Anti-Drone Laser Deploys

The Navy’s first anti-drone laser has been deployed on the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105).  It uses dazzler technology to overwhelm the drone’s sensors.  It’s similar to blinding the human eye with a very bright light.  Its official name is ODIN (Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy).  To learn more about this new capability, please read […]

Shooting Down Drones

Drones are an increasing threat to naval vessels.  Iran has already used them against our ships, but drone technology is spreading to multiple adversaries.  To counter this threat, Northrup Grumman is developing an airburst munition.  The target distance is determined by a laser, the munition is fired and it explodes like a shotgun blast once […]

Pieper Twins Reunited

The Pieper twins were both serving as radiomen aboard Landing Ship Tank (LST) 523 when they were killed after their ship struck a German mine just two weeks after D-Day.  One brother was immediately recovered and buried at the American military cemetery in Normandy.  The other brother remained unidentified until the curiosity of a high […]

USS Harry S. Truman — Early Retirement on Hold

Some of my readers may remember that I spent a little time aboard the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) back in 2009 as part of the Navy’s Leaders to Sea program.  That experience has caused me to watch the Truman as she served her country over the years.  So, it’s no surprise that I […]

Orca — Extra Large Unmanned Subs from Boeing

The Navy recently ordered five Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (XLUUVs) from Boeing.  They’ll handle jobs that don’t require submariners on board such as laying mines in dangerous waters.  They’ll act as a force multiplier by freeing up manned subs for real attack missions.  In the future, these subs may even carry out armed missions.  […]

Hitting a Bullet with a Bullet

A US warship has shot down a ballistic missile in space as part of the latest test of the military’s advanced interceptor technology (click here for more)….

Never Too Old to Serve

Like daughter, like dad.  27-year-old Ensign Laura Krause inspired her father to join the Naval Reserves.  They’ve always been close.  They used to enjoy hanging out together watching their favorite sports.  They climbed Mount Kilimanjaro together.  And, it seems, he’s been thinking about following his daughter into the Navy since she joined up in 2015. […]

The Navy Goes to Houston

It seems like we’ve had more than our fair share of hurricanes this year.  Harvey, Irma and Maria and the Atlantic hurricane season isn’t over until the end of November!  Since my home and business are in Houston, Harvey was a first-hand experience.  It came ashore as a category-4 hurricane with winds of over 130 […]

Faster than a Speeding Bullet

Acknowledgements to CNN.com Release Date:  18 Jul 2017 Article by Jim Sciutto and Dominique van Heerden   Not superman, but the world’s first active-laser weapon.  Fifty thousand times faster than a speeding missile, the laser is unaffected by target speed, atmospheric conditions or distance.  Point and shoot, and this weapon sends a stream of protons […]

Improving on the Best

Acknowledgements to Military.com Release Date:  2 Apr 2017 Article by Hope Hodge Seck Can SEALs become even better operators?  Rear Adm. Tim Szymanski, commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, thinks they can and has asked industry to demonstrate technologies that offer “cognitive enhancement” capabilities to boost his elite forces’ mental and physical performance by stimulating […]