PATUXENT
RIVER, Md. — The U.S. Navy’s newest aircraft carrier Advanced Arresting Gear
(AAG) system received the green light to recover all props and jets, according
to an Aircraft Recovery Bulletin (ARB), the Program Executive Office (Tactical
Aircraft Programs) public affairs office said Aug. 13.

The ARBs
enable propeller aircraft — C-2A Greyhounds, E-2C Hawkeyes and E-2D Advanced
Hawkeyes — and jet aircraft — F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and E/A-18G Growlers — to
perform flight operations aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford.

“The
entire team did a tremendous job accelerating the schedule and working through
challenges,” said Capt. Ken Sterbenz, program manager for the Aircraft Launch
and Recovery Equipment program office (PMA-251). “This achievement is another
significant step toward ensuring the system can support the ship’s full air
wing.”

ARBs are
official Navy instructional documents identifying the weights and engaging
speeds authorized for shipboard arrestments of specific aircraft.

“Release
of the ARBs signifies Naval Air Systems Command’s ‘stamp of approval’ for the
AAG system to safely recover these type/model/series aircraft aboard the Navy’s
newest class of aircraft carriers,” said Jeff Mclean, deputy program manager
for AAG system design and development.

The team,
in collaboration with prime contractor General Atomics, continues to perform requisite
system development and demonstration testing at land-based test sites located
at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. Comprehensive testing of new
systems like AAG is critical because it ensures the technology meets Navy
requirements and that it is safe for use in the fleet, Mclean added. The team
conducted more than 2,500 dead-load arrestments at the Jet Car Track Site and
1,420 manned aircraft arrestments at the Runway Arrested Landing Site.

“The pace of system testing was consistently demanding and required numerous team members to perform their duties in difficult conditions and in all types of weather in order to meet critical program milestones leading up to these ARB releases,” Mclean said. USS Gerald R. Ford is the lead ship in the Ford-class of aircraft carrier, the Navy’s first new class of aircraft carriers in more than 40 years.

The AAG system is designed to arrest a range of aircraft, reduce fatigue to the aircraft and provide higher safety margins while reducing manpower and maintenance. AAG is one of more than 20 new systems incorporated into the design of the Ford class.

The Defense Department is developing a space-based sensor
system and an associated communication network to defend the nation against
hypersonic weapons. But the military’s top future technologies official also
wants to field an offensive capability.

Although the United States led the world in developing
significant parts of hypersonic technology, “we choose not to weaponize it,”
Michael Griffin, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering,
said Aug. 13.

But “our adversaries are developing hypersonic weapons.” In
response, “I came into office wanting DoD to make a big deal of that. I want to
be the offense. I want to hold others hostage. … Hypersonic technology is the
key to that.”

In addition to the research being conducted by defense
agencies, the U.S. Navy, Army and Air Force all have programs to produce
hypersonic missiles, with some test flights expected within a year.

Griffin said the danger from hypersonic weapons is that they
“overfly our air defense and underfly missile defense. They’re a new class of
threat we have to deal with,” he told a Hudson Institute forum. And that
requires sensors in space that can detect and track hypersonic missiles, which
can fly more than five times the speed of sound and, unlike ballistic missiles,
can maneuver.

Because they fly so low and so fast, “by the time we see them,
it’s too late in the kill chain” to intercept them. “We have to see them
farther out. Radar detection ranges are “about as good as they’re going to get,”
he said. “If this were exclusively a land conflict, the solution would be to
forward-deploy radars.” But intelligence suggests a future war would be “a
maritime conflict,” Griffin said.

Because there are “not a lot of islands out there” to put
radars on, “we have to move to space. You can see a lot from space.” Hypersonic
weapons also present a dimmer target than ballistic missiles so the space-based
sensors need to be in a lower orbit than those looking for ballistic missiles,
he explained.

“The sensor layer is critical. But if it can’t talk among
itself, it won’t be efficient. The network underlays everything we need to do,
in space, land and maritime. That’s what we don’t have today,” Griffin said.

Developing that network is one of the main jobs of the Space
Development Agency (SDA), which then-acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan created
in March, Griffin said. SDA was placed under Griffin, but if Congress agrees to
create a Space Force, as President Donald Trump proposed, and Griffin supports,
SDA would move into the Space Force, he said.

