Month: December 2024

Source: United States Navy

Good morning, everyone! 

It is wonderful to be here with you in sunny Orlando for the Interservice-Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference.

Thank you, Vice Admiral Buck, my Naval Academy classmate and longtime friend, for the kind introduction, for the opportunity to discuss the challenges our Navy and Marine Corps face today, and to highlight how those from industry and academia can help support our mission and our warfighters.

I also want to thank you for your superb leadership of our beloved Naval Academy over the three years you led her.

There have only been two times—to my knowledge—in our Nation’s history that we have had a Supe and SECNAV from the same Academy class, and I am glad we were part of that incredibly small club!

You also gave me my fist victory over Army—a pattern I hope Vice Admiral Davids continues in her first Army-Navy Game as Superintendent two weeks from now. 

As your 78th Secretary of the Navy, my mission is to provide combat ready forces and capabilities to the President of the United States, Secretary of Defense, and our Combatant Commanders.

As a former career Surface Warfare Officer and a former small business owner in the defense ecosystem, I fully understand and appreciate what the people in this room bring to the high-end fight.  

Former President and Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.”

In our rapidly evolving world, I urge you to embrace this mindset of progress—we must cultivate a culture of innovation, and we must continue moving forward.

We must continue to support the small business community to grow our supply chain.

And all of you here today are an important part of that journey.

The urgent need for a strong Navy and Marine Corps to protect our Nation and its vital interests cannot be overstated.

As you have certainly heard and read in the news, our Nation faces threats around the world—from Europe to the Red Sea to the Indo-Pacific.

In Europe, Russia is quickly approaching the third year of its illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. 

Ukraine is fighting not only for their own liberty and freedom—they are fighting to protect democracy in Europe and indeed around the world.

And we as a Nation must continue to stand by Ukraine in its quest to remain free of Vladimir Putin’s tyranny.

In the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, we are working alongside our NATO allies and Middle East partners to ensure the safety of innocent, civilian mariners and protect our commercial shipping against the Iranian-aligned Houthi terrorist attacks.

Following the October 7th attacks in Israel over a year ago, our Navy and Marine Corps were swiftly deployed to the region, forming an integrated force capable of responding to any threat.

Our warships have demonstrated exceptional performance under fire, successfully deterring and defeating missile and drone attacks targeting innocent maritime shipping. 

In the Indo-Pacific, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has publicly abandoned its long-term goal of reunification with the Republic of Korea and, in fact, now views them as the “main enemy.”

And the DPRK continues the creations and testing of new and dangerous military capabilities, including numerous ICBMs. 

It now aligns itself with Russia and poses an incredible threat to the Republic of Korea and Japan.

Kim Jong Un has even bestowed President Putin the concerning title of the “Korean people’s closest friend.”

And Kim’s support of Putin is evident in the deployment of DPRK troops to fight alongside Russian forces.

And while the world’s focus has shifted to other parts of the globe, the People’s Republic of China continues to enforce excessive maritime claims through their navy, coast guard, and maritime militia. 

The PRC is observing lessons from the ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Red Sea.

To effectively face these mounting challenges and threats, we must commit to a whole-of-nation effort to support our Navy and Marine Corps.

We are indeed a unified fighting force, and our network of partners and allies is a critical advantage that we have over our potential adversaries.

In order to maintain our warfighting advantage, we must continue looking forward to new innovations, adapting to the threats of today while anticipating the threats of tomorrow.

When I first came into office as Secretary of the Navy three and a half years ago, I laid out Three Enduring Priorities which serve as the basis of all we do in the Department of the Navy. They are:

• Strengthening Maritime Dominance,

• Building a Culture of Warfighting Excellence, and

• Enhancing Strategic Partnerships.

 “Enhancing Strategic Partnerships” incorporates not only naval diplomacy across our oceans and our relationships at sea, but crucially, our partnerships with those within the defense ecosystem and academia.

We are fundamentally reliant on industry and academia to maintain our warfighting edge, and industry is building and delivering mission-ready platforms and technology to our Navy and Marine Corps.

The current state of the world highlights the importance of strengthening our maritime dominance through new technologies and integrated training environments.

Those in this room today are pushing the bounds of tactics and capabilities—look no further than the Red Sea, where the technology created through your research and development have enabled our ships to defend themselves and innocent mariners from drones and missiles launched in hostility.

Our simulation tools and programs provide our warfighters realistic training without the expense and risk of open-air testing.

At Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Expeditionary Security Groups train on the Laser Shoot Littoral Combat Simulator, a motion boat platform with 360-degree screens. 

This simulator replicates wartime scenarios and environments, enhancing Sailor readiness and enabling training and execution of pre-planned responses.

At Naval Station Norfolk, the Submarine Learning Facility allows our submarine officers and enlisted personnel the ability to train on a full-scale Virginia-class submarine simulator.

