The Naval Brief: Weapons in the sky; Fleet cuts; Ukraine lessons learned; and more...

Welcome to The Naval Brief, a weekly look at the news and ideas shaping the sea services’ future. 

Loitering munitions. Loitering munitions are demonstrating their importance on the battlefield in Ukraine, and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger wants small Marine infantry units to have them, Defense One reports. The munitions allow forces to find and destroy moving or stationary targets.

Fleet cut criticism. Navy officials defended the service’s plans before the House Armed Services Committee to decommission ships to reinvest the money in other priorities, Defense One reports. If Congress allows them to cut all 24 ships, the Navy will save $3.6 billion over five years.

Ukraine lessons. The Marine Corps is already incorporating observations from the war into their training and education, but they are not racing to change Force Design 2030, Defense One reports. Some of the lessons include the value of small units and using information.

Sign up to get The Naval Brief every Thursday from Caitlin M. Kenney, Defense One’s military services reporter. This week sees the passing of Marine Sgt. Maj. John Canley, who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the 1968 Battle of Hue City during the Vietnam War. An Expeditionary Sea Base under construction now will be named after him.

From Defense One

Marine Infantry Battalion Experiment Needs More Time, General Says // Caitlin M. Kenney

'I would expect that this will continue to be a learning process over the next couple of years,' Maj. Gen. Watson said.

We Need More Amphibs, and We Need to Buy Them Smarter // David Forster

Buying amphibious warships one at a time has left us with too few, and little prospect of closing the gap.

Training, Logistics Snafus Show How US Advisors Could Help Ukraine, Volunteers Say // Patrick Tucker

Time, effort, and materiel are being wasted for lack of a little expertise, say two U.S. volunteers recently returned from the war-torn country.