Asked about the ground-based midcourse missile defense
system, which includes the 44 interceptors in California and Alaska, Griffin
said he has “a great deal of confidence” in that system, even though the
Missile Defense Agency stopped its program to develop a new kill vehicle for
the interceptors because preliminary tests indicated it would not be
successful. Now the MDA and his office are looking for alternatives, Griffin
said.

Under official U.S. policy, the current missile defense
system is not designed to counter an attack from Russia or China, which have
more ballistic missiles than it could handle. Building a system to defend
against Russia and China would be a budgetary issue, not a technology
challenge, Griffin said.

“We know how to do it,” he said.

MARINE
CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — The Marine Corps’ Joint Light Tactical Vehicle is
officially ready to deploy and support missions of the naval expeditionary
force-in-readiness worldwide, the Marine Corps announced.

Marine
Corps Combat Development Command, Combat Development and Integration declared that
the JLTV program — part of the Light Tactical Vehicle portfolio at Program
Executive Officer Land Systems — reached initial operational capability (IOC)
on Aug. 2, nearly a year ahead of schedule.

“Congratulations
to the combined JLTV team for acting with a sense of urgency and reaching IOC
early,” said James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development
and acquisition.

“Changing
the speed in which we deliver, combined with coming in under cost and meeting
all performance requirements, is a fine example of increasing Marine Corps
capabilities at the speed of relevance, which enables our Marines to compete
and win on the modern battlefield.”

The JLTV,
a program led by the U.S. Army, will replace the Corps’ aging high mobility multipurpose
wheeled vehicle fleet. The JLTV family of vehicles comes in different variants
with multiple mission package configurations, all providing protected,
sustained, networked mobility that balances payload, performance and protection
across the full range of military operations.

“The
warfighting capabilities the JLTV provides our Marines far exceed the
capabilities offered by its predecessor,” said PEO Land Systems’ John Garner.
“I’m proud of what our team, in collaboration with the Army, has accomplished.
Their commitment to supporting the warfighter delivered an exceptional vehicle,
ahead of schedule, that Marines will use to dominate on the battlefield now and
well into the future.”

Several
elements need to be met before a program can declare IOC of a system, which
encompasses more than delivery of the system itself. The program office also
had to ensure all the operators were fully trained and maintenance tools and
spare parts packages were ready.

“IOC is
more than just saying that the schoolhouses and an infantry battalion all have
their trucks,” said Eugene Morin, product manager for JLTV at PEO Land Systems.
“All of the tools and parts required to support the system need to be in place,
the units must have had received sufficient training and each unit commander
needs to declare that he is combat-ready.”

For the
JLTV, this means the program office had to fully field battle-ready vehicles to
the Marine Corps schoolhouses — School of Infantry East at Camp Lejeune, North
Carolina; School of Infantry West at Camp Pendleton, California; The Basic
School at Quantico, Virginia; and the Motor Transport Maintenance Instruction
Course at Camp Johnson, North Carolina — and to an infantry battalion at II
Marine Expeditionary Force. The program office started delivering vehicles to
the schoolhouses earlier this year and started delivering vehicles to the
infantry battalion last month.

On Aug. 2,
Lt. Col. Neil Berry, the commanding officer for 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines,
notified Morin and his team of the unit’s combat readiness with the JLTV. On
Aug. 5, The Director, Ground Combat Element Division at CD&I notified PM
LTV of its IOC achievement. The JLTV is scheduled to start fielding to I MEF
and III MEF before the end of September.

According
to LTV Program Manager Andrew Rodgers, during the post-acquisition Milestone C
rebaseline of the JLTV schedule in January 2016, IOC was projected to occur by
June 2020. 

Rodgers
says that detailed program scheduling, planning and, most importantly, teamwork
with stakeholders across the enterprise enabled the program office to deliver
the vehicles and reach IOC ahead of schedule.

“It was
definitely a team effort, and we built up a really great team,” Rodgers said.
“In terms of leadership, our product managers’ — both Gene Morin and his
predecessor, Dave Bias — detailed focus and ability to track cost, schedule and
performance was key. Neal Justis, our deputy program manager, has significant
prior military experience working for the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition,
logistics and technology, so having him on board knowing how to work the
Pentagon network was a huge force multiplier.”

