LOCKPORT, La. — Bollinger Shipyards delivered the USCGC Edgar Culbertson, the 37th fast-response cutter (FRC), to the U.S. Coast Guard on Feb. 6 in Key West, Florida, the company said in a release. 

Each FRC is named for an enlisted Coast Guard hero who distinguished himself or herself in the line of duty. The Culbertson is named after the boatswain’s mate first class petty officer who died in the line of duty while trying to rescue three teenage brothers during a fierce storm in Duluth, Minnesota, in April 1967. Culbertson was posthumously awarded the Coast Guard Medal for his bravery and heroism. 

“We are very pleased to announce the latest FRC delivery,” said Ben Bordelon, Bollinger’s president and CEO. ”The USCGC Edgar Culbertson is the second of three fast-response cutters to be home-ported in Galveston, Texas. The industrial base of over 600 local men and women at Bollinger constructing these high-quality vessels have consistently delivered over half of the program of record to date, with the highest quality, on schedule and within budget.” 

“While providing the United States Coast Guard with an extremely capable and affordable asset, the Bollinger FRC program also provides tremendous benefits to … Louisiana, not only through highly skilled and well-paying jobs, but also through its direct and indirect spending, resulting in millions of dollars of economic benefits to the state,” Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) said. 

The 154-foot Sentinel-class has a flank speed of 28 knots, state-of-the-art command, control, communications and computer technology and a stern launch system for the vessel’s 26-foot cutter boat. 

Senior Coast Guard officials have described the FRC as an operational “game-changer.” The cutters have been deployed as far as 4,400 nautical miles from homeport, highlighting the FRC’s operational reach and capability. 

HOUMA, La. — A keel-laying ceremony was held Feb. 12 for the future USNS Cherokee Nation (T-ATS 7), the second ship of the Navy’s Navajo class of towing, salvage and rescue vessels. The ceremony was held near Gulf Island Shipyard at the Houma Terrebonne Civic Center. 

The ceremony formally marks the start of a ship’s life and the joining of the ship’s modular components. The keel serves as the symbolic backbone of the ship. 

In attendance to authenticate the keel was Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Chuck Hoskin Jr., and the ship’s sponsor and deputy speaker of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council, Victoria Mitchell Vazquez. 

During the ceremony, the keel authenticators etched their initials into the keel plate and declared it to be “truly and fairly laid.” 

“We are honored to have so many representatives of the Cherokee Nation in attendance to celebrate this early milestone,” said Mike Kosar, support ships, boats and craft program manager, Program Executive Office Ships. “The ship is critical to the operations of our fleet and will soon sail with the pride and determination of the Cherokee people, which it is named to honor.” 

The Navajo-class will provide ocean-going tug, salvage and rescue capabilities to support fleet operations. The current capabilities are provided by three T-ATF 166 and two T-ARS 50 class ships, several of which will reach the end of their expected service lives later this year. 

Navajo-class ships will be capable of towing U.S. Navy ships and will have 6,000 square feet of deck space for embarked systems. The platform will be 263 feet long, have a beam of 59 feet and can carry a load of nearly 2,000 tons. 

In addition to the future USNS Cherokee Nation (T-ATS 7), Gulf Island Shipyard is building the future USNS Navajo (T-ATS 6) and is under contract for the detail design and construction of the future USNS Saginaw Ojibwe Anishinabek (T-ATS 8).

The USS Normandy, while conducting maritime security operations in the U.S. Central Command area of operations, boarded a dhow in the Arabian Sea on Feb. 9 in accordance with international law and discovered a large cache of weapons, according to a Feb. 13 U.S. Central Command release. 

The weapons seized include 150 “Dehlavieh” anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), which are Iranian-manufactured copies of Russian Kornet ATGMs. Other weapons components seized aboard the dhow were of Iranian design and manufacture and included three Iranian surface-to-air missiles, Iranian thermal imaging weapon scopes and Iranian components for unmanned aerial and surface vessels as well as other munitions and advanced weapons parts. 

Many of these weapons systems are identical to the advanced weapons and weapon components seized by guided-missile destroyer USS Forrest Sherman in the Arabian Sea in November. Those weapons were determined to be of Iranian origin and assessed to be destined for the Houthis in Yemen, which would be in violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution that prohibits the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons to the Houthis.  

The seized weapons are in U.S. custody awaiting final disposition. The assessment of the material will be an interagency and international effort. International partner nations and organizations have also been invited to inspect the cache. The operation is ongoing, according to Central Command. 

WASHINGTON — The N.S. Savannah, the world’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship, was to begin its journey back on Feb. 13 from dry-docking in preparation for decommissioning, the Maritime Administration said in a release.  

