Hospitalman Christopher Ramirez, right, from Kimberly, Idaho, assigned to the medical department of the aircraft carrier pre-commissioning unit John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), administers a COVID-19 vaccine to Lt. Cmdr. George Stegeman, John F. Kennedy’s psychological officer, during a joint vaccination evolution aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Sept. 30, 2021. Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adonica Munoz
The Naval Brief: Vaccine deadline passes; Global posture review; Budget procedural woes; and more...
Welcome to The Naval Brief, a weekly look at the news and ideas shaping the sea services’ future.
Vaccination deadline passes. Thousands of sailors and Marines remain unvaccinated after the Nov. 28 deadline, Defense One reports. Several hundred people had medical and administrative exemptions approved; however, no one received a religious exemption.
Global Posture Review. The Pentagon’s 2021 Global Posture Review calls for more rotations and presence in the Indo-Pacific at the cost of military presence in other areas, despite escalating tensions and shifting strategies in Russia and the Middle East, Defense one reports. The Pentagon has already begun implementing some of these Indo-Pacific force posture improvements.
Virtual training is more necessary than ever. Shrinking training ranges and the prying eyes of adversaries are making it more critical to use virtual training environments for testing new operational concepts, Defense One reports. Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger also wants to see training software reflect how specific adversaries would fight against American forces.
Sign up to get The Naval Brief every Thursday from Caitlin M. Kenney, Defense One’s military services reporter. On this day in 1908, a report prepared by Lt. George Sweet was submitted to the Navy secretary recommending the service buy aircraft that could operate from ships for scouting and observation missions. Sweet would later become the first U.S. Navy officer to fly in a plane.
From Defense One
US, S. Korea to Write New War Plan to Counter N. Korean Nukes, Missiles // Tara Copp: During visit, defense chiefs also expected to announce Seoul will test for long-awaited operational control of joint forces in 2022.
The NDAA Likely Won’t Become Law Until 2022. That’s ‘Not The End of the World’ // Jacqueline Feldscher: The Pentagon does not need the must-pass bill to operate, experts say.
We Know Almost Nothing About the Omicron Variant // Katherine J. Wu: Here’s everything we do.