Defense News in Brief: Navy Shore Enterprise Announces 2025 Sailor of the Year

Source: United States Navy

Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) announced Navy Counselor 1st Class Frederick L. Salazar, representing Naval District Washington as the 2025 Shore Enterprise Sailor of the Year. Emerging from a fiercely competitive field of elite performers, Salazar presents the absolute pinnacle of dedication, operational readiness, and leadership across the Navy’s foundational force.

Defense News in Brief: ‘We Think in Decades’: ONR Leaders Talk Future of Autonomy, Unmanned Innovation

Source: United States Navy

When asked about the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR) role in the development of autonomous and unmanned systems, Chief of Naval Research (CNR) Dr. Rachel Riley highlighted some of the command’s most successful investments: REMUS underwater vehicles in the 1990s and early 2000s, swarmboats in 2014, LOCUST aerial vehicles in 2015, and the Sea Hunter and Sea Hawk surface vehicles in 2017.

“I don’t say all this to brag but rather to let you all see really great examples of how ONR does its mission,” said Riley. “We start with basic research and partner with industry to educate them on what the Navy and Marine Corps need in terms of readiness and lethality.

“As technologists, we’re futurists,” she continued. “That gives us a unique opportunity to share a slightly different demand signal than some of our partner organizations. We not only think about near-term capabilities but also the naval needs of the future. We think in decades.”

Riley gave her remarks during an April 21 panel discussion held at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space (SAS) Exposition at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

Defense News in Brief: Rear Admiral Ben Reynolds, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget/Director, Fiscal Management Division, N82 – NAVY FY27 Budget Request

Source: United States Navy

NICKO WEST: Good afternoon. I’m Lieutenant Nicko West, the public affairs officer for the Department of the Navy’s fiscal year 2027 presidential budget request. I would like to introduce the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget, Rear Admiral Ben Reynolds, who will brief the Department of the Navy’s submission for FY ’27.NICKO WEST: Good afternoon. I’m Lieutenant Nicko West, the public affairs officer for the Department of the Navy’s fiscal year 2027 presidential budget request. I would like to introduce the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget, Rear Admiral Ben Reynolds, who will brief the Department of the Navy’s submission for FY ’27.

Defense News in Brief: NAVY FY27 Budget Request

Source: United States Navy

NICKO WEST: Good afternoon. I’m Lieutenant Nicko West, the public affairs officer for the Department of the Navy’s fiscal year 2027 presidential budget request. I would like to introduce the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget, Rear Admiral Ben Reynolds, who will brief the Department of the Navy’s submission for FY ’27.NICKO WEST: Good afternoon. I’m Lieutenant Nicko West, the public affairs officer for the Department of the Navy’s fiscal year 2027 presidential budget request. I would like to introduce the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget, Rear Admiral Ben Reynolds, who will brief the Department of the Navy’s submission for FY ’27.

Defense News in Brief: Asymmetric Advantage — NPS Innovators Develop Low-Cost Counter-Drone Technology

Source: United States Navy

On a warm and windy day in May 2022, two hostile drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), suddenly popped up above McMillan Airfield at Camp Roberts, California. An AquaQuad drone was quickly dispatched from the opposite end and, no sooner than it was in position, immediately launched an automated cyber-attack from 1,000 meters against the first drone, a Parrot Bebop 2. Defeated, it sank to the ground, a gust of wind flipping it over.

Defense News in Brief: Department of the Navy Releases FY27 Budget Request

Source: United States Navy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of the Navy released their Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 President’s Budget request today focused on restoring American maritime dominance with a total Navy topline of $377.5B, an increase of more than $70.B compared to last year. This generational investment in our future fleet represents a 23% growth over the previous fiscal year and signals a clear commitment to the Golden Fleet Initiative, modernization and readiness.  

Defense News in Brief: Chile Welcomes Nimitz Carrier Strike Group

Source: United States Navy

VALPARAISO, Chile – Ships of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG), including Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Gridley (DDG 101), arrived in Valparaiso, Chile, for a scheduled port visit on April 17, 2026, as part of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet’s Southern Seas 2026 deployment.