Megan Eckstein
Naval warfare reporter
Megan Eckstein is the naval warfare reporter at Defense News. She has covered military news since 2009, with a focus on U.S. Navy and Marine Corps operations, acquisition programs and budgets. She has reported from four geographic fleets and is happiest when she’s filing stories from a ship. Megan is a University of Maryland alumna.
All Stories By Megan
US Navy’s submarine fleet is too small. Here’s how selling some may help.
The U.S. Navy’s fleet includes 49 attack submarines, despite a formal requirement for 66. It’s also facing crewing and maintenance problems.
Pentagon needs reorg before Navy can develop maritime strategy, says Rep. Luria
Rep. Elaine Luria says the Navy needs a proper maritime strategy that defines its role in the world, but that a reorganization at the Pentagon must be the first step.
Navy wants to see big uptick in Zumwalt-class destroyer operations over the next year
2022 will be a big year for the Zumwalt-class destroyer program, as first-in-class Zumwalt and sister ship Michael Monsoor continue finding their place in the fleet — and perhaps make a debut at a major naval exercise.
Gilday: The budget request supports future fleet vision, even if it’s a smaller fleet
The chief of naval operations remains firm that the fiscal 2022 budget request is well aligned with the U.S. Navy’s future fleet design plans – even if current spending levels would force the fleet to shrink instead of grow towards the 355-ship goal.
As new NATO command becomes fully operational, top US military officer issues warning over ‘great power war’
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, says Joint Force Command Norfolk and NATO are responsible for ensuring another world war never happens.
US Navy, Pentagon to test large unmanned ships as program winds down
The U.S. Navy and the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office are making the most of the remaining months of their partnership on the Ghost Fleet Overlord unmanned surface vessel program, taking lessons learned from two recent voyages across the Panama Canal and upping the ante by putting these USVs into fleet exercises and operations.
House appropriators would protect three of four littoral combat ships
House appropriators ripped a proposal to decommission four littoral combat ships contained in President Joe Biden’s Pentagon budget request for next year as “a misuse of taxpayer funds.”
US Navy awards Sikorsky $879M contract for CH-53K helicopters
The U.S. Navy has awarded Sikorsky a contract to build nine more CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopters, with language added into the contract to continue bringing down the cost of the aircraft.
US Navy sees better LCS maintenance from sailors in ongoing Tulsa, Charleston deployments
U.S. Navy is seeing improved maintenance on deployed littoral combat ships amid efforts to boost readiness and operational endurance, now that is has switched from contractor-based work to sailor-performed maintenance, the commander of a destroyer squadron said.
US Navy facing early challenges in modernizing dry docks for submarine maintenance
The Navy needs to overhaul several dry docks at its four public shipyards so they can accommodate new attack submarines and aircraft carriers -- but the first attempt to build a new dry dock in Maine is already facing cost-overruns and schedule delays.
