A new Congressional Budget Office report estimates that the Navy would need to spend about $380 billion in 2018 dollars to maintain the current size of its aviation fleet between 2020 and 2050, or about $12.7 billion per year. Today, the Navy has a fleet of around 4,000 aircraft — 1,400 fixed-wing fighters, 1,350 helicopters/tiltrotors,…
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The Norfolk-based amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD-5) headed for the Middle East area recently amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, according to a report. USNI News reported late last week that the Bataan, an amphibious assault ship, was on its way to the area with an embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU)…
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The Department of Veterans Affairs has begun processing claims covered under HR 299, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019. The law was passed months ago, but the VA immediately placed a stay on the bill. The stay was lifted on Jan. 1. The bill covers some sailors who were exposed to the…
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Rep. Phil Roe Announces He Won’t Run for Reelection in 2020 (AUSN) Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has announced that he will not seek reelection in 2020. [Read more] Navy Proposes Early Decommissioning of 4 Littoral Combat Ships: Report (AUSN) The Navy wants to decommission the first…
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Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), the Ranking Member on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, has announced that he will not seek reelection in 2020, according to multiple reports. Roe is entering the last year of his sixth term as the representative for East Tennessee. He was selected as Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee in…
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The Navy wants to decommission the first four Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) in 2021 to help save on costs, according to a report. The Freedom, Independence, Fort Worth, and Coronado would be taken out of service with between 12 and 17 years of planned hull life left, Defense News reported, citing a memo from the…
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The Navy is planning to slow down its buying profile for the Navy’s next-generation frigate, according to a report from Defense News. The Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan submitted to Congress earlier this year along with their fiscal 2020 budget proposal showed plans to buy one FFG(X) in 2020, and then two per year until 2020,…
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It’s a special time of year for all of our Sailors, Coast Guardsmen, and their families, and as many of us retire to wherever it is that we call home and family for the rest of 2019, we want to send our best wishes out to all of those who are stationed abroad and who…
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AUSN is pleased to announce its up coming Navy Now Webinar series lineup for 2020, kicking off with a webinar on transitioning to civilian service in mid-January and covering topics such as Retired Activities Offices, the MISSION Act, and a talk from our 2019 Wounded Warrior of the Year. Stay tuned as the year goes…
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The U.S. Coast Guard is warning boaters that a Russian surveillance ship has been operating in “an unsafe manner” off the coast of South Carolina, according to reports. The RFN Viktor Leonov has been navigating through international waters along the Southeast coastline this week, mostly near South Carolina and Florida in an area managed by…
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