Funding for Tech and Talent to Secure Autonomous Systems Against Cyberattack

COLUMBIA, S.C. — July 23, 2024 — Benedict College and Integer Technologies announce that the Office of Naval Research (ONR) has awarded a $7.9 million contract to increase the cyber resilience of autonomous systems and enhance the workforce supporting the defense research enterprise.   

The two main components of the program, titled Resilient Autonomous Systems and Workforce Diversity, include: 1) research into automated cyber-physical security to improve the resilience of intelligent autonomous systems (IAS) against cyberattacks, and 2) enhancing the defense research capacity and STEM curriculum (science, technology, engineering, and math) at Benedict College to support the development of a highly skilled, technical workforce trained to meet the specialized technology needs of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).   

Recruiting, educating, and retaining a world-class workforce is one of the strategic goals in the Navy’s IAS Science and Technology Strategy. Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) represent a critical resource for STEM graduates, especially as they have a high percentage of students who are U.S. citizens, a key requirement for DoD projects. Both the industry and academic portions of the work will be performed in Columbia, SC. 

Funding from this contract will support the development of a master’s degree program in computer science and engineering at Benedict College, which would be the first graduate engineering degree of its kind at an HBCU in South Carolina.  

“ONR is proud to sponsor research on a unique opportunity like this that both enhances our cyber resilience and the diversity of our defense workforce,” said Dr. Thomas C. Fu, head of ONR’s Sea Warfare and Weapons Department. “Investing in research and workforce development at HBCUs is a priority for us to advance our national security objectives with a broad pipeline of highly trained, highly skilled men and women.” 

“Benedict College has been strategically investing in STEM and our research capacity for years, and this award is a result of that effort. As we will demonstrate in this work, HBCUs have an important contribution to make to America’s national security and workforce,” said Benedict College President and CEO, Roslyn Clark Artis, J.D., Ed.D. “Integer has been an incredible partner to help us navigate doing business with the Department of Defense, strengthening our STEM infrastructure, and connecting our students to the defense industry, and we’re looking forward to working with them on this exciting program.” 

“This program will enable Benedict College to increase our research capacity by recruiting highly skilled faculty for research and teaching in contemporary engineering disciplines, such as simulating cyberattacks against autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity engineering, machine learning, etc., and will provide our students with real-world experience to help launch them into great careers in the defense industry and other STEM fields,” said Godwin E. Mbamalu Ph.D., FAIC, Associate Vice President for Research at Benedict College, and Distinguished Professor. 

“Autonomous vehicles are no longer science fiction. They are on the road, in the air, and in the sea, impacting our lives today. While they have the potential to benefit society greatly, hackers are increasingly targeting them, and we need to invest in ensuring they are safe and secure against cyberattacks,” said Duke Hartman, CEO of Integer Technologies. “The research Benedict College has done in securing automotive vehicles against cyberattacks was excellent and applying that expertise to the maritime domain was a natural progression. This project will improve South Carolina’s competitiveness in this emerging industry, both in terms of academic research and workforce development at Benedict College, and in terms of technology development and commercialization at Integer Technologies.” 

“Providing South Carolinians with opportunities to thrive and succeed, especially those in rural and underserved communities, has always been my priority,” said Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06). “Academic-industry partnerships like this help grow South Carolina’s STEM workforce and build our technology infrastructure. This project will equip our aspiring STEM workers with valuable experience and put them at the forefront of technological research and innovation.” 

General Dynamics Mission Systems’ Containerized Tethered Elevated Mast (C-TEM) shipboard tethered unmanned aerial system solution will extend line-of-sight communication for U.S. Navy ships and unmanned surface vessels.

General Dynamics Mission Systems is a mission integrator for the Navy’s hybrid fleet of manned and unmanned platforms. The company is partnering with Dragonfly Pictures Inc. (DPI), a small business based in Essington, Pennsylvania, for the C-TEM program.

According to Scott Beauchemin, vice president for Surface Systems at General Dynamics Mission Systems, there are many advantages of a tethered drone to elevate a sensor, especially in contested environments. 

“C-TEM use cases are only limited by the warfighter’s imagination,” Beauchemin said.

“C-TEM extends sensor, network and communications capabilities on an as-needed basis. With all-weather, long-endurance mission support, automated flight control and a low visual signature in-flight, C-TEM is ideal for both manned surface platforms and unmanned surface vessels, which will become more and more prevalent in the U.S. Navy’s fleet,” Beauchemin said. “In addition to its encrypted high-bandwidth data exchange capability, C-TEM can also be outfitted with numerous capability packages, ranging from radar, electronic warfare, counter UAS, ISR [Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance], and other missions.”

