Mason Matthews

Command Ships are Vital for Contested Naval Operations - (but you wouldn’t know it reviewing budgets/Golden Fleet) Typically the Navy has had a Flag Ship or better called a command ship given the immense capacity these ships have for conducting self-contained fleet fleet combat operations at-sea. Today there are only two of these ships in the Navy - the Mount Whitney (LCC 20) as 6th Fleet Flag Ship in Europe, and the Blue Ridge (LCC 19) as 7th Fleet FlagShip in Japan. The current flag ships need an update to truly be the command ships the Navy needs today, see the Index of Military Strength here: heritage.org/military-stren… These existing flag ships have modern communications and staffs capable of running a prolonged war from sea - making it a harder target for cyber attacks, strikes and terrorist attacks - a valuable feature in modern warfare characterized by increased importance of connectivity with unmanned assets, dispersed logistics ships, and the strictest of communications requirements of frontline warships. See this earlier report on how naval operations will adapt the closer to mainland anti-ship weapons/sensors here: heritage.org/defense/report… The recently proposed Golden Fleet misses this critical asset and what it brings to naval warfare and enables effective contested operations that satellite communications and shore based headquarters cannot replace. See the recent report on how to build the Golden Fleet in time to deter China and deliver a Navy that wins wars:  heritage.org/defense/report… See the book on the evolving naval operations in the Pacific here:  amazon.com/Naval-Power-Ac…

Taco Bell has three new flavors of Crispy Chicken Nuggets coming in 2026 and a new Mountain Dew Baja Blast Pie, plus an edible hot sauce packet. usatoday.com/story/money/fo…