SAN DIEGO – Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper visited components of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group (EODGRU) 1 at Naval Base Point Loma, California, Sept. 17, to learn how Navy EOD is building a more lethal, agile and resilient force by augmenting human expertise and decision-making with autonomous unmanned systems (UMS) capabilities for the fleet and Joint Force.

While meeting with Esper, EODGRU-1 Commodore Capt. Oscar Rojas described how Navy EOD is an integral member of the UMS triad, which is composed of the surface, subsurface and expeditionary (EOD and Naval Special Warfare) communities.

The UMS triad enables strategic effects by leveraging cutting-edge technologies to pair real-time, relevant information with immediate tactical options to deter adversaries in the maritime environment.

“We are enhancing our human-machine teaming efforts to more efficiently illuminate and eliminate or neutralize surface and undersea threats,” said Rojas. “Our UMS systems development efforts are at the front of autonomous capabilities to recognize, analyze, communicate and take appropriate response to various threats. This could involve neutralizing the threat, alerting a human operator or networking with other UMS systems, all to offer commanders the most advantageous results at a specific time and place.”

Rojas also described how the Navy EOD Expeditionary Mine Countermeasure (ExMCM) companies help maintain freedom of navigation in denied waterways, in war and in daily competition. Created to help address the long-standing challenge of clearing naval minefields and explosive threats, ExMCM companies are used by operational commanders to maintain the military advantage before and after a threat is placed in the water. Expanded and enhanced commander’s awareness and layered options result from advancing the use of the unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) and remotely operated vehicles (ROV) embedded within the ExMCM company. Each company has 30 Sailors, tailorable to teams as small as two based on mission requirements.

“Our ExMCM companies are essential to supporting fleet and Joint Force objectives, across all environments. They are not constrained to a specific craft, allowing them to deploy from air, land and sea to neutralize surface and subsurface threats,” said Rojas.

Lt. Nick Stoner briefed Esper on current and next-generation technologies in UUVs and ROVs, much of which Navy EOD is already using in operations.

“It was an honor to talk with Secretary Esper about how we are advancing artificial intelligence and human-machine teaming in our operations today,” said Stoner, an EOD officer with EODGRU-1 who works on Navy EOD maritime and underwater capability development. “We are developing, implementing and rapidly adapting the vanguard of available technology for small and medium UUVs and ROVs to enhance our capability as a force and support the National Defense Strategy.

“A cornerstone of our success has been close relationships with our engineering teams. There is constant, two-way feedback between them and the users in the field, which allows for ongoing system updates and modifications to increase capabilities,” said Stoner. “It has been, and continues to be, a team effort.”

Developing future technology for Navy EOD also involves innovative acquisitions strategies, said Rojas. This includes collaborating with the Navy’s Expeditionary Program Office and DOD’s Defense Innovation Unit to capture current operational challenges and streamline the procurement process to rapidly address them.

“This allows Navy EOD to accelerate the adoption of emergent commercial technology so we can pace, and outperform, adversary threats to the fleet and Joint Force that threaten sea control and power projection,” Rojas said.

The EOD operators in the field also play a critical role in refining Navy EOD technologies and systems, said Rojas.

“Our Sailors use these tools daily and understand the challenges. We empower them to give the design-to-employment team direct feedback to rapidly find solutions to any issues that might arise,” Rojas said, adding that personnel conduct an in-depth, post-deployment analyses with Navy EOD leadership, as well as program management and engineering teams. This touch point drives down the time it takes to get new technology to the force and ensures prioritization of the most urgent fleet-driven requirements.

Operating from Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California, EODGRU-1 oversees the manning training and equipping of EOD Mobile Units 1, 3, 5 and 11; Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1; EOD Expeditionary Support Unit 1; and EOD Training and Evaluation Unit 1. EODGRU-1 is also capable of deploying as a battalion level staff to command task forces in theater.

NEW LONDON, Conn. — Boston-based Sea Machines Robotics has partnered with shipbuilder Metal Shark Boats, of Jeanerette, Louisiana, to supply the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)’s Research and Development Center (RDC) with a new Sharktech 29 Defiant vessel for the purposes of testing and evaluating the capabilities of available autonomous vessel technology, Sea Machines announced in a Sept. 29 release. The 29-foot, welded-aluminum monohull pilothouse vessel comes equipped with the Sea Machines SM300 autonomous-command and remote-helm control technology, offering the USCG capabilities including transit autonomy, collaborative autonomy, collision avoidance and remote vessel monitoring.

