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ARLINGTON, Va. — The services offered by communities adjacent to shipyards can help attract and retain skilled shipbuilding and repair workers, a Navy admiral in charge of shipbuilding said.  

“One of the things we’ve seen that is very successful is building ecosystems around the shipyards — Congress working with state and local governments to aid in the development of systems around shipyards that really provide opportunity, said Rear Admiral Thomas J. Anderson, Navy Program Executive Officer for Ships, testifying May 11 before the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs.  

“If there is no housing in the area of a shipyard, you’re going to have a hard time having blue-collar labor come in and be interested in a job there,” Anderson said. “Things like health care, day care, [and] housing are really important to have in the vicinity of the yards to attract the talent that we need to build the ships we need in the future.” 

Anderson said that “[o]ne of the real challenges we have in this country is availability of blue-collar labor. We saw that as a challenge as we were in COVID and when we came out of COVID and we continue to struggle to identify talent to come in, people who are interested in the blue-collar trades.  

“So, support of our budget requests that provide funding to develop the work force that comes in two ways: the submarine industrial base, which I mentioned earlier, has targeted funds to help advance the work force,” he said. “Additionally, last year in the NDAA [2023 National Defense Authorization Act], Section 122, provided a requirement for the Navy — when awarding shipbuilding contracts in the future — to fund a percentage of the overall cost of the ship to go toward workforce development items.”  

Anderson noted that supplier industrial base funds are being used “to get people interested in blue-collar labor, get them married up with companies that support that supply chain. The submarine industrial base is where we really need efforts.” 

The admiral said that “somewhere between 80,000 and 100,000 tradespeople [need] to be hired over the next 10 years” for the submarine shipbuilders. 

Anderson touched on a more inspirational aspect of attracting shipyard workers: “Growing the work force, making sure that young people understand that it is an honorable and important profession to build ships or to repair ships for the U.S. Navy, something that not just the Congress but at all levels of our country is something that we can stress and will pay dividends as we expand our capacity.” 

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ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has ordered four additional CMV-22B Osprey carrier-onboard delivery aircraft, according to a March 5 Defense Department contract announcement.   

The Bell Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, was awarded a $482.3 million contract modification by the Naval Air Systems Command for the four CMV-22Bs, the announcement said. The order follows a Feb. 26 order for four CMV-22Bs.  

The order completes the Navy’s plan to procure 48 CMV-22Bs. The aircraft are scheduled to be delivered by June 26 under the June 2018 multiyear procurement contract.      

The Navy’s CMV-22B replaces the C-2A Greyhound for the Carrier On-Board Delivery (COD) mission. Its mission is to transport personnel, mail, supplies and cargo from shore bases to aircraft carriers at sea.  

The CMV-22B differs from the MV-22B by having a high-frequency radio, extra fuel capacity, improved fuel dump capability, improved lighting for cargo handling and a public address system. The aircraft can carry up to 6,000 pounds up to a range of 1,150 nautical miles. It is capable of internally carrying the F-135 engine power module for the F-35 Lightning II.     

The first CMV-22B squadron, VRM-30, is working up a detachment to deploy on board USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). VRM-30 detachments have completed two deployments to the Western Pacific.    

Full operational capability of the CMV-22B is scheduled for 2024.

Arlington, VA – The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration is set to host its biggest event to date to honor Vietnam veterans, said Major General Ed Chrystal and Commander Brian Wierzbicki, acting director and chief of public engagement, respectively, in a media roundtable held on April 25. 

The “Welcome Home! A Nation Honors our Vietnam Veterans and their Families,” event will be held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. May 11-13.  The Commemoration expects thousands to attend over the three-day event, featuring special guest speakers and concerts. The opening ceremony, concerts, and speaking events will also be streamed live for those who cannot attend in person. 

“This national once-in-a-lifetime event will honor Vietnam veterans and their enduring legacy of service inspiring Americans to thank them and their families for their service and sacrifice,” the Commemoration stated in a press release. 

In 2008, Congress authorized the establishment of the Vietnam War Commemoration, signed into law by President George W. Bush in January of that year. President Obama inaugurated Commemoration at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 2012. Since that time, the Commemoration has worked to build partnerships to reach as many of the approximately 7 million Vietnam veterans both in the U.S. and abroad. 

So far, the Commemoration has reached approximately 3.7 million Vietnam veterans, according to Wierzbicki. The Welcome Home event is designed to “serve as a catalyst” to reach others so that they may be recognized and thanked, he said. Both Wiezbicki and Chrystal talked about the importance of honoring our veterans, stating that, “how we treat those who fought our past wars will have a direct impact” on who will be willing to fight our wars in the future. 

You can read more about the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration and the upcoming Welcome Home! event at the organization’s website. 

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WASHINGTON — The Marine Corps general in charge of aviation requirements detailed for Congress the service’s priorities for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) platforms during testimony regarding the 2024 defense budget hearings.  

“Our VTOL Family of Systems has three lines of effort,” said Lieutenant General Michael S. Cederholm, deputy commandant for aviation, testifying April 19 before the Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. 

