ARLINGTON,
Va. — The U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale of MH-60R
helicopters to the Hellenic navy at the request of the Greek government, the
Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a July 12 release. The sale,
if ultimately approved, would be made through the Foreign Military Sales
program and could total $600 million.

“The government
of Greece has requested to buy up to seven MH-60Rs Multi-Mission Helicopters,”
the release said.

The sale also
would include aircraft systems and spares, including T700 GE-401 C Engines; APS-l
53(V) radars; Airborne Low Frequency Sonar systems; AAS-44C(V) Multi-Spectral
Targeting Systems; and Embedded Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation
Systems with Selective Availability/Anti-Spoofing Module.

Also included
in the possible sale are ARC-210 APX-1990A(C) radios; AVS-9 Night Vision
Devices; and APX-123 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) transponders.

The deal also
would include “spare engine containers; facilities study, design, and
construction; spare and repair parts; support and test equipment; communication
equipment; ferry support; publications and technical documentation; personnel
training and training equipment; U.S. government and contractor engineering,
technical and logistics support services; and other related elements of
logistical and program support,” the release said.

Along with
the helicopters, the sale would include 1,000 SSQ-36/53/62 sonobuoys; two
AGM-114 M36-E9 Captive Air Training Missiles; four AGM-114Q Hellfire Training
Missiles; 100 Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS) rockets; 30 Mk54
Torpedoes; 12 M-240 crew-served guns; and 12 GAU-21 crew-served guns. 

“This
proposed sale will support U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives
by helping to improve the security of a NATO ally, which is an important
partner for political stability and economic progress in Europe,” the release
said. “The MH-60R helicopters will bolster the Hellenic navy’s ability to support
NATO and remain interoperable with the U.S. and the NATO alliance.”

In addition to the U.S.
Navy, the MH-60R, built by Lockheed Martin, is operated by the Royal Australian
Navy, the Royal Danish Navy and the Royal Saudi Naval Forces. In April, the
State Department approved the possible sale of 24 MH-60Rs to the Indian navy.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The final piece of the John F. Kennedy’s (CVN-79) flight deck, the upper bow section, was installed July 10 on the future aircraft carrier, Huntington Ingalls Industries announced in a release.

The
addition of the upper bow section at the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding
division is one of the last steel structural units, known as a superlift, to be
placed on Kennedy. It was built using digital technology, such as visual work
instructions to install piping in the upper bow on the final assembly platen
instead of on the ship.

“We are
very pleased with the progress being made on Kennedy as we inch closer to
christening the ship later this year,” said Mike Butler, Newport News Shipbuilding’s
program director for the JFK.

“The upper
bow is the last superlift that completes the ship’s primary hull. This
milestone is testament to the significant build strategy changes we have made —
and to the men and women of Newport News Shipbuilding who do what no one else
in the world can do.”

Weighing
780 tons, the superlift took 18 months to build.

Kennedy is
being built with an improved build strategy that includes the increased use of
digital tools to build superlifts that are much larger and more complete at
ship erect than on prior carriers. Kennedy is on track to be built with
considerably fewer man-hours than the first ship in its class, USS Gerald R.
Ford.

More than 3,200
shipbuilders and 2,000 suppliers from across the country are supporting the
construction of aircraft carrier Kennedy. The ship is in the early stages of
its testing program and is on schedule to launch during the fourth quarter. Christening
is planned for late 2019.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated as of July 18, 2019, to reflect Gilday’s formal nomination.

ARLINGTON,
Va. — For the first time since the 1970s, a three-star admiral is the nominee for
chief of naval operations.

Vice Adm. Michael Gilday, who earlier this year became director of the Joint Staff, has been nominated by President Trump for promotion to admiral and to become CNO, according to a July 18 announcement from Acting Defense Secretary Richard. V. Spencer.

Gilday was selected to succeed Adm. John M.
Richardson after Adm. Bill Moran’s announcement that he would retire amid
questions about his ongoing professional relationship with a disgraced former
aide, sources confirmed.

Richardson had been scheduled to leave Aug. 1 and
retire in September but will stay on until the U.S. Senate confirmation process
for Gilday is complete.

The
nominee for the Navy’s next chief typically comes from a small pool of
four-star commanders. Gilday is the first three-star admiral to be chosen since
Vice Adm. Elmo Zumwalt was nominated by President Nixon in April 1970.