Having spent the last few months at Northeast Ship Repair in Philadelphia undergoing maintenance, the ship will be back at home at the Canton Marine Terminal in Baltimore by Feb. 14.  

The only U.S.-built, nuclear-powered merchant ship, the Savannah was in Philadelphia for general inspection, repairs and structural modifications. The ship was a demonstration project for the potential use of nuclear energy and was named after the SS Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. 

The N.S. Savannah, which was deactivated in 1971, was in service between 1962 and 1972 as one of only four nuclear-powered cargo ships ever built. Soviet icebreaker Lenin, launched in 1957, was the first nuclear-powered civil ship. 

While the last nuclear fuel was removed from the Savannah nearly 50 years ago, there are still components of the nuclear power plant that need to be removed to support its decommissioning. A contract for decommissioning the vessel’s nuclear plant is expected to be announced later this year.  

Once the ship is back in Baltimore, it will be open for limited tours.

WASHINGTON — To meet the pressing needs of the National
Defense Strategy (NDS), the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are discarding development
measures that have slowed the production of new amphibious ships and other
platforms, Marine Commandant Gen. David H. Berger said.

“We’re not going to do that,” Berger said of past procedures where “the Navy and Marine Corps figure out what we might need, then we get with industry, then we go back and forth for a couple of years.”

Instead, he told a Feb. 11 congressional forum on amphibious
warships, “We have to accelerate production now. We cannot wait four or five
years to begin.” The requirements evaluation process is already underway, and
it is teamed with industry to determine what is in the realm of possibility,
Berger added.

When he became commandant in July, Berger said his top
priority is designing a force that could meet the threat of strategic competitors
like China, which is outlined in the NDS. His Commandant’s Planning
Guidance states that Marines will be trained and equipped as a naval
expeditionary force-in-readiness, prepared to operate inside actively contested
maritime spaces in support of fleet operations. His plan calls for both force
structure and operational changes, including dispersing smaller and highly
mobile Marine expeditionary units — carried by smaller, cheaper and more
numerous surface vessels — that can move their base of operations within 48 to
72 hours.

“The capability, the lethality of a forward Navy/Marine
Corps team is the unique contribution that we have. This is what amphibious
forces bring — the ability, at the times and place of your choosing, to put
your forces where you want to, when you want to,” Berger told the Capitol Hill gathering,
which was sponsored by the Amphibious Warship Industrial Base Coalition.

In his opening remarks at the forum, retired Navy Rear Adm.
Sam Perez, the coalition’s chairman, noted that more than 70 companies in 44
states and more than 250 congressional districts provide parts worth more than
$1.4 billion for the construction of amphibious warships.

Two long-term studies — to determine how many and what kind
of ships the Navy will need in the next five to 15 years and what kind of
Marines and Sailors should man them — will be released soon, Berger said. A Force
Structure Assessment (FSA) conducted by the Navy in 2016 called for a 355-ship
fleet. A new FSA, known as the Integrated Naval FSA (INFSA), to include the new
integration of Navy and Marine Corps personnel and assets, is expected to
initiate a once-in-a-generation change in the Navy’s mix of ships. Berger said the
Corps’ work on the INFSA is done, and he’s waiting for Defense Secretary Mark
Esper and Deputy Secretary David Norquist to complete their review.

In addition to the INFSA, the Marines have conducted their own Force Design Assessment to determine the size and structure of Marine end strength. That document also is awaiting review by Esper and acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly. In his commandant’s guidance, Berger said he was prepared to reduce force structure in exchange for more modernization funding. The Department of the Navy’s fiscal 2021 budget, released Feb. 10, called for reducing the size of the Marine Corps by 2,100 to 184,100 active-duty personnel.

“We’re not getting smaller for smaller’s sake,” Berger told reporters after his speech to the amphibious group. “We need resources, and when we shrink a little bit in structure, we’re going to take that money and pour it into the Marine Corps.”

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Coast Guard plans to fully fund the second polar security cutter (PSC) and the third offshore patrol cutter (OPC), according to the proposed fiscal year 2021 U.S. Department of Homeland Security budget. 

The Coast Guard overall is seeking $12.3 billion for fiscal 2021, $77 million more than the $12.2 billion in the enacted 2020 budget. 

The 2021 budget requests $555 million to fully fund the second PSC. The Coast Guard plans to procure a total of six polar security cutters to support growing national security interests and to replace the service’s only operating heavy icebreaker, the Polar Star. The first PSC is being built by VT Halter Marine in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The budget also requests $15 million for a multiyear service-life extension for the Polar Star.  

