11+ mon, 2+ week ago (309+ words) The final four entrants in our search for the greatest on-screen fictional military character ever need your vote to compete for the championship. In-depth analysis, investigative series, features and reader engagement combine are all elements of Military Times' special projects. Military Times Special Report: The Iraq War, 20 years later The 2003 invasion of Iraq continues to resonate in the lives of troops today; a special report on the 20th anniversary of that momentous event. Federal giving sees a boost during the pandemic Donations to the Combined Federal Campaign this year are up over last year's numbers, even as campaign events have had to transition to virtual. Set up your CFC contribution by Jan. 12. CFC givers have many military-friendly options. One expert suggests playing the long game Health-related charities may not be known for military efforts, but they help thousands of veterans, young…...

1+ mon, 3+ week ago (129+ words) Six Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers travel in formation on Oct. 5 during the Titans of the Sea Presidential Review, one of the events taking place as part of the U.S Navy's 250th birthday. (MCS Kaitlyn Bailey/U.S. Navy) The U.S. Navy celebrates its 250th birthday with festivities that begin today, despite a lapse in appropriations due to a government shutdown that may affect military pay. The service is hosting a series of events in its birthplace of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where it was officially founded on Oct. 13, 1775, and in New Jersey. Here is a breakdown of the celebratory activities that are kicking off, many of which are being streamed live by C-SPAN: More information about the events can be found here....

10+ mon, 3+ week ago (558+ words) For the U.S. Navy to achieve a proposed plan to expand its fleet of battle force ships, the service would need to spend $40.1 billion on shipbuilding every year through 2054, for a total of more than $1 trillion, according to new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. Over the next 30 years, the Navy wants to grow its fleet of battle force ships to 381 to face swelling global threats, according to the service's most recent proposal. There are currently 295 in the fleet, and that number is expected to drop to 283 ships in 2027, when the Navy is planning to retire 13 more ships than it will commission. "The pace of shipbuilding would be fastest in the early 2030s, reflecting the service's desire to increase the size of the fleet as quickly as feasible," the Congressional Budget Office said of the Navy's proposal. The office, which provides cost…...

8+ mon, 2+ day ago (615+ words) The Virginia-class attack submarine Minnesota pictured in 2012 under construction at Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding. (U.S. Navy/Newport News Shipbuilding) The U.S. Navy is hoping to nearly double the amount of battle force ships in oceans around the world within the next three decades " a jump from 296 ships, including submarines, aircraft carriers and destroyers, to 381. The current state of American shipbuilding, however, is sorely in need of a complete overhaul if that plan is to be achieved, according to recent testimony and a new government watchdog report. "It is way past time that we get after it," Dr. Brett A. Seidle, acting assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. "Simply put, we need more ships delivered on time and on budget and we are challenged in both of these arenas. Costs are…...

7+ mon, 1+ day ago (410+ words) The app allows parents to sublet their child care spaces when they're temporarily away, connecting them to other eligible DOD families who need the care. An F/A-18 fighter jet slipped off the hangar deck of an aircraft carrier deployed to the Middle East, as sailors were towing the aircraft into place in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman on Monday, the Navy said. The crew members who were in the pilot seat of the Super Hornet and on the small towing tractor both jumped out before the jet and the tug went into the Red Sea. According to a defense official, the sailor who jumped from the aircraft sustained a minor injury. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel details. "The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew…...

9+ mon, 3+ week ago (559+ words) U.S. leaders should invest at least $40 billion every year to grow and maintain the country's fleet of battle force ships in preparation for long-term and large-scale wars, the nonprofit Navy League urged in a policy statement unveiled Thursday. The statement also called on Congress to increase funding for a Navy plan to revitalize public shipyards, add to the Coast Guard's fleet of polar icebreakers and spend more on producing munitions to prepare for a "possible great power conflict." The nonprofit, which supports the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine, releases policy statements every other year to help guide lawmakers as they make decisions about maritime power. "America is undoubtedly a maritime nation, and our safety, security and prosperity depend on strength in this domain," retired Rear Adm. Sinclair Harris said on a call with reporters Thursday. "American seapower is…...

4+ mon, 3+ week ago (482+ words) On Nov. 30, 1942, a torpedo slammed into the heavy cruiser New Orleans, sending the bow, two gun turrets and more than 180 sailors to the bottom of Ironbottom Sound, near Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Its whereabouts were lost to history " until now. A team of scientists led by undersea explorer Robert Ballard discovered the shipwreck Monday. Using a remotely operated vehicle, they confirmed it was the long-lost bow, located at a depth of 675 meters (2,214 feet). Imagery sent back by the vehicle detected several features enabling the team to identify the wreck as the New Orleans with "99% accuracy," according to retired Rear Adm. Samuel J. Cox, director of Naval History and Heritage Command. Among the discoveries were: At the Battle of Tassafaronga in World War II, the New Orleans was struck by a Japanese "Long Lance" torpedo, detonating the…...

5+ mon, 1+ week ago (506+ words) The future looks murky for Navy shipbuilding due to budgetary uncertainty amid lagging ship production, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said at a June 10 hearing. While the Navy is prioritizing the revitalization of the U.S. shipbuilding industry, its proposed budget for fiscal 2026 would trim shipbuilding costs in the apparent expectation of additional funding from congressional reconciliation funds. "I must say I am deeply disappointed with the administration's fiscal year 2026 budget request for the Navy. In particular, I am disturbed about the shipbuilding account, which plummeted to $20.8 billion from last year's $37 billion," Wicker said. "This shortfall reflects efforts to game the budget in anticipation of congressional reconciliation funds, which were intended as supplemental " not a substitute," he pointed out. The cuts in the proposed budget come amid the Trump administration's vow to revitalize U.S. shipbuilding and the…...

5+ mon, 3+ week ago (519+ words) Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Navy to rename the replenishment oiler Harvey Milk, a highly rare move that will strip the ship of the moniker of a slain gay rights activist who served as a sailor during the Korean War. U.S. officials say Navy Secretary John Phelan put together a small team to rename the replenishment oiler and that a new name is expected this month. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said the next name had not yet been chosen. The change was laid out in an internal memo that officials said defended the action as a move to align with President Donald Trump and Hegseth's objectives to "re-establish the warrior culture." It marks the latest move by Hegseth and the wider Trump administration to purge all programs, policies, books and social…...

5+ mon, 5+ day ago (699+ words) NORFOLK, Va. " The United States" most advanced aircraft carrier left its base in Virginia on Tuesday for a regularly scheduled deployment that could position it near Israel after the U.S. inserted itself in Israel"s war to destroy Iran"s nuclear program. The U.S. was already planning to deploy the carrier Gerald R. Ford when American warplanes bombed three Iranian sites early Sunday to support Israel"s goals. Iran retaliated with a limited missile attack on a U.S. military base in Qatar on Monday. U.S. President Donald Trump said a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was still "in effect" on Tuesday, although he expressed deep frustration that both sides had violated the truce he brokered on Monday. The fluid and potentially dangerous situation was on the minds of many families who cheered on the Ford as it slowly steamed away from its pier in Norfolk,…...