“The first one is logistics,” Cederholm said. “We’re looking at a risk-worthy, unmanned logistics connector. We’re in the process of developing and working through our process and Initial Capabilities Requirement Document right now. That’s gone through and is sitting at the MROC [Marine Requirements Oversight Council] for decision.” 

Cederholm said the second line of effort “is attack/strike. We have taken a different approach because we’re at different stages of modernization. The Marine Corps is in a unique position — a good one. The relative health of our fleet and the nascent age of our fleet of H-1s [AH-1Z and UH-1Y helicopters] and V-22s. We’re just transitioning to the 53Kilo [CH-53K helicopter]. This gives us an opportunity to — in the future — not wait but very expeditiously and thoroughly explore the intersection point between budget, requirements, and future capabilities. We can look at the attack/strike role and what are the advances in teaming, autonomy; advances in lethality and survivability.” 

The general listed the third line of effort, “is to replace our extant platforms like the MV-22 when it ages out with the Next-Gen Assault Support.” 

Cederholm said he “is excited [about] where the Marine Corps is. We have a sense of urgency, but we also have time to be thorough in our approach to unmanned in the future.” 

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy has completed analysis of its options for future rotorcraft to replace the service’s MH-60R and MH-60S Seahawk helicopters and has forwarded the analysis to the Office of the Secretary of Defense.  

Rear Admiral Andrew J. Loiselle, director, Air Warfare Division, testifying April 19 before the Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, said the Analysis of Alternatives for the Navy’s version of Future Vertical Lift (FVL) has been forwarded to the OSD’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) office. 

“Once [CAPE] is done with that sufficiency assessment, then we will absolutely move on to selecting a preferred alternative for the Navy, and all the costing and acquisition documentation necessary to reach a Milestone A, likely in about the [fiscal] ’25 time frame,” Loiselle said. 

The admiral said the Navy’s FVL effort, “is about five years behind the Army, as far as an acquisition program goes. […] That fits with when we expect service life to be expired in our Sierra [MH-60S] and Romeo [MH-60R] fleet. “ 

The Navy has service-life extension programs underway or planned for both types of helicopters. The MH-60S extension is to extend their service lives from 10,000 flight hours to 12,000 flight hours, about seven years, into the 2030s.  

Loiselle said a service life extension for the MH-60R can be delayed until the 2030s because the Navy has some new-production MH-60Rs in storage that can be brought into service.  

Loiselle said the Navy is tuned in to the Army’s FVL efforts and is predominately focused on mission systems. 

He noted that of the Army’s planned airframes, the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLARA) is too large for the flight decks of the Navy’s destroyers and the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) is, “too small for our needs, so I don’t see a direct correlation to our requirements to theirs, however, that does not mean we will not have numerous opportunities.”    

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ARLINGTON, Va. — A senator used a congressional hearing to point out that the Navy would be violating the law by letting the number of amphibious warships drop below a Congressionally mandated level of 31 in fiscal year 2024. 

The President’s 2024 budget calls for the decommissioning of three Whidbey Island-class old dock landing ships and not procuring any Flight II San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships (LPDs) over the next five years to replace them. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2023 requires the Nay to maintain a fleet of 31 large and medium-size amphibious warfare ships. 

In an otherwise convivial April 18 hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a reserve Marine Corps colonel, confronted Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro about the Navy’s shipbuilding plans.  

“The 30-year [shipbuilding] plan shows that the Navy has no intention of meeting this statutory requirement, ” Sullivan said, noting that he worked with Marine Corps Commandant General David H. Berger to legislate the requirement into the law, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2023, a requirement which Berger affirmed during the hearing. 

During the hearing, Sullivan read an excerpt from the law: “The naval combat forces of the Navy shall include not less than 11 operational aircraft carriers and not less than 31 operational amphibious warfare ships of which not less than 10 shall be amphibious assault ships.” 

The senator said he sympathized with Berger’s awkward position.  

“I want to compliment the commandant,” Sullivan said. “It’s not easy to be sitting next to your boss saying, ‘We need this.’ Your boss obviously doesn’t agree, General.” 

Taking note of all of the planned studies and analysis on the subject, Sullivan declared all of it irrelevant in that the requirement has been set in law.  

“The Congress of the United States did the balancing, Mr. Secretary, working with the Marine Corps,” Sullivan said. […] You are violating the law. Would you come before this committee and say, ‘Sorry, we’re not going to do 11 carriers’? […] You can’t do it sir. I simply find it unacceptable that that we’re all just letting you say, ‘Eh, maybe that was a suggestion by the Congress.’ It wasn’t a suggestion; it was a mandate.” 

Sullivan pursued the issue further.  

“Why are you violating the law?” he asked. “And why does your shipbuilding plan have no remote interest for the next 3 years, as far as I can tell, of hitting the statutory mandate that we told you to hit. I have no idea what your answer is going to be, but you need to follow the law, sir. What’s the answer?” 

“Senator, as a member of the executive, it is my responsibility to follow the law,” Del Toro said. “It’s also my responsibility to ensure that we just don’t waste taxpayer money on vessels, for example, that will never see the light of day.” 

