The Marine Corps and the Air Force will partner to train the Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron to be qualified operators of the General Atomics-built MQ-9 Reaper, USNI News reported Thursday. The effort intends to establish a UAV operations base in preparation for the 2020s when Marines will begin deploying UAV units …
Read More »Marine Corps to Employ New SATCOM System for On-The-Move Communications
The U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command seeks to use a new narrowband satellite communication system that builds on commercial cellphone technology to provide increased mobile communication access for marines. USMC said Tuesday it will be the first service branch to widely employ the Mobile User Objective System, which works to operate with AN/PRC-117G radios …
Read More »Marines Use 3D Printing Tech for Vehicle Replacement Parts
The U.S. Marine Corps has used an additive manufacturing process to produce replacement parts for a small unmanned ground vehicle and fighter aircraft. USMC said Thursday that Combat Logistic Battalion 31 uses a three-dimensional printer technology as an alternative source for components when immediate action is required, such as an impending failure of …
Read More »James Anderson Nominated as DoD Asst Secretary for Strategy, Plans & Capabilities
President Donald Trump has nominated James Anderson, a former intelligence officer at the U.S. Marine Corps, to be assistant defense secretary for strategy, plans and capabilities. Anderson serves as vice president of academic affairs at Marine Corps University and oversees MCU’s academic and professional military education programs in that capacity, the …
Read More »Navy Secretariat Seeks to Modernize Business Operations Through Reorganization
Thomas Modly, undersecretary of the U.S. Navy, has issued a memorandum to reorganize secretariat functions in a push to accelerate alignment and modernization of business operations across the Department of the Navy. He said in the memo published Friday that he will lead a new Office of the DON Chief Management Officer …
Read More »Marines F-35B Units Land on USS Wasp for Patrol Operation
The U.S. Marine Corps‘ Fighter Attack Squadron 121 has landed F-35B Lightning II aircraft aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp in support of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s 2018 spring patrol. The recent landing on the East China Sea starts the F-35B’s first deployment for an MEU operation, the Marines said Monday. The MEU’s annual …
Read More »Navy to Update USS America Amphibious Assault Ship for F-35 Integration
The U.S. Navy is scheduled to start installing updates on the USS America amphibious assault ship to support the operations of the F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft aboard the vessel, The National Interest reported Wednesday. British defense contractor BAE Systems said USS America will undergo a series of hull, mechanical and electrical …
Read More »DoD’s Natl Security Tech Accelerator, Marine Corps Partner to Form Adaptive Threat Force
The U.S. Marine Corps‘ Warfighting Laboratory/Futures Directorate has signed a two-year agreement with MD5, the Defense Department‘s technology accelerator for national security, to form group that will serve as adversaries in Marine experiments. USMC said Wednesday the Adaptive Threat Force will be formed to challenge experimental Marines teams with situations that require adaptive …
Read More »Sgt. Maj. Vincent Santiago Assigned to DSCA as Command Senior Enlisted Leader
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Vincent Santiago, who currently serves at the 3rd Marine Division in Japan, has been appointed as first command senior enlisted leader for the Defense Security Cooperation Agency in Virginia. The Office of the Senior Enlisted Adviser to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced Santiago’s new assignment …
Read More »Marines Conduct 12-day Airfield Construction Exercise
Troops from Marine Air Control Squadron 4 and other marine groups have gathered in Okinawa Dec. 4 to participate in a 12-day exercise on airfield construction. The Voodoo Magic exercise trained marines’ skills in operating without an airfield and taking over an already established airfield, the Defense Department said Friday. Teams …
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