A test shoot of the SM-3 Block IIA fired from an Aegis Ashore test site in Hawaii failed Jan. 31. The missile is designed to intercept ballistic missiles. At the time, this marked the second unsuccessful test of the Raytheon missile in the past year. (Ralph Scott/U.S. Missile Defense Agency)Key suppliers for weapons such as the AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile were fleeing the defense-industrial base, potentially affecting America's ability to wage war in the future. (R. Nial Bradshaw/U.S. Air Force)The U.S. Navy dealt with yet another failure of the EA-18G Growler’s environmental control system, which occurred Jan. 29. (MC3 Jake Cannady/U.S. Navy)As the U.S. Defense Department expanded its presence in Europe, the Air Force quietly ramped up investments that would enable it to deploy to allied bases in eastern Europe and operate close to Russia’s western flank. (Tech. Sgt. Lindsey Sarah Watson-Kirwin/ U.S. Air National Guard)The U.S. surface Navy earlier this year began moving rapidly toward buying a new large surface ship to replace aging cruisers. (MC2 Kaila Peters/U.S. Navy)A three-month internal review conducted by senior U.S. surface fleet leaders found some or significant concerns with the ship-handling skills of nearly 85 percent of its junior officers, and that many struggled to react decisively to extricate their ship from danger when there was an immediate risk of collision, according to an internal message obtained by Defense News. (MC2 James Turner/U.S. Navy)The U.S. Navy moved to cancel a program to install fuel-efficient hybrid electric drives in 34 destroyers, leaving only one destroyer with the technology, the Navy said in March. (MC3 Danny Ray Nunez Jr./U.S. Navy)On display during a PLAAF parade are Shenyang J-16s, foreground, and J-11Bs, background. (China's Ministry of National Defense)A U.S. Navy effort for major organizational change was prompted by the results of a pair of reviews that identified some unclear lines of command and control that stem from a long-held belief inside the service that the Pacific Fleet is in a unique theater that should have both the force generation and force employment accounts in their grip. (MC2 Sean Castellano/U.S. Navy)The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman returned to Norfolk, Va., this year after three months on deployment, instead of the standard seven-month deployment. It’s abbreviated deployment to Europe was a step toward the ultimate goal of restoring readiness so forces can be ready for a major conflict on short notice. (MC2 Thomas Gooley/U.S. Navy)
