Month: March 2024

Source: United States Navy

WASHINGTON, (March 5, 2024) – Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps (ACMC) Gen. Christopher J. Mahoney visited Austal USA, Ingalls Shipbuilding and Bollinger Mississippi Shipbuilding, March 4, 2024, demonstrating the Navy and Marine Corps full integration and commitment to delivering warfighting advantage.

This visit gave Franchetti and Mahoney the opportunity to see first-hand the shipyards’ capability and capacity and to hear from senior leadership and skilled craftsmen from three major contractors supporting amphibious shipbuilding as well as other Navy surface combatants. Franchetti reiterated that the Navy’s goal of a ready and capable fleet includes 31 amphibious ships.

“I’m grateful for the partnership we have with Congress, with industry, and with our Navy team here that fields America’s Warfighting Navy,” said Franchetti. “The Gulf Coast shipbuilding industry is a vital part of our defense industrial base, building both manned and unmanned platforms. The investments we make in our industry partnerships is essential to putting more ready players on the field.” 

Mahoney echoed Franchetti’s sentiment. “The men and women here in Pascagoula are critical to our national defense. These amphibious warfare ships provide our combatant commanders with the most versatile platform in the U.S. inventory and America’s strategic maritime advantage depends on the work they’re doing here today.”

While at Austal USA, CNO and ACMC toured the shipyard with stops at the newly constructed steel facility and aboard the Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Kingsville (LCS 36). Franchetti discussed how Austal USA is playing a key role in putting LCS in the hands of Fleet Commanders who praise their versatility.

“The littoral combat ship is important to our Navy – these platforms have the capability to do multiple missions and we have a validated need for them,” said Franchetti. “Around the world today LCS is playing a valuable role in the surface warfare mission, and is expanding to support the mine countermeasures mission and unmanned surface vessel operations.”

CNO and ACMC were also able to view Austal USA’s construction of Saildrone “Surveyor” unmanned surface vessels. During the tour, Franchetti noted that unmanned systems have enormous potential to multiply the Navy and Marine Corps’ combat power by complementing forward-postured forces and the existing fleet of ships, connectors, submarines, and aircraft, especially in areas like maritime surveillance and reconnaissance, mine countermeasures operations, seabed exploration and carrier airwing support.

“Using unmanned assets helps put more players on the field by freeing up manned assets for more specific and important tasks,” said Franchetti. “It’s good to see high tech industry partnering with the traditional shipbuilding industrial base to rapidly deliver cutting-edge products at scale.”

ACMC also took the opportunity to discuss technology as a critical enabler to maritime operations.

“I couldn’t agree more with the CNO when it comes to more players on the field,” said Mahoney. “We are at the brink of a new battlefield where uncrewed systems, at scale, will provide new levels of resilience and adaptability for our forces. Integrating Marines, Amphibious Warfare Ships, and Medium Landing Ships into that equation opens up some great advantages in competition and conflict. I join the CNO in advocating for continued integration between our two services and the joint force to optimize manned-unmanned teaming.”

While at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., CNO and ACMC toured the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock PCU Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) and the America-class amphibious assault ship PCU Bougainville (LHA 8). During the tour, ACMC noted the importance of amphibious warfare ships as multi-mission platforms, capable of providing command and control of forces as well as manned and unmanned capabilities.

CNO and ACMC also had the opportunity to address Navy civilians, shipyard and industry workers, and the crew of McCool over the ship’s Main Circuit. Franchetti congratulated the crew of McCool on their successful Builder’s Trials earlier this year and said she is looking forward to the ship’s commissioning later this year.

“You put your ship, the world’s most capable amphibious warship ever built, on the path to success,” said Franchetti. “It’s been just over two years since McCool launched, and because of each and every one of you, this ship will be ready and fiercely capable in this decisive decade and the many decades that follow, responding to any crisis that comes our way and delivering decisive combat power with our Marine Corps teammates.”

Mahoney also addressed the crew. “When you take the best American shipbuilders, and you add the best Sailors, and you add some angry Marines, you got the USS McCool. And then you have victory. When the time comes for us to put the boot on the throat of people who absolutely deserve it, McCool will be on the front lines. Much gratitude for this beautiful ship and for you putting your heart and soul into it.”

