The surface force will net a total of seven Littoral Combat Ships after the Navy shelved plans to decommission the hulls ahead of their expected service lives, USNI News has learned. Service officials speaking earlier this month at the Surface Navy Association said the Navy had reversed plans to decommission five Freedom-class and two Independence-class LCS.

The Navy announced an apology and a path to reinstatement for service members discharged over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate as the Pentagon moves to review and correct past separations.

China acquired naval platforms from Russia to rapidly boost its capabilities throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

The USS John F. Kennedy, which could homeport in Bremerton as early as 2029, has left its Virginia-based shipbuilder for trials.