The mission of the U.S. Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas.
The U.S. Navy was founded on October 13, 1775, and the Department of the Navy was established on April 30, 1798. The Department of the Navy has three principal components: The Navy Department, consisting of executive offices mostly in Washington, D.C.; the operating forces, including the Marine Corps, the reserve components, and, in time of war, the U.S. Coast Guard (in peace, a component of the Department of Homeland Security); and the shore establishment.
The U.S. Navy fleet is comprised of aircraft carriers that allow the mobile projection of naval air power across the globe, amphibious Assault Ships that deploy and support U.S. ground forces in remote locations, cruisers that are capable of engaging multiple simultaneous targets and employed in force support or independent action, destroyers that provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capability, independently or in fleet support, and submarines for underwater operations and designed to carry out research, rescue, or specific wartime missions.
The Navy also has a large inventory of aircraft of all types to support the mission.
There are approximately 318,000 sailors serving on ships and installations across the world today.
Military.com | Jun 19, 2013
PARIS -- Lockheed Martin Corp. has reassigned 200 engineers to work on the F-35 fighter jet's software, a problem area that Defense Department officials fear could cause more delays to the program. The Bethesda, Md.-based company, the world's largest defense contractor, permanently assigned the employees to the Joint Strike Fighter program, acc... more
Military.com | Jun 19, 2013
Distaste for the Medium Extended Air Defense System has gotten so bad that a Congressman recently compared the program to the scene in "Fatal Attraction" when Glen Close pops out of the tub after Michael Douglas thought he’d drowned her. "You think [MEADS] is dead and it keeps popping out of the bathtub again," said Rep. Rob Andrews, D-N.J. ME... more
| Jun 19, 2013
PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The crew of Coast Guard Station Wrightsville Beach accepted delivery of the station's newest asset, a 45-foot Response Boat - Medium, June 18, which represents the 126th boat in a fleet of 170 being delivered to the service. The RB-M will replace the aging fleet of 41-foot Utility Boats (UTB) and assorted non-standard boats be... more
Military.com | Jun 19, 2013
Three Navy football players have been charged under military law with rape, sexual assault, and lying to investigators about allegedly having sex with a female midshipman who was passed out from drinking, the Naval Academy announced Wednesday. In a three-paragraph statement, the Academy did not identify the suspects but said they were being cha... more
Associated Press | Jun 19, 2013
KABUL, Afghanistan -- The Afghan president on Wednesday suspended talks with the United States on a new security deal to protest the way his government was being left out of initial peace negotiations with the Taliban meant to find a way to end the nearly 12-year war. The move by Hamid Karzai raises tensions significantly and could derail the p... more