Release from Commander, Naval Surface Group Mid-Pacific

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07 August 2023 

PEARL HARBOR, HI, UNITED STATES – The Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120), and its crew arrived at the ship’s new home port of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Aug. 7. 
 
USS Carl M. Levin is the first naval ship named in honor of Michigan’s longest serving senator, the late Carl M. Levin, for his years of service as a longtime member and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. 
 
Levin began his career as an attorney, professor, and assistant attorney general in Michigan and was elected to the Senate in 1979. Levin chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee from 2001 – 2003 and from 2007 until his retirement. He was Michigan’s first Jewish senator and the state’s longest-serving senator, serving for 36 years before retiring in 2015. 
 
“USS Carl M. Levin honors the legacy and achievements of a great American senator who always placed service of others above self,” said Cmdr. Kelly Craft, Carl M. Levin’s commanding officer. “Symbolized in U.S. steel, the crew has worked tirelessly to bring her to life and sail her to our homeport of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. We are proud to join our comrades in the defense of Hawaii, ready to take on any challenge and always remain tenacious in the fight.” 
 
During Carl M. Levin’s transit to Hawaii, the ship made port calls to major naval ports including Newport, Rhode Island., Norfolk, Virginia, Mayport, Florida, and San Diego, California. Additionally, the crew stopped in Oranjestad, Aruba, before continuing through the Panama Canal and visiting Manta, Ecuador. Throughout their journey, Carl M. Levin accomplished numerous certifications and evolutions including, underway replenishments at sea, flight quarters, gun shoots, small boat operations, and many more. 
 
The ship was christened on Oct. 2, 2021 at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, and commissioned in on June 24, 2023, in Baltimore. 
 
The mission of Commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific is to manage the overall warfighting capability of the Surface Combatant Force homeported at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; to coordinate the manning, operations, combat systems, engineering, maintenance, training, logistics, administration, and support of assigned units to achieve the highest levels of combat readiness. 
 
As in integral part of U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet operates naval forces in the Indo-Pacific in addition to providing realistic and relevant training necessary to execute the U.S. Navy’s timeless roles of sea control and power projection. U.S. 3rd Fleet works in close coordination with other numbered fleets to provide commanders with capable, ready forces to deploy forward and win in day-to-day competition, in crisis, and in conflict. 

PEARL HARBOR, HI, UNITED STATES – The Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120), and its crew arrived at the ship’s new home port of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Aug. 7. 
 
USS Carl M. Levin is the first naval ship named in honor of Michigan’s longest serving senator, the late Carl M. Levin, for his years of service as a longtime member and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. 
 
Levin began his career as an attorney, professor, and assistant attorney general in Michigan and was elected to the Senate in 1979. Levin chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee from 2001 – 2003 and from 2007 until his retirement. He was Michigan’s first Jewish senator and the state’s longest-serving senator, serving for 36 years before retiring in 2015. 
 
“USS Carl M. Levin honors the legacy and achievements of a great American senator who always placed service of others above self,” said Cmdr. Kelly Craft, Carl M. Levin’s commanding officer. “Symbolized in U.S. steel, the crew has worked tirelessly to bring her to life and sail her to our homeport of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. We are proud to join our comrades in the defense of Hawaii, ready to take on any challenge and always remain tenacious in the fight.” 
 
During Carl M. Levin’s transit to Hawaii, the ship made port calls to major naval ports including Newport, Rhode Island., Norfolk, Virginia, Mayport, Florida, and San Diego, California. Additionally, the crew stopped in Oranjestad, Aruba, before continuing through the Panama Canal and visiting Manta, Ecuador. Throughout their journey, Carl M. Levin accomplished numerous certifications and evolutions including, underway replenishments at sea, flight quarters, gun shoots, small boat operations, and many more. 
 
The ship was christened on Oct. 2, 2021 at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, and commissioned in on June 24, 2023, in Baltimore. 
 
The mission of Commander, Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific is to manage the overall warfighting capability of the Surface Combatant Force homeported at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; to coordinate the manning, operations, combat systems, engineering, maintenance, training, logistics, administration, and support of assigned units to achieve the highest levels of combat readiness. 
 
As in integral part of U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet operates naval forces in the Indo-Pacific in addition to providing realistic and relevant training necessary to execute the U.S. Navy’s timeless roles of sea control and power projection. U.S. 3rd Fleet works in close coordination with other numbered fleets to provide commanders with capable, ready forces to deploy forward and win in day-to-day competition, in crisis, and in conflict. 

