Brian O’Rourke

Nov 19, 2024 | usni.org | Matthew Cosner |Brian O’Rourke

How do you physically challenge Marines and sailors, test their cognitive capacity when fatigued, train them to make decisions under duress, all while teaching them the principles of maneuver warfare? Achieving this goal requires a think-and-fight drill. Such drills integrate physical fatigue, complex decision-making, and an opponent acting against you in real time.

Nov 1, 2024 | usni.org | Brian O'Rourke |Joe Greco |Brian O’Rourke

Sonar is a key tool for submarines, surface ships, and antisubmarine warfare–capable aircraft. Shorthand for “sound navigation and ranging,” sonar uses sound waves to detect objects beneath the ocean’s surface. It provides situational awareness and allows ships to engage targets underwater as well as across the surface-subsurface interface. There are two types:Active. Functioning like underwater radar, active sonar transducers send out sound energy—pings.

Jun 30, 2024 | usni.org | Brian O’Rourke |Brian O'Rourke

Related Articles P Asked & Answered Asked & Answered Excluding fighter/attack aircraft, what was the most reliable and effective U.S. naval aircraft and why? P Need to Know Coast Guard Fixed-wing Aviation Helicopters are the first thing most people associate with Coast Guard aviation—but the service’s lesser-known fixed-wing aircraft have important roles, too.

May 31, 2024 | usni.org | Brian O’Rourke

Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 is the West Coast MH-60S Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS). Sometimes known as a “RAG”—readiness air group—the FRS is responsible for training pilots and aircrew in their specific aircraft after flight training and before joining the fleet. FRSs also train aviators transitioning from other aircraft and ground crew, including mechanics. HSC-3, based in San Diego, California, was established in 1967.

May 29, 2024 | usni.org | Brian O’Rourke

Balikatan 2024 was the 39th iteration of an exercise that began in 1991 as U.S. bases in the Philippines were closing. The exercise—whose name comes from the Tagalog word for shoulder-to-shoulder—ran from 22 April to 10 May. This year’s activities occurred against the backdrop of dangerous confrontations between the Philippines and China, including a widely reported incident in which a China Coast Guard vessel rammed a Philippine fishing boat near Scarborough Shoal in April.