Month: January 2024

Source: United States Navy

Good morning, everyone! It is an absolute honor to be with you today at the Naval Reactors headquarters here at the Washington Navy Yard.

I feel that today, of all days, it is appropriate for me to begin my remarks with a quote from the father of naval nuclear power, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover:

“When doing a job, any job, one must feel that he owns it, and act as though he will remain in that job forever.”

Ladies and gentlemen, for only the seventh time in our Navy’s history, we are gathered to witness the transfer of command of Naval Reactors and the responsibilities of the Department of Energy’s N-N-S-A Deputy Administrator for Naval Reactors—a billet that requires its incumbent to lead our Naval Nuclear Power Program for eight years without relief.

Secretary Granholm, Administrator Hruby, thank you both for joining us this morning. We greatly value our strong and storied relationship with the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration, and we appreciate your support and commitment to the safe use of nuclear power by our surface and submarine fleets.

Representative Courtney, Admiral Franchetti, Admiral Kilby, distinguished guests, members of the United States Naval Academy’s Great Class of 1981, friends and families of Admiral Caldwell and Admiral Houston—welcome, and thank you for your support of these two dedicated, devoted Naval Officers.

Admiral Caldwell and Admiral Houston are part of a small, storied club of leaders in our Navy, dating back 75 years to the first Director of Naval Reactors, Admiral Rickover, and we are grateful for the presence of Admiral Bowman at today’s ceremony.

But as we know, it takes more than just one person to realize success, in this case with success being defined as “hot rocks making steam,” safely, and efficiently.

Since Commander Wilkinson announced to the world in 1955 that USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was “underway on Nuclear Power,” the team here at Naval Reactors has ensured our nation’s nuclear fleet has remained underway around the globe, both on and under the ocean’s surface.

As we look back over the past eight years, the work of the Naval Reactors team in support of our Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program has been absolutely incredible, especially in engagements with our international partners and allies.

By maintaining their impeccable safety record, our nuclear fleet continues to enjoy access to ports in over 50 countries around the globe, allowing our aircraft carriers and submarines to make port calls and re-supply during deployments.

Their efforts continue to enable a key naval relationship with Japan, allowing us to homeport a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier overseas, which is vital to ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region for ourselves, our partners, and our allies.

Naval Reactors is also supporting our British allies in the design, build, and test of the propulsion plant for their next generation nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, the Dreadnought-class SSBN, modernizing their undersea nuclear deterrent at the same time as we pursue our own modernization effort with the Columbia-class SSBN.

Along with the United Kingdom, we are now partnering with Australia as part of the AUKUS security agreement—a generational commitment by all three of our nations designed to promote our collective security.

Under AUKUS, we are sharing our nuclear propulsion technology for only the second time in our history and represents the largest international nuclear propulsion technology sharing agreement in 65 years.

Naval Reactors has and will continue to play a pivotal role in developing our Australian allies’ technical capabilities, ensuring they are able to safely and effectively operate their own nuclear-powered submarine fleet.

Each of these efforts are monumental, and the team at Naval Reactors—the engineers, scientists, researchers, technical advisors, and support personnel—are the key to realizing the outcomes we desire.

While the Director of NR is the face of the organization, none of its successes would be possible without the thousands of Americans from all walks of life who dedicate themselves day-in and day-out to the cause of naval nuclear power. 

In recognition of your many accomplishments over the last eight years, I am pleased to announce that we will be awarding this extraordinary group of professionals the Navy Unit Commendation.

To the team here at Naval Reactors, thank you.  Thank you for everything you do in support of our Sailors, their families, and indeed our nation to ensure our security and prosperity.

Before I turn the podium back over to Admiral Caldwell, I would like to take a few moments to recognize the most important guests with us here this morning—the families of Admiral Caldwell and Admiral Houston.

To the Houston family—Colleen, Lauren, and Emily—allow me to be among the first to welcome you again to the Naval Reactors team.  For decades, you have stood by your husband and your father, during deployments, periods of separation, and long days in the office while on shore duty.

Your patience, grace, and love for Admiral Houston are evident, and we cannot thank you enough for your steadfast support as he continues to serve our Nation as the new Director of Naval Reactors

John and Norma, Paul, and Andy—thank you for your presence here today to witness this special moment your brother and brother-in-law’s career.

Mrs. Cynthia Houston—Mumsie—I have no doubt you are proud of your son.  As he reaches the pinnacle of his career, we recognize that we would not be here without your love for and guidance of Admiral Houston during his formative years.

Serving in our Navy is indeed a family affair, and you have all made tremendous sacrifices in support of Admiral Houston over the past 33 years.