Release from Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific 

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Office of Naval Research, NIWC Pacific host 26th international RoboSub Competition 

07 August 2023 

From Mason Piedfort, Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific 

SAN DIEGO – The Office of Naval Research (ONR) and Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific hosted RoboNation’s 26th international RoboSub Competition at NIWC Pacific Transducer Evaluation Center (TRANSDEC) July 31 – Aug. 6. 

Student participants from across the globe built robotic submarines designed to overcome simplified versions of challenges relevant to the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) field.

“The Navy employs unmanned systems in every domain — in the air, on the sea, and under the sea,” said Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, who attended Aug. 2. “The innovation and creativity we see through programs like RoboSub push the imagination of what is possible in unmanned platforms. These competitors represent the leaders of the future who will bring solutions to some of our most difficult challenges in the fleet and industry.” 
 

This year 35 teams represented five countries: the U.S., Canada, Bangladesh, India, and Singapore. Teams are affiliated with high schools, university undergraduate and graduate programs, and non-profit organizations. 
 
Though teams compete for various amounts of prize money, cross-team cooperation is common at RoboSub, in what RoboNation Program Manager Julianna Smith called a spirit of “cooperatition,” a combination of cooperation and competition. 
 
In the spirit of cooperatition, Team Inspiration, a local team affiliated with non-profit organization Advancing Science, Technology, and Art, hosted a visiting team who arrived to the competition early for dinner at a teammate’s home in the San Diego suburbs. 
 
“It’s rewarding to work with the other teams,” one Team Inspiration member said. “We get to learn from them and then pass that knowledge down to younger teams, not just here at RoboSub but at all the robotics events we do. We help mentor kids interested in robotics both locally and globally and check in with them on Zoom and Discord often.” 
 
The Ohio State University team helped several teams with mechanical fixes throughout the competition. “Of course we want to win, but not because one of the competitors had an issue we could have helped them fix,” one student team leader said. 
 
Students from local team “SDSU Mechatronics,” affiliated with San Diego State University, drove back and forth from their facility to retrieve spare parts for other teams. “When I first joined RoboSub, I worried that it would be overly competitive, but the atmosphere is completely different,” an SDSU Mechatronics team member said. “One of the best parts of RoboNation events is that all the schools help each other out — and as a local team, we want to be a part of that.”  
 
Teams submitted pre-event technical design documentation before arriving at the TRANSDEC. During the competition, volunteer judges evaluated the teams’ performances in underwater autonomy challenge tasks, team presentations, and system assessments. Judges inspected vehicles for design, craftsmanship, technical innovation, and visual impact. 
 
“From my perspective as both the Chief of Naval Research [CNR] and the Naval Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math [STEM] Executive, RoboSub is truly a valuable and important event for fostering greater naval innovation,” said CNR Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus, who also visited the competition Aug. 2. “Not only do we get to meet the next generation of talented scientists and engineers, but we also introduce them to some of the most pressing challenges faced by our Sailors and Marines. This is especially prevalent as autonomous systems and capabilities play an increasingly important role in current and future battlescapes.” 
 
In one of the six challenges, autonomous underwater vehicles navigated through one of two gates; in another, the vehicles dropped path markers into bins and earned bonus points for dropping markers in bins coinciding with the gate passed through earlier. 
 
“Teams have been in the pool at TRANSDEC nearly non-stop,” said Travis Moscicki, NIWC Pacific lead for RoboSub, on the third day of the competition. “Hands down, the number one indicator of performance is time spent in water. This highlights the exact reason we hold the event — there is no substitution for experience.” 
 
Moscicki, who holds a doctorate in ocean engineering, participated in RoboNation robotics competitions as a student before his employment at NIWC Pacific. Now he’s getting to watch how teams evolve year after year. “One team pointed out that at last year’s event they encountered many gremlins (engineer speak for an issue!), but they weren’t sure how to solve them,” he said. “This year, they are still encountering gremlins, but are finding they have solutions. Progression is what RoboSub is all about.” 
 
This year, the National University of Singapore team took first place for the second year in a row, Brac University from Bangladesh took second place, and the University of Alberta from Canada took third place in the autonomy task challenges. Teams also won awards for design documentation, mentorship, ingenuity, data sharing, and “cooperatition.” 
 
