NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Defense Secretary Mark Esper visited Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division and the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the company said in a Sept. 25 release. This was Esper’s first visit to the shipyard since he was…
Concerns Over Component Reliability Delay Trident Nuclear Warhead Upgrade
ARLINGTON, Va. — The planned upgrade of the nuclear warhead on some U.S. Navy submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) has been delayed for 18 months by unacceptable reliability of some components. Testifying Sept. 25 on Capitol Hill before the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee…
Official: Marines on Amphibs Need to Help Navy in Future Fight
QUANTICO, Va. — The return of the Marine Corps to the concept of the Fleet Marine Force means that the Marines must be active in defense of amphibious forces for amphibious missions to be successful, a Marine Corps official said. Col….
Navy’s Sea Hunter USV Showcased in Major Project Demonstration
RESTON, Va. — Leidos’ unmanned ship, Sea Hunter, was recently featured in a major demonstration using an advanced sensor, the company said in a Sept. 19 release. The new milestone comes less than a year after the ship voyaged from San Diego to Hawaii…
Navy, Marine Corps Wrap Exercise of Littoral Combat Forces in Adverse Arctic Conditions
About 3,000 servicemembers took part in the Arctic Expeditionary Capabilities Exercise (AECE), which just concluded in Alaska. AECE is a manifestation of the joint Navy and Marine Corps Littoral Operations in a Contested Environment (LOCE) concept, issued in 2017, which…
Naval Aviation Achieves Readiness Target, Shifts Focus to Sustainment
SAN DIEGO — The commander of Naval Air Forces announced on Sept. 24 that Naval Aviation has achieved its secretary of defense-mandated readiness target of an 80% mission-capable rate for both its operational F/A-18 E/F “Super Hornet” and EA-18G “Growler” fleets. After a year of reforms across Navy squadrons, maintenance…
Navy Official: Amphibs Provide Presence, Reassurance, Deterrence
QUANTICO, Va. — The Navy’s amphibious ships and their embarked aircraft, landing craft and Marines provide an array of power that can influence world events and reinforce U.S. interests in a region, a Navy official said, listing five roles of…
Navy Lays Keel of USS Savannah at Austal USA
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy held a keel-laying and authentication ceremony on Sept. 20 for the future littoral combat ship USS Savannah at Austal USA’s Mobile, Alabama, shipyard, according to a release from Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants. The ship’s sponsor, Dianne Isakson, wife of Sen. Johnny…
Coast Guard Cutter Interdicts Semi-Submersible in the Eastern Pacific
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Coast Guard Cutter Valiant crew intercepted a drug-laden semi-submersible in the eastern Pacific, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release. While on routine patrol in the eastern Pacific, Valiant’s crew interdicted a self-propelled semi-submersible in international waters carrying about 12,000…
Navy Tests Mine Countermeasures on USNS Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams
NORFOLK, Va. — USNS Hershel “Woody” Williams (T-ESB 4) has finished a three-day voyage in the Chesapeake Bay to test an anti-mine system, the public affairs offices of the program executive officers for ships and unmanned and small combatants said in a release. The expeditionary sea base (ESB) ship used the Littoral Combat…