The RDC helps transition innovative technologies and provides premier analysis and decision support to enhance operational performance across all Coast Guard missions. During demonstrations scheduled for October off the coast of Hawaii, the RDC team will test and evaluate the Sharktech vessel’s autonomous capabilities for their potential in supporting USCG surveillance, interdiction, patrol and other missions. Following the Hawaii demonstrations, the autonomous vessel will be returned to the RDC’s New London facility, where it will be used in additional testing to investigate application to various Coast Guard missions.

“As the premier USCG facility performing research, development, test and evaluation in support of the service’s major missions, the RDC team is eager to observe Sea Machines’ system in action,” said USCG’s Derek Meier, assistant demonstration director. “The exercises will ultimately help us determine how, when and if this innovative technology can be used to support personnel who are executing a variety of Coast Guard activities.”

“Sea Machines is proud to actively support government agencies across a variety of projects and to expand that support to the Department of Homeland Security with this important demonstration being conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Sea Machines’ Phil Bourque, director of sales. “Our systems are being rapidly adopted by government and commercial operators alike, offering increases in on-water productivity and predictability, while reducing operational risk.”

“Since the launch of our Sharktech Autonomous Vessels division in 2018 we have been working to position Metal Shark for the autonomy revolution,” said Chris Allard, Metal Shark’s chief executive officer. “We are committed to the advancement of autonomous technology, through our relationships with leading autonomy suppliers as well as through our own R&D, and we are engaged with multiple customers, from the USCG, the Department of Defense and commercial operators. With this latest delivery, Metal Shark is proud to play a role in the Coast Guard’s autonomous technology R&D efforts.”

In 2019, Sea Machines partnered with Metal Shark to make available the Sharktech 29 Defiant vessel to commercial markets, under Metal Shark’s stock boat program. Most recently, in July, Sea Machines partnered with Huntington Ingalls Industries to accelerate the deployment of self-piloting technologies in the rising market of unmanned naval boats and ships.

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. — The U.S. Navy commissioned Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) Sept. 26, the commander, Naval Surface Forces said in a release.

Due to public health and safety concerns related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the commissioning was a private event.

Secretary of the Navy Kenneth J. Braithwaite was represented by James F. Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, with Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Russell Smith placing the ship into commission. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday was represented by Adm. William K. Lescher, vice chief of naval operations. The event was livestreamed to allow public viewing of the ceremony for the ship named for the first MCPON.

MCPON Russell Smith, currently serving as the 15th senior enlisted leader of the Navy, was the principle speaker. MCPON Smith fills the role begun by Black as advisor to the chief of naval operations and to the chief of naval personnel in matters dealing with enlisted personnel and their families.

“This is the first ship to honor a senior enlisted leader in such a way for their contributions in this realm and represents a significant milestone achievement that recognizes both the responsibility of the position to the Navy, as well the tremendous accountability to those enlisted Sailors we primarily provide advocacy for,” said MCPON Smith. “The vision and effort it took to move the idea of a Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy into an effective reality cannot be overstated, and all of us have been the benefactors of his legend of service by advancing the work that he began.

Rear Adm. Brad Cooper, commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, welcomed the ship that brings a wide range of warfighting capabilities in multi-threat air, surface and subsurface environments to the premier Surface Force in the world.

“The USS Delbert D. Black joins the Fleet during a time when its cutting-edge capabilities are most needed,” Cooper said. “I’m extremely proud of this crew and know the pennant of courage, teamwork, inclusiveness and sacrifice will be taken up and flown even higher with the Sailors who serve aboard the ship.”

Ima Black, MCPON Delbert D. Black’s widow and a former Sailor, served as the ship’s sponsor offering congratulations to everyone who played a role in delivering USS Delbert D. Black to service. Black served during World War II in the Navy WAVES, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.

Delbert D. Black’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Matthew McKenna, reported the ship ready to Adm. Lescher.

The crew will kick off Tulsa Navy Week as part of their commissioning. “Being that Delbert Black was a native of Oklahoma, I’m ecstatic that Tulsa Navy Week will highlight the first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, namesake of our ship, virtually Oct. 5 through 11,” said McKenna. “This is much more than a ceremony; the commissioning of a ship is a culmination of unwavering dedication. The ship is ready to be introduced to the fleet.”