NIWC Pacific hosted RoboSub from 2002 to 2019. This year marked the competition’s return to the TRANSDEC pool, which contains six million gallons of water and is 300 feet by 200 feet in size. Its design eliminates all extraneous man-made or natural biologic noises and permits precise control of surface and underwater conditions. 
 
NIWC Pacific and ONR research, develop, and deliver integrated capabilities to the fleet. Both regularly contribute to STEM outreach programs which help develop talent and partnerships for the future. 
 
“The Navy is built on the keel of STEM education, leveraging scientific understanding, critical thinking and problem-solving skills to take us where we need to go,” Franchetti said. “Our Sailors and civilians are out there every day developing, operating and maintaining the most complex ecosystems of warfighting functions; integrating propulsion, power, weapons, combat and information systems we need remain the greatest Navy in the world.” 

Release from the Secretary of the Navy Public Affairs 

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07 August 2023 

Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro announced today that a future Navajo-class Towing, Salvage, and Rescue (T-ATS) ship will be named in honor of Solomon Atkinson, a pioneering Navy SEAL and an Alaskan Native of the Metlakatla Indian Community, Annette Islands Reserve. Del Toro made the announcement on the Metlakatla’s Founders Day, Aug. 7. 

The name selection of USNS Solomon Atkinson (T-ATS 12) follows the tradition of naming towing, salvage, and rescue ships after prominent Native Americans or Native American tribes.    

“I am honored to name the next T-ATS after Solomon Atkinson, a man who achieved many firsts, even in the face of adversity, and continued to lead,” said Del Toro. “Atkinson’s achievements as a SEAL have left behind an enduring legacy, not just in the Special Warfare Community, but with our nation’s astronauts as well. I am pleased to ensure that his name will extend globally to all who views this great ship.” 

Born in 1930 in Metlakatla, Alaska, Solomon Atkinson was raised by his parents on the sole Indian Reserve in Alaska. Atkinson worked as a commercial fisherman before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1952. A year later, Atkinson volunteered for the underwater demolition teams and became a frogman, the precursor to present day SEALs. In 1962, Atkinson became one of the first Navy SEALs and was a plank owner for SEAL Team 1. As a SEAL, he deployed to Korea and completed three combat tours in Vietnam. His Vietnam service-related awards include a Bronze Star, a Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V,” and a Purple Heart. Atkinson also had the distinction of training numerous astronauts, including Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, in underwater weightless simulations at the Underwater Swimmers School in Key West, Florida. Atkinson retired from active naval service in 1973 as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 and returned to Metlakatla, where he continued to serve his people and state on the Indian Community Council and Board of Education, as founder and president of the first veterans’ organization on Annette Island, and as mayor of Metlakatla. Upon his passing in 2019, an honor guard from SEAL Team 1 served as pallbearers at his funeral. 

“Chief Warrant Officer 4 Solomon “Sol” Atkinson embodied the spirit of dedication to family, community, and country,” said Rear Adm. Keith Davids, commander, Naval Special Warfare Command. “His pioneering role as one of the first U.S. Navy SEALs, and his unwavering commitment to service both in and out of uniform, serves as an inspiration for the entire Naval Special Warfare community. Naming the USNS Solomon Atkinson in his honor is a testament to his remarkable legacy and the enduring impact he has left on NSW, the Navy, and the nation.” 

Along with the ship’s name, Del Toro announced the sponsors for the future USNS Solomon Atkinson as his widow, Joann Atkinson and their two daughters, Michele Gunyah and Maria Hayward, who, in their role, will represent a lifelong relationship with the ship and crew. 

“There exists a long-held Tsimshian tradition, ‘akadi lip a’algyaga sm’ooygit,’ loosely translated ‘a chief never speaks for himself’,” said sponsor, Maria Hayward. “Through all of his time as a U.S. Navy UDT and SEAL, as well as a leader of veterans and Native Alaskans, Sol lived this ethos. And, here today, in the shadow of Sol’s death, he holds to it still. Thank you to the U.S. Navy for speaking to Solomon’s honor and helping his family and fellow Frogmen shout his legacy to the seven seas!” 

Navajo-class ships will provide ocean-going tug, salvage, and rescue capabilities to support Fleet operations. The current capabilities are provided by Powhatan-class T-ATF Fleet Tugs and Safeguard-class T-ARS Rescue and Salvage vessels, which began reaching the end of their expected service lives in 2020. Navajo-class ships will be capable of towing U.S. Navy ships and will have 6,000 square feet of deck space for embarked systems.  