ACMC also noted that with embarked Marines, Amphibious Warfare ships offer an expeditionary strategic advantage that complements allies and partners and deters adversaries.

At Ingalls, CNO was also able to see the progress on the Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Ted Stevens (DDG 128) and the guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000).

Zumwalt arrived in Pascagoula last year for a two-year modernization period. Among the upgrades being added, the first-in-class destroyer is being outfitted with hypersonic missile tubes to take warfighting into the next generation. Hypersonic weapons, capable of flying at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5), are highly maneuverable and operate at varying altitudes.

“This is the future right here,” said Franchetti. “DDG 1000, with technology upgrades including the integration of the Conventional Prompt Strike weapon system, is quite an engineering feat and ensures Zumwalt remains one of the most technologically advanced and lethal ships in the U.S. Navy.”

This was Franchetti and Mahoney’s first combined visit to observe the Navy’s shipbuilding industry. Throughout the day, both leaders expressed the imperative to advance naval integration among the maritime services, and to synchronize and align warfighting efforts with the Joint Force.

They also noted how the Navy and Marine Corps continue to refine and exercise distributed maritime operations and littoral operations in contested environments – key aspects of the Navy and Marine Corps’ contribution to the National Defense Strategy and joint warfighting concept. They conducted the visit alongside Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Jerry Carl (R-AL).
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Source: United States Navy

During the four-day exercise, the Ramsund Naval Base’s Force Protection Company instructed the Seabees of NMCB 11’s Nordic Detail on the basic survival skills they would need to know during their deployment in the Arctic Circle.

The cold-weather training focused on the essentials of basic survival in an arctic environment, training evolutions included artic terrain navigation, arctic camp setup, drinking water preparation, defensive position construction, and self-rescue from a simulated ice breakthrough.

“Winter operations demand patience, discipline, and a focus on every individual in the team working as one unit,” said Lt. Mason Mullins, the officer in charge of NMCB 11’s Nordic Detail. “Unit effectiveness and morale are highest when every Sailor has a job and is accountable for their role in ensuring the group’s success and survivability.”

The Nordic Detail Seabees will put their newly learned skills to use during their deployment to Ramsund Naval Base, Norway, where they will collaborate with their Norwegian counterparts on construction projects and support of NATO exercises.

NMCB 11, assigned to the 22 Naval Construction Regiment, is forward deployed across the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa area of operations, in support of U.S. Sixth Fleet maritime operations to defend U.S., Allied, and partner interests.

For over 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. Naval forces in the USEUCOM and USAFRICOM areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations

Source: United States Navy

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Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro met with leading Japanese shipbuilding industry executives and toured a shipyard undertaking maintenance and repair of a U.S. Navy oiler, Feb. 28-29. 

Discussions were productive and centered on attracting Japanese investment in integrated commercial and naval shipbuilding facilities in the United States.

On Feb. 28, Secretary Del Toro met with Kensuke Namura, President of Namura Shipbuilding and Sasebo Heavy Industries, Masayuki Eguchi, Senior Vice President of Integrated Defense and Space Systems at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Atushi Etoh, Managing Officer of Japan Marine United, at a lunch hosted by Ambassador Rahm Emanuel in Tokyo. 

On Feb. 29, Secretary Del Toro and Ambassador Emanuel toured Mitsubishi’s shipyard in Yokohama and spoke with the master of USNS Big Horn (T-AO 198) as it undergoes repairs there.

This is Secretary Del Toro’s third visit to Japan as Secretary of the Navy. In addition to his discussions with industry, Secretary Del Toro met with the Japanese National Security Advisor, Minister of Defense, and Head of Navy.

Secretary Del Toro reiterated, “The U.S.-Japan Alliance is the cornerstone of peace, security, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. I am here to reaffirm the Department of the Navy’s long-standing partnership with the defense forces of Japan, and to strengthen that partnership even further.”

As part of his call for a new Maritime Statecraft in his speech to the Harvard Kennedy School on Sept. 26, 2023, Secretary Del Toro observed that the U.S. maritime industry “is ripe with opportunity to partner with a greater number of shipbuilders here in the U.S. and with our closest allies overseas, including Japan and South Korea.”  In the same speech, he announced his objective to “attract the most advanced shipbuilders in the world to open U.S.-owned subsidiaries and invest in commercial shipyards here in the U.S., modernizing and expanding our shipbuilding industrial capacity and creating a healthier, more competitive shipbuilding workforce.”

