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Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Navy chief 'regrets' costly missile strikes against Houthis, pushes for cheaper Red Sea defense
New acting Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. James Kilby said he regrets the Navy's reliance on expensive, high-powered missiles to counter the Houthi threat in the Red Sea and pledged to push for cheaper, more efficient solutions. Speaking to reporters at the Sea Air Space conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Kilby said he was "not concerned" about the Navy's ability to protect its people – such as the 350 sailors aboard the USS Carney missile destroyer – or its ability to safeguard commercial shipping. He is concerned, however, about "not having better ways to more economically attrit the threat." In his former role as vice chief of naval operations, Kilby said he was "focused on a high-end laser – 500kW to one megawatt – and I have regret for that." Trump Admin Fires Navy Admiral At Nato Targeted By Conservative Group "I had not been thoughtful enough to think about the UAV threat, where I think a much lesser-powered weapon would have done what we needed it to do," Kilby said. Read On The Fox News App He promised the Navy was now working to overhaul its costly defense tactics with "much more cost-effective" technologies to counter autonomous vehicles in the Red Sea, as he called on the defense industry to more quickly produce munitions for the mission. "We have to get after our industrial base or munitions industrial base the same way we have to get after our shipbuilding industrial base," said Kilby. When asked if the Navy had enough munitions to counter the Houthi threat, Kilby replied, "I think we need more munitions." "We certainly need more depth of magazine, if we're going to get into a protracted conflict." The U.S. launched a renewed offensive campaign against Yemen's Houthi rebels last month, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday, "it's about to get worse" for the Houthis. Onlookers have long decried the disproportionate cost of taking on the Yemeni rebels. Naval missiles that run around $2 million a shot have been used to take out drones that cost the Houthis no more than $2,000. Since the March 15 offensive began, the Houthis have also downed three MQ-9 Reaper drones — each worth about $30 million. Kilby replaced Adm. Lisa Franchetti in an acting capacity in February, after she was let go as part of a broader purge of high-level military leadership by the Trump administration. Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife were also relieved of command. It is not yet clear whether Kilby will be nominated to serve as CNO in a permanent capacity and put forward for Senate confirmation. However, Kilby said he would continue Franchetti's goal of getting the Navy to a point where 80% of its ships are ready to deploy for combat at any given moment. Currently, he said, submarines are operating at 67% combat readiness, ships are at 68% and aircraft carriers are at 70%. Kilby told Fox News Digital he was pleased that "awareness seems to be higher" regarding the nation's shipbuilding issues, adding, "it's going to take a national effort." He also said he was "super focused" with the Marine Corps commandant and deputy commandant on getting the Medium Landing Ship (LSM) program back on track. Houthis Shoot Down 3Rd Us Reaper Drone As Trump Administration Continues Daily Airstrikes The LSM program, viewed by many as crucial to moving Marines around remote islands in the Indo-Pacific in the event of conflict with China, has been plagued by delays, with work on the program stalling late last year. The vessel is envisioned to be able to transport forces right onto a beach without any port access, where they would be able to fire anti-ship cruise missiles and collect intelligence. Kilby said Navy and Marine Corps leadership are now looking to get approval to procure a ship to enter the testing phase of such a vessel. "We're going to go through we'll look at those requirements, make sure we produce a ship that can meet the needs of the Marine Corps and support their force design. But I'm thankful we're doing it now not when our ship's in construction. So I'm optimistic here. And we need that. You know, we need to have this expedition." Kilby also laid out his goals for sailor recruitment shortfalls. "I'll take that 23,000-person gap, make it 18,000 this year and 8,000 the next year."Original article source: New Navy chief 'regrets' costly missile strikes against Houthis, pushes for cheaper Red Sea defense
Fox News
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
New Navy chief 'regrets' costly missile strikes against Houthis, pushes for cheaper Red Sea defense
New acting Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. James Kilby said he regrets the Navy's reliance on expensive, high-powered missiles to counter the Houthi threat in the Red Sea and pledged to push for cheaper, more efficient solutions. Speaking at the Sea Air Space conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Kilby said he was "not concerned" about the Navy's ability to protect its people – such as the 350 sailors aboard the USS Carney missile destroyer – or its ability to safeguard commercial shipping. He is concerned, however, about "not having better ways to more economically attrit the threat." In his former role as vice chief of naval operations, Kilby said he was "focused on a high-end laser – 500kW to one megawatt – and I have regret for that." "I had not been thoughtful enough to think about the UAV threat, where I think a much lesser-powered weapon