NCC Harsh

Since Japanese aircraft sank the USS Arizona during the Dec. 7, 1941, surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the battleship has remained in place under water, the watery gravesite to more than 900 sailors entombed within. The U.S. Navy, as with other sunken ships in the harbor, considers those entombed beneath the ship’s hull to be in their final resting place. The battleship suffered more loss of life ...[Read More]

A new lab is hoping to use generative AI to enhance defense wargaming. The goal of the new GenWar lab, scheduled to open in 2026 at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, is to improve tabletop exercises by harnessing the speed and user-friendliness of large language models, or LLMs, which include popular chatbots such as ChatGPT. By accessing AI during an exercise, huma...[Read More]

The U.S. is drafting a proposal that includes weighing possible military engagement in Nigeria, a senior State Department official said this week. The discussion comes weeks after President Donald Trump threatened military action in Africa’s most populous country over the alleged persecution of Christians by Islamic insurgent groups. The Trump administration may also choose to escalate its pressur...[Read More]

Among the most strategically vital objectives for the United States forces in the Pacific during World War II were three islands in the Marianas: Saipan, Guam and Tinian. Close enough to the Japanese Home Islands to be reached by the new Boeing B-29 heavy bombers, they were desperately defended, including history’s largest aircraft carrier duel in the Philippine Sea on June 19-20, the largest suic...[Read More]

The Navy’s newest chief of naval operations made his first visit to Guam since he assumed responsibilities in August Wednesday, along with the service’s top enlisted sailor. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle and Master Chief Petty Officer John Perryman met with sailors and Navy leadership during an all-hands call at Naval Base Guam. “Our Sailors on Guam are serving on the front line of o...[Read More]

On Oct. 5, 1945, President Harry S. Truman placed the Medal of Honor around Jacklyn Harrell Lucas’ neck. According to Lucas, Truman told the Marine, “I’d rather have [your] medal than be president of the United States.” “Sir, I’ll swap you,” quipped Lucas. But the ceremony to honor the Marine with the nation’s highest medal for valor was unique in more ways than one. At the age of just 14, the tee...[Read More]

On Oct. 5, 1945, President Harry S. Truman placed the Medal of Honor around Jacklyn Harrell Lucas’ neck. According to Lucas, Truman told the Marine, “I’d rather have [your] medal than be president of the United States.” “Sir, I’ll swap you,” quipped Lucas. But the ceremony to honor the Marine with the nation’s highest medal for valor was unique in more ways than one. At the age of just 14, the tee...[Read More]

A small unmanned surface vessel called the Lightfish made a new milestone for USVs when it arrived in Portugal just over two months after being launched by the U.S. Navy in June. The fully autonomous Lightfish is a small solar-powered craft manufactured by Seasats. Its solar panels operate and store energy even in cloudy weather, and the craft is equipped with a battery and generator that can exte...[Read More]