In a statement, Moran said he made the decision to retire “based on an open investigation into the nature of some of my personal email correspondence over the past couple of years and for continuing to maintain a professional relationship with a former staff officer, now retired, who had while in uniform been investigated and held accountable over allegations of inappropriate behavior.”

Press
reports identified the staff officer as Chris Servello, former public affairs
officer for Richardson.

Moran
added that he did not condone the staff officer’s conduct, but said he
understands how “toxic it can be to any team when inappropriate behavior goes
unrecognized and unchecked.”

“Every Sailor is entitled to serve in an environment free of harassment or intimidation,” Moran said. “As painful as it is to submit my request to retire, I will not be an impediment whatsoever to the important service that you and your families continue to render the nation every day.”

Spencer
said he admired Moran’s Navy service, but his decision to maintain the
relationship with the staff officer “has caused me to call his judgment into
question.”

Moran
called his 38 years of Navy service a “high honor and privilege” and said he
deeply regrets “any inconvenience” his decision causes Trump and Spencer. 

Gilday, a
native of Lowell, Massachusetts, is the son of a Navy Sailor, according to his
official biography. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds master’s
degrees from the Harvard Kennedy School and the National War College.

As a
surface warfare officer, Gilday deployed on two cruisers and a destroyer before
rising to command two more destroyers. Subsequently, he commanded Destroyer
Squadron 7, serving as sea combat commander for the Ronald Reagan Carrier
Strike Group.

As a flag
officer, he served as commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, embarked aboard USS
Dwight D. Eisenhower, and as commander, U.S. Fleet Cyber Command and U.S 10th
Fleet. Ashore, as a flag officer, he served in joint positions as director of
operations for NATO’s Joint Force Command Lisbon; as chief of staff for Naval
Striking and Support Forces NATO; director of operations for U.S. Cyber
Command; and as director of operations for the Joint Staff. 

His earlier staff assignments include the Bureau of Naval Personnel, the staff of the chief of naval operations, and the staff of the vice chief of naval operations. Joint assignments include executive assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and naval aide to the president.

Additional reporting by Megan Scully.

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy declared initial operational capability of the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter June 28, clearing the way for fleet operations and training, Naval Air Systems Command announced on July 8.

The MQ-8
Fire Scout is a sea-based, vertical lift unmanned system that is designed to
provide reconnaissance, situational awareness and precision targeting support
for ground, air and sea forces.

“This milestone
is a culmination of several years of hard work and dedication from our joint
government and industry team,” said Capt. Eric Soderberg, Fire Scout program
manager. “We are excited to get this enhanced capability out to the fleet.”

The MQ-8C
variant is an endurance and payload upgrade to its predecessor, the MQ-8B,
offering up to 12 hours on station depending on payload, and incorporates the
commercial Bell 407 airframe.

The
Northrop Grumman-built Fire Scout complements the manned MH-60 helicopter by
extending the range and endurance of ship-based operations.

The MQ-8C
has flown more than 1,500 hours with more than 700 sorties to date. Over the
next few years, Northrop Grumman will continue MQ-8C production deliveries to
the Navy to complete a total of 38 aircraft.

The MQ-8C will be equipped
with an upgraded radar that allows for a larger field of view and a range of
digital modes, including weather detection, air-to-air targeting and a ground
moving target indicator (GMTI). It will deploy with littoral combat ships (LCS)
in fiscal 2021 while the MQ-8B conducts operations aboard LCS in the 5th and
7th Fleets.

SAN DIEGO —
Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) joined the Swedish Defense
Research Agency and the Swedish Coast Guard in Lulea, Sweden, to test how ice
effects sound in the underwater domain March 11-23.

As part of
an ongoing program with Swedish authorities, personnel from the NAVWAR Reserve
Program (NWRP) and Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific (NIWC Pacific)
Unmanned Maritime Vehicle (UMV) Lab teamed to support the event.

NWRP
Sailors and NIWC Pacific engineers utilized various sensors, magnetometers and
a Seabotix vLBV, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), to identify the potential
impact of ice on sound propagation and background noise underwater. 

NWRP
Sailors operated the ROV to test acoustic transceivers and collect sonar and
video imagery of the conditions beneath the ice and to provide logistic mission
support with programming magnetometers.

