Landlords' rent increases in lock-step with increases with housing allowances may be "a bit of the dark side of capitalism." Sgt. Maj. Troy Black, the No. 1 enlisted Marine, will take the role of senior enlisted adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The new marketplace will launch in March, coinciding with the fiscal 2024 senior enlisted advancement cycle for promotion to E-9. The billet-based advancement system aims to “reduce inefficiencies and align the talent to where it's actually needed." “The Fitz is back, and we’re focused on continuing to get better.” This is the Navy's the most recent initiative to fill sea billets. Six officials with first-hand knowledge of the surface force then and now spoke to Defense News leading up to the anniversary of the McCain collision. Unclear guidelines and uneven discipline could let unfit officers through the cracks. After two catastrophic collisions in 2017, the U.S. Navy moved forward with dozens of recommendations meant to ensure it couldn’t happen again. But during this process, something became clear: Despite spending billions of dollars on readiness initiatives, the Navy’s mishap rate hadn’t improved in the last 30 years. “Acknowledging a positive trend requires you to acknowledge you’re coming from somewhere negative." Load More