Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro on Monday laid out Manila’s plans to deter Chinese efforts in the South China Sea during a speech to Manila’s forces stationed in the region. In his remarks at the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Western Command’s 49th founding anniversary ceremony,Teodoro described the need to procure capabilities and improve force posture in the area that would “actively discourage” malign influence and efforts. The Western Command is the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ unified command responsible for operations at Second Thomas Shoal, Sabina Shoal a ..read more

Japan activated its Japan Self-Defense Force Joint Operations Command (JJOC) Monday, allowing its military to better conduct integrated and joint operations. Japan outlined the intention to establish the JJOC in its Defense Buildup Program (DBP), one of three national security and defense documents issued in December 2022. “A Permanent Joint Headquarters will be established in order to build a system capable of seamlessly conducting cross-domain operations at all stages from peacetime to contingency, with the aim of strengthening the effectiveness of joint operations among each SDF services ..read more

The White House has chosen retired submariner Brent Sadler to lead the U.S. Maritime Administration, according to a Congressional notification. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Technology – which oversees the Department of Transportation – received Sadler’s nomination on Monday. The Maritime Administration sits under the Department of Transportation, which falls under the oversight purview of the Senate Commerce Committee. Sadler, a retired U.S. Navy captain, is a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation. He did several Navy tours in the Indo-Pacific while on active duty ..read more

The following is the March 21, 2025, Congressional Research Service In Focus report, Navy Next-Generation Attack Submarine (SSN[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress. From the report Introduction The Navy has been procuring Virginia-class nuclear powered attack submarines (SSNs) since FY1998. The Navy’s envisaged successor to the Virginia-class design is the Next-Generation Attack Submarine, or SSN(X). The Navy’s FY2024 budget submission envisaged procuring the first SSN(X) in FY2035. The Navy’s FY2025 budget submission defers the envisaged procurement of the first SSN(X) from FY2035 ..read more

The nominee to lead the Department of the Navy was confirmed by the Senate in a 62-30 vote on Monday. Financer John Phelan will now lead the Navy and the Marine Corps during a time of transition. The Navy continues to deploy forces to the Middle East and at the same time prepares for a potential conflict in the Pacific. In the U.S., the Department of the Navy is managing delayed shipbuilding programs, a substantial backlog of repair work and ongoing quality-of-life issues inside the Navy and Marine Corps. “The U.S. Navy is at a crossroads, extended deployments, inadequate maintenance ..read more

The Navy was the big winner when teams of national security experts were tasked with finding and reallocating $50 billion in the defense budget in an American Enterprise Institute funding exercise last week. The Navy’s submarine program, modernizing the nuclear triad and increasing operational readiness for all the services received the biggest across-the-board plus-ups, Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said Friday. U.S. Army force structure suffered the biggest cuts, Harrison said. The security team only recommended higher budgets for air and missile defens ..read more

USS Nimitz (CVN-68) made the trek down the West Coast as it sailed from Bremerton, Wash., to San Diego, Calif., over the weekend ahead of its upcoming deployment arriving on Monday, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker. The Navy’s oldest carrier, which is on its last planned deployment, is now at Naval Air Station North Island for the final preparations for deployment. Destroyer Squadron 9 is embarked on Nimitz and includes USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54), USS Gridley (DDG-101), USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG-108) and USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123). Curtis Wilbur and Lenah Sutcliffe H ..read more

These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of March 24, 2025, based on Navy and public data. In cases in which a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship. Ships Underway Total Battle Force Deployed Underway 295 (USS 234, USNS 61) 94 (USS 66, USNS 28) 73 (39 Deployed, 34 Local) In Japan Aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) is in port in Yokosuka, Japan. Amphibious warship USS America (LHA-6) is in port in Sase ..read more

Boeing will build the U.S. Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance program, President Donald Trump announced Friday at the White House. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump announced that Boeing won the contract to build the sixth-generation fighter, named the F-47, for the Air Force. Boeing beat out Lockheed Martin to win the contract award. “The experimental version of the plane has secretly been flying for almost five years,” Trump said. “And we’re confident that it massively overpowers the capabilities of any other nation.” The president suggested that the costs of the program are classi ..read more

Destroyer USS Spruance (DDG-111) will deploy to support U.S. Northern Command’s ongoing mission at the southern border, USNI News has learned. The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer will be the second destroyer to deploy as part of President Donald Trump’s call to secure the southern border, a U.S. official confirmed to USNI News. USS Gravely (DDG-107) deployed earlier this week to the Gulf Coast as part of the U.S. military’s response to Trump’s executive order declaring a national emergency at the border. Like Gravely, Spruance will also take a U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement deta ..read more