ARLINGTON, Virginia — The chief of naval personnel (CNP) has been nominated by President Donald J. Trump for promotion to admiral and to become the next vice chief of naval operations (VCNO), Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan announced in an April 11 release.

If confirmed, Vice Adm. Robert P. Burke, deputy chief of naval operations for manpower, personnel, training and education, would follow his CNP predecessor, Adm. Bill Moran, as VCNO. Moran was nominated to serve as CNO.

Burke is a nuclear submariner who has served onboard USS Von Steuben (SSBN-632), USS Maryland (SSBN-738) and USS Bremerton (SSN-698), according to his official biography.

“He commanded USS Hampton (SSN-767) and later became commodore of Submarine Development Squadron 12. Burke was recognized by the United States Submarine League with the Jack Darby Award for Leadership in 2004 and the Vice Admiral James Bond Stockdale Award for Inspirational Leadership in 2005.

“His staff assignments include tours as an instructor and director for the Electrical Engineering Division at Naval Nuclear Power School, junior board member on the Pacific Fleet Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board, submarine officer community manager/nuclear officer program manager; senior Tactical Readiness Evaluation Team member at Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; the deputy director for Operations, Strategy and Policy Directorate (J5) at United States Joint Forces Command; the division director, Submarine/Nuclear Power Distribution (PERS-42); and director, Joint and Fleet Operations, N3/N5, U.S. Fleet Forces Command,” according to the biography.

Burke’s assignments as a flag officer include deputy commander, U.S. 6th Fleet; director of operations (N3), U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa; commander, Submarine Group 8; and director, Military Personnel Plans and Policy (OPNAV N13). He assumed duties as the Navy’s 58th chief of naval personnel on May 27, 2016, serving “concurrently as the deputy chief of naval operations (manpower, personnel, training and education) (N1), responsible for the planning and programming of all manpower, personnel, training and education resources for the U.S. Navy.”

Burke, from Portage, Michigan, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Western Michigan University and the University of Central Florida, respectively.

ARLINTON, Virginia — Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan announced April 11 that President Trump has nominated Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran as the 32nd chief of naval operations.

If confirmed by the Senate, Moran would be the first naval aviator to become the Navy’s top officer since Adm. Jay L. Johnson was confirmed in 1996. Johnson served as CNO from 1996 until 2000. In the years since, there have been three surface warfare officers and then two submariners to serve as CNO, according to a release from the Navy.

Moran, a native of Newburg, New York, also would be the first CNO since Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, who served from 1967 to 1970, to have been a patrol plane pilot. Moorer flew PBY Catalina aircraft during World War II. Moran is a P-3 Orion pilot.

Moran served in Patrol Squadron 44 (VP-44) in Brunswick, Maine, and twice as an instructor pilot in VP-30 in Jacksonville, Florida. He commanded VP-46 and later Patrol Reconnaissance Wing Two in Hawaii. He also served on the staff of commander, Carrier Group 6 aboard USS Forrestal (CVA-59).

“As a flag officer, he has served as commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group; director, Air Warfare (N98) on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations; and most recently as the 57th chief of naval personnel,” according to his official biography. “Ashore, he served as executive assistant to the chief of naval operations; executive assistant to Commander, U.S. Pacific Command; deputy director, Navy staff; and assistant Washington placement officer and assistant flag officer detailer in the Bureau of Naval Personnel.

Current CNO Adm. John M. Richardson said he is “thrilled with this announcement. Adm. Bill Moran is an amazing leader and good friend,” according to the Navy release. “He has been central to the Navy adopting a fighting stance in this Great Power Competition. As I turn over and go ashore, I will rest easy knowing that, pending confirmation, Adm. Moran has the watch.”

Moran graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1981 and a master’s from the National War College in 2006.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Naval Air Systems Command has awarded a $3.2 billion multiyear procurement (MYP) contract to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. for 24 E-2D Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) carrier-based early warning aircraft.

The April 10 Defense Department contract announcement “provides for the procurement of 24 full-rate production Lots 7-11 E-2D AHE aircraft.”

The new deal is the second MYP contract awarded to Northrop Grumman, the command said in a release. The Navy awarded the first in 2014 for production of 25 E-2D AHE aircraft, and Congress later increased the number to 26 aircraft.

