News

SAN DIEGO – The keel for the future USNS Thurgood Marshall (T-AO 211), a John Lewis-class

Construction has officially begun on the new Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Quentin Walsh (DDG 132), named after a World War II hero and Navy Cross recipient. The vessel’s keel was laid May 20 during a ceremony at General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works in Maine, during which Walsh’s great-granddaughter, Madison Ann Zolper, welded her initials into the keel plate as is customary for a ship...[Read More]

The keel for the U.S. Navy’s second Columbia-class submarine was laid during an Aug. 27 ceremony in Kingstown, Rhode Island, marking the beginning of the sub’s construction. The vessel, currently designated SSBN 827, will be known as the Wisconsin, becoming the third in a line of warships that served with distinction in U.S. history. The original Wisconsin was the flagship of the Pacific fleet unt...[Read More]

Amid the nation’s upcoming semiquincentennial celebrations comes a new, 12-hour, six-part series from America’s master of documentary television. Directed by Ken Burns, “The American Revolution” explores the emerging nation’s bid for freedom and the eight long years it took to achieve American independence. “The American Revolution is one of the most important events in human history,” said Ken Bu...[Read More]

Several congressional incumbents with key defense and veterans policy leadership positions could be ousted next week when voters head to the polls Tuesday. Here are three of the biggest races advocates are monitoring and the impact they could have on critical legislation for troops and veterans next year: Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont. Tester’s reelection bid is one of the most closely watched races in ...[Read More]

New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the second-ranking Democrat on the chamber’s armed services committee, announced Wednesday she will not seek reelection in 2026. The 78-year-old former New Hampshire governor has been a prominent national security and military policy voice for Senate Democrats for more than a decade. In addition to her 14 years on the armed services panel, Shaheen was the firs...[Read More]

With President Donald Trump’s inauguration now finished, the Senate will return to work this week confirming key roles in his new administration. On Tuesday, Senate committees will hold a pair of confirmation hearings postponed last week: Former Georgia Rep. Doug Collins to serve as the next Veterans Affairs secretary and current New York Rep. Elise Stefanik to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Unit...[Read More]

The much-anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin began with a warm welcome and a flyover by screaming jets at a U.S. military base in Alaska but ended with a thud Friday after they conceded that they had failed to reach any agreements on how to end the Russia-Ukraine war. After about 2 1/2 hours of talks at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchora...[Read More]

An important series of tests for the latest upgrades to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will likely not begin until two years after these jets started hitting the field — and at least three years following their original due date. The Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation said in its annual report, submitted to Congress on Jan. 31, that dedicated operational tests for the F-35’s Te...[Read More]

Lecturing to a group of young U.S. Army Rangers on a field at Fort Meade, Maryland, in May 1942, U.S. Army lieutenant colonel Francois d’Eliscu ordered a trainee to level his rifle and bayonet and charge at him, full bore. “Come on, boy, like you mean business!” d’Eliscu shouted. His voice was startlingly loud and sharp, especially considering that it came from such an elfin, exotic-­looking figur...[Read More]