To the several members and friends of the Caldwell family, thank you for joining us this morning.

We are fortunate to have Admiral Caldwell’s siblings with us today in support of the their brother: Mrs. Jeanne Furey, her husband John, and their sons Aidan and Donovan; Mr. Andy Caldwell—who I will point out is a fellow member of USNA’s Best Class of 1983, and decided to join the Marine Corps instead of the Navy like his father and brothers—and his wife Josie; and, Commander David Caldwell.

To Admiral Caldwell’s mother, Mrs. Peggy Caldwell, you and your husband ensured that he knew exactly what he was getting into when he decided to attend the United States Naval Academy and join the submarine force. 

Thank you for raising such an incredible son, and for giving him up to our Nation and the Navy that you devoted your life to supporting during your husband’s 30-year career on submarines.

Finally, I would like to recognize Admiral Caldwell’s wife, Mrs. Kimberly Caldwell. For those in the audience who may not know, Admiral and Mrs. Caldwell have known each other since they were two years old.

In the almost 43 years since you married shortly after Admiral Caldwell’s graduation from the Naval Academy in 1981, you have been by his side.

Your steadfast devotion and love for your husband, as well as your dedication to the Navy, the submarine force, and the Naval Reactors team, is evident in everything that you do.

To recognize your many years of service to our Sailors and their families, I am honored to present you with the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award as part of today’s ceremony.

Make no mistake, Admiral Caldwell’s four decades of service would not have been possible without you, and I regret that I cannot repay you with one final tour in Hawaii.

To the Caldwell family and their friends gathered here today and around the world, you have my thanks for sharing your son, your brother, your husband, your uncle, and your friend with our Nation.

Now, since I opened with an Admiral Rickover quote, I will close with another: “The great end of life is not knowledge, but action…I believe it is the duty of each of us to act as if the fate of the world depended on him [or her].”

Admiral Caldwell, for over forty years, you have been a man of action. Our Nation, our partners and allies, and indeed the world, are better—safer—because of your service. 

The future of Naval Reactors is bright because of your leadership, and we wish you fair winds and following seas in your next chapter.

Again, it is an honor to be with you all this morning. May God continue to bless the Caldwell family, our Sailors, Marines and their families stationed around the globe.

Thank you.

Source: United States Navy

When supply chain constraints make it challenging to source parts for aircraft maintained at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE), the depot’s organic manufacturing capabilities allow FRCE to continue to return mission-ready aircraft to the Fleet.

Sometimes, parts become unobtainable through traditional acquisition methods employed by the Defense Logistics Agency, the Department of Defense’s demand and supply management organization. In cases like these, FRCE’s Manufacturing Machine Shop is called upon to step in and bridge the gap by manufacturing the items on-site at the depot, a process also referred to as organic manufacturing. The shop and its crew of skilled machinists offer capabilities that are put to work in service of military aviation readiness around the globe.

According to Cmdr. Blake Dremann, the depot’s supply officer, FRCE produces about 75 percent of the organic manufacturing completed across the Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers (COMFRC) enterprise. COMFRC consists of nine Fleet Readiness Centers, including FRCE, that conduct maintenance, repair, and overhaul of U.S. Navy aircraft, engines, components and support equipment.

Over the past three years, this in-house manufacturing has translated into approximately $19 million in parts manufactured at FRCE. That represents around 10 percent of FRCE’s annual materials cost, Dremann said, but the larger benefit of the depot’s organic manufacturing capability lies in its ability to resolve supply issues that could otherwise keep aircraft grounded.

“It’s not a huge portion of the work that we do, cost wise,” Dremann said. “But the real impact of our organic manufacturing capability is that it’s a readiness enabler. We’ve had a lot of really big successes in that realm.”

Cmdr. David Odom, officer-in-charge of DLA Aviation at Cherry Point, said the organic manufacturing partnership between FRCE and DLA has proven beneficial to both commands and their customers on the flight line.

“As a team, FRC East and DLA have worked together to max out organic manufacturing opportunities for emergent requirements on the production line and future planning gaps for retail shelf stock,” Odom said. “To date, FRC East has been leaning forward in this capacity, and is at the top of the list for maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities across the services and the Department of Defense.”

The parts manufactured at the FRCE have a measurable impact on naval aviation readiness, whether those parts are used at FRCE or sent to DLA to fulfill orders from the Fleet, said Don Jeter, Planning and Operations Division director within the depot’s Centralized Coordination Department.

