U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, hike through a simulated chemical attack at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Lance Cpl. Rhita Daniel
The Naval Brief: Marine Infantry’s future; Black Sea incident; UCMJ reform; And more...
Welcome to The Naval Brief, a weekly look at the news and ideas shaping the sea services’ future.
Infantry of the future. The Marine Corps is experimenting with new infantry battalion designs to meet the needs of distributed operations in the future, Defense One reports. The Warfighting Laboratory expects to send a recommendation to the commandant by 2022.
Shots fired...or not? The United Kingdom and Russia offered differing accounts Wednesday about the transit of the British destroyer HMS Defender off the coast of Crimea, and whether Russia fired warning shots on the ship and dropped bombs in its path to shoo it from Russian-claimed waters, the Associated Press reported. A BBC correspondent was on the destroyer during the incident and reported that the ship was being followed by Russian aircraft.
Out of commanders’ hands. Congressional efforts to remove the prosecution of sex crimes from the military chain of command now have the support of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Defense One reports. His statement came after receiving the final results of an independent commission that looked into the military’s handling of sexual assault.
Sign up to get The Navy Brief every Thursday from Caitlin M. Kenney, Defense One’s military services reporter. In what would be an enviable achievement today, on June 22, 1963, the Navy launched four nuclear-powered submarines in a single day as part of an accelerated submarine construction program.
From Defense One
The Marine Corps Is Redesigning Infantry Battalions for the Future / Caitlin M. Kenney: Recommendations for a nimbler unit organization with fewer grunts and more tech will go to the commandant next year.
US Needs to Defend Its Artificial Intelligence Better, Says Pentagon No. 2 // Patrick Tucker: AI safety is often overlooked in the private sector, but Deputy Secretary Kathleen Hicks wants the Defense Department to lead a cultural change.
Lockheed CEO Urges Pentagon to Enshrine COVID-Era’s Bigger Upfront Payments // Marcus Weisgerber: The policy was created to shore up pandemic-weakened supply chains.
Biden’s Defense Budget Will Worry America’s Indo-Pacific Allies / Ashley Townshend: Spending to boost the U.S. military's future edge comes at the expense of addressing today's shortfalls in capacity and warfighting effectiveness.
What Really Happened in the Black Sea? A Victory for Russian Disinformation / Elisabeth Braw: The global tempest around the June 23 incident reminds us of our responsibility to verify before we share.