And the work of those in this room today is vital to the sustainment of programs such as Link Inject-to-Live, Live, Virtual, and Constructive, and the Next Generation Threat System.

This year, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division implemented Simulators at Sea, a revolutionary training capability which allows our aviators to conduct simulated missions while underway and deployed. 

The aviators of Carrier Air Wing NINE, embarked on USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), have been training with Simulators at Sea since they began their deployment to the Fifth Fleet in July.

And our successes in the Red Sea are a testament to the collaborative efforts of our industry partners and tactical experts.

By leveraging advanced simulation programs, we have significantly enhanced high-end training and advanced tactics, techniques, and procedures in our carrier strike groups and our forward-deployed warships. 

The Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center and the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center have spearheaded these advancements, which are currently being executed by our ships operating in the Red Sea.

The Department of the Navy remains committed to innovation—constantly developing and deploying technologies that will make our Fleet and Force even more formidable. 

Over a year ago, I announced my vision for a new Maritime Statecraft, a call for a whole-of-government effort to build comprehensive U.S. and allied maritime power, both commercial and naval, to prevail in an era of intense strategic competition.

One of our greatest asymmetric strengths lies in our network of partnerships with our Defense Industrial Base, and specifically, with the small businesses within our defense ecosystem.

In my view as Secretary of the Navy, a healthy, diverse industrial base made up of companies of all sizes—founded by American entrepreneurs from all walks of life—is critical to the success of our Navy and our Marine Corps.

Small businesses are the foundation of our Department’s ability to provide the capabilities and services we need to support our Sailors, Marines, civilians, and their families—from providing them with quality-of-life services to ensuring our deployed personnel have the capabilities they need to be successful in their assigned missions.

And small businesses today make up approximately 20% of all Department of the Navy contracts awarded.

Since I entered office in 2021, small business contracts have grown from $17 billion dollars to $21 billion dollars—a $4 billion, or 21% increase.

During Fiscal Year 2024, we invested:

• $7.9 billion on contracts with Small Disadvantaged Businesses—a 20% increase,

• $3 billion on contracts with Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses—a 18.5% increase,

• $3 billion on contracts with Women Owned Small Businesses—a 5.5% increase,

• over $2 billion on HUBZone prime contracts with small businesses—a 38.2% increase,

• And since 2021, we have added over four thousand new vendors to our supply chain!

Here in Orlando, we are working alongside companies like the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Innovative Reasoning LLC, which provides analytical, logistical, and administrative domain services to support Marine Corps Training and Education Command as well as the Range and Training Area Management Branch.

Since my first day as Secretary of the Navy, I have prioritized ensuring that our Sailors and Marines have the essential tools—ships and weapons—they need to fight and win our nation’s wars.

And by empowering a vibrant small business community, we ensure the continued strength and readiness of our service men and women, wherever they train and fight.

I am extremely proud of everything our Department has accomplished over the last three and a half years, and I am excited for our Navy-Marine Corps team as we chart a course for the future—a future that will require us to respond and adapt to whatever geopolitical challenges our Nation may face.

We are indeed a maritime nation, and it is imperative that all of us gathered today remain committed to providing for and maintaining the Navy and Marine Corps that guarantee our national and economic security.

I have and will remain dedicated to a fully integrated team comprised of our Sailors and Marines on sea, land, and air, our DoD civilians and contractors, our industry partners, and those in academia—working together to ensure mission accomplishment.

Thank you all for your commitment to the DoD, Department of the Navy, the maritime services, and indeed our Nation.

It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the nearly one million Sailors, Marines, and Department of the Navy civilians as the 78th Secretary of the Navy. 

Now that I know how warm it is here in December, you might see me next year walking the booths—without any aides or a photographer, of course!

Thank you.

Source: United States Navy

WASHINGTON – October 19, 2023, started out as a routine day underway for Sailors aboard USS Carney (DDG 64) as the ship steamed through the Red Sea on its scheduled deployment to the 5th Fleet area of responsibility. However, starting at around 4 p.m. local time, things abruptly changed.