More information on our towing, salvage, and rescue ship programs can be found here.  

Release from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs 

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From U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs 

MANAMA, Bahrain – More than 3,000 U.S. Sailors and Marines of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived in the Middle East, Aug. 6, as part of a pre-announced Department of Defense deployment. 

Amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 50) and dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) entered the Red Sea after transiting from the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. Bataan ARG/26th MEU units bring to the region additional aviation and naval assets, as well as more U.S. Marines and Sailors, providing greater flexibility and maritime capability to U.S. 5th Fleet.  

An amphibious assault ship can carry more than two dozen rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, including MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and AV-8B Harrier attack jets in addition to several amphibious landing craft. A dock landing ship also supports operations for various rotary-wing aircraft, tactical vehicles and amphibious landing craft.  

The Bataan ARG departed Norfolk, Virginia on July 10 with Amphibious Squadron 8, Fleet Surgical Team 8, Tactical Air Control Squadron 21, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, Assault Craft Unit 4, Beach Master Unit 2 and the 26th MEU. 

The 26th MEU, based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, is capable of conducting amphibious missions, crisis response and limited contingency operations to include enabling the introduction of follow-on forces and designated special operations. 

The U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations encompasses approximately 2.5 million square miles of water space and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea, parts of the Indian Ocean and three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Strait of Bab al-Mandeb. 

Release from U.S. 7th Fleet 

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04 August 2023 

ROCKINGHAM, Western Australia (Aug. 4, 2023) – USS North Carolina (SSN 777) docked at HMAS Stirling, a naval base in Western Australia, today following participation in Talisman Sabre 2023. 

This marks the first visit by a Virginia-class submarine to the country since the leaders’ announcement of the Australia, United Kingdom, and United States (AUKUS) Optimal Pathway. 

Initially announced in September 2021, the AUKUS partnership is designed to bolster the security and defense capabilities of the three nations and promote security in the Indo-Pacific region. 

“North Carolina’s presence in HMAS Stirling is an example of the United States’ full commitment to the AUKUS partnership starting with a promised increase in SSN port visits to Australia in 2023,” said Mr. Abe Denmark, Senior Advisor for AUKUS to the Secretary of Defense. “These port visits are an essential step for Australia to build the necessary operational capabilities and skills to steward and operate its own fleet of nuclear-powered attack submarines.” 

The Optimal Pathway is a phased approach that represents an ambitious plan to provide Australia with a conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability at the earliest possible date while ensuring Australia’s capacity to safely operate, maintain and regulate this technology, and setting the highest standards for nuclear non-proliferation.  

• Phase One includes increased SSN port visits aimed to expand Australia’s knowledge of SSNs ahead of establishing Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-W) as early as 2027. SRF-W will start a rotational presence of up to four Virginia-class submarines (US), and one United Kingdom Astute class submarine at HMAS Stirling. 
• Phase Two begins in the early 2030s, pending approval from the U.S. Congress, with the United States selling Australia three Virginia class submarines, with the potential to sell up to two more if needed. 
• Phase Three sees the combination of a base British submarine design and advanced United States technology to deliver SSN-AUKUS, the future attack submarine for both Australia and the United Kingdom. Australia plans to deliver the first Australian-built SSN-AUKUS in the early 2040s. 

“Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States share a long history of security cooperation around the world,” said Rear Adm. Chris Cavanaugh, Commander, Submarine Group (CSG) 7. “I am impressed every day by our ability to work together seamlessly during undersea warfare training and operations.” 
 
CSG 7 directs forward-deployed, combat-capable forces across the full spectrum of undersea warfare throughout the Western Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Arabian Sea. 

U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. 

Release from Naval Sea Systems Command 

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By NAVSEA Office of Corporate Communications and AUKUS Integration and Acquisition Program Office Public Affairs 

WASHINGTON – Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command Vice Adm. Bill Galinis named Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) as the Naval Supervising Authority (NSA) and Lead Maintenance Activity (LMA) for Submarine Rotational Force – West (SRF-W) July 26. As the NSA/LMA, PHNSY & IMF will support the establishment of SRF-W, which is the first phase of the AUKUS Pillar One effort that is delivering conventionally armed nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) to Australia. SRF-W will host up to four Virginia-class and one United Kingdom Astute-class attack submarines (SSNs) at HMAS Stirling on a rotational basis in Western Australia starting in 2027. 