“Sonar
and camera data from the ROV provided insight into the structure of the ice,”
said Tom Pastore, a NIWC Pacific engineer. “Simultaneous acoustic measurement
data between various fixed points will allow researchers to characterize the
impact of ice-covered waters as compared to an open surface. This is an
important addition to the scientific body of knowledge and leads us towards
better modeling capability in under-ice regions.”

The
collective team from NAVWAR and Sweden have a second trial scheduled for first
quarter of fiscal year 2020.

NWRP
Sailors leverage their education, corporate knowledge and military experience
and apply those skills to UMV and other technology testing events to address
potential challenges with respect to complex command, control, communications,
computer and intelligence systems.

“NAVWAR
Reservists provide manpower with diverse technical and operational skill sets,
enabling the sponsor to successfully complete the mission no matter the challenges,”
said Thomas McDermott, NWRP UMV program manager.

WASHINGTON
— The U.S. Navy is leveraging the talent of an independent team of government
and outside experts to assist in advanced electromagnetic, production and
software technology aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), said Research,
Development and Acquisition Public Affairs in a July 1 release.

“We have a
full court press on the advanced weapons elevators,” said the Honorable James
Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and
acquisition. “We’ve gathered a team of experts on the carrier right now, which
will work with the shipbuilder to get Ford’s weapons elevators completed in the
most efficient timeline possible — they will also recommend new design changes
that can improve elevator activities for the rest of the Ford class.

“This team
of experts in electromagnetic systems, fabrication and production control,
software, systems integration, and electrical engineering will focus on
completing the production of the remaining elevators on CVN 78 and recommending
design changes for future ships in the class. In doing so, they will execute
corrective actions and adapt best practices to ensure the completion of the
Advanced Weapons Elevators in support of the USS Gerald R. Ford’s operations.”

Arriving
on the carrier two weeks ago, the Navy-led team has quickly formed a linked and
integrated approach between the shipbuilder, the government, Ford crew and
industry experts. The team is comprised of specialists in their respective
fields and many have had a number of successes at solving developmental
technological challenges.

AWE, as a
first-of-its-kind developmental system, has had its share of production and
technological challenges. 

The AWEs are
operated via electromagnetic, linear synchronous motors.  This new technology increases both speed and
weapons carrying capacity of the platform while reducing required manning,
maintenance and total ownership cost. Due to the concurrent nature of AWE
development and construction, the shipboard weapons elevators have been test
beds for discovering developmental issues that have delayed the scheduled
turnover to the crew.

For those
elevators working on Ford, the ship’s weapons department has been training on
them daily.

“The two
upper stage elevators have absolutely operated as designed,” said Lt. Cmdr.
Chabonnie Alexander, Ford’s ordnance handling officer. “We operate the
elevators 10 times a day, five days a week, and Ship’s Force subject matter experts
continue to get smarter and more comfortable each day with the system and its
operating capabilities. Additionally, as we become more comfortable and more
proficient with the elevators we’re also becoming better able to anticipate and
diagnose any technical issues that may arise.”

Ford
elevators will allow the ship to be able to move up to 24,000 pounds of
ordnance at 150 feet-per-minute. This is in contrast to the 10,500 pounds at up
to 100 feet-per-minute on a Nimitz-class carrier. AWE contributes to a 33%
improvement in sortie generation rate over the Nimitz-Class, which is the heart
of Ford-class warfighting capability.

In
parallel with standing up the team of Navy-led government and industry experts,
the Navy is constructing a land based test site at Naval Surface Warfare Center
Division Philadelphia, and contracted for the production, test and delivery of
system components to complete the site in 2020. The Navy and shipbuilder are
also completing a digital twin co-located at the shipyard facility in Newport
News that will be complete in fall 2019. Both systems will allow the Navy and
shipbuilder to mature the system and aid in troubleshooting.

These
shore efforts combined with the collective team of experts aboard Ford will
bring these elevators online making the Ford-class more lethal and efficient,
while also providing it with the ability to implement future advancements in
technology with relative ease.

NEWPORT NEWS,
Va. — The Apprentice School at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News
Shipbuilding division celebrated its 100-year anniversary on Monday.

