Views expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of AUSN In late October of 2021, the U.S. Navy released its extraordinarily illuminating investigative report on the disastrous fire aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6).[1] This document helps shed light onto what is quite possibly the most costly calamity to have hit the Navy in decades. Of critical note is the report’s focus on the extensive string of failures that contributed to the total loss of the shi

The Navy announced this week that it has released 23 active-duty Sailors for failing to meet the Navy’s COVID vaccination requirement. In early January, the Navy announced that 20 entry-level Sailors had been released for the same reason. But the Navy had yet to touch Sailors who had served beyond their first 180 day training period. The Navy said Wednesday that 23 “Active Component” Sailors were separated, all with an honorable discharge. As of this week, 22 “Entry Level Sep

The Navy this week lost an F-35C Lightning II in the South China Sea as it tried unsuccessfully to land on the USS Carl Vinson. According to the Navy Times, the plane fell into the water after the pilot ejected from the jet. Seven sailors in total were injured. The Navy this week described the incident as a "landing mishap," and said three of the injured sailors were sent to a medical facility in Manila, Philippines, while the other four were treated on-board. While all invol

Marines with ingrown facial hairs that make it difficult and painful to shave every day will no longer face separation from the Corps if they stop shaving because of this condition. The Marines this week released a new administrative message that will “prohibit the involuntary separation of Marines who are diagnosed with Pseudofolliculitis Barbae (PFB) as the sole basis for separation from the Marine Corps.” PFB is an inflammatory skin condition caused by ingrown hairs that s

A larger Navy fleet, one comprised of the 355 ships that Congress has called for in law, is the most efficient way the U.S. can deter the ambitions of China and Russia. But as AUSN Executive Director Jason Beardsley explained, the last several administrations and Congresses have failed to fund the Navy. That failure can be seen in the Navy’s run of accidents, which Beardsley said is the consequence of “not paying attention to the fleet.” “If we are going to back off… Chinas a

The Defense Department said this week that thousands of U.S. troops around the country have been put into a higher state of readiness in response to growing signs that a Russian attack against Ukraine is imminent. “In support of its obligations to the security and defense of NATO and the security of its citizens abroad, at the direction of the president and following recommendations made by Secretary [Lloyd] Austin, the United States has taken steps to heighten the readiness

Russia this week announced a series of naval drills around the world that will involve more than 140 of its warships, a move that seems certain to fuel speculation that Russia is preparing to move against Ukraine. Russia has reportedly sent 100,000 troops to the Ukraine border, which has led to predictions that Russia could move those troops into Ukraine at any time. While the U.S. and other western nations have warned that moving against Ukraine would lead to “consequences,”

The USS Kitty Hawk, which was decommissioned in 2009 and was the Navy’s last oil-fired aircraft carrier, this week began its last voyage on the sea, destined for a scrapyard in Texas. “A final goodbye,” the Navy tweeted on Tuesday. “The ex-USS Kitty Hawk is towed from Bremerton, Washington, to a ship-breaking facility in Brownsville, Texas.” The Kitty Hawk was in operation for 48 years before it was decommissioned, and spent the last decade or so at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

The State Department this week released a study that refutes several of China’s territorial