Nick Wilson

1 week ago | insidedefense.com | Nick Wilson

Rear Adm. Kevin Smith has been relieved from his post as the Navy's program executive officer for unmanned and small combatants following "a complaint substantiated by an Office of the Naval Inspector General investigation," the service announced today. Smith has been temporarily reassigned to the staff of Naval Sea Systems Command, while PEO USC Executive Director Melissa Kirkendall has assumed temporary responsibilities of the office in his absence, the notice states.

2 weeks ago | insidedefense.com | Nick Wilson

The Marine Corps must own the technical data rights for the platforms it operates, the service's top officer said yesterday, describing a situation in which a forward-based F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was sidelined while the contractor delivered a replacement component that could have been 3D printed onsite in a fraction of the time. “I’m tired of, frankly, when I go to an organization and I procure something, and then I have to go back to them and get their permission... Not a subscriber?

3 weeks ago | insidedefense.com | Nick Wilson

The Navy is losing approximately 16,000 civilian workers to layoffs and voluntary resignations, according to a prominent House appropriator, who questioned reductions to public shipyard labor and other hard-to-replace personnel while service officials pointed to opportunities to “rebalance” their enterprise.

3 weeks ago | insidedefense.com | Nick Wilson

The Marine Corps anticipates Joint Light Tactical Vehicle unit costs to rise following the Army's cancellation of future JLTV procurement, Commandant Gen. Eric Smith told lawmakers today, saying his service branch is still assessing the full impact of the Army's abrupt exit from the joint program. “The average per unit cost is going to go up when the orders go down, and that’s going to negatively impact the Marine Corps’ ability to fulfill its ground tactical vehicle mobility strategy, which...

1 month ago | insidedefense.com | Nick Wilson

The Navy expects to receive its first full-sized version of the "Orca" Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle from Boeing this summer after the company delivered an initial test and training asset in December 2024, the head of the service's unmanned and small combatants program office said this week. The first official vessel, XLE1, is currently being tested by Boeing at the company’s Huntington Beach, CA facility before delivering later this year, Rear Adm.