“We have a pretty robust organic manufacturing program here at FRC East. We manufacture a huge number of piece parts; throughout the enterprise, probably around three-quarters of what’s being manufactured in support of the warfighter, we do here locally,” Jeter explained. “While the dollar value of those parts isn’t an astronomical number, their impact to the Fleet can’t be ignored.”

When DLA has exhausted traditional acquisition avenues and requests manufacturing support from FRCE, there is a great deal work that goes into planning, modeling and testing before the order ever reaches the depot’s machinists. Once production begins, FRCE’s machinists often complete orders of just one or two pieces, said Matt Sinsel, head of the Manufacturing, Machining and Welding Branch – which is part of why the depot’s organic manufacturing capability is so important.

“What’s unique about us is that we can produce the one-off parts, the onsies and twosies,” he said. “When you go out into private industry, they often want to see orders in bulk. There’s more money in running a thousand of the same part on a console. The engineering and programming costs are involved no matter how many pieces you’re producing. A lot of vendors in private industry aren’t willing to do that for one-off parts and, if they are, there might be an astronomical price associated with it.

“We’re different,” Sinsel continued. “We know our capability provides a stopgap, and we’ve invested in that.”

The skill and professionalism of FRCE’s machinists allow the depot to produce a wide range of parts using a variety of methods and equipment, said Jeff Norman, Manufacturing Machine Shop supervisor.

“One day, they might be running a five-axis computer numerical control machine, and then next week they’re traveling to another location to fix something on an aircraft,” he said. “These artisans are not just machine operators – they are, in fact, machinists, and they have the capabilities and bandwidth to do it all.

“They’re very dedicated in what they do,” Norman continued. “I’ve never experienced the level of ownership that this team has in their day-to-day operations and in what’s expected of them. They take it and they own it completely, 100 percent, knowing that their capabilities can get an aircraft back in service to the Fleet. I can’t say enough good about them and the work they do, and my hat’s off to them, absolutely.”

At FRCE, this type of manufacturing-on-demand conducted to fill supply gaps is most common for the legacy aircraft maintained at the depot, including the CH-53E Super Stallion and the AV-8B Harrier. Without the FRCE’s manufacturing capabilities, some of the parts needed for these aircraft might become impossible to source.

“The work we do helps prolong the life of an aircraft system or mission system,” Sinsel said. “It’s hard to sustain some of these aging aircraft, but the parts we produce through organic manufacturing help these aging aircraft reach their full life limit and mission execution.”

Jeter agreed that the capability provides an often-overlooked, but necessary, component of military aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul.

“We’re going above and beyond in our support of the warfighter, and that’s exactly what we exist for,” he said. “We’re the last resort to keep the warfighter flying, and that’s what we do.”

FRCE is North Carolina’s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.

Source: United States Navy

Team members from multiple disciplines worked for more than two years on a project leading to increased contract efficiencies and parts getting to ships and aircraft correctly.

According to Bryan David, an engineer and NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support Configuration Management Lead, most contracts had language addressing what to do if one system had different versions or configurations, but they weren’t specific enough. The agency needed standard contract terms requiring that the government be notified anytime a product is modified so that the proper engineers, maintainers and more could make decisions about the parts.

Many of NAVSUP WSS supported systems are produced for decades, so differences in newer vs older parts can be dramatic. For instance, the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) was commissioned in 1975 making it nearly 50 years old. In contrast the USS Gerald Ford (CVN 78) was commissioned in 2017, making it approximately six years old.

The same concept applies to many of us in our everyday lives, according to David.

“An example of proper configuration language would be a phone upgrade,” he said. “Suppose you owned version 1.0 of a phone that needed certain parts. You had a contract to support that phone if it broke. But, in the time since you purchased phone 1.0, phone 2.0 came out. You still need the parts for phone 1.0, but when you reached out for your parts, the contractor sent you 2.0 phone parts because that’s what they were currently using. Those parts may or may not work right. The same applies for Navy systems. Newer model parts may not work on older model systems and vice versa.”

In addition to making the language standard, the team also was able to streamline the language from two pages to one page and included easy to follow, clearer language, David explained.

“I’m ecstatic the project is completed,” said David. “When I made it to the finish line and the language got in the business library it was a great accomplishment. The community-of-practice team for this project was outstanding.”

For his efforts David was recognized by the Department of the Navy. In the 2023 Department of the Navy Acquisition Excellence Awards David was recognized as the Acquisition Professional of the Year-Engineering & Technical Management. He will attend a ceremony at the Pentagon in January 2024 along with other acquisition professionals.