Initially announced in September 2021, the AUKUS trilateral agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States is a strategic endeavor aimed at strengthening the security and defense capabilities of the three nations that also promotes stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region. Australia will acquire SSNs under Pillar One of AUKUS via a plan known as the “Optimal Pathway” announced by the heads of the three partner nations on March 13, 2023. 

With the extended rotations lasting between three and five years, Virginia-class SSNs will require voyage repair and Intermediate-Level (I-Level) maintenance that generally lasts several weeks and does not require dry docking. As the NSA/LMA, PHNSY & IMF will support training Australian military and civilian personnel to execute the required work. 

“There is no doubt that Pearl Harbor is the right shipyard to serve as the NSA/LMA for SRF-W,” said Galinis. “Having completed numerous maintenance availabilities, they know the Virginia-class. When you add in the exceptional skill of the Pearl Harbor workforce, it is the right decision.” 

“It is an honor and a formidable responsibility to have PHNSY & IMF chosen to serve as the NSA/LMA for SRF-W,” said the shipyard’s commanding officer Capt. Richard A. Jones. “Significant effort will be required, but we understand our efforts will sharpen the tip of the Royal Australian Navy’s spear and set their submarine force on the path to sovereign readiness to operate and maintain their own conventionally armed nuclear-powered attack submarines. PHNSY & IMF’s mission is to keep the fleet fit to fight and we look forward to sharing our knowledge and dedication to a culture of excellence that returns submarines safely to the fleet on time, every time.” 

In the near future, Australian and United Kingdom personnel will travel to PHNSY & IMF to refine their understanding of the requirements associated with maintaining SSNs. 

“Soon, Australian and UK nationals will be at our naval shipyard, embedded within our maintenance organization, learning skills that are unique to only six countries in the world,” said Rear Adm. Scott Brown, Naval Sea Systems Command’s Deputy Commander, Industrial Operations. “PHNSY & IMF will be charged with leading a trilateral effort to develop the capability to repair and maintain SSNs in Australia. We are committed to ensuring that Australia has all the local knowledge, training, and skills needed to maintain SSNs in accordance with our standards.” 

To ensure PHNSY & IMF can meet its future obligations, additional personnel will be hired to support the AUKUS effort. “We recognize we can’t absorb this added workload with our current workforce,” said Jones. “Working with NAVSEA, we will be looking to add people across numerous shops throughout the shipyard to support this effort so we don’t overburden our systems or impact any planned maintenance availabilities.” 

“The AUKUS Integration and Acquisition Office is extremely happy to have PHNSY & IMF designated as the NSA/LMA for SRF-W and we are honored to have them as part of the AUKUS `Ohana,’” said Captain Lincoln Reifsteck, the AUKUS Integration and Acquisition Program Manager. “The men and women of the Navy’s Nō Ka ‘Oi (of the best) shipyard in the heart of the Pacific are critical to our overall success and I am looking forward to building a strong working relationship with them and our Australian shipmates.”  

The AUKUS partnership is a strategic endeavor that strengthens the three nations’ national security and promotes peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Australia will acquire conventionally armed SSNs for the Royal Australian Navy under AUKUS Pillar One via the Optimal Pathway announced by the heads of the three partner nations on March 13, 2023. The AUKUS Integration and Acquisition (I&A) Program Office is responsible for executing the trilateral partnership to deliver conventionally armed, nuclear-powered attack submarines to the Royal Australian Navy at the earliest possible date while setting the highest nuclear stewardship standards. 

Release from the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations 

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03 August 2023 

WASHINGTON (August 2, 2023) –The Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Surface Warfare Division (N96) recently approved the service life extension of four Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyers. 

USS Ramage (DDG 61), homeported in Norfolk, VA, and USS Benfold (DDG 65), based in Yokosuka, Japan, have been extended by five years to FY 2035 and FY 2036, respectively.  

USS Mitscher (DDG 57), also homeported in Norfolk, and USS Milius (DDG 69), homeported out of Yokosuka, have been extended by four years to FY 2034 and FY 2035, respectively.  

These extensions follow the March 2023 extension of USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) by five years through FY 2031.The extension puts each destroyer beyong their estimated service life of 35 years. 

