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Two Russian warplanes with no visible weaponry flew simulated attack passes near a U.S. guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, a U.S. official said, describing it as one of the most aggressive interactions in recent memory. The repeated flights by the Sukhoi SU-24 warplanes, which also flew near the ship a day earlier, were so close they created wake in the water, with 11 passes, the official said. A Russian KA-27 Helix helicopter also made seven passes around the USS Donald Cook, taking pictures. The nearest Russian territory was about 70 nautical miles away in its enclave...

As the Obama administration this week named another warship after a politician, a new report is circulating in Congress that shows that nearly 200 Navy and Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipients have never been awarded such an honor, contrary to naval guidelines and tradition. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who has named several ships after Democrats and liberal activists not connected to the military, was in Detroit on Monday to announce that an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer will be named the USS Carl M. Levin. The Michigan Democrat served 31 years in the Senate and chaired the Senate Armed Services...

As part of the Navy's push towards "distributed lethatlity," littoral combat ships will soon be equipped with the Norwegian built Naval Strike Missile (NSM), an "over-the-horizon" antiship cruise missile with a range of about 115 miles.

PORTLAND - The city of Pascagoula in Mississippi has a world-famous shipyard, building vessels for the U.S. military and private companies alike. When the ships are launched, dignitaries of all kinds normally flock for the commissioning ceremonies, but the state's harsh new anti-gay laws may change that.

A United States aircrew helped rescue three stranded men from a deserted Pacific island after the sailors used palm fronds to spell the word "help" and waved their lifejackets at rescuers. A Navy P-8 aircrew based out of Japan and vessels had been searching for the men, reported missing after failing to arrive in their 19-foot craft at the island of Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) to catch an early morning flight on Monday. Bulk carriers Brilliant Jupiter and Ten Yu Maru were also engaged, conducting 17 hours of search across nearly 300 square kilometres of ocean....

First Female Recruits Issued 'Dixie Cup' Covers at RTC

Junior female sailors are not the only women to get new uniforms. Female officers and senior enlisted sailors will wear updated styles, such as new combination covers. By the fall of 2016, both enlisted men and women will receive new service dress blues, what the Navy calls “crackerjacks.” ... The “Dixie cup” style dates back to 1886 when it was first incorporated into Navy uniform regulations, according to the Navy’s historical site. “It can be squared, rolled, crushed, fitted with ‘gull wings’ or simply worn as it comes from small stores. It can be used as a flotation device or...

The United States Navy is paradoxically the most traditional and innovative of America’s armed services. It is also by far and away the most diverse in terms of missions and capabilities. In addition to its fleet of cutting-edge surface ships and submarines, the Navy possesses its own ground force—the Marines—and an air force, both land and carrier-based, which has greater strike capability than the air forces of most developed nations. The Navy’s supercarrier battle groups function as mobile military cities, extending American power and influence across the entire globe.

In the early 1940s, the U.S. Navy still expected to need huge, first rate battleships to fight the best that Japan and Germany had to offer. The North Carolina, South Dakota, and Iowa-class battleships all involved design compromises. The Montanas, the last battleships designed by the U.S. Navy, would not.

How a $2.7 Billion Submarine Was Crippled by Defective Parts A $2.7 billion attack submarine, the USS Minnesota, has been out of commission for more than a year because of a defective pipe joint near the ship’s nuclear-powered engine. The defective part, which is worth about $10,000, was installed near the ship’s nuclear power plant. Engineers discovered the poorly welded steam pipe in early 2015, and ongoing repairs have led to the ship being stuck in overhaul ever since, according to Navy Times. The submarine was considered a great success just a few years ago. It was delivered to the...