Secretary Del Toro visited Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Palau for engagements in the Indo-Pacific region. The trip was a key step in his Maritime Statecraft efforts to reinvigorate America’s comprehensive maritime power and aligns closely with the Pentagon’s National Defense Industrial Strategy, which calls for venture capital and new ideas to revive the U.S. industrial base.

Source: United States Navy

“We are doing this because it is the right thing to do,” said Rear Adm. Stephen Barnett, commander of the Navy Closure Task Force-Red Hill (NCTF-RH) and Navy Region Hawaii. “We have made this deliberate decision as a result of our steadfast commitment to the people of Hawaii, our service members, civilians, contractors and their families.”

The Extended Drinking Water Monitoring (EDWM) program, which the Navy freely and purposefully developed, will begin in April at the end of the current Drinking Water Long-Term Monitoring (LTM) requirements and run for 12 additional months. To date, the Navy has conducted more than 8,000 samples since the beginning of the LTM efforts; and the data collected demonstrates that Navy’s drinking water continues to meet all Federal and State drinking water standards. Sample results can be found at www.jbphh-safewaters.org.

The new monitoring plan is under final review and coordination with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH). The plan will continue to supplement Safe Drinking Water Act compliance requirements, but implement a more investigatory approach to drinking water concerns, including low-level total petroleum hydrocarbon detections. The military and regulatory agencies will ensure public health concerns are evaluated and addressed. This includes executing a seamless transition from the LTM program to the EDWM program.

For more information about NCTF-RH, visit www.navyclosuretaskforce.navy.mil.

Source: United States Navy

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KOROR, Republic of Palau (March 1, 2024) – Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro visited the Republic of Palau Feb. 29 to March 1 for a series of strategic engagements on the expanding relationship with the critically important Compact of Free Association (COFA) state.

During his visit, Secretary Del Toro met with U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Palau Joel Ehrendreich and members of his team, as well as with President Surangel Whipps, Jr., to discuss the expanding relationship with Palau and the United States’ critically important defense posture in the region.

“President Whipps has been a marvelous reflection of all the people of Palau and a persistent supporter of the U.S.-Palau relationship, which directly supports a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” said Secretary Del Toro. “I can assure you that the United States remains committed to Palau’s national security, and I remain one of Palau’s strongest advocates in Washington, to include with Congress.”  

Secretary Del Toro also thanked President Whipps for his support of the U.S. Navy Seabees and U.S. Marines engineering and construction work in Palau, including a runway improvement project in Peleliu by the Marines from the 7th Engineer Support Battalion (ESB). Secretary Del Toro visited the runway project. He also remembered the lives lost by both the U.S. and Japan by laying a wreath at Orange Breach in Peleliu, where the first U.S. invasion of forces landed during World War II, during the Battle of Peleliu. The 80th anniversary of the Battle of Peleliu is this September.

President Whipps thanked the Secretary for the Office of Naval Research funded island resilience data analysis and visualization dashboard, as well as the two Navy funded coordinators to operate it for the Office of the President, which arrived two days before Secretary Del Toro’s visit.

“Secretary Del Toro’s visit affirms the longstanding friendship and ironclad partnership between the United States and Palau, which includes the efforts of Palauans serving in the U.S. Navy for decades and still to this day.  Now – more than ever – the cooperation between our two countries is contributing to the stability of the region,” said Ambassador Ehrendreich.

Secretary Del Toro’s visit to Palau is part of a series of strategic engagements in the Indo-Pacific to promote the protection of the maritime commons in line with his Maritime Statecraft efforts. 

Secretary Del Toro trip to Palau was the third leg of travel through the Indo-Pacific, which included stops in the Republic of Korea and Japan. The trip is an important component in Secretary Del Toro’s Maritime Statecraft efforts to reinvigorate America’s comprehensive maritime power. A whole-of-government effort, Maritime Statecraft aligns closely with the Pentagon’s National Defense Industrial Strategy, which calls for venture capital and new ideas to revive the U.S. industrial base.

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For more information, contact Capt. Patrick Evans at secnav.pa@us.navy.mil.