“This is a critical element in providing the next generation of world-class command-and-control aircraft to the fleet,” Capt. Keith Hash, E-2/C-2 Airborne Tactical Data Systems Program Office (PMA-231) program manager, said in the release.

“The use of the MYP contract allows a substantial savings over the use of single-year contracts and helps us fulfill our mission to increase U.S. naval power at sea by providing our fleet the information they need to accurately plan and win the fight today and tomorrow,” he said.

The savings for MYP II are projected to be $410.6 million, or 11 percent, over the five years of the contract, the release said. “The first MYP contract saved $586.6 million, a 13.9% savings compared to the cost of five single-year procurement contracts,” according to the release.

The E-2D is replacing the E-2C in the Navy’s nine fleet carrier airborne early warning squadrons, each of which is being equipped with five aircraft, an increase of one aircraft over the four E-2Cs that equip each the squadrons yet to make the transition. The fleet E-2 aircraft are based at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California, and Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.

The Navy has a requirement for 75 E-2Ds. The service plans to purchase 24 in fiscal years 2020 through 2023. The Japanese Air Self-Defense Force also has ordered several E-2Ds.

The contract work is expected to be completed by August 2026.

WASHINGTON — The Navy’s air warfare director told Congress that some of the service’s experienced aviators are “ready” to leave the service, citing fewer flying opportunities and quality-of-life issues.

Rear Adm. Scott D. Conn, testifying April 10 before the Seapower subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee, cited a Government Accountability Office report that said that Navy pilot shortage was 9% overall and 26% in first-tour aviators.

Conn said some of the shortages were tied to the grounding of T-45 jet trainers when the Navy was investigating oxygen system problems.

“We’re going to have to extend people in assignments or rotate people or, as squadrons are in the maintenance or basic phase [of training], maybe we don’t push those people to them,” Conn said.

“Some of the authorities you have given us, in terms of bonuses, the department head bonus, and the increase of rates, has had some impact across most types/models/series [of aircraft communities],” he said. “We have seen no impact in the [strike-fighter] community.”

Responding to a question about aviator accession from Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), Conn said the Navy was “bringing in our goal.”

Retention is a concern, Conn noted.

“We’re seeing a lot of experienced [aviators] — some of our best — deciding to go to other things,” he said. “We’re in a competition for talent. The airlines are continuing to hire. Some of these folks are going to grad school. Some are starting their own businesses. The economy is doing well.”

He added: “It is a challenge that we have particularly at the more senior levels.”

The Navy has every departing pilot complete a survey. Conn said that three factors are the most influential in aviator departures: First, “not doing what they signed up for — they’re not flying enough, which means we need to get our readiness where it needs to be to get them in the air. Two: some quality-of-life issues, more so in our nonfleet concentration areas, [Naval Air Station] Lemoore being one of them. Three is the pay gap.”

WASHINGTON — The Navy and Marine Corps’ strike fighter inventory shortfall is easing even as the Navy slows its aircraft procurement to pay some bills to improve readiness, the Navy’s director of air warfare told Congress.

Rear Adm. Scott D. Conn, testifying April 10 before the Seapower subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee, responded to a question from Sen. Maize Hirono (D-Hawaii) as to why the Navy’s planned strike fighter procurement over the fiscal 2020 five-year Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP) was 289, compared with 308 planned in the 2019 FYDP.

“Quite frankly, some of the reduction in aircraft [was] to pay bills,” Conn said, including getting “wholeness in some weapon systems.”

“F-35 C2D2 [Continuous Capability Development and Delivery strategy] Block 4 came with a bill that we had to pay,” he said, regarding the next phase of F-35 development.

“In terms of strike fighter inventory management, our lowest point based on PB20 [President’s Budget 2020] is about a 51-aircraft deficit in [fiscal 2020],” he said. “That decreases to single digits by FY24. That is [being accomplished] through the F/A-18 procurement in PB20, the F-35C procurement in PB20 and also the service-life modernization effort, taking those Block II [Super] Hornets, making them Block III, getting them to 10,000 hours.”

