U.S. Marines and sailors board a CV-22 Osprey with 7th Special Operations Squadron near Mildenhall, England, June 16, 2022. U.S. Marine Corps / Sgt. Dylan Chagnon
The Naval Brief: Budget topline increase; Company merger; Unprofessional behavior; and more...
Welcome to The Naval Brief, a weekly look at the news and ideas shaping the sea services’ future.
Budget bump. The House Armed Services Committee increased the Pentagon’s budget topline by $37 billion, more than the president’s budget request but less than the amount approved by their Senate counterparts, Defense One reports. The additional money will buy more F/A-18 jets, C-130 cargo planes, and another frigate, while also saving five littoral combat ships from retirement.
Defense merger. Defense technology company Leonardo DRS will merge with Israeli radar marker RADA by the end of the year, Defense One reports. The all-stock merger is expected to strengthen Leonardo’s portfolio of air defense and counter-drone products.
Unsafe maneuvers. The U.S. Navy called out the unsafe and unprofessional actions of three ships from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. It happened on June 20 near U.S. naval ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. One of the IRGCN ships traveled head-on toward the patrol coastal ship USS Sirocco at a high rate of speed, and only changed course after the patrol ship blared warning signals, the Navy said in a statement. You can see part of the hour-long interaction in this Navy video.
Sign up to get The Naval Brief every Thursday from Caitlin M. Kenney, Defense One’s military services reporter. On this day in 1812, the USS President fired on the HMS Belvidera, considered the first shot of the War of 1812.
From Defense One
Ukrainian Fighter Pilots: Send Better Jets and Air Defenses // Tara Copp
They've shot down a few Russian cruise missiles—but they could do far more with modern gear.
Biden To Ban Most Land Mines, Undoing Trump's Loosened Restrictions // Jacqueline Feldscher
Advocates applauded the move, but urged a ban on the weapons on the Korean peninsula.
New NATO Strategic Concept Will Broaden Vision of Deterrence // Patrick Tucker
An interconnected era requires looking at security through economic, technological, and logistics lenses.