“We were in berthing and heard [an announcement over the ship’s 1MC intercom system] ‘clear the weatherdecks,’ and I remember thinking, ‘what does that mean? I’ve never heard that before,’” recalled Fire Controlman (AEGIS) 2nd Class Justin Parker, a SPY radar technician assigned to Carney.
Immediately after hearing the announcement, Parker said he heard the unmistakable sound of missiles being fired off the ship, as well as the destroyer’s main 5-inch gun being fired. With no scheduled live fire drills that day, he said he instantly realized something was wrong.
“We had never done anything like this before – we had only trained to it,” said Gunner’s Mate 1st Class Charles Currie, a Mk. 45 gun technician assigned to Carney. “There was a lot of adrenaline going on – this was real-world now.”
By the end of what became a 10-hour standoff, Carney had shot down 15 drones and four land-attack cruise missiles fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen, marking the most intense combat engagement by a U.S. Navy warship since WWII.
Carney departed for deployment Sept. 27, 2023, before the now-infamous Hamas terror attack on Israel Oct. 7. Looking back, crewmembers said they had no idea what was in store for them as they departed their homeport of Naval Station Mayport, Florida.
“I’ve only heard stories, but I expected to pull into ports and party a little bit,” laughed Fire Controlman 2nd Class Kameron Miller, a Mk. 160 gun console technician onboard, for whom this would be his first deployment. “That was not quite the case.”
On Oct. 7, after the deadly terror attack that killed more than 1,200 people in Israel, crewmembers said they realized that the situation in the region would potentially be more complicated than they had anticipated, although the prospect of actual combat still wasn’t on their minds.
“The XO told us flat out what the situation was, and what we could be facing,” recalled Currie. “At that point the crew just started to get ready.”
Following Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks and its subsequent military operations in the Gaza strip aiming to free hostages and destroy the terror group responsible, the Iran-backed and Hamas-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen began a terror campaign against civilian mariners and cargo shipping in the Red Sea, aiming to disrupt international trade to leverage an end to the operation in Gaza. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby called the attacks “a clear example of terrorism and a violation of international law” and pledged that the U.S. and its allies would “do what we need to do to counter these threats and protect these ships.”
After the initial combat engagement on Oct. 17, Carney spent much of the remainder of its deployment on high alert, closing out its time in the Red Sea with a total of 51 combat engagements.
“The entire crew definitely fell back on their training, starting from the very beginning,” said Lt. j.g. Haven Vickers, the Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer assigned to Carney. “Every single training experience we did before deployment – that’s what we fell back on.”
Vickers said she credits the intensity of the crew’s training along with the camaraderie shared among her shipmates with the success they experienced in combat. While many admitted to being nervous at first, she said as time went on, they fell into a rhythm and were able to effectively react to and defend the ship from threats.
“As nervous as you get, it’s not about you,” said Ens. William Hinckley, the Administrative/Legal Officer onboard Carney. “It’s about keeping everybody else safe. Thinking about everybody else and not just yourself is crucial.”
Upon returning to their homeport following deployment May 10, 2024, the entire crew was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon (CAR), the first time a Navy crew has received the decoration since 1991 in the Gulf War.
“I could not be more proud of what the Carney team has done since September,” said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, who attended the ship’s homecoming. “It has been eye-watering to watch; you truly are America’s Warfighting Navy in action.”
For some of the crew, they said the impact of the deployment still hasn’t fully set in.
“It’s really neat to know that we made history,” said OSC Noah Wicks, the Air Intercept Controller assigned to USS Carney (DDG 64). “Even though we’re a small ship, we had a very big impact on the world.”
For the young crewmembers like Miller, who’s expectations of a routine deployment were shattered, he said the experience was a stark reminder of why he joined the Navy in the first place.
“It was probably one of the most rewarding experiences I’ll ever have in my entire life,” said Miller. “It wasn’t just about traveling the world; it was about saving people’s lives and getting a job done.”

Source: United States Navy

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Navy’s oldest floating dry-dock, Dynamic (AFDL-6), successfully undocked two 30-foot port operations workboats, marking a significant milestone for the crew, Nov. 26, 2024, at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek (JEBLC) in Virginia Beach, Virgina. Under the leadership of Cmdr. Johnny Stevenson, now in his second year as commanding officer, the crew executed the operation with precision and efficiency, saving the Navy both time and money.

The last time two work boats were both docked and undocked within a single docking evolution was in September 2021. With a completely new crew and commanding officer, the Navy’s second-oldest vessel continues to prove its vital role in maintaining the fleet’s operational readiness.

“The operation required the dry-dock to immerse 22-feet to facilitate the undocking process,” said Cmdr. Stevenson. “The successful undocking of these vessels demonstrates our commitment to maintaining readiness and operational capability. I’m proud of our team’s hard work and the seamless execution of this operation.”

This operation marks the tenth docking evolution since February 2024 for Dynamic since departing its own depot level dry-dock repair.

Dynamic continues to play a critical role in the Navy’s logistical and maintenance operations, providing indispensable support to the fleet. The successful undocking evolution reflects the crew’s unwavering dedication and their ability to meet the Navy’s operational needs effectively.

“Our people are our biggest assets,” Stevenson concluded. “My goal is to bring out the best in everyone. Here on Dynamic, I trust and believe in every individual down to our most junior Sailor to execute and perform well.”

As Dynamic prepares for its next mission, all eyes are on Stevenson and his crew, who stand ready to tackle any challenges ahead in service of the fleet and the nation.

MARMC, a field activity under Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), provides surface ship maintenance, management and oversight of private sector maintenance and fleet technical assistance to ships in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.