would have done what we needed it to do," Kilby said. He promised the Navy was now working to overhaul its costly defense tactics with "much more cost-effective" technologies to counter autonomous vehicles in the Red Sea, as he called on the defense industry to more quickly produce munitions for the mission. "We have to get after our industrial base or munitions industrial base the same way we have to get after our shipbuilding industrial base," said Kilby. When asked if the Navy had enough munitions to counter the Houthi threat, Kilby replied, "I think we need more munitions." "We certainly need more depth of magazine, if we're going to get into a protracted conflict." The U.S. launched a renewed offensive campaign against Yemen's Houthi rebels last month, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday, "it's about to get worse" for the Houthis. Onlookers have long decried the disproportionate cost of taking on the Yemeni rebels. Naval missiles that run around $2 million a shot have been used to take out drones that cost the Houthis no more than $2,000. Since the March 15 offensive began, the Houthis have also downed three MQ-9 Reaper drones — each worth about $30 million. Kilby replaced Adm. Lisa Franchetti in an acting capacity in February, after she was let go as part of a broader purge of high-level military leadership by the Trump administration. Former Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James Slife were also relieved of command. It is not yet clear whether Kilby will be nominated to serve as CNO in a permanent capacity and put forward for Senate confirmation. However, Kilby said he would continue Franchetti's goal of getting the Navy to a point where 80% of its ships are ready to deploy for combat at any given moment. Currently, he said, submarines are operating at 67% combat readiness, ships are at 68% and aircraft carriers are at 70%. Kilby said he was pleased that "awareness seems to be higher" regarding the nation's shipbuilding issues, adding, "it's going to take a national effort." He also said he was "super focused" with the Marine Corps commandant and deputy commandant on getting the Medium Landing Ship (LSM) program back on track. The LSM program, viewed by many as crucial to moving Marines around remote islands in the Indo-Pacific in the event of conflict with China, has been plagued by delays, with work on the program stalling late last year. The vessel is envisioned to be able to transport forces right onto a beach without any port access, where they would be able to fire anti-ship cruise missiles and collect intelligence. Kilby said Navy and Marine Corps leadership are now looking to get approval to procure a ship to enter the testing phase of such a vessel. "We're going to go through we'll look at those requirements, make sure we produce a ship that can meet the needs of the Marine Corps and support their force design. But I'm thankful we're doing it now not when our ship's in construction. So I'm optimistic here. And we need that. You know, we need to have this expedition." Kilby also laid out his goals for sailor recruitment shortfalls. "I'll take that 23,000-person gap, make it 18,000 this year and 8,000 the next year."
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Last Houthi Attack Was Months Ago. But the US Military Has Now Launched an Open-Ended Campaign in Yemen.
U.S. military strikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels continued into their sixth day on Thursday, as the Pentagon and Trump administration had yet to fully explain what prompted the resumption of operations against the Iranian-backed rebel group after months of relative quiet in the Red Sea. Officials said the new round of strikes in Yemen may last for weeks and that they are now less worried about casualties. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday claimed the renewed military operation is necessary due to attacks on Navy ships and shipping, telling Maria Bartiromo on Fox News that "ships haven't been able to go through for over a year without being shot at." However, as leaders like Hegseth demand the Houthis halt their attacks as a condition of ending the strikes, multiple officials at the Pentagon, who spoke on condition of anonymity to more freely discuss the current situation, told that the last Houthi attack they were aware of occurred in December -- months ago and before President Donald Trump even took office. Read Next: Deadline Nears for Troops to Sign Up for Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts In his Fox News appearance, Hegseth said that, around that time frame, "we sent a ship through, it was shot at 17 times," but he didn't offer any further details about whether it was a U.S. warship or merchant ship. U.S. Central Command did announce two attacks against U.S. warships and merchant ships that month, but the munitions used didn't appear to add up to 17. The latest round of Houthi attacks began in October 2023 when the destroyer USS Carney first shot down a Houthi barrage of missiles and drones headed for Israel. Since then, Navy ships in the area have engaged in a steady stream of missile and drone interceptions aimed at them and merchant ships. At least seven Navy ships have been awarded the prestigious Combat Action Ribbon as a result. The Houthi rebels began targeting merchant ships in the region following the outbreak of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The rebels warned this month that any Israeli vessel traveling in those waters is a target due to the continuing siege of Gaza, though they have also attacked merchant ships with no ties to Israel. reached out to the White House and the National