USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) prepares to pull into Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Va. in 2017. US Navy Photo
CAPITOL HILL – Maintenance backlogs continue to plague the Navy’s surface ship and attack submarine readiness, with the service losing the equivalent of 17 ships for operational tasking this year due to delays in getting repairs, according to an analysis from the Government Accountability Office. Read More
USS Spruance (DDG 111), the Military Sealift Command (MSC) ammunition and cargo ship USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11), the guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 73), the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), the Military Sealift Command (MSC) fleet oiler USNS Walter S. Diehl (T-AO 193) and the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) steam in formation in the South China Sea Sea, Oct. 13, 2016. U.S. Navy Photo
CAPITOL HILL – Navy officials like the potential costs savings of using one hull design for the service’s family of support ships and are talking with industry leaders early and often to make this plan feasible.
F/A-18F Pilot LCDR Jamie R. Struck the makes first carrier arrested landing using AAG system aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) off the Virginia coast. US Navy Photo
CAPITOL HILL – The Navy’s acquisition chief said the weapons elevators on USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) will be built and installed by the time the ship comes out of its ongoing post-shakedown availability, but he may launch an independent review team to look at the long-term sustainability and reliability of the elevators. Read More
Newport News Shipbuilding placed a 900-ton superlift into dry dock, continuing construction of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79). Nearly 90 lifts have been placed in the dock and joined together since the ship’s keel was laid in August 2015. Newport News Shipbuilding photo.
CAPITOL HILL – The Navy continues to push for the upcoming Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine program to be funded outside the normal shipbuilding budget, as opportunities exist to reach a 355-ship fleet faster but the $100-billion SSBN program looms over the next 15 years of spending. Read More
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.)
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) has formally been named the new chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Inhofe’s former job as chairman of the readiness subcommittee will be filled by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). Read More
The U.S. Navy’s newest warship, USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) passes Coronado bridge on its way to Naval Base San Diego. Zumwalt is the lead ship of a class of next-generation multi-mission destroyers, now homeported in San Diego. US Navy photo.
This post has been updated to include an Aug. 22 statement by the Navy.
When the president signed the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act last week, most of the contents of the 788 pages of legislation would take some time to go into effect.
But one thing happened right away: the Navy’s count of deployable battle force ships dropped by two. Read More
Virginia-class attack submarine USS North Dakota (SSN-784) arrives at the Trident Refit Facility’s Magnetic Silencing Facility (MSF) in 2017. US Navy Photo
The Navy may have a tougher time negotiating for its next batch of attack submarines after the House voted not to include a measure that would give the service advanced procurement dollars to increase the rate of submarine construction.
Indiana (SSN-789) was delivered to the U.S. Navy by Newport News Shipbuilding on June 25, 2018. Pictured during sea trials in May, the newest Virginia-class submarine will be commissioned later this year. HII Photo
As some lawmakers hope to leverage industrial base capacity and buy an additional two attack submarines in the coming years, an amendment set for a vote on Thursday will determine if the Navy gets the up-front funding it would need for those additional submarine purchases. Read More
Army Lt. Gen. Austin S. Miller testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on June 19, 2018. DoD Photo
The nominee to lead American and coalition forces in Afghanistan said the key to safely withdrawing U.S. and coalition troops lie in reaching a political solution among the disparate parties and not simply disrupting Taliban operations or hunting down terrorist groups like the Islamic State, al Qaeda or the Haqqani Network. Read More
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis shakes hands with Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, before hearing on the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Budget Request from the Department of Defense in the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington D.C., June 13, 2017. DoD Photo
The U.S. Senate passed its version of the Fiscal Year 2019 defense authorization bill, setting the stage for negotiations with members of the House of Representatives to create a unified set of policy and spending priorities to approve later this year.