Beauchemin said C-TEM can be quickly deployed and retrieved for continuous sustained operations in all weather conditions. The containerized system is easy to install and requires minimal integration to existing systems.

“Terrestrial communications remain a critical tool for digital connectivity for manned and unmanned vehicles. Elevating antennas from moving platforms is no easy task as it requires a well-coordinated dance between air-sea platforms,” said Mike Piasecki, DPI’s president. “We believe C-TEM systems can have meaningful impact on future naval unmanned maritime missions around the globe.”

The aircraft weighs 55 pounds with a 15-pound payload installed and can fly as high as 500 feet above the launch platform. The system requires very little operator intervention. Station keeping and sensor direction is managed autonomously, and safe recovery protocols are automatic.

The C-TEM contract was awarded to General Dynamic Mission Systems in June 2022 via the Unmanned Surface Vehicle Family of Systems multiple award contract by the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C. The contract, including options if exercised, has a cumulative value of $39.4 million.

From SECNAV Public Affairs, 22 July 2024 

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced that a future Expeditionary Fast Transport, EPF 16, will be named USNS Lansing, July 22. 

LANSING, Michigan (July 22, 2024) – Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced that a future Expeditionary Fast Transport, EPF 16, will be named USNS Lansing on July 22. 

Secretary Del Toro made the announcement during a press conference at the Michigan State Capitol. 

The future USNS Lansing is the first ship named in honor of Michigan’s capital city, Lansing. A previous USS Lansing (DE 388) was named for Aviation Machinist Mate First Class William Henry Lansing and decommissioned in 1965. 

“This city is a testament and monument to American ingenuity and our democratic ideals,” said Secretary Del Toro. “It is my deepest honor to announce that the next expeditionary fast transport, EPF 16, will be named USNS Lansing.”  

Secretary Del Toro made the announcement alongside Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Mayor Andy Schor of Lansing, Michigan. Both spoke about the honor and meaning behind the naming of the Navy’s newest EPF. 

“On behalf of the City of Lansing and our residents, I am truly grateful that the Navy has decided to name this new vessel in honor of our city. Lansing, in addition to being Michigan’s capital, is a manufacturing hub that has proudly supplied and supported those serving this country in every conflict since the Civil War,” said Mayor Schor. “Knowing that this great tradition lives on in this new vessel is a testament to the work our residents have done to support our military throughout the years.” 

Along with the ship’s name, Secretary Del Toro also announced that Governor Whitmer will serve as sponsor of the future USNS Lansing. In her role as sponsor, she will represent a lifelong relationship with the ship and crew. 

“Lansing has something for everyone and everyone has a place in Lansing,” said Governor Whitmer. “This is a diverse, inclusive city where people from around the world have come to build better lives for themselves and their loved ones.” 

Lansing, the capital of Michigan, is located primarily in Ingham County in central Michigan’s Lower Peninsula on the Grand River at its confluence with the Red Cedar River. With a population of more than 112,000, Lansing is the sixth-largest city in Michigan. 

A provision of the Michigan constitution moved the state capital from Detroit to Ingham County’s unsettled Lansing Township in 1847. Initially called the Village of Michigan, the new capital took the name of the township it had been in in 1849. 

In the late 1850s, the state legislature began financing the construction of roads running from Lansing to larger cities like Detroit. This was a significant step towards the city’s future development. In the 1870s, railroads connected the capital to out-of-state destinations, further enhancing its connectivity. At the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries, Lansing experienced an industrial boom with the establishment of several automobile manufacturers, a period that shaped the city’s identity and economic landscape. 

Over the next several decades, the city became a central American hub producing motor vehicles. 

However, the decline of the automotive industry in the late 2000s was a turning point for Lansing. Instead of succumbing to the crisis, the city diversified its economy, engaging in a broader range of industries including healthcare, education, government service, insurance, banking, and information technology. This resilience and adaptability are a testament to Lansing’s strength and potential. 

The Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) is a shallow draft, all aluminum, commercial-based catamaran capable of intra-theater personnel and cargo lift, providing combatant commanders high-speed sealift mobility with inherent cargo handling capability and agility to achieve positional advantage over operational distances. Bridging the gap between low-speed sealift and high-speed airlift, EPFs transport personnel, equipment and supplies over operational distances with access to littoral offload points including austere, minor and degraded ports in support of the Global War on Terrorism/Theater Security Cooperation Program, Intra-theater Operational/Littoral Maneuver and Sustainment and Seabasing. EPFs enable the rapid projection, agile maneuver and sustainment of modular, tailored forces in response to a wide range of military and civilian contingencies such as Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. 
 
More information on our expeditionary fast transport ship programs can be found here. 

Read Secretary Del Toro’s full remarks here. 

Jul 18, 2024 

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The U.S. Navy awarded the Phoenix Air Group Inc. a $165 million contract June 28 for Contracted Air Services (CAS) flight hours to simulate a variety of airborne electronic warfare (EW) threats to train, test and evaluate shipboard personnel and aircraft squadron weapon systems operators and aircrew. 

“Fleet training against airborne electronic attack forces is a priority and a critical path to achieving electromagnetic spectrum superiority,” said Capt. Greg Sutton, Adversary and Specialized Aircraft Program Office (PMA-226) Program Manager. “The CAS EW jet services contract provides an ability to simulate both the threat and overall spectrum density of the current and future high-end fight of which is essential to effective aircrew training.” 

The contract includes use of 10 contractor-owned and operated aircraft that can support up to 5,000 flight hours of EW jet capabilities per year for fleet scheduling on the East and West Coasts. They can be used in a variety of venues, from basic “schoolhouse” air intercept control training, large multinational exercises, and small, single unit training exercises, including target/banner tow missions supporting the Navy, Department of Defense (DOD) and non-DOD agencies. 

“CAS affordably fills critical and mandatory training requirements, mitigating readiness gaps and capability divestments,” said PMA-226 CAS EW Integrated Product Team Lead Matt Rhodes. “It provides fleet air defense training to include evaluation of evolving threats via uniquely modified aircraft configured as required to simulate Fleet Forces Command identified hostile EW near peer threats for air-to-air and air-to-surface training events.” 

The EW jets contract is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with work scheduled to begin this August and completed in August 2029. 

July 18, 2024  

Army and Navy programs combine to defeat complex threat 

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii, July 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — At Valiant Shield 24, Raytheon, an RTX business, demonstrated a simulated complex missile engagement leveraging the U.S. Army’s Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor, or LTAMDS, and Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System, IBCS, launching the U.S. Navy’s premier, long-range effector, Standard Missile-6 (SM-6). 

Using track data from Army LTAMDS simulators and operational SM-6 engagement control software interfaced with IBCS, the test demonstrated the successful integration of these existing, respective Army and Navy program capabilities. This proves the feasibility of SM-6 as an additional effector within the Army IAMD architecture including IBCS and LTAMDS. The experiment, which used a combination of physical systems’ hardware and simulation, demonstrated the effective detection and identification of an in-coming threat, target and track data transfer, launch command, and the successful guide to missile intercept. 

“The successful test confirms a viable option for INDOPACOM by demonstrating SM-6 integrated with IBCS and LTAMDS,” said Tom Laliberty, president of Land & Air Defense Systems at Raytheon. “LTAMDS matched with SM-6 adds an exceptional capability to defeat increasingly diverse and complex threats with a multi-mission missile that flies as far as the radar can see – providing for long range Army and Joint integrated air and missile defense.” 

Valiant Shield is a bi-annual exercise that brings allies and partners together to develop, test and train in a relevant and realistic environment. Government and industry bring technologies, designs and solutions with the common goal to increase the joint-combined force’s ability to plan, communicate and conduct complex, multi-domain operations throughout the Indo-Pacific. 

From U.S. Central Command, July 18,2024 

TAMPA, Fla. – In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed two surface-to-air missiles (SAM) and four uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) on the ground in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. 

It was determined these weapons presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure. 

By PHNSY & IMF and AUKUS I&A Public Affairs, July 19, 2024 

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – Twenty-eight ASC Pty Ltd [formerly known as the Australian Submarine Corporation] personnel began training at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as part of the Australia, United Kingdom and United States (AUKUS) enhanced trilateral security partnership this week. 

The ASC employees will be trained and certified on various aspects of submarine maintenance to support the AUKUS Pillar 1 program that is supporting Australia’s acquisition of sovereign conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines. 

“After months of preparation, we are excited to welcome the Australian maintainers into our shipyard family. The intensive training process they will undergo over the next few years will lay the groundwork for them to ultimately lead and execute their own maintenance operations,” said Capt. Ryan McCrillis, commanding officer of PHNSY & IMF. 