Conn said the Navy finally is in a position “of buying and producing more aircraft than we are burning up every year in terms of flight hours. That’s going to allow us to get out of older airplanes, provide best-of-breed opportunities for the Marine Corps, to enable us to start to strike some of our old airplanes, [such as] Block Is that will never be Block IIIs. It provides enormous opportunity in this budget request.”

Conn also credited a sustainment system introduced in January in bringing the “‘best of industry’ to look at the various functions we do to maintain our aircraft — at the depot level, at the squadron level, how we do engineering, how we do supply — and we’ve seen some pretty good results from targeted focus in [Naval Air Station] Lemoore, California, and FRC [Fleet Readiness Center] Southwest [in Naval Station North Island, California].

He said the Navy has been able to reduce planned maintenance intervals for Super Hornets from 120 days to 60 days.

“And the quality of product is better,” he said. “It’s getting on the flight schedule in a week, let alone weeks or months. We’ve been able to reduce our turnaround time 40% for some of our highest degrader list [items]: generators, interrogators and displays in cockpits. We’ve been able to drive down backlogs in servo cylinders that were keeping our aircraft down. We had a backlog of 60 of those parts in January. We got it down to zero in March. All that is allowing us to improve the mission-capable rate.”

Conn noted that in January the Navy had about 257 mission-capable Super Hornets. “Last week, we had a high — a snapshot in time — of 304. 80% would be 320 of the roughly 400 [primary mission aircraft inventory].”

SAN DIEGO — The Certifiable Ground Control Station (CGCS) from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) was used to control the complete flight of an MQ-9B SkyGuardian — including takeoff and landing — on March 12, the company said in a release. This is the first time the CGCS has been used to control an entire end-to-end flight of a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA).

“Controlling takeoff and landing was the last step in a progression of flight milestones for the CGCS,” said David R. Alexander, president of GA-ASI. “Our vision is that MQ-9B will be the first RPA certified to fly in national and international airspace. To achieve that goal, our GCS needs to be type-certified as well. Completing an end-to end flight was an important step in achieving that ultimate goal.”

The flight originated from the Yuma Proving Grounds in Yuma, Arizona. The CGCS features a Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics system from Collins Aerospace, the Abaco FORCE2 flight computer, as well as all the weapons and payload controls for MQ-9B.

The CGCS architecture provides separation between flight and mission critical functions. Flight critical functions are performed using off-the-shelf avionics and flight computers running GA-ASI’s certifiable DAL B software. The mission critical functions are separated and run alongside GA-ASI’s proven Advanced Cockpit payload and weapons equipment.

CAY SAL, Bahamas — The Coast Guard interdicted 11 migrants on April 5 who were 24 miles east of Cay Sal and attempting to illegally enter the United States, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.

Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders received a notification from the Cuban border security reporting an illegal vessel departure with an unknown number of passengers aboard.

The Coast Guard Cutter Isaac Mayo (WPC-1112) crew arrived on scene after a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft crew sighted the vessel. The 11 adult Cuban males aboard were embarked with no medical concerns.

They were transferred to Bahamian authorities by the Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered (WPC-1104) crew and will be transferred back to their home.

“Illegal migration voyages are extremely dangerous when transporting human lives on these unseaworthy vessels and put the safety of those aboard in jeopardy,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Sharon Vela, Command Center Watchstander, Sector Miami. “The Coast Guard remains consistent with the mission of protecting the safety of life at sea and interdicting these vessels in an effort to prevent the loss of life.”

Coast Guard Cutters Robert Yered and Isaac Mayo are 154-foot fast-response cutters homeported in Florida.

SAN DIEGO — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Waesche offloaded in San Diego on April 5 more than 14,300 pounds of cocaine seized in international waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean from February to late March, the Coast Guard 11th District said in a release.

“The offload that you see behind me, the bales of cocaine, represents a successful example of the cycle of justice,” said Rear Adm. Nathan Moore, deputy commander of Coast Guard Pacific Area. “This cycle of justice disrupts a cycle of crime which, left unchecked, fuels violence and instability that erodes our hemisphere’s social and economic fabric and directly contributes to historically high numbers of drug-related deaths in North America.”