Delbert D. Black is the 68th Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer to be delivered to the Navy and the first to bear its name. DDG 119 honors the first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. Black is known for initiating the master chief program, ensuring enlisted leadership was properly represented Navy-wide.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations announced on Sept. 28 the following assignments: 

Rear Adm. Alan D. Beal will be assigned as reserve director, Expeditionary Force Generation with additional duties as reserve vice commander, United States Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia.  Beal is currently serving as reserve director, Expeditionary Force Generation, Norfolk, Virginia. 

Rear Adm. Shawn E. Duane will be assigned as reserve deputy, Operations, Plans and Strategy, N3/N5, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, District of Columbia.  Duane is currently serving as deputy commander, United States 4th Fleet, Jacksonville, Florida.   

Rear Adm. Gene F. Price will be assigned as reserve deputy commander, Naval Information Forces, Suffolk, Virginia.  Price is currently serving as commander, Naval Information Force Reserve, Fort Worth, Texas. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) James M. Butler will be assigned as commander, Naval Information Force Reserve, Fort Worth, Texas.  Butler is currently serving as reserve deputy commander, 10th Fleet, Fort Meade, Maryland. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Robert T. Clark will be assigned as deputy commander, United States 7th Fleet, Yokosuka, Japan.  Clark is currently serving as deputy commander, Military Sealift Command/deputy commander, Military Sealift command representative to deputy J3, United States Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Scott K. Fuller will be assigned as director, Reserve Warfare, N0959, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, District of Columbia.  Fuller is currently serving as reserve deputy director, Warfare Systems Directorate, N9R, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.

Navy Capt. William L. Angermann, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as reserve deputy commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia.  Angermann is currently serving as reserve component commander, Naval Aviation Training Reserve Component, Corpus Christi, Texas. 

Navy Capt. Stephen D. Donald, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as reserve deputy commander, 10th Fleet, Fort Meade, Maryland.  Donald previously served as officer in charge, Over-the-Horizon Qatar, United States Forces-Afghanistan, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. 

Navy Capt. Terry W. Eddinger, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy chief of chaplains for Total Force/deputy director of Religious Ministries, N097C, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, District of Columbia.  Eddinger is currently serving as chaplain, Navy Reserve Navy Installations Command Headquarters, Washington, D.C. 

Navy Capt. Gregory K. Emery, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director, Warfare Integration Directorate, N2/N6, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, District of Columbia.  Emery is currently serving as region commander, Naval Information Force Reserve, Fort Worth, Texas. 

Navy Capt. Patrick S. Hayden, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director, Logistics, Fleet Supply, and Ordnance (N4), United States Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  Hayden is currently serving as reserve deputy director, Navy Reserve Commander, Pacific Fleet Logistics Readiness Center 120 Headquarters, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 

Navy Capt. Marc S. Lederer, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy commander, Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia.  Lederer is currently serving as commander, Navy Reserve Liaison Office Individual Mobilization Augment Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

Navy Capt. Eric L. Peterson, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy commander, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic, Portsmouth, Virginia.  Peterson is currently serving as deputy chief of staff, Navy Reserve Expeditionary Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland. 

Navy Capt. Donald M. Plummer, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, Coronado, California.  Plummer previously served as chief of staff, Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa, Djibouti, Africa. 

Navy Capt. Donald Y. Sze, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy commander, Navy Support Command Reserve Component/Marine Corps medical officer, Bethesda, Maryland.  Sze is currently serving as fleet surgeon, Navy Reserve Commander 3rd Fleet Headquarters, San Diego. 

Navy Capt. Jeffrey S. Spivey, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as director, Maritime Partnership Program United States Naval Forces Europe/Africa/6th Fleet, Naples, Italy.  Spivey is currently serving as interagency coordinator/staff liaison, United States Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — In the future, a commission in the U.S. Space Force may be a possibility for a few new graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA). 

“USNA graduates select commissions into the Navy or Marine Corps,” said Cmdr. Alana Garas, a Naval Academy spokeswoman, in a statement to Seapower.  “All midshipmen are eligible to request interservice commissions into other services. This is separate from the service assignment process.  We expect future graduates of USNA to be able to request commissions in the U.S. Space Force, although it remains unclear if the Department of the Air Force will accept any Space Force interservice commission requests from the class of 2021.” 
 
Garas said there are no quotas for any service regarding interservice commissions, “although there is a ceiling of 3% of the graduating class which can be accepted.” 

