Melting point book cover

CEO Notes

June 2024
Graduation season and Father’s Day are here, and the Naval Institute has great gift ideas for those special people in your life!
Lieutenant Claire Thatcher, an aviator from the Merlins of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 3, flies her MH-60S Seahawk/Knighthawk over the Grand Canyon in April 2024.

Fleet Replacement Squadron

June 2024
Sometimes known as a “RAG”—readiness air group—the FRS is responsible for training pilots and aircrew in their specific aircraft after flight training and before joining the fleet.
Boeing Australia is developing the MQ-28A Ghost Bat, a stealthy, multirole, loyal wingman unmanned combat air vehicle for the Royal Australian Air Force. Australia has ordered at least ten aircraft, and the U.S. Air Force is investigating it for U.S. service.

Boyd in the Age of Loyal Wingmen

By Ensign John Robert Pellegrin, U.S. Navy 
June 2024
U.S. Naval Academy Class of 2024 CAPSTONE ESSAY CONTEST WINNER. Colonel Boyd's devotion to simplicity and quick strategic decision-making must live on with naval aviation.
Coast Guard recruits going through basic training participate in an off-base run. Leaders may strive to finish first, but they must not outpace their crews.

Don’t Run Faster Than Your Crew

By Lieutenant Nick D. Jabs, U.S. Coast Guard
June 2024
Leadership Essay Contest—Second Prize, Sponsored by Drs. Jack and Jennifer London Charitable Foundation. My training taught me the importance of leading from the front.
The hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) anchored off Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, as part of Pacific Partnership 2024 in January. Several aspects of hospital ships must be improved to provide the full range of mass casualty care.

How to Improve Hospital Ship Preparedness

By Commander Jeffrey M. Carness and Lieutenant Commander Megan H. Halliday, U.S. Navy; and Captain Benjamin Walrath, U.S. Navy (Retired)
June 2024
To support high-end warfighting at sea, several aspects of the hospital ship and its crew training must be improved.
The U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) arrives in Los Angeles Harbor during Los Angeles Fleet Week, May 21, 2024.

The Case for Data Science at Sea

By Rear Admiral Carlos Sardiello and Lieutenant Commander Shane Halton, U.S. Navy, and Annie Voigt
June 2024
DS@S teams can enhance the Navy’s afloat decision-making capabilities, improve battlespace awareness, and harnessing the power of data analytics and software development at the tactical edge

The U.S. Naval Institute is a private, self-supporting, not-for-profit professional society that publishes Proceedings as part of the open forum it maintains for the Sea Services. The Naval Institute is not an agency of the U.S. government; the opinions expressed in these pages are the personal views of the authors.