Security Council for more clarity on what prompted the strikes now. The White House didn't respond, and an official from the NSC referred to "statements made by the president, the secretary of defense, the secretary of state, [the White House spokeswoman,] and many others." The Trump administration's military operations against the Houthis began Saturday with a strike that hit "over 30 targets at multiple locations," Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, the joint staff's planning boss, told reporters Monday. "These included terrorist training sites, unmanned aerial vehicle infrastructure, weapons manufacturing capabilities and weapon storage facilities," Grynkewich said, adding that the targets "also included a number of command-and-control centers, including a terrorist compound where we know several senior Houthi unmanned aerial vehicle experts were located." Since Saturday, Grynkewich said strikes have continued; posts on the U.S. Central Command and Defense Department social media pages show that jets from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman were flying as late as Thursday. Grynkewich wouldn't say how many targets were hit on subsequent days, but several defense officials told that the number of targets was lower than the total reported Saturday. One official described the ensuing several days of strikes as bringing the number of targets to about 60, or about twice as many as were struck in the initial wave last weekend. The military strikes are not unique to the Trump administration. In January 2024, the Biden administration began a series of strikes, with the first one hitting more than 60 targets at 16 locations controlled by the Iranian-backed militants, and immediately followed those initial strikes by attacking 12 other locations. One of the last strikes under the Biden administration happened Dec. 21. According to Grynkewich, the difference in the Trump administration's operations in Yemen is a "much broader set of targets ... and the other key difference is the delegation of authorities from the president through Secretary Hegseth down to the operational commander." That means the head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Erik Kurilla, is able to make more strikes with less oversight, which according to Grynkewich "allows us to achieve a tempo of operations where we can react to opportunities that we see on the battlefield in order to continue to put pressure on the Houthis." Two defense officials told that there is also less reluctance to hold off striking targets based on the casualties that may result. Trump, posting Wednesday on his social network Truth Social, called the Houthis "barbarians" and said they would be "completely annihilated" by U.S. military strikes. The defense officials who spoke with said they expected the strikes to go on for about a month or so. The Pentagon's top spokesman, Sean Parnell, said Monday that "there's going to be ... a very clear end state to this." But neither he nor Grynkewich would go into detail about what specific aims they were trying to achieve. "Just know that there is a design to the operation," Grynkewich said Monday. "There's specific targets that have been selected and approaches that we're taking in order to achieve the president's end state." Parnell said the rebels "could stop this tomorrow if they said 'we're going to stop shooting at your people.'" He didn't offer any examples more recent than what Hegseth offered to Fox News. Related: Navy's Fight in Red Sea Used 220 Missiles, But Officials Say That's Changing
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Yahoo
Navy reservist who formerly served on Jacksonville ship charged with bribery
A Navy reservist, who according to legal documents previously served on the Naval Station Mayport-based USS Carney, is now facing a federal charge. A complaint was filed last week in federal court in Jacksonville, revealing that Raymond Andres Zumba is being charged with bribery of a public official. According to legal documents, Zumba allegedly attempted to bribe a former shipmate in Jacksonville to get fake Navy ID cards for Chinese immigrants. 'The individual who was to provide the information and the ID card to the immigrants is certainly someone who cannot be trusted internally within the Navy,' said Dale Carson, attorney and former FBI agent. Zumba allegedly said the ID cards were for 'immigration purposes to show that the Chinese buyers were married to servicemembers.' He arranged for the buyers to pay $3,500 for two ID cards according to the complaint. One is a Chinese-born naturalized U.S. citizen, and the other is a Chinese national who, as of Feb. 13th, lacked documentation to live in the U.S. Zumba talked to investigators after being detained and allegedly told them he'd thought the deal only paid for 'dead' cards, which didn't allow access onto the base. Because access to Navy bases is typically extremely restricted, Carson said this raises safety concerns. 'The individuals who were requesting the ID cards from the reservist, maybe individuals who were set to that task by the foreign government,' said Carson. 'That makes it potentially extremely dangerous. With technology today, drones, cameras all of those sorts of things can be used to supply other governments with information that could inversely affect us.' If Zumba is convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Read: DeSantis softens call for end to property taxes, floats other options to lower assessments Read: 'We owe that to the students': DA teacher scandals spur push for stiffer FL reporting requirements [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