She said the “U.S. Air Force Academy will serve as the primary commissioning service academy for the U.S. Space Force (both Department of the Air Force) in the same manner as the U.S. Naval Academy is the primary commissioning service academy for the U.S. Marine Corps (both Department of the Navy).” 
 
USNA graduates have long been eligible to request commissions in the U.S. Air Force. 

“USNA graduates will continue to be able to request interservice commissions into the U.S. Air Force,” Garas said.  “The last U.S. Air Force commission from USNA was one graduate in the class of 2020.” 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy will commission the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Port Canaveral, Florida, the Defense Department said in a Sept. 25 release. 

Due to public health and safety concerns related to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the commissioning is a private event, rather than the traditional public commissioning ceremony. 

The ceremony’s principal speaker is Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russel L. Smith. 

“Commissioning a ship after the first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy is an honor without equal. The Navy has always been and will always be indelibly influenced by the leadership of our senior enlisted sailors epitomized by Delbert Black,” said Secretary of the Navy Kenneth J. Braithwaite. “They are the ones who teach both our junior enlisted as well as our junior officers what it means to lead. They lay the keel by which the Navy operates and as such this ship named for one of the most influential master chiefs ever to wear three stars will be a visible reminder of their importance to our Navy. As MCPON, Master Chief Black fought for increased sea-pay, family support programs, expanded uniform guidance and a host of other issues that improved the quality of life of not only junior enlisted, but all sailors and officers. By making life better for sailors, he made our Navy stronger for us all. This ship will undoubtedly continue on his great legacy of service above self.” 

USS Delbert D. Black is named for the first Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, the highest possible enlisted rank and the enlisted representative to the Chief of Naval Operations. Established by the Navy in 1967, Black oversaw the establishment of the senior enlisted advisor position, which eventually became known as Command Master Chief. Black was the first Navy enlisted man to receive the Distinguished Service Medal. Upon retirement from active duty, Black continued his involvement with the Navy through retired and active duty organizations. He still serves as an enduring example for the Chief’s Mess, with his service, character and performance demonstrating the highest ideals of a Navy chief petty officer in the world’s finest Navy. 

Mrs. Ima Black, MCPON Delbert D. Black’s widow and a former Sailor, will serve as the ship’s sponsor. Mrs. Black served during World War II in the Navy WAVES – Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. During the time-honored ceremony, Mrs. Black will give the first order to “man our ship and bring her to life.” 

Built by Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula, Mississippi, Delbert D. Black is the 68th Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer to be delivered to the Navy and the first to bear his name. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet. These highly capable, multi-mission ships conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence to national security. 

Following commissioning, USS Delbert D. Black will be homeported in Mayport, Florida, with sister ships USS The Sullivans (DDG 68), USS Lassen (DDG 82), USS Farragut (DDG 99), USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) and USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117). 

The event will be livestreamed to offer maximum viewing by the general public at https://allhands.navy.mil/Live-Stream. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The challenge a peer competitor like China poses in a future conflict across the Indo-Pacific region bears striking similarities to the war between the United States and Japan in the same battlespace more than 75 years ago, say two top Marine Corps planners.

Japan in 1941 was a near-peer adversary of the United States, with advanced technology, expansionist policies and a bullying attitude toward neighboring countries, says Major Gen. Gregg Olson, director of the Marine Corps Staff.  While the foes and times have changed “the concepts and realities of war in the vast distances that occur in the Pacific remain the same,” he added.

Like the Marines who landed on Guadalcanal in August 1942, today’s Marines will face the same sweeping distances, vulnerable supply lines, contested air, sea – and now cyber – space limitations, across a battlespace of scattered, remote islands of steaming jungle or barren volcanic rock. “That’s the framework for the next conflict,” Olson told the virtual Modern Day Marine Exposition Sept. 23.

Victory on Guadalcanal and the rest of the Pacific came “at the cost of capital ships and thousands of lives,” Olson noted. Another speaker at the conference, Major Gen. Paul Rock, director of Marine Corps  Strategies and Plans, said high casualties could be likely again. “Attrition is going to be a factor in a future fight,” Rock said.

While that may prove true, the Marines are not resigned to taking the same heavy casualties they suffered in the Pacific island-hopping campaign of World War II, Gen. David Berger, the commandant of the Marine Corps, insisted a day later.