 “These service life extensions demonstrate the Navy’s commitment to ensuring the surface fleet has the right capability and capacity,” said Rear Adm. Fred Pyle, director of Surface Warfare (N96)  “Adding 23-years of service life cumulatively over the last six months is a significant investment in surface warfare.  These extensions align to Secretary of the Navy Del Toro’s commitment to Congress during the FY-24 posture hearings to analyze service life on a hull-by-hull basis and extend the correct ships in order to be good stewards of resources invested in the U.S. Navy by the American people.”  

Each of these ships have received Aegis baseline nine upgrades through the DDG Modernization program.  The program provided a comprehensive mid-life modernization to these destroyers, ensuring they have the right systems to remain capable and reliable to the end of their service life.  Based on analysis by the Navy’s technical community, these extensions were feasible because each ship properly adhered to lifecycle maintenance plans and were well maintained in good material condition by their crews.  

 “These DDGs bring the right capability and capacity to our operational commanders in an affordable manner maximizing the Navy’s targeted return on investment for these ships,” Pyle added.  “Each of these extensions takes into account where these ships are in their lifecycle maintenance schedules.  Extending Mitscher and Milius by an additional year to five years would require each ship to spend a year of that extension in a docking availability, which would not be a prudent use of resources entrusted to the Navy.” 

The surface community will continue to evaluate the service life of each surface ship based on combat relevance, reliability data, and material condition. Currently, the Navy has 73 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in service and is continuing to modernize the class with the latest technologies and capabilities.  

For more information on the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, please visit: https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2169871/destroyers-ddg-51/ 

Release from Amentum 

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CHANTILLY, Va., August 2, 2023 – Amentum was awarded an $818 million contract for adversary aircraft sustainment and modernization of the U.S. Navy F-16 fleet. Amentum will manage all aspects of the Viper Maintenance Group Aircraft Maintenance and Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) contract by providing technical, sustainment and logistics solutions for the Navy F-16 aircraft based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon, Nevada. 

“Amentum has been an essential partner to the Navy at Fallon on F-16 Adversary flight operations for the Navy’s premier weapons schools like TOPGUN, as well as Navy Air Wing Training, and fleet support detachments across the U.S.,” said Dr. Karl Spinnenweber, President of the Critical Missions Group. “Navy F-16 Vipers play a vital role as the aggressor in fighter combat training, and our work securing Viper modernization is key to the Navy and Marine Corps fighter squadron’s combat readiness.” 

Under this contract, Amentum maintains F-16/A/B/C/D aircraft and provides full system maintenance and supply chain support to support continuous flight operations, along with many detachments executed simultaneously with home station operations. During the contract period, Amentum will support the Navy in growing their F-16 Adversary fleet across all sites. 

“Our F-16 Adversary CLS work combined with our similar support of the Navy and Marine Corp’s F-5 Adversary program positions Amentum as the premier partner to the Department of the Navy for their organic Adversary services across the fleet,” said Joe Kelly, SVP of Sustainment, Analytics and Aviation Solutions. “Amentum is committed to the mission of the Navy’s top weapons schools to sustain operational combat readiness and defeat peer competitors.” 

This single-award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract begins August 31, 2023, has a five-year base period and a three-year option period, and is contracted through Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) supporting the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC) and the Naval Air Forces Reserve, Tactical Support Wing (TSW). 

Release from U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet Public Affairs Office 

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By U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet Public Affairs Office

02 August 2023 

CARTAGENA, Colombia – The U.S. Navy expeditionary fast transport USNS Burlington (T-EPF 10) will deploy to the U.S. Southern Command area of operations over the next two months as part of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet’s Continuing Promise 2023 mission. 
 
Detailed planning has wrapped up for the Burlington to visit Panama, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Grenada. During these mission stops, Continuing Promise medical teams will focus on working alongside partner nation medical personnel to provide care in community clinics to increase medical readiness, strengthen partnerships, and enhance the combined capabilities of the U.S. Navy and partner nations to respond to public health disasters and humanitarian crises. 
 
“The Continuing Promise mission reflects our enduring commitment to the region as we work collaboratively with our friends to ensure a secure, free, and prosperous hemisphere,” said Rear Adm. Jim Aiken, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet. “Continuing Promise 2023 allows us to work together with our friends in partner nations to improve lives.” 
 