In July 2023, PHNSY & IMF was chosen as the Naval Supervising Authority and Lead Maintenance Activity for Submarine Rotational Force – West (SRF-W) at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia. SRF-W will host up to four U.S. Virginia-class submarines and one UK Astute-class submarine, starting as early as 2027. Routine intermediate maintenance work, which does not require dry-docking the submarines and takes weeks – rather than months or years – to complete, will be planned and executed by ASC’s trained workforce and certified by PHNSY & IMF personnel. 

“Conducting joint training and working side-by-side with our Australian colleagues is critical to building the essential knowledge needed to fully support SRF-W,” McCrillis added. “This training evolution, which focuses on technical maintenance skills, strengthens our own readiness, ensuring warfighters are equipped to carry out their complex mission.” 

The first cohort of ASC personnel will receive a mix of classroom instruction and hands-on experience covering radiological controls, nuclear engineering, non-nuclear engineering and quality assurance. The training durations will vary based on the specific trades and disciplines being taught. Once they complete their training, the ASC personnel will return to Australia appropriately qualified and skilled to conduct Virginia-class maintenance, under U.S. supervision, during routine U.S. submarine port visits to HMAS Stirling. Australia and the United States expect more than 100 ASC personnel to start training at PHNSY & IMF over the next twelve months. 

“We are ushering in a new era for our submarine maintenance workforce,” said Rear Adm. Matt Buckley, Head of Nuclear Submarine Capability within the Australian Submarine Agency. “By leveraging the U.S. and UK’s decades-long expertise, we are learning from the best to develop our own world-class sovereign nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarine force. The 28 ASC personnel, combined with more than thirty Royal Australian Navy personnel who joined the crew of U.S. submarine tender USS Emory S. Land (AS 39) this year, represent the cornerstone of our future submarine force maintenance workforce.” 

“The AUKUS partners share a commitment stretching back over a century to preserving democracy and maintaining an international rules-based order,” said Rear Adm. Lincoln Reifsteck, program manager, AUKUS Integration and Acquisition Office. “Thanks to bipartisan Congressional support last year to pass legislation allowing us to train Australian maintenance personnel in our public shipyards, we continue to make progress toward establishing Australia’s sovereign, conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine force in support of our shared vision of a free, open, and stable Indo-Pacific.” 

PHNSY & IMF is also hiring additional personnel to support training hundreds of Australian maintainers. 

“The shipyard is growing, so we will continue to hire to meet the needs of our fleet while adding additional personnel to support the increased training demand,” said McCrillis. “Our efforts will not only support Australia’s goal to build a sovereign SSN capability, but also provide real benefits to the U.S. Navy mission in the Indo-Pacific.” 

PHNSY & IMF is a field activity of NAVSEA and a one-stop regional maintenance center for the Navy’s surface ships and submarines. It is the largest industrial employer in the state of Hawai’i, with a combined civilian and military workforce of approximately 6,400. It is the most comprehensive fleet repair and maintenance facility between the U.S. West Coast and the Far East, strategically located in the heart of the Pacific, being about a week’s steaming time closer to potential regional contingencies in the Indo-Pacific. 

The AUKUS Integration and Acquisition Program Office is responsible for executing the trilateral partnership to support Australia’s acquisition of sovereign, conventionally armed, nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines at the earliest possible date while setting the highest nuclear stewardship standards and continuing to maintain the highest nonproliferation standard. The AUKUS partnership is a strategic endeavor that will uplift the industrial bases of the three partners and promote a safe, free and open Indo-Pacific, ensuring an international, rules-based order is upheld in the region. 

To learn about AUKUS Pillar 1 and the Optimal Pathway, visit —- FACT SHEET: Trilateral Australia-UK-US Partnership on Nuclear-Powered Submarines | The White House 

From U.S. Naval Surface Force Atlantic, 14 July 2024 

 NORFOLK, Va – The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) returned to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, July 14, following a nine-month deployment to the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation as part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG). 
 
As a unit attached to IKESCG, Gravely played a pivotal role providing air defense for the strike group, conducting defensive strikes into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, and escorting shipping through the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Since December 2023, IKECSG spearheaded Operation Prosperity Guardian, defending against Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and supporting freedom of navigation and maritime stability in the region. 
 