Others in and out of uniform have expressed concerns about casualty rates in an Asia-Pacific conflict given, China’s anti-access/aerial denial weapons platforms. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown told Military Times recently that war with a peer adversary could see “combat attrition rates and risks — that are more akin to the World War II era than the uncontested environment to which we have become accustomed.” Even Berger’s Force Design changes to meet the expected challenges of 2030, concedes there is no avoiding attrition. “In contingency operations against peer adversaries, we will lose aircraft, ships, ground tactical vehicles, and personnel,” it states, adding that force resilience – to absorb loss and continue to operate decisively – is critical.  

“No, we’re not resigned to high casualties, but we should not think that in a Great Power competition it’s going to be clean,” Berger said in livestreamed interview with Defense One on Sept. 24. Without mentioning China or Russia, Berger said neither side was “looking for a strength-on-strength fight, at all. We’re not looking for a fight, period.” Instead, Great Power adversaries will be using technology and other assets to target each other’s weaknesses to exploit them. Although there will be casualties “if it comes to a scrap,” he added.

The force in the Pacific will be distributed, Berger said, not to avoid creating an easy target for a knock-out blow – a tactical concern — but operationally, to be able to observe adversaries from every direction in every domain. That Berger said, also makes it very difficult for an adversary to focus their strengths.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The commandant of the Marine Corps said the Corps needs the Navy to broaden its family of amphibious warfare ships to create a more distributed, survivable force to operate in a future high-intensity conflict with a peer competitor.

Gen. David H. Berger, Sept. 24 speaking during an online interview by Defense One, said the three types of large amphibious warfare ships currently in the Navy’s fleet — the amphibious assault ship (LHA/LHD), amphibious transport dock ship (LPD), and dock landing ship (LSD) — “have done great for us in the way that we needed to operate so far. But that’s not the only way we’re going to need to operate going forward.”

Berger said that “those three families of pretty expensive, high-end ships are not enough. We need a more diverse family of ships in order to compete every day, in order to be ready for a crisis or conflict, hence the light amphibious warship [LAW].”

Berger is in the midst of redesigning the force structure of the Marine Corps with his Force Design 2030 plan to meet the challenges of future potential conflict with powers such as China.

“We know we need something that’s smaller, that doesn’t have as much draft, that can move us around from ship to shore or shore to shore over great distances, but is affordable,” the commandant said. “Whatever that turns out to be, it will broaden the portfolio and give us more tools. I need to give commanders the means, the mobility to move in a distributed operating environment. The [LAW], what ever that turns out to be, is part of that.

Berger noted that, “so far, within the Navy, within the Department of Defense, every single wargame for the past five months has borne that out. If you don’t have that, they’re going to know how you are moving around and you’re easier to target. We’ve got to make it hard [for the enemy to target].”

The general said commanders “have to distribute the force first of all to give the adversary a lot of looks from a lot of different directions in every single domain. You make it very difficult for them to focus their strengths.”

Berger also pointed out that medical facilities will need to be brought more forward in a high-intensity conflict to care for casualties. He also said protection of logistics and of command and control, which long have been taken for granted in the wars that the United States has fought over several decades, can no longer be taken for granted.

QUANTICO, Va. — A Marine Corps vehicle designed to transport International Standards Organization containers to supply Fleet Marines just reached a key acquisition milestone. 
 
The Rough Terrain Container Handler moves 20-to-40-foot ISO containers and shelters on rough terrain, beaches and other surfaces to assist with land and amphibious missions. The machine can lift and transport objects weighing more than 50,000 pounds. 
 
In September 2020, an upgraded version of the material handler reached full-rate production. 
 
“The Rough Terrain Container Handler resupplies Marines during battle,” said Matt Wilson, project officer for the RTCH program at Marine Corps Systems Command. “It’s a big, monster machine that you’d have to see in operation to really appreciate.” 
 
RTCH operates worldwide on rough surfaces, including sandy terrain, and is capable of ordnance ammunition handling operations. The vehicle can be quickly configured for transport by road, rail and marine landing craft, or by air in C-5 or C-17 cargo aircraft. 
 
The vehicle is commonly used during amphibious landings, where engineer equipment operators can employ the RTCH to offload containers, stage them on the beach and push cargo and supplies out to Marines as needed. The machine can also travel through shallow waters and transport ISO containers onto floating bridges called causeways. 

The Marine Corps began fielding the RTCH in 2006. While the vehicle has served Marines well, MCSC is always looking for ways to improve their technologies and maintain a competitive advantage over adversaries. 
 
“We communicated with Fleet Marines to determine what they wanted to see improve within the Rough Terrain Container Handler,” Wilson said. “We also looked at what the manufacturer could improve on the system.” 
 
