The Naval Brief: DepSecDef visits shipyard; Afghanistan ending; F-35C milestone; and more...
By Caitlin M. Kenney
Staff Reporter
July 8, 2021
Welcome to The Naval Brief, a weekly look at the news and ideas shaping the sea services’ future.
DepSecDef Hicks tours New England shipyard. Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks visited Bath Iron Works in Maine Wednesday where they build destroyers and met with sailors from the future USS Daniel Inouye. On Thursday, she is scheduled to visit MIT, Harvard, and other locations to discuss technology that can counter China. Defense One’s Marcus Weisgerber is the only reporter traveling with her, so follow for those details and more to come.
Afghanistan War nears its end. The American withdrawal from Afghanistan is now 90 percent complete, U.S. Central Command announced Tuesday. President Joe Biden will be discussing the drawdown effort later Thursday.
Squadron reaches operational milestone. The Marine Corps’ Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 will be the first to deploy on an aircraft carrier with their F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters after reaching full operational capability, USNI News reports. The squadron will deploy next year as part of a carrier strike group.
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/07/naval-brief-depsecdef-visits-shipyard-afghanistan-ending-f-35c-milestone-and-more/183592/
