Houthi Rebels Sink Vessel, Kill Two Mariners
Yemen’s Houthi rebel attacks forced the abandonment of a commercial ship this week and killed two crew members in the process. They sunk their first vessel last week. These are the first fatalities since the rebels’ campaign of assaults in the Red Sea began in October, and the first vessel to be completely destroyed.
Cyber Lab Ceremony Honors Barbara Ives
The Barbara Ives Cyber Lab at the College of Southern Maryland’s Leonardtown campus was recently dedicated. The lab is named in honor of Ives, a longtime Southern Maryland resident and retired US Navy Reserve captain, known for her service to the country, the region, and academia.
Marines Pass DoD’s 1st Full Audit
It took 20 years and the Marines finally passed a full financial audit of the service. No other service has yet passed a full financial audit, nor has DoD.
DoD Plans $10B in Cuts to Weapons Programs
The US Department of Defense plans cuts to some of its weapons programs — F-35 fighter jets, an attack submarine, Army helicopters and drones, and Air Force overhead — to stay under congressionally mandated spending caps. The department will make $10 billion in cuts to its 2025 budget.
Recruitment Keeps Falling; Navy the Worst
After the services fell short of tens of thousands of enlistees in FY23, only the Air Force managed to exceed its enlistment goals in the first quarter of FY24. The Army only reached 74% of its first-quarter goal. The Navy fared worse at 65% of its target.
Biden Wants to Scale Back F-35 Orders
The Biden administration wants to scale back on Lockheed Martin F-35s. DoD’s order for F-35 fighter jets will drop to below 70, down from an expected 83 – an estimated $1.6 billion drop in spending on jets.
Navy Faces Most Maritime Hostilities Since WWII
Troops aboard American destroyers in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are facing a level of maritime hostility that the US Navy hasn’t encountered since World War II.
$10M Reward for Info on Ransomware Gang
The US State Department is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information about the identity or location of the leaders of the global ransomware gang Hive. Hive has extorted more than $100 million in ransom payments from hospitals, schools, financial firms, and critical infrastructure in the US since June 2021.
DoD Trying to Return Osprey to Service
The Pentagon believes it has identified the mechanical failure that led to a fatal crash of an Osprey aircraft in Japan and the grounding of the fleet for two months but has not said what the failure was.
US Foreign Military Sales Hit All-Time High in FY23
US foreign military sales and deliveries hit $80.9 billion last year. The fiscal 2023 total was 55% higher than the previous year. FY22 saw $51.9 billion in foreign arms sales.