“Throughout our time in theater, our purpose was to be a ready asset for IKECSG,” said Cmdr. Brian Sánchez, commanding officer of USS Gravely. “The Sailors on Gravely defended mariners, strike group units, and allies and partners in the region, while engaging threats when required. On numerous occasions, our Sailors fulfilled their duty knowing exactly what needed to be done when it mattered the most. They provided support for innocent merchant shipping vessels. I could not be more proud of our Sailors and what they’ve accomplished this deployment.” 
 
Gravely left Norfolk, Virginia on October 13, 2023 for a scheduled deployment. As part of the IKECSG, Gravely was extended twice, to complete the nine-month deployment. 
 
The IKECSG is commanded by Carrier Strike Group 2 and comprised of flagship aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), guided-missile destroyers USS Mason (DDG 87) and USS Gravely (DDG 107) of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 22, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3, and the Information Warfare Commander. 
 
Squadrons of CVW 3 include the “Gunslingers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105, the “Fighting Swordsmen” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32, the “Rampagers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 83, the “Wildcats” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 131, the “Screwtops” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 123, the “Zappers” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130, the “Dusty Dogs” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7, the “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74 and the “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40. 

From CNO Public Affairs, July 18, 2024 

Newport, R.I. — Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Lisa Franchetti hosted the CNO Futures Game at the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, July 16-17.  

Franchetti emphasized the need for leaders across the Joint Force to think, act, and operate differently, and seek ways to integrate conventional capability with hybrid, unmanned, and disruptive technologies, because tomorrow’s battlefield will be incredibly challenging and complex.  

“It is our duty to plan for the future and ensure our Fleet is always ready to preserve the peace, respond in crisis, and win decisively in war,” said Franchetti. “The Navy is never going to fight alone. We will work hand-in-hand with our Joint teammates and Allies and partners. To that end, I challenge you to have an open mind and think about the capabilities, people, and broader warfighting ecosystem across the Joint Force that we’re going to need to effectively carry out our missions.”  

Futures Game is organized by the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Development Vice Adm. Dan Dwyer. 

“The Navy uses events like the CNO Futures Game as part of our ongoing analytic efforts to shape and inform naval strategy, analysis, operational concepts, and warfighting requirements,” said Dwyer. “By examining potential future states, we can characterize the operational problems the Navy will face today and tomorrow as well as what roles the Navy may be asked to perform in support of our national security. Events like the CNO Futures Game support this process and allow us to better characterize future challenges.” 

Robust wargaming and analysis underpin Navy efforts by providing analytic rigor and a comprehensive examination of strategic and operational concepts to support CNO decision making on the most consequential issues facing the Navy. 

“We know our enduring functions: sea control, power projection, deterrence, maritime security, and sealift, but it is our ability to test alternative concepts, reinvigorate analysis, and explore future force structure options that will enable us to field a force capable of responding to all threats–anywhere and anytime,” said Franchetti. 

As a critical component of the Navy’s Analytic Master Plan (AMP), the U.S. Naval War College (NWC) is designated by the CNO as the Navy’s pillar lead for wargaming. NWC spearheads efforts to integrate all research activities within the naval wargaming enterprise and facilitates the promulgation and integration of research findings across the naval analytic community. 

Wargaming has been integral to NWC since 1887. While the tools and technology used in simulations have evolved over the past century, the value of wargaming in maritime leadership development remains strong. Today, NWC conducts more than 50 gaming events per year, ranging in variety from complex, multi-sided computer-assisted games to simple, single-sided seminar games.
This was Franchetti’s first time hosting the Futures Game as CNO. She hosted the Futures Game in 2023 as Vice Chief of Naval Operations.   

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., July 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HII (NYSE: HII) announced today that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has completed contracted work at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory’s Kenneth A. Kesselring Site in West Milton, New York. 

Since 2012, NNS provided maintenance services and led the refueling overhaul of a nuclear reactor prototype at the Kesselring site, a research and development facility that supports the U.S. Navy’s Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. 

“With the completion of our work, Kesselring is positioned to continue to train nuclear operators for decades to come,” explained Mary Cullen, NNS vice president of nuclear propulsion. “We are proud of our legacy supporting the Navy’s Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. I want to thank the thousands of NNS shipbuilders who touched this project over the years. Their dedication and commitment to excellence is unmatched.” 

NNS is the nation’s sole designer, builder and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of only two shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines for the U.S. Navy. 

A photo accompanying this release is available at: https://hii.com/news/hiis-newport-news-shipbuilding-completes-contracted-work-at-kenneth-a-kesselring-site/.