The drugs were seized during six separate interdictions off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America by the Coast Guard Cutters Active (WMEC-618), Steadfast (WMEC-623) and Waesche (WMSL-751):

• Active was responsible for two cases, seizing about 1,297 kilograms of cocaine.

• Steadfast was responsible for two cases, seizing an estimated 2,350 kilograms.

• Waesche was responsible for two cases, seizing about 2,874 kilograms.

“The national security cutter is the Coast Guard’s most sophisticated and technologically advanced asset,” said Capt. Patrick Dougan, Waesche’s commanding officer. “However, it would be ineffective without the men and women who serve aboard. Everyone on board plays an important role and manning these ships requires everyone to contribute. This crew and those of our other assets are relentless in their pursuit of professional excellence. This offload is just a small sample of our success.”

Numerous U.S. agencies from the departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security cooperated in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement along with allied and international partner agencies play a role in counter-drug operations.

The Coast Guard increased U.S. and allied presence in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Basin, which are known drug transit zones off Central and South America, as part of its Western Hemisphere Strategy. During at-sea interdictions in international waters, a suspect vessel is initially detected and monitored by allied, military or law enforcement personnel coordinated by Joint Interagency Task Force-South based in Key West, Florida. The law-enforcement phase of counter-smuggling operations in the eastern Pacific is conducted under the authority of the 11th Coast Guard District, headquartered in Alameda, California. The interdictions, including the actual boarding, are led and conducted by members of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Waesche is a 418-foot national security cutter homeported in Alameda, California. The Active is a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter and is homeported in Port Angeles, Washington. The Steadfast is also a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter and is homeported in Astoria, Oregon.

MATECUMBE KEY, Florida — The Coast Guard interdicted 10 migrants Monday 20 miles south of Matecumbe Key attempting to illegally enter the United States, the Coast Guard 7th District said in an April 5 release.

Coast Guard Sector Key West watch-standers received a notification from a good Samaritan boat reporting a suspicious vessel with 10 passengers aboard.

A Coast Guard Station Islamorada 45-foot response boat-medium crew arrived on scene after a Coast Guard Air Station Miami MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew sighted the vessel with 10 adult Cuban males aboard and embarked them with no medical concerns.

The 10 Cuban nationals were transferred to Cuban authorities by the Coast Guard Cutter Isaac Mayo (WPC-1112) crew and will be transferred back to their home of origin.

“Illegal maritime migration voyages are extremely dangerous, often on homemade, unseaworthy vessels, and put the safety of those aboard in great jeopardy,” said Lt. j.g. Karrie Jeffries, command duty officer of Sector Key West. “The Coast Guard remains poised to protect the safety of life at sea and interdict these vessels in an effort to prevent the loss of life while also enforcing the law.”

Isaac Mayo is a 154-foot fast-response cutter homeported in Key West, Florida.

WASHINGTON — The Marine Corps’ fleet of AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft may serve until 2028, the Corps’ aviation chief told Congress, a two-year extension of the previous plan.

“We will continue to be a fourth-gen/fifth-gen [tactical aircraft] fleet out until about 2030, with Harriers probably going to 2028 and F/A-18s going to 2030-2031,” said Lt. Gen. Steven R. Rudder, the Marine Corps’ deputy commandant for aviation. He testified April 4 during a hearing of the Tactical Air and Ground Forces subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee.

The Corps earlier had extended the Harrier’s planned service out to 2026 in view of the delays in the F-35B Lightning II joint strike fighter. Rudder’s comment indicates that the Harrier may serve until 2028, three years longer than planned.

The F-35B has deployed on two amphibious assault ships, USS Wasp and USS Essex, flying the aircraft’s first combat missions in September from the deck of the Essex.

According to one source, a planned F-35B deployment on a third ship this year was assumed instead by a detachment of AV-8Bs.

Rudder said the Corps plans to achieve a 100% fifth-generation tactical fighter force by 2030. He said the mixture percentage of fourth-gen to fifth-gen fighters in the Marine Corps today is 80-20.

The Marine Corps operates three operational F-35B squadrons and its first F-35C squadron, VMFA-314, is in transition.