Breaking Defense – Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro today told lawmakers his service is out at least $1 billion in critical munitions because of recent operations in the Middle East, a shortfall the Pentagon is banking on a congressional supplemental to help replenish.

Defense News – U.S. defense tech company Anduril Industries and South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said they’re teaming up to reimagine and expand American and allied seapower.

Defense News – The recent review of shipbuilding progress is an important step in correcting the current cost overruns and schedule slippage. However, the U.S. Navy secretary’s rather timid response of only directing the FFG design team to gather at the shipyard was far too timid.

The War Zone – Mako was the loser of the Stand-In Attack Weapon tender, but offers clues as to the capabilities of that weapon, made by Northrop Grumman.

The War Zone – U.S. warships and fighters, specifically F-15E Strike Eagles, played a major role in the defense of Israel during Iran’s barrage.

USNI News – USS Carney (DDG-64) and USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) shot down between four and six Iranian-launched ballistic missiles.

The War Zone – Serco’s super efficient and low-cost Defiant could have wide-ranging utility for the Navy, including working as a missile-laden drone boat.

The War Zone – Leveraging logistics partnerships with allies in the region could be critical in a face-off against China across the vast Pacific.

The War Zone – A scalable system will gives critical electronic attack capabilities to ships that can’t handle the massive new SEWIP Block III system.

Naval News – The DDG-51 Flight IIA guided missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) has become the first US Navy warship to receive the MSI-Defence Systems MK 38 MOD 4 30 mm gun weapon system.

Defense News – Unmanned technologies for years have been used to scout dangerous areas, schlep much-needed supplies and deliver destructive payloads. But for one U.S. Navy commander, there’s another more-promising application.

The War Zone – Arming MQ-25s with standoff weapons fits with the Navy’s future air wing vision and would provide unique capabilities suited to a Pacific fight.

Defense News – The U.S. Navy needs to move its unmanned systems “beyond surveillance” roles and toward more consequential missions, according to Rear Adm. Kevin Smith, the service’s program lead on drones and small combatants.

The War Zone – The Navy is eyeing a torpedo that can be procured fast and efficiently to augment the more advanced Mk 48 ADCAP.

The War Zone – The Navy wants carrier-based drones to cost less than $15 million and be ‘consumed’ as weapons or targets when their short service ends.

The War Zone – New point defenses, which come amid growing missile and drone threats, are just one Navy modernization effort for the Arleigh Burke class.

The War Zone – U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft can now carry AIM-9X Sidewinders under their wings. As part of the same process, the service has cleared AIM-9Xs to go on pylons underneath the wings of its F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, expanding the total number of Sidewinders those jets can carry on a single sortie. The Navy took these steps specifically to help give Super Hornets and Growlers flying over and around the Red Sea more options to engage Houthi drones.

National Interest – James Holmes writes that warfare in the Pacific between the U.S. and China promises to be an all-service, all-domain, and allied endeavor. Waging it will demand the utmost not just from naval forces but from fellow services that operate from dry earth.

The War Zone – The testbed that mimics its namesake is designed to help DARPA hone its requirements for a new class of multi-mission submersible drones.

Politico – As the Navy’s largest U.S. trade show gets underway on Monday, officers in charge of the service’s marquee shipbuilding programs won’t offer the usual briefings with reporters and analysts about them.

CIMSEC – In recent years, the world’s waterways have remained relatively safe from conflict. One of the reasons for that safety is that global maritime services seem to intuitively know how to coalesce as regional maritime security enterprises. Organizational learning is a significant enabler of that coalescence, and purposefully dedicated organizational elements (nuclei) help accelerate organizational learning. The ESB is the perfect platform to be a regional nucleus for the U.S. Navy and partner country military entities and coast guards. We just need to reposition the ESBs to the right locations, “market” them appropriately to military decision-makers, and use them in bigger and more creative ways.

USNI News – In an effort to push back China’s influence and expand its presence in Oceania, the U.S. is renovating Lombrum Naval Base on the Island of Los Negros in Papua New Guinea.

National Interest – In the age of uncrewed vehicles and artificial intelligence, every ship of war could—and should—be an “aircraft carrier” of some type or another. The U.S. Navy just might be on to something. 

Breaking Defense – A recent Navy contract award may have extended the lifespan of Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet production for a couple more years, but after failing to find additional customers, the aerospace giant plans to close up shop on the legacy fighter after 2027.

The War Zone – A total of 22 Swiss F-5E/F Tiger IIs are currently being converted and upgraded to help expand Navy and Marine Corps’ adversary air fleets.