U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 1/4, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepare for extraction during a helicopter raid exercise on Ie Shima, Okinawa, Japan, Dec. 13, 2022. U.S. Marine Corps / Lance Cpl. William N. Wallace
The Naval Brief: Amphib name; Moskva vs. Neptune missiles; ‘The Threat Within’; and more…
Welcome to The Naval Brief, a weekly look at the news and ideas shaping the sea services’ future.
USS Fallujah. The America-class amphibious assault ship LHA-9 will be named USS Fallujah to memorialize the two 2004 battles during the Iraq war, Defense One reports. Construction is expected to begin soon on the ship, which will be the first named for a post-9/11 operation.
Moskva sinking details. How the Moskva—the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet—was hit by Ukrainian Neptune missiles in April is described in detail in a report by Ukrainska Pravda. One noteworthy point: because of the cloud cover that day, Ukraine’s basic radar was able to detect and target the ship despite it being beyond the system’s normal range.
“Broken culture.” A “broken culture” leads to sexual assault and harassment in the military, experts say in the final story of Defense One’s series “The Threat Within.” Despite years of reforms, survivors, experts, and lawmakers say victims are often blamed or not believed, while the actions of perpetrators are dismissed with phrases like “boys-will-be-boys.” Make sure to read Part one and Part two.
Sign up to get The Naval Brief every Thursday from Caitlin M. Kenney, Defense One’s military services reporter. On Dec. 14, 1944, Congress created the five-star rank of fleet admiral.
From Defense One
Russia Could Run Out Of Reliable Rockets, Artillery Shells Early Next Year, Pentagon Says // Caitlin M. Kenney
Dwindling stockpiles is likely forcing Russian troops to use older, "degraded" ammo, a senior U.S. military officer said.
For DOD, 2023 Is All About Proving It Can Build A Tactical Cloud // Lauren C. Williams
The plan is to develop and deploy a prototype, possibly in the Pacific region, in the next six months. The newly awarded Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability will help.
Inside Google's Quest to Digitize Troops' Tissue Samples // James Bandler
The tech giant has long sought access to a priceless trove of veterans' skin samples, tumor biopsies and slices of organs. DOD staffers have pushed back, raising ethical and legal concerns, but Google might win anyway.
Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Ban TikTok, Citing National Security // Frank Konkel
Bipartisan bill follows FBI warnings about Beijing's sway over the world's largest social-media platform.