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China Makes First Step In Shifting Naval Balance Of Power In Pacific Intelligence update on the progress of China's navy.

“Our history is clear that nations with strong allies thrive, and those without them wither. My key words are solvency and security to protect the American people. My priorities as SECDEF are strengthening readiness, strengthening alliances, and bring business reform to DOD.” – General James Mattis (ret.), SECDEF Confirmation Hearing, 1/11/17 At current growth rates, China may become a comparable power to the United States in economic and military terms in the not too distant future. In this future world, China will be less constrained than it is today to attempt to coerce other Asian nations to its will.[1] China’s...

USS Pueblo (AGER-2) is a Banner-class environmental research ship, attached to Navy intelligence as a spy ship, which was attacked and captured by North Korean forces on 23 January 1968, in what is known today as the "Pueblo incident" or alternatively, as the "Pueblo crisis". The seizure of the U.S. Navy ship and its 83 crew members, one of whom was killed in the attack, came less than a week after President Lyndon B. Johnson's State of the Union address to the United States Congress, just a week before the start of the Tet Offensive in South Vietnam during the...

A power outage Tuesday affecting west Alameda caused the cancellation of Fourth of July festivities at the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum, according to the museum's Facebook page. The museum's post said: "Due to the continuing power outage that is affect the west side of Alameda, today's Fourth of July event has been canceled. Guests may receive a rain check from guest services during normal business hours or by contacting info@uss-hornet.org. We sincerely apologize for this unforeseen inconvenience." Earlier Tuesday, when the power went out, the museum evacuated guests as a safety precaution, the museum said. Among the...

A trio of retired generals is urging Defense Secretary James Mattis not to delay accepting transgender recruits into the military after reports that the Pentagon chief was considering such a move. “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has stated that he will make personnel decisions based on evidence about what best promotes force readiness,” retired Army Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy, retired Army Major Gen. Gale Pollock and retired Army Brig. Gen. Clara Adams-Ender wrote in a statement provided to The Hill.

Translation from Eastpendulum's article Seven and a half years after the start of the project, the first Chinese destroyer displacing more than 12,000 tons at full load was launched, yesterday June 28th at the Jiangnan Changxing Shipyard in Shanghai. This new Type 055 class of first line surface combattant is in the process of becoming the new flagship of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN or Chinese Navy). Until we see this new class of Chinese destroyer sailing the seven seas, let us review what we already know about it. Type 055 1The first Type 055 during the launch ceremony...

When reporters were recently being given tours of the Royal Navy’s new “supercarrier,” HMS Queen Elizabeth, some were surprized to see a distinctive logo on several computer screens on the bridge and in control rooms. The logo was for Windows XP, the Microsoft computer operating system introduced in 2001. The ship itself was under construction for over eight years and the many of the procurement lead times were even longer. The reporters were told that the software was ordered in 2004, when XP was the latest and greatest version of the operating system. [snip] While not as scary as nukes...

Senate Panel Votes to Allow Navy to Call at Taiwanese Ports Proposal in armed services committee’s bill would roll back nearly 40 years of U.S. deference to China under “One China” policy By Eli Stokols June 28, 2017 9:09 p.m. ET WASHINGTON—The Senate Armed Services Committee approved a major change in U.S. policy toward Taiwan as part of an annual defense-policy measure, voting to allow regular stops by U.S. naval vessels in a move that is likely to anger China. In a bipartisan 21-6 vote, the panel approved re-establishing “regular ports of call by the U.S. Navy at Kaohsiung or...

A new sea-based missile system was presented to the world on June 28 during a naval show in St. Petersburg. However, the project hasn’t yet been greenlighted by the Ministry of Defense, so it remains to be seen if it will be adopted by the Russian military. What’s the difference between the sea and land versions? The new “Pantsir-ME” will be able to intercept missiles during rough seas, rain, wind, and even storms. It will also be more compact and covered with an anticorrosive sheath to ensure its longevity. “The biggest difference is that ‘Pantsir-S’ missiles have to intercept targets...

China's military on Wednesday launched a new type of domestically-built destroyer, state media said, the latest addition to the country's rapidly expanding navy. The 10,000-tonne warship was launched at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, the official Xinhua news agency said, making it the first of the People's Liberation Army Navy's "new generation" destroyers.

