test. 

(Thanks to Alain)

Defense News – Several nations have announced their contributions to Operation Prosperity Guardian, a new multinational security initiative in the Middle East to help protect merchant ships in the Red Sea area from drones and missiles.

War Zone – Arming America’s fleet of fighting ships is an extremely expensive endeavor.