This one was a long time in coming. 50 years later, here's the origin story of USS Nimitz and its first deployment. news.usni.org/2025/11/19/n...

My favorite thing from the Marines doc so far is Chelsea Yarnell's large-format candids from the 31st MEU. Can anyone ID this camera so I can know how far out of my price range it is? www.chelseayarnell.com/bts/marines

PENDANTIC NIT: Seen this from a bunch of other pubs but it's worth noting that SOUTHCOM AOR isn't necessarily 'Latin American waters' The edge of SOUTHCOM is less than 400 miles from Cape Verde, which is much closer to Africa than South America. www.navytimes.com/news/your-na...

Couple of thoughts on the Hegseth acquisition speech: Nothing about these reforms are a bad idea, but all defense aquistion is a balance of cost, schedule and performance. Faster delivery means more cost and a greater risk of the system not functioning as advertised. mailchi.mp/usni/usni-ne...

Ford is on the way to SOUTHCOM 11 days after the initial announcement. news.usni.org/2025/11/04/u...

HII CEO Chris Kastner doesn't have a ton of details on President Trump's return to steam catapults on carriers or South Korean nuclear subs getting built in Philly. "We’re going to build whatever the Navy wants us to build," he said on the Q3 earnings call.

Lots of reasons this is highly unlikely. I would imagine we're on the wrong end of a game of telephone.

Back from a trip to Taiwan ahead of what is becoming a borderline unwieldy story on the defense of the island. Timely now with the new NDS in the works. We talk a little about it in this week’s newsletter. us2.campaign-archive.com?u=e971c57768...

Anyone have a good update if the Chinese jet engines are decent yet? On my mind since the Fujian cat launches.

Navy statements pending BUT per lots of USNA traffic here's the progression: -Off-post Yodel threat -Lockdown -Mid thought security clearing Bancroft (lots of bad gouge that shooter was in police gear) was a threat and attacked -Mid got hurt (proly shot) -Mid medivaced news.usni.org/2025/09/11/n...

This is a departure from 20+ years of US drug interdiction policy. Today was a military operation, not law enforcement. VIDEO: U.S. Military Strikes Suspected Drug Vessel as Warships Gather in the Caribbean - USNI News news.usni.org/2025/09/02/u...

Adm. Daryl Caudle sworn in as 34th U.S. chief of naval operations by SECNAV John Phelan in a ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard ending a 184-day gap in the position since Adm. Lisa Franchetti was removed from the job.

These firings came without the standard "lost confidence in your ability to command" statements. Navy Reserve, Naval Special Warfare Leaders Removed from Command — USNI News news.usni.org/2025/08/22/n...

That’s a long time.

Good news, no reports of crew injuries. Bad news, this was a four and a half hour fire (at least). The request for additional assistance is a bad sign, given the damage control systems aboard. news.usni.org/2025/08/20/b...

No specifics of what submarines President Trump is referring to in his message in response to Medvedev playing up the Russian "dead hand" semi-autonomous nuclear launch system. HOWEVER, I have an educated guess based on two options.

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: July 28, 2025 news.usni.org/2025/07/28/u...

Sam reviews splash pads. Dix Hill in Raleigh gets 10 ancient infrastructure points for the inclusion of an Archimedes screw.

Fun field trip today. Crew of Oiler USNS Arctic Praised for Difficult Red Sea Deployment — USNI News news.usni.org/2025/07/21/c...

Going through the cruise book for USS Nimitz's first deployment for a piece that'll come later, I found this gem. You always look your best when you're convalescing, wrapped in Ace bandages.

Seen a bit of criticism about how Daily Planet newsroom edited the blockbuster piece in, "Superman." As a dude who has also edited a breaking news piece on a vessel underway, I thought the process was well represented. Ten/Ten. No notes.

This was a late file becasue we wanted to take pains to see how the base budget interacted with the reconcilliation proposal with some slick interactive graphics. Too long, didn't click, more than half of the shipbuilding budget is contingent on the big, beautiful bill passing.

FY 2026 Budget: Future of F/A-XX, Frigate Unclear; $47.2B Shipbuilding Budget Split Between Base Request, Reconciliation — USNI News news.usni.org/2025/06/26/f...

First of two stories from us. The personnel money was in the base FY 2026 request. So mostly normal. In procurement (read: weapons, ships, airplanes) the Pentagon has mashed the base budget with reconciliation (big, beutiful bill). Two bills, one budget.

This was quietly posted on the budget site yesterday. Typically, the rollout is a week-long process with pre-breifs and a day at the Pentagon broken up by service with an oppurtunity to ask questions. For this one, no email, no call. An analyst texted, surprised after hitting refresh on the site.

CJCS Caine offers up some new details on 'Operation Midnight Hammer.' Here's our update.

Here's Midnight Hammer.

"Toward Mideast" is doing a lot of work in this HED. Ford has been ready for 3 months and this deployment has been long planned. The CSG's destroyers have been spotted tooling up at Yorktown and some have already headed out. Where they're going still an open question.

New from the team.

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: June 16, 2025 news.usni.org/2025/06/16/u...

Mondays amirite?

This story rules. What we get from the SCS is either conflict, "rising tensions" mishmash or sterile photos of U.S. ships with the Chinese cropped out. @aaronmatthewil.bsky.social slips through vignettes over three days with the crew of BRP Malapascua for a study of their day-to-day. Tremendous!

His application video:

Just in Vice Adm. Brad Cooper to lead CENTCOM.

The indomitable Chris "Chowdah" Hill reunited with the irresistible CAPT. Demo on Pier 14 after USS Harry S. Truman's return on Sunday. (Photo credit: Me).

USS Harry S. Truman is Back: After eight months, the aircraft carrier and its strike group returned Sunday from one of the most combat-intensive U.S. Navy deployments in decades. — USNI News news.usni.org/2025/06/01/u...

Just now catching up, are we? Welcome to the party, pal. www.theatlantic.com/economy/arch...

North Korea broke into its strategic blue tarp reserve in support of their capsized destroyer. That or they're using a ton of shop towels. Photo courtesy Maxar.

We have instituted a rule that we're only allowed to do Semper Fi pun headlines once every three years.

French Carrier Strike Group Returns from 5-Month Deployment - USNI News

For more than a year, my gang has been messing around with a member-only newsletter for USNI News with original reporting from around the world. This week, we set up a preview of some of our best editions. Please check them out and if you like 'em pay for more. mailchi.mp/usni/event-m...

Did I miss when defense companies started reffering to munitons on aircraft and ships as, "content?"

Caine supports the Nuclear-Armed Sea-Launched Cruise Missile (SLCMN) which has run politically hot and cold with senior leaders over the last five years. news.usni.org/2024/05/24/s...

Sen. Wicker and Sen. Reed at SASC both wearing U.S./Ukraine flag lapel pins.

Lt. Gen. Dan Caine rocking his VMI ring at his hearing.

So, I was close. Truman is extended and Vinson is headed to the Middle East for a while. news.usni.org/2025/03/21/s...

Better a decade late than never. Navy Deploys First Operational LCS Mine Countermeasures Packages - USNI News news.usni.org/2025/03/18/n...

Writing up a story on the first mine-hunting mission package on the LCS deploying — like ten years late. Assembling materials I found a killer 'Accelerate Your Life' ad with the RMS one of the least reliable things the Navy ever bought.

Something is happening in the middle east and now there are claims that the U.S. is gonna surge three carriers to the region. That's probably and likely bunk.