A team of participants working on the high-pressure air compressor during Hack the Machine competition at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York City on Sept. 7, 2019. US Navy Photo
NEW YORK – Two years ago, the Navy invited a group of civilian data experts to study how the service could better predict maintenance on surface ships. A short time into the exercise at MIT, a major problem popped up – the data was bad. Read More
NASA Photo
CAPITOL HILL – With 11 days to go until Fiscal Year 2019 ends, lawmakers from the House and Senate held their first armed services conference committee meeting to iron out differences between each chamber’s version of next year’s National Defense Authorization Act. Read More
Master Chief Boatswain’s Mate Claus Moser communicates with sailors in the forecastle of the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD-8) while off-loading the starboard anchor chain in 2017. US Navy Photo
SAN DIEGO, Calif – The Navy has a large backlog of surface ship maintenance it is trying to dig out of; that’s not new. And while the sea service and ship repair industry are making some progress in cutting back on administrative and other burdens that slow down maintenance availabilities, the contractors here in San Diego are so backed up that the Navy has received zero bids for several recent maintenance availabilities. Read More
Oil fields in Eastern Saudi Arabia on Sept. 14, 2019. NASA Photo
Three members of the House Armed Services Committee came down against U.S. armed retaliation against Iran for the attack on Saudi Arabian oil production facilities over the weekend. Read More
U.S. Marines with Task Force Koa Moana (TF KM) conducts a night live fire exercise during the TF KM Mission Rehearsal Exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. on July 19, 2018. US Marine Corps Photo
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. – Two months after new Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger released his commandant’s planning guidance, the Marines charged with plotting how the service will operate in the future showed a glimpse into how the new guidance is shaping their work. Read More
The following is the Sept. 17, 2019 Congressional Research Service report, Navy DDG-51 and DDG-1000 Destroyer Programs: Background and Issues for Congress. Read More
RRF vessel SS Cornhusker State off the coast of Haiti, February 2010. MARAD Photo
This post was updated to properly identify the Ready Reserve Force. An earlier version included an incorrect title of the force.
THE PENTAGON — U.S. Transportation Command started the largest turbo activation of the Ready Reserve Force since 2003 to stress-test the military’s ability to quickly deploy the cargo ships required for a massive troop movement.
Attack boat Vermont (SSN-792) float-off on March 29, 2019. General Dynamics Electric Boats Photo
GROTON, Conn. – General Dynamics Electric Boat broke ground on a Columbia-class submarine assembly facility at its Groton yard on Friday, kicking off one of the final facilities improvement projects the company needs ahead of a massive increase in submarine construction work in the coming decades. Read More
An artist’s rendering of VT Halter Marine’s winning bid for the U.S. Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter. VT Halter Marine image used with permission
WASHINGTON, D.C. – By building a heavy icebreaker designed to both withstand the frigid waters and accommodate major maintenance needs, the Coast Guard hopes to avoid the catastrophic failures that have hamstrung the service’s polar missions for a nearly a decade. Read More
Rear Adm. Stephen Evans, left, commander of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2 and Rear Adm. Sara A. Joyner, right, take a tour of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) on Aug. 26, 2019. US Navy Photo
The following post has been updated to correct the name of a submarine referred to in the story. On Friday, Vice Adm. Tom Moore referred to attack submarine USS Asheville (SSN-758) not USS Nashville.
The heads of the Navy’s ship maintenance efforts want to get destroyer work back on track using new data tools and an under-development predictive schedule to prevent another major backlog in repair work. Read More