Rodgers is
quick to note that, although the team has reached IOC, this is only the
beginning of the JLTV’s future legacy.

“We are really at the
starting line right now. Our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will see
JLTVs in the DoD,” Rodgers said. “We’ll easily still have these assets
somewhere in the DOD in the year 2100. Welcome to the start of many generations
of JLTVs.”

ARLINGTON,
Va. — The vice chief of naval operations has praised the progress made by the
naval aviation F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighter community in improving its
readiness and is optimistic that a readiness goal of 80% will be reached by Oct.
1.

In a blog
post Aug. 12 on the Navy Live blog, VCNO Adm. Robert Burke wrote of his recent
visit to the commander of Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic and Strike Fighter Squadron
106 (VFA-106) at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, “to get a firsthand look
at the changes to aviation maintenance practices and to gain insight on the
challenges and priorities of aviators and maintainers,” he said. VFA-106 is the
East Coast fleet replacement squadron for the F/A-18 community.

“It has been
less than a year since the Navy set out to restore strike fighter readiness
rates to 80%, and the one-year deadline of Oct. 1 is approaching,” Burke said. “For
the aviation community, the endeavor to increase the mission-capable rate of
F/A-18E/F Super Hornets posed a challenge that naval aviation leadership
attacked with fervor.”

Burke was
referring to the directive from then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to the U.S. Navy,
Marine Corps and Air Force to increase the readiness rates of its fighter
communities to 80% by Oct. 1. The services had been experiencing readiness
rates lower that 50% that had negatively affected numbers of mission-capable
aircraft, flight hours for pilots and pilot morale and retention.

Burke said
that VFA-106 was the most recent squadron “to initiate reforms under the Naval
Sustainment System (NSS), starting in April of this year. VFA-106 has the
largest inventory of Super Hornets on the flight line, as they are responsible
for training newly winged aviators for the fleet.

“In short,
this squadron is the largest contributor to the strike fighter readiness
recovery,” he said. “Since VFA-106 maintenance performance impacts overall
Super Hornet readiness status more than any other squadron, the recent
implementation of NSS procedures had a significant impact on the overall goal. …
VFA-106 learned from the FRS squadron [VFA-125] at NAS Lemoore who completed
early iterations of NSS changes. This rapid learning and improvement drove
VFA-106 to reduce maintenance turnover timeframes, raise the average mission
capable (MC) aircraft numbers, and return several long-term down aircraft to a
flying status.”

Burke said he
spoke with two junior Sailors who were plane crew chiefs to ask their opinion
of the NSS process.

“With pride,
they both spoke of ownership, of learning the whole aircraft, well outside of
their rating expertise, and of true teamwork,” he said. “This is a great
example of U.S. Navy Sailors being given tremendous responsibility — and
running with it!”

Burke said
that VFA-106 “is reaching the point where lack of MC aircraft is no longer a
limiting factor to pilot production, even when supporting operations in
multiple locations or underway on the aircraft carrier.

“These are powerful results that will ensure we have enough instructors and pilots in the future,” he said. “Success at VFA-106 is one example of how the Naval Aviation Enterprise is working together to achieve our 80% readiness goal,” Burke said.

“Because NSS addresses all elements of aviation maintenance — people, parts and processes — to make permanent changes that increase aviation readiness and lethality, we are seeing improvements that are sustainable for the future. Through collaboration and a whole-of-aviation approach, the Naval Aviation Enterprise is on its way to achieve and sustain its readiness goal.”

CHARLESTON,
S.C. — The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies conducted a maritime law
enforcement operation Aug. 9 and Aug. 10 from Carteret County, North Carolina,
to Brevard County, Florida, that covered more than 500 miles of coastline, the
Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.

Coast Guard
crews conducted the operation in coordination with 104 partner agency units
from several federal, state and local agencies. The operation focused on the
education and enforcement of boating safety and maritime security throughout
the Southeast.

“We thank
each organization for the level of coordination and collaboration in planning
and executing this year’s iteration of Operation Shrimp and Grits,” said
Rear Adm. Eric Jones, commander of Coast Guard 7th District.