The company
held a ceremony to mark the day, July 1, 1919, when the school was established.
During the event, a historical highway marker was unveiled, and tools,
textbooks, commemorative coins and other items were placed in a time capsule.
The alumni room also was dedicated in honor of Danny Hunley, an Apprentice
School graduate and retired vice president who was instrumental in getting the
new school building built in downtown Newport News in 2013.

The school is
celebrating its centennial with special events throughout the year and has
received special proclamations from the Commonwealth of Virginia and City of
Newport News.

The
Apprentice School opened at the end of World War I to recruit, train and
develop shipbuilders. Since then, Newport News has evolved over the years and
currently is undergoing a massive technological transformation. Advanced
digital shipbuilding concepts and technology in The Apprentice School
curriculum are now supporting the company’s integration of digital technology
across the shipyard.

“The
Apprentice School is one of our national treasures,” said Latitia D. McCane,
director of education at The Apprentice School. “The school not only produces
skilled craftsmen and women, but future leaders of our company. Its legacy and
tradition of excellence have sustained the school for all these years, and as
we move forward, our ability to transform ourselves to continue to meet the
needs of Newport News Shipbuilding will be paramount to our success for another
100 years.”

Over the last
100 years, The Apprentice School has produced more than 10,800 graduates who
have designed and built ships for the U.S. Navy. The school currently enrolls
850 students.

“The
Apprentice School is a national model for apprenticeship programs and a shining
example of our commitment to workforce development,” said Xavier Beale, Newport
News’ vice president of trades. “When an institution has operated for 100
years, it’s easy to fall back on what we’ve always done. That’s not how you
succeed. Our faculty and staff go to great lengths to make the apprentice
experience at Newport News Shipbuilding relevant, and I applaud them for this
outstanding accomplishment.”

The
Apprentice School accepts about 225 apprentices per year. The school offers
four- to eight-year, tuition-free apprenticeships in 19 trades and eight
optional advanced programs. Apprentices work a 40-hour week and are paid for
all work, including time spent in academic classes. Through partnerships with
Thomas Nelson Community College, Tidewater Community College and Old Dominion
University, The Apprentice School’s academic program provides the opportunity
to earn associate degrees in business administration, engineering and
engineering technology and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical or electrical
engineering.

MAYPORT, Fla. — Chile will host maritime forces from 12 countries to participate in exercise Unitas LX (60) Pacific from June 24-July 3, the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command-U.S. 4th Fleet said in a July 1 release.

Joining
the U.S. and Chile this year are 11 countries including Brazil, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Ecuador, Germany, Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Turkey and the
United Kingdom.

This
year’s exercise will include 10 warships that will conduct maritime maneuvering
operations in the Pacific Ocean through July 2.

U.S. forces participating in Unitas this year are USS Michael Murphy (DDG 112), Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2, Patrol Squadron (VP) 4, Destroyer Squadron 40 and U.S. 4th Fleet. While participating in the exercise, U.S. forces will be under the operational control of Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet, Rear Adm. Donald Gabrielson.

Unitas, Latin for ‘unity,’ is the world’s longest running multinational maritime exercise. Conceived in 1959 and first executed in 1960, Unitas is a demonstration of U.S. commitment to the region and the strong relationships forged between partner nations and their militaries. In addition to the Pacific phase of Unitas LX, there will be Atlantic and amphibious phases hosted by Brazil in August.

Unitas will focus on strengthening existing regional partnerships and encouraging the establishment of new relationships through the exchange of maritime mission-focused knowledge and expertise during the exercise. The exercise develops and tests participating navies’ capabilities to respond to a wide variety of maritime missions as a unified force.

U.S. Naval
Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet is responsible for U.S. Naval forces in
the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, including the Caribbean,
Central and South America.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy has deployed a littoral combat
ship to the Western Pacific for the first time in 18 months, the first of three
LCSs the service plans to deploy this year.

The first LCS deployment this year apparently was kept
quiet by the Navy until the service published a July 1 web article by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Greg
Johnson of commander, Logistics Force, Western Pacific/CTF 73 Public Affairs,
of the Independence-class USS Montgomery (LCS 8) making a port call in Davao,
Philippines, on June 29.

The last LCS to deploy, USS Coronado (LCS 4), returned from the
Western Pacific on Dec. 5, 2017. It had been preceded by the USS Freedom (LCS
1) and its Freedom-class sister ship, USS Fort Worth (LCS 3), in 2015 and 2016,
respectively.

