The Congressional Research Service has updated several of its reports on Navy ship and submarine programs:
Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs: Background and Issues for Congress, December 17, 2015
Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)/Frigate Program: Background and Issues for Congress, December 17, 2015
Navy Virginia (SSN-774) Class Attack Submarine Procurement: Background and Issues for Congress, December 17, 2015
Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress, December 17, 2015
Navy TAO(X) Oiler Shipbuilding Program: Background and Issues for Congress, December 17, 2015
Navy LX(R) Amphibious Ship Program: Background and Issues for Congress, December 17, 2015
Navy Ohio Replacement (SSBN[X]) Ballistic Missile Submarine Program: Background and Issues for Congress, December 17, 2015
Satellite imagery of RAF Lakenheath reveals new construction of a security perimeter around ten protective aircraft shelters in the designated nuclear area, the latest measure in a series of upgrades as the base prepares for the ability to store U.S. nuclear weapons.
It will take consistent leadership and action to navigate the complex dangers in the region and to avoid what many analysts considered to be an increasingly possible outcome, a nuclear conflict in East Asia.
Getting into a shutdown is the easy part, getting out is much harder. Both sides will be looking to pin responsibility on each other, and the court of public opinion will have a major role to play as to who has the most leverage for getting us out.
How the United States responds to China’s nuclear buildup will shape the global nuclear balance for the rest of the century.