“The
operational contributions to our collective missions of maritime security and
marine safety, with special emphasis on enforcing compliance with passenger
charter, living marine resources and recreational boating safety laws, go a
long way toward achieving the objectives of each of our agencies. We trust the
collaborative nature of these types of interagency operations will also
contribute to our ability to respond holistically in times of crisis. Thank you
all and Semper Paratus.”

During the operation, 62 law enforcement/fire vessels, 18 auxiliary vessels, two fixed-wing law enforcement aircraft, two auxiliary fixed-wing aircraft, five helicopters, 4 Civil Support Teams, an aircraft-mounted Mobile Detection System and a Transportation Security Administration surface inspection team were used.

Over the two-day operation, 568 vessel boardings were conducted resulting in 48 U.S. Coast Guard violations, 22 Department of Natural Resources and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission violations, 35 local police department citations, and 12 vessel terminations.

Violations were issued for various reasons, to include: BUI [boating under the influence], possession of controlled substances, fisheries violations, illegal charter enforcement and recreational boating safety.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced in an Aug 9 release progress in establishing Centers of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education (CoE), which would recognize and support community colleges and training institutions that prepare Americans for careers in the maritime industry. The Maritime Administration is seeking public comment on the proposed policy.

“These
educational institutions benefit America’s national security and economy by
growing and strengthening our maritime work force,” said U.S. Transportation
Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

“America
must be a strong maritime nation to continue its global leadership in the
world,” said Administrator Buzby, “which is why the Maritime Administration
wants to spotlight institutions that excel at training Americans to serve on
our domestic waters, dockside, and in related industries. The maritime industry
provides rewarding, good-paying careers that also help to support our national
and economic security goals.”

The
National Defense Authorization Act of 2018 provides the Secretary of
Transportation with discretionary authority to designate eligible and qualified
entities as CoEs. CoE designations will serve to assist the maritime industry
in obtaining and maintaining the highest quality workforce while also enhancing
diversity and inclusion within its workforce.

When the CoE program is ready to accept applications, institutions can apply to the Maritime Administration to seek designation as a CoE by highlighting their success in preparing workers for maritime careers. If designated as a CoE, institutions may enter into cooperative agreements with the Maritime Administration to advance recruitment of students and faculty, enhance facilities, award student credit for military service, and potentially receive assistance in the form of surplus equipment or temporary use of Maritime Administration vessels. The public may submit comments until Sept. 17, 2019 on the CoE policy by visiting http://www.regulations.gov, searching for “MARAD-2018-0088” and following the embedded instructions.

WASHINGTON —
The State Department has made a determination approving a possible foreign military
sale to South Korea of MH-60R multimission helicopters with support for an
estimated cost of $800 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA)
said in an Aug. 7 release. The same day, DSCA delivered the required
certification notifying Congress of this possible sale.

South Korea
has requested to buy 12 MH-60R Seahawks, along with mission systems, sensors,
crew-served guns and 1,000 AN/SSQ-36/53/62 sonobuoys. The purchase also would
include “spare engine containers; facilities study; design and construction;
spare and repair parts; support and test equipment communications equipment;
ferry support; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and
training equipment; U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical and
logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program
support. The total estimated program cost is $800 million,” the release said.

“The proposed
sale will improve the Republic of Korea Navy’s capability to perform
anti-surface and antisubmarine warfare missions, along with the ability to
perform secondary missions including vertical replenishment, search and rescue,
and communications relay,” the release said. “The Republic of Korea will use
the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen
its homeland defense. The Republic of Korea will have no difficulty absorbing
these helicopters and support into its armed forces.”

The prime
contractor will be Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, Owego, New York.

BOCA RATON,
Fla. — The Coast Guard interdicted six migrants Monday 7 miles east of Boca
Raton, the Coast Guard 7th District said in an Aug. 7 release.

The Coast
Guard Cutter Ibis (WPB-87338) crew arrived on scene and interdicted the six
male Cuban migrants. The crew safely embarked all six migrants aboard the
cutter. 

Coast Guard
Sector Miami watchstanders received a report from a good Samaritan of a suspicious
15-foot wooden vessel with six people aboard transiting near Boca Raton.