NAVSUP WSS is one of 11 commands under Commander, NAVSUP. Headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, NAVSUP employs a diverse, worldwide workforce of more than 22,500 military and civilian personnel. NAVSUP and the Navy Supply Corps conduct and enable supply chain, acquisition, operational logistics and Sailor and family care activities with our mission partners to generate readiness and sustain naval forces worldwide to prevent and decisively win wars. Learn more at www.navsup.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/navsupwss, and www.twitter.com/NAVSUP

Source: United States Navy

WASHINGTON (Jan. 9, 2023) – Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti released her priorities in a paper titled “America’s Warfighting Navy,” at the Surface Navy Association’s National Symposium, Jan. 9.

The text of America’s Warfighting Navy reads as follows:

Who We Are. We are the United States Navy, the most powerful navy in the world. We are the Sailors and Civilians who have answered our Nation’s call to service. We are Americans who embody character, competence, and dedication to our mission. Our identity is forged by the sea and we serve with honor, courage, and commitment.

What We Do. We are here to preserve the peace, respond in crisis, and win decisively in war. We operate far forward, around the world and around the clock, from the seabed to space, in cyberspace, and in the information environment to promote our Nation’s prosperity and security, deter aggression, and provide options to our nation’s leaders. We deliver power for peace, but are always postured and ready to fight and win as part of the Joint Force and alongside our Allies and partners.

Where We Are Going. The threats to our nation and our interests are real and growing. The strategic environment has changed; gone are the days of operating from a maritime sanctuary against competitors who cannot threaten us. The National Defense Strategy makes clear that we must defend our homeland, deter strategic attack, deter and be prepared to prevail in conflict against the People’s Republic of China, and meet the acute challenge of an aggressive Russia and other persistent threats. Our adversaries have designed their militaries to overcome our traditional sources of strength. We must move rapidly to stay ahead and continuously create warfighting advantages. We must think, act, and operate differently, leveraging wargaming and experimentation to integrate conventional capability with hybrid, unmanned, and disruptive technologies. Tomorrow’s battlefield will be incredibly challenging and complex. To win decisively in that environment, our Sailors must be the best warfighters in the world with the best systems, weapons, and platforms to ensure we can defeat our adversaries. We will put more players on the field—platforms that are ready with the right capabilities, weapons and sustainment, and people who are ready with the right skills, tools, training, and mindset.

Our Priorities. We will focus on Warfighting, Warfighters, and the Foundation that supports them.

Warfighting: Deliver Decisive Combat Power. We will view everything we do through a warfighting lens to ensure our Navy remains the world’s preeminent fighting force. We will prioritize the readiness and capabilities required to fight and win at sea, and the logistics and shore support required to keep our Navy fit to fight. We recognize that we will never fight alone. We will advance naval integration with the Marine Corps, and synchronize and align our warfighting efforts with the Joint Force. We will design and drive interoperability with our Allies and partners to deliver combined lethality.

Warfighters: Strengthen the Navy Team. We will use the principles of mission command to empower leaders at all levels to operate in uncertain, complex, and rapidly changing environments, ready to take initiative and bold action with confidence. We will build strong warfighting teams, recruiting and retaining talented people from across the rich fabric of America. We will provide      world-class training and education to our Sailors and Civilians, honing their skills and giving them every opportunity to succeed. We will ensure our quality of service meets the highest standards, and we will look after our families and support networks, who enable us to accomplish our warfighting mission.

Foundation: Build Trust, Align Resources, Be Ready. We will earn and reinforce the trust and confidence of the American People every day. We will work with Congress to field and maintain the world’s most powerful Navy and the infrastructure that sustains it. We will team with industry and academia to solve our most pressing challenges. We will cooperate with the interagency to bolster integrated deterrence. We will align what we do ashore with the warfighting needs of our Fleet.

Our Charge. America is counting on us to deter aggression, defend our national security interests, and preserve our way of life. With the right tools, a winning mindset, and the highest levels of integrity, we will operate safely as a team to deliver warfighting excellence.

I am proud to serve alongside you. I thank you and your families for your continued commitment to ensuring we are always ready.

We have taken a fix and set our course. Together we will deliver the Navy the Nation Needs. The time is now to move with purpose and urgency: ALL AHEAD FLANK!

America’s Warfighting Navy can be found online here.

Source: United States Navy

The future USNS Bethesda is the lead ship of the new EMS class, which Secretary Del Toro formally named during Mental Health Awareness month in May 2023. The name selection follows the tradition of naming expeditionary medical ships after U.S. military hospitals.   

