Megan Eckstein

The more the Navy experiments with unmanned systems, the more it’s learning what it needs — and what it doesn’t.

The U.S. Navy doesn’t want to over-commit to buying too many ships in the next five years, in case it can’t follow through due to fiscal or supply chain issues. That will cost the service millions of dollars.

The Navy says forcing surface ships or attack submarines to haul around nuclear-tipped missiles would be feasible, but would be a burden in a time with many more pressing missions and no extra money to spare on lesser priorities.

The Florida-based Freedom-variant LCSs have only operated in local waters and in Central and South America until now, two years after an LCS was originally planned to deploy to 6th Fleet for the first time.

The Navy is heading toward a fleet size that its top officer admits “nobody likes.”

The expeditionary warfare community is eyeing ways to bring all its forces to bear in future operations, with exercises combining Marines with special operations forces, mine countermeasures sailors and Seabees.

U.S. 5th Fleet and the multinational Combined Maritime Forces are standing up a new task force for Red Sea region security, following the success of recent task forces in recent years.

The surface Navy has previously focused attention on mariner skills and warfighting tactics. It now wants to address leadership and character, with diversity playing a key role in that discussion.