Armed ForcesCategory

Navy Virginia (SSN-774) Class Attack Submarine Procurement

The Navy has been procuring Virginia (SSN-774) class nuclear-powered attack submarines(SSNs) since FY1998. The one Virginia-class boat that the Navy is requesting for procurement inFY2021 would be the 33rd boat in the class. The Navy’s FY2020 budget submission had projected that the Navy would request two Virginia-class boats in FY2021.Virginia-class boats scheduled for procurement in… Continue Reading Navy Virginia (SSN-774) Class Attack Submarine Procurement

Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program

The Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) program, which is carried out by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Navy, gives Navy Aegis cruisers and destroyers a capability for conducting BMD operations. BMD-capable Aegis ships operate in European waters to defend Europe from potential ballistic missile attacks from countries such as Iran, and in in… Continue Reading Navy Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Program

Military Courts-Martial Under the Military Justice Act of 2016

  The Supreme Court has called military justice a system of justice separate from jurisprudence in the civilian courts. Members of the Armed Forces are subject to rules, orders, proceedings, and consequences different from the rights and obligations of their civilian counterparts. Accordingly, it might be said that discipline is as important as liberty interests… Continue Reading Military Courts-Martial Under the Military Justice Act of 2016

Military Spouse Employment

Congress has constitutional authority over the armed forces, including the power to “to raise and support Armies,” “to provide and maintain a Navy,” and “to make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces.” Congress is thus responsible for legislating military pay and benefits, establishing personnel policies, and overseeing the implementation… Continue Reading Military Spouse Employment

Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans

The Trump Administration has identified the achievement of a Navy of 355 or more ships within 10 years as a high priority. The Navy states that it is working as well as it can, within a Navy budget top line that is essentially flat in real (i.e., inflation-adjusted terms), toward achieving that goal while also… Continue Reading Navy Force Structure and Shipbuilding Plans

Navy Columbia (SSBN-826) Class Ballistic Missile Submarine Program

The Columbia (SSBN-826) class program is a program to design and build a class of 12 new ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) to replace the Navy’s current force of 14 aging Ohio-class SSBNs. The Navy has identified the Columbia-class program as the Navy’s top priority program. The Navy wants to procure the first Columbia-class boat in… Continue Reading Navy Columbia (SSBN-826) Class Ballistic Missile Submarine Program

Navy LPD-17 Flight II and LHA Amphibious Ship Programs

This report discusses two types of amphibious ships being procured for the Navy: LPD-17 Flight II class amphibious ships and LHA-type amphibious assault ships. Both types are built by Huntington Ingalls Industries/Ingalls Shipbuilding (HII/Ingalls) of Pascagoula, MS. The firstLPD-17 Flight II class ship, LPD-30, was procured in FY2018; the Navy’s FY2021 budget submission estimates its… Continue Reading Navy LPD-17 Flight II and LHA Amphibious Ship Programs

China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities

  In an era of renewed great power competition, China’s military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, has become the top focus of U.S. defense planning and budgeting. China’s navy, which China has been steadily modernizing for more than 25 years, since the early to mid-1990s, has become a formidable military force within China’s… Continue Reading China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities

To the Last Man: A National Guard Regiment in the Great War, 1917-1919

  Historian and Army Captain Jonathan Bratten provides the rich history of a Maine National Guard unit, the 103rd Infantry Regiment, and their mobilization, training, and wartime experiences during the Great War. Lessons exist throughout the book and Bratten’s storytelling brings to life America’s relationship with World War I in the stories of men who… Continue Reading To the Last Man: A National Guard Regiment in the Great War, 1917-1919

Forging the 10th Mountain Division for War, 1940–45

In Forging the 10th Mountain Division for War, Major Justin Chabalko presents a history of Army adaptability and ingenuity. The latest in AUP’s Art of War series offers an examination of how wartime and environmental factors informed Army training, with the exciting history of the development of the 10th Mountain Division and the special cold… Continue Reading Forging the 10th Mountain Division for War, 1940–45