“This Congress has given you multi-ship procurement authorities in the past three NDAAs,” Sullivan said. “This is the third year in a row that amphibs are not being procured with this cost-saving authority. So, it’s a little rich when you talk to me about taxpayer savings when you’re not using the ability to save money that we gave you on amphibs. … I’m requesting that you come back to this committee soon and tell us how you’re going to follow the law. That’s your only option, Mr. Secretary.” 

“Senator, you have my commitment that I will come back to you with a statement on how we can fix this,” Del Toro said. “Yes, sir, it is my intent to follow the law. […] As we develop the president’s budget for ’25, I will look at that as an option that we can pursue to get us back on track with multi-ship procurement for LPDs.”  

“It’s not an option for you, Mr. Secretary,” Sullivan replied. “The committee, the Congress, the President have spoken. […] This is a big issue, and right now the secretary of the Navy is ignoring the Congress of the United States. This is unacceptable.” 

Release from the Department of Defense 

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The Navy will christen and launch the newest Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship, the future USS Cleveland (LCS 31), during a 10:00 a.m. CDT ceremony on Saturday, April 15, in Marinette, Wisconsin.  This event marks the last planned side-launch of a ship at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Marinette, Wisconsin Shipyard.  Follow-on ships are planned to be launched using a shiplift system. 

The principal speaker Mr. Andrew Haeuptle, director of Navy staff, will deliver the ceremonial principal address. Remarks will also be provided by Rear Adm. Thomas Anderson, program executive officer, ships; Mr. Austin Davis, senior policy advisor, City of Cleveland, Ohio; Mr. Steve Allen, vice president, small combatants and ship systems, Lockheed Martin Integrated Warfare Systems and Sensors; and Mr. Mark Vandroff, chief executive officer, Fincantieri Marinette Marine. Mrs. Robyn Modly, wife of former Acting Secretary of the Navy and Cleveland native, the Honorable Thomas B. Modly, will break a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow to symbolically christen the ship. 

“This christening is a significant milestone for the future USS Cleveland, the ship’s sponsor Mrs. Robyn Modly, and the prospective crew,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. “LCS 31 will be another step closer to joining our fleet, sailing the open seas, continuing to defend our nation, and representing the strong connection our Navy has with the city of Cleveland.” 

Cleveland is the 16th and final Freedom-variant LCS and the fourth ship to be named in honor of the city of Cleveland, Ohio. Previous USS Cleveland’s were the World War I cruiser (C 19), the World War II light cruiser (CL 55), and the Vietnam-era amphibious transport dock (LPD 7), decommissioned in 2011. 

The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) class are fast, optimally-manned, mission-tailored surface combatants that operate in near-shore and open-ocean environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. LCSs integrate with joint, combined, manned, and unmanned teams to support forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence missions around the globe. 

The LCS class consists of two variants, Freedom and Independence, designed and built by two separate industry teams. The Freedom variant team is led by Lockheed Martin (for the odd-numbered hulls, e.g. LCS 1). It is a steel monohull design constructed by Lockheed Martin in the Fincantieri Marinette Marine Corporation’s shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin. 

Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342. More information on the Littoral Combat Ship Program can be found at: https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2171607/littoral-combat-ship-class-lcs/. 

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ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Marine Corps is scheduled to activate its second F-35C Lightning II strike fighter squadron at the end of the week, Headquarters Marine Corps announced in a media announcement. 

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 311 (VMFA-311) will be re-activated from its former Marine Attack Squadron 311 (VMA-311) identity in ceremonies on Friday, April 14, 2023, at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar, California. The squadron will become the second operational Marine Corps squadron to operate the carrier-based F-35C version. VMFA-314, also based at Miramar, was the first, and has completed one deployment with the F-35C, on board USS Abraham Lincoln. 

VMA-311 was an AV-8B Harrier II squadron that was deactivated in October 2020. It was based at MCAS Yuma, Arizona. It had operated the AV-8 since 1988. 

VMA-311 was established on December 1, 1942, as Marine Fighter Squadron 311 (VMF-311) and deployed to the Pacific Theater in April 1943, equipped with F4U-1 Corsair fighters. The squadron eventually operated from Okinawa in March 1945 and conducted dive bombing and combat air patrol missions. 

The squadron became the Marine Corps’ first operational jet squadron in 1948, operating F9F Panther fighters, and during the Korean War flew the Corps’ first jet combat mission. After the war, the squadron upgraded to the F9F-8 Cougar. The squadron was re-designated VMA-311 on June 1, 1957, and by 1958 was operating the A4D Skyhawk.  

The squadron flew its A-4s in combat in the Vietnam War from April 1965 through January 1973.  

After transition to the AV-8B, VMA-311 deployed to Saudi Arabia, and, in Operation Desert Storm, became the first squadron to fly the Harrier II in combat. In November 2001, the squadron also became the first Harrier squadron to fly in combat during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The squadron also flew combat missions in Iraq beginning in March 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Lt. Col. Michael P. Fisher will be the first commanding officer of VMFA-311.