“People
attempting to illegally enter the United States put their lives and their loved
ones at risk.” said Petty Officer 1st Class Paula Verden, Coast Guard Sector
Miami command center. “These unseaworthy crafts do not have navigational or
safety equipment on board, exposing its occupants to a tragic scenario. The
Coast Guard continues to maintain a focused and coordinated efforts with
multiple agency assets to interdict any attempt to immigrate by sea to the
United States, Individuals interdicted at sea attempting to illegally immigrate
will be repatriated to their country in accordance with existing U.S.
immigration policy.”

The six adult
male migrants were transferred to Cuban authorities by Coast Guard Cutter
Robert Yered (WPC-1104) for repatriation purposes.

Once aboard a
Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical
attention.

MCLEAN,
Virginia — The U.S. Navy has awarded BAE Systems a prime contractor position on
a new indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to enhance maritime
operations and flight safety systems aboard new construction aircraft carriers
and large deck amphibious ships, to include refueling and complex overhaul
ships, the company said in an Aug. 8 release.

BAE
Systems was one of three contractors awarded the opportunity to bid on future
integration, engineering, assembly, testing and installation focused task
orders awarded throughout an eight-year ordering period. The work will be
performed to enhance a variety of distributed systems that provide network
capabilities, communications, command and control, intelligence, and
non-tactical data management.

“As a
leading systems integrator, we continuously seek to broaden our support to the
U.S. Navy to advance its C5ISR [command, control, communications, computers,
combat systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] capabilities,”
said Mark Keeler, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems’ Integrated
Defense Solutions business. “We are working with our defense customers to
innovate our approach to systems development to better meet their ever-evolving
mission requirements in alignment with construction and modernization
priorities.”

A majority of the work awarded will take place near the U.S. Navy’s Test and Integration Facility Complex, alternatively known as the C4I-System Innovation Facility, located at Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic in Charleston, South Carolina. Additional work is slated for shipyards in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Newport News, Virginia, and Norfolk, Virginia.

ALAMEDA,
Calif. — Crews aboard the pre-commissioned Coast Guard Cutter Midgett (WMSL
757) seized more than 2,100 pounds of cocaine worth approximately $64 million
from a low-profile go-fast vessel interdicted in international waters of the
Eastern Pacific Ocean, the Coast Guard Pacific Area said in an Aug. 7 release.

On July 25
a U.S. Navy MH-60R Seahawk aircrew embarked aboard the USS Michael Murphy (DDG
112) sighted a low-profile go-fast vessel. As the helicopter approached, a
hatch opened on the top of the vessel and three passengers were seen
jettisoning objects.

The
Michael Murphy remained with the suspected smuggling vessel until the Midgett
arrived on scene to conduct a law enforcement boarding. Midgett’s boarding team
seized approximately 2,100 pounds of cocaine from the interdiction and
apprehended three suspected smugglers.

“Even
though the cutter is still in a pre-commission status, this interdiction
showcases how ready our crew is and how capable the national security cutters
are,” said Capt. Alan McCabe, Midgett’s commanding officer. “It also
demonstrates the importance of our partnership with the U.S. Navy, whose
contributions are vital in stemming the flow of drugs into the United States.”

Nearly 80%
of all known illegal narcotics coming into North America are smuggled by
international cartels through the Eastern Pacific corridor.  As these cartels become more advanced in
their methods at sea, the Coast Guard is recapitalizing its fleet with modern
assets equipped to detect, interdict and disrupt the growing flow of illegal
drugs, weapons and people in the Eastern Pacific.

Midgett,
the Coast Guard’s eighth national security cutter, was accepted by the Coast Guard
in April. The cutter passed through the Panama Canal in July and is sailing to
Midgett’s future homeport in Honolulu, where it will be commissioned Aug. 24,
along with its sister-ship, the Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756).

While
national security cutters like the Midgett possess advanced operational
capabilities, more than 70% of the Coast Guard’s offshore presence is the
service’s aging fleet of medium-endurance cutters, many of which are over 50
years old and approaching the end of their service life.

Replacing
the fleet with new offshore patrol cutters is one of the Coast Guard’s top
priorities.

The
offshore patrol cutter will provide a critical capability bridge between
national security cutters like the Coast Guard Cutter Munro (WMSL 755), which
offloaded 39,000 pounds of cocaine last month, and fast-response cutters like
the Robert Ward, which recently seized more than 3,000 pounds of the cocaine in
the first cocaine seizure made by a fast-response cutter in the Eastern
Pacific.