“This ship, as well as all the Bethesda-class of expeditionary medical ships, is designed to provide hospital-level care in austere environments, and will serve not just our Sailors and Marines, but offer assistance and comfort to our allies and partners around the globe in times of need. Most of all, USNS Bethesda will serve as a beacon of hope, of comfort, of mercy, and of the American people’s enduring friendship to all she supports around the globe,” said Secretary Del Toro.

 

Maryland Governor Wes Moore and First Lady Dawn Moore joined Secretary Del Toro at the event. First Lady Moore is the ship’s sponsor, whose role is to maintain a lifelong relationship with the ship and crew. Mrs. Moore shared initiatives with supporting healthcare communities and her intent to continue her legacy of work with her sponsorship of the future USNS Bethesda. 

“As a proud member of a military family and the First Lady of Maryland, it is my mission to stand up for those serving in the armed forces and for people who need healing – and the USNS Bethesda represents both pieces of that mission as a ship that will serve and heal,” said First Lady Moore.  “I am so honored to have my name associated with the ship and her crew for years to come. As the ship’s sponsor, I look forward to maintaining a lifelong relationship with USNS Bethesda and those who serve aboard.”

 

“Today is special not just because of the health and support that the U.S.N.S. Bethesda will provide to our military, but because of what this ship represents. By bearing the name ‘Bethesda,’ EMS-1 will carry the tradition and pride of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center – a legacy institution that stands for healing, hope, health, and heart.” said Governor Moore. “This is a moment of joy for our state, as U.S.N.S Bethesda will travel the world to places where most ships can’t — to carry forward healing in the midst of humanitarian crises and disaster relief for those who need healing the most, and provide healing for those who raised their hands to serve and stepped up to protect us.”

 

For decades, the name Bethesda has been synonymous to a world-class medical facility serving countless service members. Former Assistant Secretary of the Navy (1913-1920) President Franklin Delano Roosevelt envisioned a Navy Medical Center and in 1937 Congress appropriated funds for construction of a new Naval Medical Center, with groundbreaking on the site June 29, 1939, bringing to life what became the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) and National Institutes of Health to Bethesda.  

“Since 1940, the name Bethesda has been synonymous with world-class health care.  As a part of its storied evolution, Naval Support Activity Bethesda is proud to have grown to support the more than 40 tenant commands dedicated to the healing of military members and their families.  It’s only appropriate that the name Bethesda be used as the name for new Expeditionary Medical Ship and the name of the first ship in its class, EMS 1.  Future USNS Bethesda will carry on this tradition of excellence and represents an incredible evolution in expeditionary medicine,” Capt. Alan Christian, Commanding Officer, NSA Bethesda.

 

Located just north of the Nation’s Capital in Bethesda, Maryland, Naval Support Activity Bethesda is the home of the world renowned Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the flagship center of military medicine, and Uniformed Services University, dedicated to training medical professionals for careers in the Department of Defense and the Public Health Service. 

“The USNS Bethesda truly represents a significant step in our Navy’s ability to provide expeditionary medical support to our forces across the distributed maritime environment,” said Rear Adm. Darin Via, the Navy’s 40th Surgeon General. “This ship—and its sister ships—will serve as the backbones of future missions, allowing us to deliver agile and responsive medical care whenever and wherever needed. The naming of the USNS Bethesda remains a testament to our unwavering commitment to the well-being of our forces. It symbolizes the strength, resilience, and compassion that our great Navy exemplifies. We express our deepest gratitude to all those who have contributed—and those who will contribute—in the creation of this remarkable ship. And on behalf of Navy Medicine, I extend my deepest thanks to all those who have had the honor of serving at Bethesda and helped build this institution’s proud legacy of healing through their selfless dedication and compassion.”

 

Bethesda-class expeditionary medical ships are designed as a dedicated medical ship that optimizes hospital-level medical care in support of distributed maritime operations (DMO). EMS will feature a shallow draft enabling greater reach and allowing direct access to shallow austere ports, while also providing a flight deck that accommodates military helicopters. This design provides a full range of medical capabilities including triage/critical care, three operating rooms, medical laboratory, radiological capability, blood bank, dental, mental health, OB/GYN and primary care, rapid stabilization and follow-on evacuation of multiple casualties and combat search and rescue including recovery at sea. The primary mission of the EMS as a high-speed forward-deployed medical ship is to provide rapid responsive sea-based and near-shore hospital level critical care, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, non-combatant evacuation operations and special operations. The EMS is designed to respond and provide care at a more rapid pace than their predecessors, USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, sailing at speeds of at least 30 knots with a range of 5,500 nautical miles at 24 knots. 

Read the full speech – HERE.