After assessing this input, MCSC decided to upgrade the RTCH through the Service Life Extension Program as opposed to field an entirely new vehicle. The RTCH SLEP gives the RTCH at least another 10 years of operation, said Wilson. 
 
The SLEP also saves the Corps time. Instead of beginning at the start of the process — Milestone Decision Authority — the program began at the Milestone C stage, just prior to the production and deployment phase. 
 
“This has been a very streamlined process,” said Jarrett. “Instead of testing every part of this RTCH, which has already been done before, we only had to focus on the specific modifications to ensure those still met the requirements of the legacy vehicle and what we wanted to do with our SLEP program.” 
 
Since MCSC awarded the RTCH SLEP contract in January 2020, both the Army and Navy have joined the Marine Corps’ SLEP to acquire additional machines. 
 
“The Army and Navy are now involved in the program,” said Wilson. “When the Marines, Navy and Army seek the same materiel solution for the RTCH, it benefits all in Acquisitions, Provisioning and sets the Marine, Sailor and Soldier up for success.” 

LONDON — HMS Queen Elizabeth has embarked the largest number of warplanes ever onto her deck as she prepares to take her place at the heart of a U.K.-led NATO Carrier Strike Group, the U.K. Ministry of Defence said in a Sept. 23 release. 

Two squadrons of F-35B stealth jets, the RAF’s 617 Squadron (The Dambusters) and the U.S. Marines Corps Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-21, the Wake Island Avengers), have joined the 65,000-ton carrier as she sails for exercises with allies in the North Sea. 

With a total of 14 jets and eight Merlin helicopters, it’s the largest concentration of fighter jets to operate at sea from a Royal Navy carrier since HMS Hermes in 1983, and the largest air group of fifth generation fighters at sea anywhere in the world.  

In this month’s group exercise, HMS Queen Elizabeth will be joined by seven Royal Navy destroyers, frigates and auxiliaries, plus other supporting units, to form a fully sovereign Carrier Strike Group, ready to fight on the surface and in the air.  

The Carrier Strike Group will be put through its paces off the north east coast of Scotland as part of Joint Warrior, NATO’s largest annual exercise. 

“The United Kingdom’s maritime renaissance has been unfolding over many years, as we introduced a new generation of ships, submarines and aircraft into service,” said Commodore Steve Moorhouse, commander, U.K. Carrier Strike Group. “But this marks the first time we have brought them together in a cohesive, potent, fighting force. HMS Queen Elizabeth will be operating with the largest air group of fifth generation fighters assembled anywhere in the world. Led by the Royal Navy, and backed by our closest allies, this new Carrier Strike Group puts real muscle back into NATO and sends a clear signal that the United Kingdom takes its global role seriously.” 

Royal Navy Commander Mark Sparrow, 617 Squadron’s commanding officer, added: “This is an incredibly exciting time for 617 Squadron as we begin a new era of partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps building towards next year’s operational deployment with HMS Queen Elizabeth. You need to go back more than three decades to find the U.K. operating anything on this scale or complexity and this is a first for fifth-generation carrier capability. The era of big-deck, fast jet carrier operations is back”. 

Usually based in Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma, Arizona, VMFA-211 arrived in the United Kingdom, just under two weeks ago. Landing at the home of the Lightning Force, RAF Marham, after the trans-Atlantic flight, they worked up with 617 Squadron conducting the RAF led Exercise Point Blank before embarking in the carrier.  

“The Wake Island Avengers are ready in all respects to work with the British sailors and aircrew on board HMS Queen Elizabeth,” said Marine Lt. Col. Joseph Freshour, commanding officer of VMFA-211. “We are looking forward to deploying alongside our British counterparts over the next few months, and we will work tirelessly as a part of this transatlantic naval force. We are proud to play such an important role in the generation of an allies’ carrier strike capability.” 

Capt. James Blackmore, the U.K.’s Carrier Air Wing Commander, added: “We are going to learn a huge amount from operating F-35Bs at sea with the USMC, they have had them longer and we can share ideas and practices. But this is much more than that; this is the trans-Atlantic alliance in action, demonstrating that two close allies can not only fly from each other’s carriers, but can fight alongside each other should we need to. This level of integration offers a decisive flexibility in times of crisis, conflict or war.” 

HMS Queen Elizabeth, along with her 1,680 sailors, aviators and marines, is due to return to her home port of Portsmouth next month.