Month: November 2024

Source: United States Navy

WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced on October 31 that the Department of the Navy plans to operate 12 Arleigh Burke class (DDG 51) Flight I Destroyers beyond their 35-year expected service life.

The decision, based upon a hull-by-hull evaluation of ship material condition, combat capability, technical feasibility and lifecycle maintenance requirements, will result in an additional 48 ship-years of cumulative ship service life in the 2028 to 2035 timeframe.  The Navy has proposed DDG service life extension funding in the FY26 budget request, and will update the shipbuilding plan accordingly. 

“Extending these highly-capable, well-maintained destroyers will further bolster our numbers as new construction warships join the Fleet,” said Secretary Del Toro.  “It also speaks to their enduring role in projecting power globally, and most recently in the Red Sea, their proven ability to defend themselves, as well as our allies, partners and friends from missile and drone attacks.”

At the Secretary’s request, the Navy conducted a thorough evaluation of each DDG-51 Flight I ship (DDG 51-71) over the past ten months, and determined the 12 destroyers could and should remain operational beyond their expected service life. The final determination of each ship’s service life is based on maximizing the service life of each ship before it required another extensive and costly docking availability. 

The service life extensions meet the intent of Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and the CNO’s NAVPLAN which directs the Navy to “get more ready players on the field.”

“Today’s budget constrained environment requires the Navy to make prioritized investments to keep more ready players on the field,” said Adm. Franchetti.  “The Navy is actively pulling the right levers to maintain and grow its Battle Force Inventory to support the United States’s global interests in peace and to win decisively in conflict.”

The Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer is critical to the Navy’s mission and has proven itself most capable in contested environments, like the Red Sea.

Source: United States Navy

Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby visited Newport, R.I., to meet with students and Navy leadership, Oct. 30.

While addressing students and staff at Surface Warfare Schools Command, Kilby stressed the achievements and lessons learned the schoolhouse has played since the Navy’s role in the Red Sea.

“In the last year, this community has witnessed firsthand the importance of what you learn at SWSC,” said Kilby. “It’s proved that you are ready to response in crisis and able to adapt to the longest sustained attacks at sea we’ve seen since World War II.”

“This may not be the high-end fight, but the speed and scale of response will carry lessons learned for the Navy throughout our Fleet,” he continued. “I could not be more proud and more impressed with the work being done here.”

SWSC’s mission is to ready sea-bound warriors to serve on surface combatants as officers, enlisted engineers and enlisted navigation professionals in order to fulfill the Navy’s mission to maintain global maritime superiority.

The school maintains state-of-the-art technology in classrooms and trainers to ensure the surface warfare community remains ready for any fight to defend our nation and freedom of the seas.

During his time at Naval Station Newport, Kilby spoke with leadership attending the Senior Enlisted Academy and the Naval Leadership and Ethics Center and stressed the leaders’ role in CNO’s Navigation Plan 2024.

“You are all a critical piece of executing CNO’s NAVPLAN,” said Kilby. “Whether it’s from ensuring our Sailor’s Quality of Service to maintaining our platforms, you are the leaders out there getting it done. I thank you for your sacrifice and ownership entering this new level of responsibility and accountability… congratulations.”

The SEA is the Navy’s only professional military education institution dedicated to senior enlisted personnel, focusing on management, leadership, national security and physical fitness.

NLEC provides training for the foundational principles of ethical leadership across the naval profession, guiding the development of leaders who possess a deep, unwavering sense of responsibility, authority, and accountability. 

Kilby also met with Rear Adm. Darryl Walker, president of the U.S. Naval War College (NWC), at the institution’s Newport campus where the NAVPLAN was announced earlier this year.

Established in 1884, NWC is the oldest institution of its kind in the world. The college delivers excellence in education, research, and outreach, informing today’s decision makers, educating tomorrow’s leaders, and engaging partners and allies on all matters of naval power in order to preserve the peace, respond in crisis, and win decisively in war.

Naval Station Newport is home to 50 different commands and is the Navy’s premier site for training and educating officers, officer candidates, senior enlisted personnel and midshipman candidates into future leaders, as well as testing and evaluating advanced undersea warfare and development systems.

Source: United States Navy

As we wrap up the 20th anniversary of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, I want to take a moment to reflect on the critical messaging our Cyber Warriors have shared this month and reiterate the key ways we can all contribute to safeguarding our Navy’s information and communications technology. Every member of the Navy team – active and reserve Sailors and Navy civilians – is integral to the Navy’s cybersecurity efforts and ensuring America’s Warfighting Navy remains the world’s pre-eminent warfighting force.

The growing threats from adversaries in the cyber domain are real and rapidly evolving. These threats have direct and significant implications for our operational readiness, with the potential to affect our ability to fight and win in a cyber-contested environment. To ensure we remain ready to defend our Nation, our information systems must deliver secure, interoperable, and effective mission performance during peacetime and sustained combat operations.

Every day, our adversaries seek to exploit vulnerabilities in the systems you rely on to execute our national security objectives. It’s our responsibility to identify and reduce those vulnerabilities. Whether you’re operating ships, submarines, or shore-based infrastructure, understanding the cyber risks within our systems and actively working to mitigate them is essential. We must always remain vigilant, reporting any cyber threats we encounter and acting quickly to neutralize them.

Our greatest strength in this fight is our people – you are our true secret weapon. Our Sailors and Navy civilians are our most valuable assets in defending against cyber threats, and it’s up to each of us to contribute.  By practicing good cyber hygiene, continually educating ourselves on emerging threats, and empowering our shipmates with the knowledge and tools they need, we fortify our collective defense.

Every day each of us stands as the first line of defense in protecting our Nation’s critical information systems and networks. Whether at home, at work, or while deployed, the choices we make online can have far-reaching impacts on our Navy’s readiness and operational security.

I urge all of you to stay vigilant and stay informed on the evolving cyber landscape. Together, through awareness, education, and teamwork, we can uphold our Navy’s—and our Nation’s—high standard of cybersecurity.