The Burlington will bring a medical engagement team to each mission stop to provide some direct patient care in community clinics and through host nation medical facilities. The team includes veterinarians who will work with animals in the host nation, biomedical technicians, Navy Seabees who will conduct small engineering projects, and the U.S. Fleet Forces Navy Band Detachment, which will entertain people through school visits and concerts. 
 
Cmdr. Charles Castevens will serve as the Continuing Promise 2023 Mission Commander. “This is an ideal opportunity for us to make a difference in four partner nations,” said Castevens. “Continuing Promise 2023 will strengthen partnerships and positively impact the people we come into contact with,” he said. 
 
Continuing Promise 2023 will also include training and subject matter expert exchanges on various medical and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief topics, and leading seminars on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS). 
 
WPS is a United Nations initiative that started with UNSCR 1325 signed in 2000. It was a public acknowledgment that women are more adversely impacted by conflict and crisis, and that including women in security planning will lead to a more peaceful world. The Department of Defense (DoD) signed the WPS Implementation Plan in 2020. It outlines defense objectives and goals that the DoD will strive to achieve in order to move the bar toward full WPS implementation. U.S. Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet are dedicated to WPS and the promotion of gendered perspectives. 
 
Continuing Promise 2023 marks the 13th mission to the region since 2007 and the first involving USNS Burlington. The mission will also foster goodwill, strengthen existing partnerships with partner nations, and encourage the establishment of new partnerships among countries, non-government organizations, and international organizations. 
 
The USNS Burlington is an Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF), a shallow draft, all aluminum, commercial-based catamaran capable of regional transport of 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. The Burlington will bring the personnel, equipment and supplies necessary to conduct the Continuing Promise mission. 
 
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet supports U.S. Southern Command’s joint and combined military operations by employing maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations to maintain access, enhance interoperability, and build enduring partnerships in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American region. Learn more about USNAVSOUTH/4th Fleet at https://www.fourthfleet.navy.mil, https://www.facebook.com/NAVSOUS4THFLT and @NAVSOUS4THFLT. 

Release from Naval Sea Systems Command

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Aug. 1, 2023 

From Team Ships Public Affairs 
 
WASHINGTON – The Navy awarded contracts to Huntington Ingalls Industries, Ingalls Shipbuilding Division (HII Ingalls) and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (GD BIW) for the fiscal years (FY) 2023 – 2027 multiyear procurement (MYP) of DDG 51 Arleigh Burke class destroyers, August 1. 

“Arleigh Burke class destroyers are the backbone of the surface fleet and one of the most successful shipbuilding programs in the history of the Navy,” said Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy. “These awards provide a long term stable demand signal to the shipbuilder and industrial supply base, encouraging industry investment in the workforce. With our industry partners, we are going to continue to build them; and they will continue to secure the seas for decades to come!”   

“These contract awards will allow the Navy to continue delivery of lethal capacity in an affordable and effective manner,” said Frederick J. Stefany, acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition. “The Navy saved $830 million for these nine ships through multiyear procurement contracts and also has options for additional ships to accelerate delivery of the critical DDG 51 Flight III capabilities to our naval force.” 

HII Ingalls is being awarded a fixed-price-incentive firm target (FPIF) contract for the design and construction of six DDG 51 class ships, six in FY 2023-2027. 

GD BIW is being awarded a FPIF contract for the design and construction of three DDG 51 class ships, three in FY 2023-2026.   

These multiyear procurement awards are for nine MYP ships. Additionally, each shipbuilder’s contract contains options for additional ships over the next five years, providing the Navy and Congress flexibility to increase DDG 51 build rates, if authorized and appropriated. 

“These contracts will provide next-generation Integrated Air and Missile Defense capability for our future fleet while ensuring a stable shipbuilding and defense industrial base for the foreseeable future,” said Capt. Seth Miller, DDG 51 class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “The Navy is proud to be teaming with the dedicated shipbuilders at HII Ingalls and GD BIW to construct and deliver these warships to the fleet.” 

The destroyers are being procured in a Flight III configuration, relying on a stable and mature design while delivering critical Integrated Air and Missile Defense capability with the AN/SPY6(V)(1) Air and Missile Defense Radar. The Navy’s first Flight III destroyer, Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), was delivered by HII Ingalls in June 2023. 

As one of the Defense Department’s largest acquisition organizations, PEO Ships is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships, special mission and support ships, boats, and craft.