The U.S. Department of Defense has released the first footage of its prototype unmanned anti-submarine ship being developed to track quiet diesel-electric submarines over long distances. The new vessel was launched in January at Vigor’s shipyard in Portland, Oregon, where it has quietly been under construction for the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). During a speed tests in February, the vessel reached a top speed of 27 knots.... (snip)

Iranian Army Commander Maj. Gen. Ataollah Salehi on Saturday announced that Iran intends to deploy warships and destroyers in Latin America, in a sign of the attempts of the leading state sponsor of terror to expand its military cooperation with countries opposing the US. We intend to take a longer stride in marine voyages and even go towards friendly states in Latin America," Salehi told reporters at the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency. Speaking at a ceremony welcoming back the Iranian Navy's 38th fleet after 75 days of international deployment, he said...

This week the US Navy released some new guidelines concerning the wearing of tattoos. Like everything else in the Navy, like everything else in the US military, the policies are another indicator of the social changes which are turning the US Armed Forces into a three ring circus with weapons. According to Military.com, the new guidelines, which will go in effect on April 30th, set the Navy apart from the other military services in terms of permissiveness. They are an acknowledgement of a changing culture and a youthful population, officials said. Legalized pot is the sign of a changing culture...

The career death of Rear Adm. Brian Losey, the Navy SEAL leader being forced to retire after his promotion was blocked in the Senate, marks the most public punishment ever at the top rank of the elite SEALs, who are known for running below the radar with their combat missions and internal business. Even more tension between Congress and the SEALs may be looming. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, said this week that he will oppose the nomination of Losey's replacement, Rear Adm. Tim Szymanski. Hunter told The San Diego Union-Tribune that he has concerns about the incoming SEAL commander's past...

Chicago Brown: Navy makes something positive out of Chicago violence Mark Brown This is a good news story, but underlying it is a bleak reality. The volume of gunshot wounds and other trauma cases treated at Stroger Hospital is so high that the U.S. Navy has teamed up the past two years with the hospital’s prestigious trauma unit to keep its medical personnel better prepared for their next deployment. The Navy guys might see as much action in a typical night at Stroger as they would if they were in a combat setting. Let that sink in for a minute....

NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) and the U.S. Navy announced on Wednesday the discovery of the wreck of USS Conestoga in the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary in California, solving one of the greatest maritime mysteries ever in U.S. Navy history.

New video of submarine surfacing through ice. ARCTIC CIRCLE (March 10, 2016) USS Hartford (SSN 768) surfaces in the Arctic Circle near Ice Camp Sargo during Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2016. Servicemembers and civilians assigned to Arctic Submarine Lab clear ice from the hatches to allow for surface access.ICEX is a five-week exercise designed to research, test, and evaluate operational capabilities in the region. (U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tyler Thompson and Staff Sgt. LINKUSS Hartford (SSN 768) surfaces at the Arctic circle for ICEX 2016

As the U.S.-China naval rivalry unfolds across the Asia-Pacific, Washington sails with significant confidence through these turbulent waters. After all, the U.S. Navy still far exceeds the Chinese Navy in gross tonnage, retains the advantage in key domains such as submarine quieting, has a huge network of bases, and possesses loyal, highly motivated and strong allies to boot. Still, as this Dragon Eye column has pointed out in several instances, Beijing also has some reasons for confidence in this nascent rivalry. With respect to the territorial disputes on ChinaÂ’s maritime flank, the PeopleÂ’s Liberation Army (PLA) has an enviable level...

Luna, a German Shepherd, went missing at sea on Feb. 10 and was presumed dead for nearly five weeksA missing puppy that fell off a fishing boat nearly five weeks ago in the waters off Southern California was recently found by the U.S. Navy, and will be reunited with her family Wednesday in San Diego. U.S. Navy officials say Luna – a one-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd – was presumed to be lost at sea after falling overboard near Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island (SCI) in Southern California on Feb. 10. That day, Luna's owner, Nick Hayworth, called officials at...

A missing puppy that fell off a fishing boat nearly five weeks ago in the waters off Southern California was recently found by the U.S. Navy, and will be reunited with her family Wednesday in San Diego. U.S. Navy officials say Luna – a one-and-a-half-year-old German Shepherd – was presumed to be lost at sea after falling overboard near Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island (SCI) in Southern California on Feb. 10.