The commander of Naval Surface Forces told reporters in a
Jan. 11 teleconference that LCS deployments would resume in 2019, saying that
the Independence-class LCSs USS Montgomery and USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) would
deploy from the West Coast and that the first LCS deployments from the East
Coast, departing from Naval Station Mayport, Florida, would be undertaken by
the Freedom-variant LCS USS Detroit (LCS 7), followed by sister ship USS Little
Rock (LCS 9) in 2020.

For all of these deployments, the ships will carry the
full surface warfare mission package, Brown said.

“It’s happening,” Brown said during the teleconference,
noting that from then on “there will always be LCS forward-deployed.”

ARLINGTON,
Va., and MOBILE, Ala.— The U.S. Navy christened its newest Independence-variant
littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Oakland (LCS 24), during a June 29
ceremony in Mobile, Alabama, the ship’s builder, Austal USA, said in a release
of the same date.

U.S. Rep. Ken
Calvert of California delivered the christening ceremony’s principal address.
Kate Brandt, Google’s sustainability officer, served as the ship’s sponsor.

“The
christening of the future USS Oakland marks an important step toward this great
ship’s entry into the fleet,” said Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer in a
June 26 Navy Office of Information release. “The dedication and skilled
work of our industry partners ensure this ship will represent the great city of
Oakland and serve our Navy and Marine Corps team for decades to come.”

“I’m proud to
represent Austal’s amazing workforce today as we commemorate a significant
milestone in the life of this amazing warship,” said Austal USA President Craig
Perciavalle. “Our talented shipbuilding team is proud to provide our Navy with
an extraordinarily capable vessel that will honor the great city of Oakland as
she becomes an integral part of the U.S. naval fleet protecting our nation.”

The ship’s
sponsor, Kate Brandt, a recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Award,
the highest award the U.S. Navy can give to a civilian, headlined the group of
officials, naval guests, civic leaders, community members and Austal USA
employees who attended the ceremony beneath the hull of the ship in Austal
USA’s final assembly bay.  

“We are
honored to host Ms. Brandt as the ship’s sponsor,” continued Perciavalle. “Her
time spent serving our country through her work for the government,
specifically the Navy, and her dedication to green initiatives protecting the
environment make her a clear choice as the sponsor of Oakland.”

As Google’s
sustainability officer, Brandt leads sustainability across Google’s worldwide
operations, products and supply chain. Previously Brandt served as the nation’s
first chief sustainability officer, where she was responsible for promoting
sustainability across federal government operations including 360,000
buildings, 650,000 vehicles, and $445 billion annually in purchased goods and
services. Brandt’s prior government service also includes senior adviser at the
Department of Energy, director for Energy and Environment in the White House
Office of Presidential Personnel, and energy adviser to the Secretary of the
Navy.

A Gates
Cambridge Scholar who graduated with honors from Brown University, Brandt
currently serves on the boards of The Institute at Brown for Environment and
Society, The Roosevelt Institute, Planet Forward, and the Stanford
International Affairs Network.

The future
USS Oakland is a fast, agile, focused-mission platform designed for operation
in near-shore environments yet capable of open-ocean operation. It is designed
to defeat asymmetric “anti-access” threats such as mines, quiet
diesel submarines and fast surface craft. The ship will be homeported in San
Diego.

The LCS class
consists of two variants, the Freedom variant and the Independence variant,
designed and built by two industry teams. The Freedom variant team is led by
Lockheed Martin in Marinette, Wisconsin (for the odd-numbered hulls). The
Independence variant team is led by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama (for LCS 6
and subsequent even-numbered hulls).

The future
USS Oakland is the third U.S. Navy ship named for the city in California. The
first Oakland (2847) was commissioned in 1918 and used for cargo transport. The
second, CL 95, was commissioned in 1942, and during seven years of service, it
played a key role in many antiaircraft missions across the Asia-Pacific theater
of operations.

Oakland is
the 12th of 19 Independence-variant littoral combat ships Austal USA has under
contract with the U.S. Navy. In addition to being in full-rate production for
the LCS program, Austal USA is also the Navy’s prime contractor for the
Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) program. Austal has delivered 10 EPF, with a
total of 14 under contract.