Navy surgeon general commends CVS for ending tobacco sales
By Barbara Starr and Laura Koran
CVS Caremark’s decision to stop selling tobacco products was applauded Wednesday by Navy Surgeon General Matthew Nathan, a physician who leads the Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.
In an interview with CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr, the vice admiral called smoking prevention “a strategic issue for the country.”
U.S. Navy discloses nuclear exam cheating
Senior Navy enlistees seeking credentials to train others on using nuclear reactors that power carriers and subs are under investigation for cheating on an exam that may have involved classified information, top military officials said Tuesday.
The troubling disclosure comes just weeks after the Air Force alleged widespread cheating on a proficiency test by officers with oversight responsibilities for nuclear missiles. Both involved written exams.
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Fewer sexual assaults reported at military academies in 2012-13, report says
By Barbara Starr
Reports of sexual assaults at the three military service academies decreased for the 2012-13 academic year, but the Air Force Academy continued to have significantly more reports than the Army or Navy schools, according to a new report.
According to the report to be released Friday, the total number of sexual assault reports made in that academic year for all the schools was 70, down from 80 the previous year. It comes as several high profile cases of misconduct in the military have come to light.
U.S., Chinese warships come dangerously close
By Barbara Starr
A confrontation between the U.S. and Chinese navies led to a tense moment in the South China Sea, CNN has learned.
The incident last Friday, which was resolved peacefully, was the latest sign of Chinese military aggression in international waters and airspace.
A U.S. Navy warship was forced to come to a sudden stop when a Chinese military ship crossed dangerously close in what sources described as a deliberate maneuver.
No weapons were fired and the incident was resolved.
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U.S. Navy deploys new reconnaissance planes to Japan
By Jamie Crawford
The U.S. Navy has deployed two of its next-generation reconnaissance aircraft to Japan, a long-planned move that comes amid controversy over Chinese air defenses.
Designed to enhance the Navy's long-range maritime patrol capability, the P-8A Poseidon's specialty is submarine detection, the Navy said. The planes flew from Norfolk, Virginia, to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, in recent days.
The P-8A Poseidon also is part of the Navy's effort to phase out the P-3C Orion. It is more technologically advanced than its predecessor and can fly higher with a crew of up to nine. It also can carry torpedoes, cruise missiles, bombs and mines.
While the Navy rebalances resources in the Pacific, the arrival of the aircraft comes at a time of heightened tension in the region with China's imposition of an air defense identification zone in the East China Sea.
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Massive naval power remains at heart of America's look eastwards
By Paul Armstrong
By his own admission, one of the U.S Navy's top commanders says his Pacific fleet "gets all the best stuff" when it comes to state-of-the-art weaponry - an undeniable reflection of President Barack Obama's so-called pivot towards Asia.
The flagship of its 7th fleet, the Nimitz-class USS George Washington aircraft carrier boasts a formidable arsenal; from the latest FA-18 fighter jets, to anti-submarine helicopters and early-warning surveillance aircraft. Add to this the fleet's numerous missile destroyers, cruisers and submarines and the statement of intent is clear to see - Washington is serious about its role in the region.
"It's a long-term effort for us here," Fleet commander Vice Admiral Robert L. Thomas, told CNN aboard the giant vessel amid the muffled roar of jet engines from the flight deck directly above. "From a policy perspective it's a shift in balance of not only our resources but our thinking across diplomatic, information, economic and military lines to the Pacific.
"But I would offer that the 7th Fleet never left - we've been a strong presence here for the past 70 years. We're slowly shifting from a 50/50 mix in the United States Navy to a 40% Atlantic, 60% Pacific mix," he added, referring to the gradual swing away from traditional areas of operation in the West.
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Another Navy officer caught up in 'Fat Leonard' bribery scandal
By CNN Pentagon Producer Larry Shaughnessy
The Navy has reassigned the second in command of a unit that protects ships and harbors as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into alleged bribery by a defense contractor.
Capt. David Haas has been suspended as deputy commander of Coastal Riverine Group One while the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) probes activities of Glenn Defense Marine Co., and its chairman, Leonard Glenn Francis, according to a Navy statement released Thursday. Francis is known by the nickname “Fat Leonard."
Navy christens newest, most efficient carrier - the USS Gerald Ford
By Larry Shaughnessy
The U.S. Navy entered the 22nd century on Saturday.
In Newport News, Virginia, the Navy christened its newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford.
This nuclear-powered ship is the first of a new class of at least 10 carriers that the Navy expects will be steaming the seas, protecting the United States well into the next century.
The Ford itself is projected to stay in service until 2057.
This carrier is state-of-the-art in naval architecture, according to news releases from the Navy and the shipbuilder.
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Third Navy official charged in bribery case
By CNN Staff
A third U.S. Navy official has been charged in a case accusing them of accepting prostitution and other services from a Singapore-based defense contractor in exchange for business and favorable treatment, according to the U.S. attorney's office in San Diego.
U.S. Navy Cmdr. Jose Luis Sanchez, 41, was arrested Wednesday in Florida and is expected to be taken to San Diego to face charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, the office said.
Facing the same charge in Sanchez's case is contractor Leonard Glenn Francis, a Malaysian citizen and CEO of Singapore-based Glenn Defense Marine Asia Ltd.
Francis - arrested earlier this year in San Diego - also is charged in the other Navy officials' cases.
FULL STORYBigger, Lighter, Deadlier! Navy launches new stealth destroyer
By Larry Shaughnessy
(CNN) - The Navy's newest warship slipped out of dry dock this week into the waters of Maine, marking a new era for war fighting at sea.
The USS Zumwalt, the first of the DDG-1000 class of destroyers, is longer, faster and carries state-of-the-art weapons that will allow it to destroy targets at more than 60 miles, according to the Navy.
At 610 feet long and 81 feet wide, the Zumwalt is longer and thinner than the USS Arizona, a battleship sunk at Pearl Harbor. But it weighs about half as much.
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