USNI News

USNI News serves as the online news and analysis platform for the U.S. Naval Institute. It is created to swiftly respond to global happenings and the fast-paced 24-hour news cycle. The goal of USNI News is to deliver relevant insights on national security issues promptly. Our team includes defense reporters, current military personnel, and knowledgeable defense analysts. However, we welcome contributions beyond just written articles; we are open to videos, audio clips, and various other multimedia formats as well.

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Attack of the Drones

3 days ago | news.usni.org | Gidget Fuentes

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – By year’s end, the Marine Corps will be fielding thousands of small aerial drones across its operational forces. Marine Corps training schools are now familiarizing Marines and small-unit leaders with the handling and tactical use of small drones. One training course run by the 1st Marine Division’s schoolhouse is building basic skills and tactical savvy that infantry forces will need using their drones against multiple threats in a ground fight.
USS Gerald R. Ford Deploys from Norfolk for European Theater

4 days ago | news.usni.org | Sam LaGrone

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. — Families waving signs and banners watched a quartet of tugs push the world’s largest warship off the pier and on to its second deployment. The 100,000-ton aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) cut through the thick Virginia haze on the James River as crew members in whites poured sweat while manning the rails in record-breaking heat. A total of 4,500 sailors will deploy with the strike group, according to U.S. 2nd Fleet.
Pentagon Announces New Flag Nominees Including Commanders of 5th, 7th Fleets

5 days ago | news.usni.org | Sam LaGrone

Five admirals have been nominated for a third star, including new fleet commanders for naval forces in the Western Pacific and the Middle East, the Pentagon announced last week. Current U.S. 7th Fleet commander Vice Adm. Fred Kacher has been nominated for a reappointment as vice admiral and to serve as the director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon. Rear Adm.
U.S. Strikes 3 Iranian Nuclear Sites Using B-2s, Sub-Launched Tomahawks

6 days ago | news.usni.org | Heather Mongilio |Sam LaGrone

The U.S. struck three nuclear sites in Iran, President Donald Trump said on social media late Saturday. U.S. forces struck sites Natanz, Isfahan and the Fordo uranium enrichment facility. “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump said in an address at the White House.
5 U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Destroyers Now in the Mediterranean Sea

1 week ago | news.usni.org | Sam LaGrone

The U.S. has positioned five ballistic missile defense-capable guided-missile destroyers in the Mediterranean Sea as Iranian forces launch salvos of ballistic missiles against Israel, a defense official confirmed to USNI News. Two guided-missile destroyers, based in Rota, Spain — USS Paul Ignatius (DDG-177) and USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79) — entered the Mediterranean, joining three other BMD-capable destroyers in the region, the defense official said.
Middle East Aircraft Carrier Commitment Keeps Pressure on U.S. Fleet

1 week ago | news.usni.org | Heather Mongilio |Sam LaGrone

When aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) chops into U.S. Central Command in the coming days, it will be the fifth carrier to operate in the Middle East since the U.S. resumed deployments to the region in late 2023. U.S. Central Command deployments accounted for 41 percent of carrier steaming days last year, up from just 8 percent the year before as demands for carrier strike groups increased following the Oct.
Fleet Forces Commander Caudle Nominated as Next Chief of Naval Operations

1 week ago | news.usni.org | Mallory Shelbourne

President Donald Trump tapped Adm. Daryl Caudle to serve as the next chief of naval operations, nearly four months after the removal of Adm. Lisa Franchetti. The Senate Armed Services Committee received the nomination Tuesday, according to a Congressional notification. Caudle, who is currently the head of U.S. Fleet Forces in Norfolk, Va., will appear before the upper chamber’s committee as part of his nomination process.
Missing USS Abraham Lincoln Sailor Found Alive

1 week ago | news.usni.org | Heather Mongilio

Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Los Angeles Police Department successfully located a sailor missing since the end of May. Culinary Specialist Seaman Sergio Valoura, assigned to USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) did not report to his assigned duties on May 30. After a ship-wide search, NCIS and local authorities expanded the search, a spokesperson for commander, Naval Air Forces, told USNI News in a statement. NCIS and LAPD found Valoura on June 15.
North Korea Refloats Destroyer After Failed Launch in May

1 week ago | news.usni.org | Dzirhan Mahadzir

North Korea relaunched its second Choe Hyon-class guided-missile destroyer at Rajin Shipyard, located on the northeast coast of North Korea on Thursday. The launch of the 5,000-ton Kang Kon (52) follows a failed launch on May 21 at the Chongjin Shipyard that capsized the ship. North Korea subsequently raised the ship and towed it to Rajin Shipyard, which lies around 50 miles north of Chongjin Shipyard.
Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz Sailing to Middle East, Says Official

1 week ago | news.usni.org | Mallory Shelbourne

The U.S. Navy’s oldest aircraft carrier is transiting the Strait of Malacca, as Iran and Israel continue to exchange missile fire. USS Nimitz (CVN-68) sailed west through the Singapore Strait Monday, bound for the Indian Ocean, according to ship spotters. The carrier is bound for the Middle East, a defense official told USNI News. The Washington-based carrier was operating in the South China Sea last week, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker.