Source: United States Navy
FALLS CHURCH, Va. – Today, the 127th birthday of the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps was celebrated with honor and pride at the Defense Health Headquarters. The ceremony brought together Navy Medicine leadership and corpsmen to reflect on the enduring legacy of the Hospital Corps and their continuing impact across the fleet and around the world.
Source: United States Navy
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea conducted a digital press briefing with the U.S. Department of State’s Asia Pacific Media Hub, November 24.
Source: United States Navy
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti spoke during a panel while at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California on Dec. 2, 2023. The panel was “Laboratories of Learning,” and focused on innovation and technological breakthroughs in the Department of Defense. Speakers included: Representative Ken Calvert, U.S. House of Representatives; James Taiclet, Chairmen, President, and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation; Gen. David Allvin, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff; and the moderator, Jim Sciutto from CNN.
Source: United States Navy
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti spoke during a panel while at the Paris Naval Conference in Paris, France on Jan. 24, 2024. The panel was “Future Challenges and Perspectives for Navies.” Speakers included: Chief of the French Navy Adm. Nicolas Vaujour; Royal Navy First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff of the United Kingdom Adm. Sir Ben Key; Adm. Enrico Credendino, Chief of the Italian Navy; and Vice-Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command, Indian Navy.
Source: United States Navy
WASHINGTON – The Navy program executive officer for unmanned and small combatants (PEO USC) was relieved May 27 due to a loss of confidence based on a complaint substantiated by an Office of the Naval Inspector General investigation.
Source: United States Navy
When most people hear the term “U.S. Navy Special Operations,” they typically think of Navy Sea, Air, and Land Teams (SEALs), as the elite, unconventional warfare experts who endure the hardest training the U.S. military has to offer. But while SEALs are deserving of the high esteem in which they are held, the team often overshadows the other exclusive roles that comprise the Navy Special Ops community – Aviation Rescue Swimmers, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians, Hospital Corpsmen-Advanced Technical Field, Divers, and Special Warfare Combat Crewmen.
Source: United States Navy
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Holds Posture Hearing with Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger on the Fiscal Year 2024 Navy and Marine Corps Budget Request, March 28, 2023.
Source: United States Navy
Amphibious warships are designed to support the Marine Corps tenets of Operational Maneuver From the Sea (OMFTS) and Ship to Objective Maneuver (STOM). They must be capable of sailing in harm’s way and enable rapid combat power buildup ashore in the face of opposition. Because of their inherent capabilities, these ships have been and will continue to be called upon to also support humanitarian and other contingency missions on short notice. The United States maintains the largest and most capable amphibious force in the world.
Source: United States Navy
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Holds Posture Hearing with Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger on the Fiscal Year 2024 Navy and Marine Corps Budget Request, March 29, 2023.
Source: United States Navy
Attack submarines are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Special Operation Forces (SOF); carry out Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions; support battle group operations; and engage in mine warfare.
Source: United States Navy
The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is a fast, agile, mission-focused warship designed to operate in near-shore environments to counter 21st-century threats. It is a class of small surface combatants armed with capabilities to defeat challenges in the world’s littorals. LCS can operate independently or in high-threat scenarios as part of a networked battle force that includes larger, multi-mission surface combatants such as cruisers and destroyers.
Source: United States Navy
The Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) ship class is a highly flexible platform used across various military operations. ESB ships are mobile sea-based assets and are a part of the critical access infrastructure that supports the deployment of forces, equipment, supplies, and warfighting capability.
Source: United States Navy
CNO discussed the Navy’s Navigation Plan and Project 33 with Adm. (Ret.) James Foggo at the 3rd annual “America’s Future Fleet Symposium,” hosted by the Naval War College Foundation and the Center for Maritime Strategy, at the Navy League Headquarters in Arlington, Va.
Source: United States Navy
CNO discussed the Navy’s Navigation Plan and Project 33 with Adm. (Ret.) James Foggo at the 3rd annual “America’s Future Fleet Symposium,” hosted by the Naval War College Foundation and the Center for Maritime Strategy, at the Navy League Headquarters.
Source: United States Airforce
The Department of the Air Force, in coordination with the Defense Logistics Agency Energy Office, reached a critical milestone in piloting advanced nuclear energy technology with the issuance of a Notice of Intent to Award to Oklo, Inc.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
An immigration officer processes entry procedures for personnel attending the 2025 Blue Bay LPGA at Sanya Phoenix International Airport in Sanya, south China’s Hainan Province, March 3, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
For Canadian visitor Stephanie Wing See Yau, the therapy experience at a care center in Bo’ao, a coastal city in China’s southernmost island province of Hainan, felt more like “a vacation.”
“This place is top-notch. They cater to so many aspects of wellness, not just physical, but mental too,” she told Xinhua during her stay in the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, which hosts over 30 top-tier domestic and international medical institutions.
Thanks to special policy support, the pilot zone has introduced 485 cutting-edge medicines and medical devices that are licensed abroad but not yet available in the domestic market. The policy has benefited more than 130,000 patients, including individuals like Yau.
Her four-day experience — blending advanced health screenings, traditional therapies, tea ceremonies, and cultural immersion — offers much more than just a chance to relax. It showcases a tangible outcome of a key move in China’s opening-up strategy: the transformation of Hainan into a Free Trade Port (FTP).
As the Hainan FTP is set to begin independent customs operations by the end of the year, it is poised to become not only a tourist haven but also a pivotal gateway for China’s opening-up drive.
Frontier for free-flowing factors
A central component of this transformation is the Lecheng medical tourism pilot zone. A total of 25 medical tourism routes have been rolled out to cater to a wide range of needs, including traditional Chinese medicine, chronic disease care, luxury diagnostics and cosmetic rehab, garnering popularity among visitors from countries such as Indonesia, Russia, Spain, and beyond.
In 2024, the medical special zone attracted over 410,000 medical visitors, up 36.76 percent year on year.
Lecheng is only one part of Hainan’s wider push for opening up. Beyond the medical sector, the province has been fast-tracking foreign access across sectors ranging from finance and education to communication and high-tech industries, as China aims to build an FTP with global top-tier trade standards.
Hainan, supported by the country’s vast domestic market and its strategic positioning, stands as a vital hub that connects the world’s second-largest economy with global markets.
The FTP is gearing up to be “a pivotal gateway leading China’s new era of opening-up,” said Chi Fulin, head of the China Institute for Reform and Development.
With independent customs operations imminent, the FTP’s policy framework, underpinned by features like zero tariffs, low tax rates, simplified tax systems and facilitated factor flows, has taken shape.
For firms in Lecheng, a zero-tariff policy on medical imports has saved nearly 8.2 million yuan (about 1.14 million U.S. dollars) in duties since December 2024.
The start of independent customs operations will represent a concrete step toward building a major gateway for China’s high-level opening-up, Chi said.
Institutional opening-up luring foreign capital
As Hainan FTP has prioritized institutional integration and coordination across trade, finance and regulatory systems, experts believe this will create a powerful driving force for the development of the FTP and contribute to China’s high-standard opening up strategy.
Official data showed that so far, the province has rolled out a total of 158 institutional innovation cases. These reform measures include technology-empowered public tendering, one-stop business licensing, and a specialized IP zone to support the seed industry.
Hainan FTP serves not only as a testing ground for free-flowing goods, services and data, but as a frontier for the innovation of regulations and mechanisms, said Zhou Xiaochuan, vice chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA).
With its optimized business environment, Hainan has emerged as a premier foreign investment destination, ranking among China’s top performers. In 2024, the number of foreign-invested enterprises in Hainan rose 19.2 percent year on year, while its foreign direct investment volume climbed to the tenth spot nationally.
To date, Hainan has attracted investment from 158 countries and regions, while its economic openness ratio — the ratio of total trade to GDP — more than doubled from 17.3 percent in 2018 to 35 percent in 2024.
High-profile events held in the province like the BFA, a premier platform advocating openness and multilateral cooperation, and the China International Consumer Products Expo, the largest consumer expo in the Asia-Pacific region, offer global investors dynamic gateways to observe the country’s evolving openness agenda.
DFS, the travel retail company of the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, in 2024 sealed its largest single investment in 60 years to launch a landmark complex in Yalong Bay of Sanya, the well-known tropical resort city in Hainan. The project will merge luxury retail, hotels and entertainment, with the goal of building a top destination for luxury shopping and tourism.
“Hainan FTP embodies China’s commitment to high-standard openness,” said Nancy Liu, president of DFS China.
China’s special economic zones, like Hainan FTP and the 21 pilot free trade zones, serve as pivotal engines for industrial transformation and opening up, Chi noted, highlighting their role as “growth accelerators for both regional and global economies.”
When the independent customs operations begin, Hainan FTP will create key opportunities for international enterprises to access China’s domestic market more efficiently, and play a greater role in enhancing market connectivity with global markets through service trade-focused regulatory alignment, he added.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) tonight released the following statement:
“President Trump is an impetuous and weak Commander in Chief. He has now double crossed his supporters. He had promised them he would not lead the Unites States into yet another forever war. He has learned nothing from the catastrophes of Iraq and Afghanistan—wars he condemned. President Trump has been lured by Prime Minister Netanyahu to join in his decades-old determination to have a regime change war in Iran. President Trump should not be subservient to Netanyahu, doing what he demands rather than what America First requires.
“This decision to go to war with Iran, without debate or Congressional authorization, is reckless and wrong. It weakens our national security.”
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
A freight train loaded with auto components, LED monitors and other goods on Saturday departed from Xi’an, a city in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, bound for Duisburg in Germany, marking a significant milestone as the number of China-Europe freight trains operating on full timetables has now exceeded 1,000.
The full timetable service, first launched in October 2022, enables China-Europe freight trains to run according to pre-arranged schedules, including designated train numbers, routes, departure times and arrival times across countries along the route.
To date, the number of routes operating under fixed timetables has expanded to 11, featuring 17 trains running on a regular weekly schedule. With more fixed timetable trains added to the schedule, the China-Europe Railway Express is expected to deliver its cargo with even greater reliability.
This service has also become a preferred option for transporting high-value-added goods, including photovoltaic panels, solar modules and marine diesel engine parts. Notably, the average value per container transported by these trains is approximately 41 percent higher than that of other services, according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.
Currently, over 98,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo have been transported via full timetable China-Europe freight trains, the company said.
China-Europe freight trains have evolved into a cornerstone of the Belt and Road Initiative — promoting trade and connectivity between Europe and Asia. At present, a total of 128 Chinese cities have launched China-Europe freight train services, reaching 229 cities in 26 European countries and more than 100 cities in 11 Asian countries.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
The 2025 Beijing International Cultural and Tourism Consumption Expo opened on June 20 at the Beijing Exhibition Center, attracting visitors with an array of exhibits. The three-day event runs through June 22.
Creative products on display at the Beijing International Cultural and Tourism Consumption Expo, Beijing Exhibition Center, June 20, 2025. [Photo by Liu Sitong/China.org.cn]
Source: United States Marines
A small detachment of approximately 100 logistics support Marines from III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) has started to relocate from Okinawa to Guam in line with the Joint Statement of the Security Consultative Committee (“2+2”) on July 28, 2024.
Source: United States Marines
The Marine Corps achieved historic first-term reenlistment numbers and exceeded its retention goal for Fiscal Year 2024 in a competitive and challenging environment. Engaged leaders across the Marine Corps retained the most qualified Marines at levels not seen in over a decade. Additionally, these efforts contributed to the Marine Corps exceeding its authorized end strength requirement, which is a summation of recruiting and retention efforts.
Source: United States Marines
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro delivered remarks at the Future Warfighting Symposium at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I., Aug. 8. Secretary Del Toro addressed new Naval War College (NWC) students, faculty, and staff on the eve of his third anniversary in office.
Source: New Zealand Government
The Government continues to call for diplomacy and dialogue in the Middle East, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says.
“We acknowledge developments in the last 24 hours, including President Trump’s announcement of US strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran,” Mr Peters says.
“Ongoing military action in the Middle East is extremely worrying, and it is critical further escalation is avoided. New Zealand strongly supports efforts towards diplomacy. We urge all parties to return to talks. Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action.”
Meanwhile, the Government is pursuing all options for assisting New Zealanders stranded in Iran and Israel, Mr Peters and Defence Minister Judith Collins say.
“We remain seriously concerned about the risks New Zealanders face in Iran and Israel given continued military strikes between the two countries,” Mr Peters says.
“Airspace has been closed since the beginning of the current conflict, and it is highly uncertain when it will reopen. That is why we continue to recommend that New Zealanders do everything they can to leave now if they can find a safe route.
“We know it will not be safe for everyone to leave Iran or Israel, and many people may not have access to transport or fuel supplies. If you are in this situation you should shelter in place, follow appropriate advice from local authorities and stay in touch with family and friends where possible.”
As part of government efforts to pursue all options for assisting New Zealanders in harm’s way, government personnel and a C-130J Hercules aircraft are being deployed to the Middle East and will stand ready to assist if needed. The Government is also in discussion with commercial airlines to assess how they may be able to assist.
“This deployment is part of our contingency plans in preparation for supporting New Zealanders seeking to leave Iran and Israel,” Ms Collins says.
“The New Zealand Defence Force is playing an important role in this operation, stepping up to help New Zealanders in distress overseas.”
“Airspace in Israel and Iran remains heavily restricted, which means getting people out by aircraft is not yet possible. But by positioning an aircraft and Defence and Foreign Affairs personnel in the region, we may be able to do more when airspace reopens.”
The situation in the Middle East is fast-moving and it will take several days for the C-130J Hercules, scheduled to leave Auckland tomorrow, to reach the region.
All New Zealanders in the Middle East – not just in Iran and Israel – are urged to register on SafeTravel.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is running 24/7 consular operations, including via teams in the region.
New Zealanders in Iran and Israel needing urgent consular assistance should call the Ministry’s Emergency Consular Call Centre on +64 99 20 20 20.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)
MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today released the following statement on the passing of New Orleans real estate developer and philanthropist Joseph C. Canizaro:
“Joe was, and is, a force of nature, with a heart as big as Lake Pontchartrain. I will miss him. We all will.”
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
BISMARCK – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement regarding U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
“Iran must never have nuclear weapons. President Trump ordered strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities after Iran refused to negotiate an end to its nuclear program. We support these strikes, which protect our national security and help defend our ally Israel. We especially salute the skills and courage of our service members who planned and executed these strikes and who always work to keep us safe and free.”
Source: United States Navy
The U.S. Navy established a requirement for rapid neutralization of bottom and moored sea mines to support operations in littoral zones, confined straits, choke points and the amphibious objective area. The AMNS will satisfy this need.
Source: United States Navy
WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti released statements on the death of President and Navy veteran James Earl ‘Jimmy’ Carter Jr. who died Dec. 29 at age 100.
Source: United States Department of Defense
Miami Marlins pitcher Tyler Phillips visited the Pentagon, taking time to honor his late grandfather, Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Frank C. Phillips, a 26-year Army and Air Force veteran who served in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars.
Source: United States Department of Defense
This week in the Defense Department, President Donald J. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sent guardsmen and Marines to Los Angeles, Defense Secretary Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussed the DOD’s pending budget for 2026, and the Army’s 250th birthday celebrations began.
Source: United States Spaceforce
In this week’s look Around the Air Force, the Air Force Safety Center announces Phase II of the Chief of Staff’s Integrating Risk and Readiness campaign, Project Magellan earns international recognition by winning the 2025 Founder’s Award, and AETC aims to train 1,500 pilots per year.