President Trump on Friday signed Veterans Affairs reform legislation meant to protect whistleblowers while making it easier to fire problematic employees at the department. The Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act passed by Congress earlier this month streamlines the process to remove, demote, or suspend VA employees for poor performance or misconduct. In addition, it authorizes the VA secretary to recoup any bonuses awarded to employees who have acted improperly. “Veterans have fulfilled their duty to this nation and now, we must fulfill our duty to them,” Trump said. “So to every veteran who is here with...

Mark H. Buzby of Virginia to be Administrator of the Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation. Rear Admiral Buzby is a retired Navy Rear Admiral whose career spanned 34 years, serving in at sea billets, primarily in cruisers and destroyers. He commanded the USS CARNEY (DDG 64), Destroyer Squadron Thirty-One, Surface Warfare Officers School Command, Joint Task Force Guantanamo, and the Military Sealift Command. He also held key positions on the Navy Staff, the Joint Staff, and several fleet staffs. He is a recipient of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star, and numerous other personal and unit awards. Buzby...

As an American destroyer cruised off the waters of Japan in clear weather in the early hours of Saturday, only a few dozen of the crew of 350 were likely to be awake: standing watch, keeping the engines running, manning the bridge. Then, Navy officers with decades of experience at sea say, there were probably minutes of sheer terror aboard the Fitzgerald before the collision with an enormous container ship that killed seven sailors. “My guess is they suddenly saw the lights of the other ship coming toward them and tried to veer off,” said retired Adm. James G. Stavridis,...

A U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down a Syrian government warplane after it attacked Washington-backed fighters near ISIS' de facto capital of Raqqa, the U.S.-led coalition said Sunday. In a statement, the coalition said its aircraft "conducted a show of force" to turn back an attack by Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's forces on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the town of Ja'Din, south of Tabqah. The coalition confirmed that a U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet shot down a Syrian Su-22 that had dropped bombs near SDF positions. The coalition said the shootdown took place "in accordance with rules of...

YOKOSUKA, Japan -- A number of Sailors that were missing from the collision between USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) and a merchant ship have been found. As search and rescue crews gained access to the spaces that were damaged during the collision this morning, the missing Sailors were located in the flooded berthing compartments. They are currently being transferred to Naval Hospital Yokosuka where they will be identified. The families are being notified and being provided the support they need during this difficult time. The names of the Sailors will be released after all notifications are made.

A sailor from the cruiser Shiloh whom Navy officials said fell overboard last week, triggering a massive search-and-rescue effort, has been discovered on board. Presumed dead after going missing June 8, Gas Turbine Systems Technician (Mechanical) 3rd Class Peter Mims reportedly hid himself in one of the engine rooms, according to two sources familiar with the situation. It is unclear how Mims survived a week in the engineering space or where he was hiding. He will be flown off Shiloh for evaluation soon. Mims' disappearance prompted a massive, 50-hour search-and-rescue effort off the coast of Japan that included Japanese Coast...

In May, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson and acting Secretary of the Navy Sean Stackley appeared before a Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing to discuss the recently unveiled fiscal year 2018 defense budget and its effects on the Navy. The news was not good about the state of the Navy and where the service is headed. Despite campaign promises to rebuild the military from the twin disasters of sequestration and the 2011 Budget Control Act combined with nearly 16 years of combat deployments, the first Trump budget for the Navy does little to look to the future. This...

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The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a merchant vessel off the coast of Japan in the early hours of Saturday morning local time, the Navy's 7th Fleet said. The Fitzgerald was operating about 56 miles southwest of Yokosuka, Japan, when it hit the merchant vessel at approximately 2:30 a.m. local time. In a statement, the 7th Fleet said it was looking into "the extent of personnel injuries," as well as damage.

The US military labeled the actions of an Iranian vessel "unsafe and unprofessional" after it trained a laser on a US helicopter Tuesday. Three US Naval ships and a US Marine Corps CH-53E helicopter had an unsafe and unprofessional interaction with an Iranian Navy vessel while transiting the international waters of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement from the US military