The $546 million to construct the third OPC also provides for long-lead materials for a fourth. The 25 OPPCs planned will replace the service’s medium-endurance cutters. Eastern Shipbuilding Group in Panama City, Florida, is building the first OPC with options for three more, down from eight more because of the damage to the company’s yard from a hurricane. A competition will be opened for construction of more OPCs. 

The Coast Guard plans a gap in procurement of the Sentinel-class fast-response cutters (FRCs), with 37 delivered so far of a planned purchase of 58 FRCs. However, the service is proposing $15 million in 2021 for program support and sustainment of the Sentinel class. The FRCs are replacing Island-class patrol boats. 

The sea service is planning no purchases of new aircraft in 2021 but wants to allocate $78 million to missionize the C-27J aircraft fleet into HC-27Js and continue retrofit of the HC-144A aircraft fleet with the Minotaur mission system into HC-144B versions.  

The budget also provides $65 million to modernize the HH-65D helicopter fleet to HH-65Es and to extend the service life of MH-60T helicopters so that they can serve into the mid-2030s, enabling the Coast Guard to align its helicopter requirements with the Defense Department’s Future Vertical Lift program. 

The 2021 budget also proposes $35.5 million to manage retirements of old assets, including the decommissioning of two Secretary-class high-endurance cutters, two Island-class patrol boats and eight Marine Protector-class patrol boats. 

Titan Acquisition Holdings, created through the combination of Vigor Industrial and MHI Holdings, announced Feb. 12 an agreement to acquire Huntington Ingalls’ San Diego Shipyard, one of the largest fleet service and repair sites in America, located in the nation’s largest Navy port.  

The acquisition creates opportunities to better serve key defense customers, economies of scale, expanded scope and performance optimization. Customers of Titan include the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, the U.S. Army, Boeing and nondefense and commercial customers such as state and local ferry systems.  

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and closing is expected in the second quarter of the year. Financial terms were not disclosed. 

“We are excited to add the San Diego Shipyard to our already strongly positioned and growing enterprise. The opportunity to add the San Diego Shipyard to our family of companies is a natural step in our evolution given its strategic location and wealth of talented employees,” said Jim Marcotuli, CEO and president of Titan.  

“Titan is a first-class organization with a strong reputation in the ship repair and sustainment market,” said Andy Green, executive vice president of HII and president of HII Technical Solutions. “We believe this transaction will enable us to leverage complementary capabilities, capacity and facilities to improve efficiencies and better serve the needs of our U.S. Navy customer.” 

“We are thrilled to announce this agreement to acquire the San Diego Shipyard,” said Tom Rabaut, chairman of Titan. “Our goal is aimed at creating a stronger company of scale, capable of providing differentiated, coast-to-coast services to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army and other defense, infrastructure and maritime customers.”  

As a part of this transaction, Huntington Ingalls will hold a minority interest in Titan, the majority of which is controlled by The Carlyle Group and Stellex Capital Management. Other investors include Frank Foti, former CEO of Vigor, and members of management. 

he San Diego Shipyard, formerly Continental Maritime of San Diego, covers 14 acres of land and 17 acres of water area on San Diego Bay. The shipyard is a division of HII Technical Solutions Fleet Support Group and provides shipfitting, welding, pipefitting, machinery, repair, marine electrical repair and installation, sheet metal repair and fabrication, boiler repair and preservation services to customers. 

SAN DIEGO — General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced that the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) have been cleared for shipboard launch and recovery of all currently deployed naval aircraft types aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). 

The Navy issued Aircraft Launch Bulletins (ALB) and Aircraft Recovery Bulletins (ARB) that identify the weights and engaging speeds authorized for shipboard aircraft launch and recovery, and signal EMALS and AAG are operationally safe for use aboard the Ford. On Jan. 31, the carrier completed at-sea aircraft compatibility testing (ACT) utilizing a range of aircraft, including F/A-18E/F, E-2D, C-2A, EA-18G, and T-45C, to prove EMALS and AAG can accommodate the air wing aircraft. 

“EMALS and AAG can launch and recover the current air wing and any future aircraft, to provide greater flexibility than the legacy systems aboard Nimitz-class carriers,” said Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. 

“The Navy is expecting flight-deck certification to take place in the coming months and will conduct a steady stream of cats and traps this year — we’re talking in the thousands — to move the ship closer to full mission capability and capacity.” 

GA-EMS is delivering EMALS and AAG for the future USS John F. Kennedy and USS Enterprise. Significant cost savings are being realized through multiple ship production contracts, which minimize gaps in production while maximizing planning, scheduling and delivery to support all three Ford-class carriers. 

“The next few months are really where all the hard work comes together to intensely exercise these systems to meet [Gerald R. Ford] operational objectives,” stated Rolf Ziesing, vice president of programs at GA-EMS. “This is a very exciting time for us, generating a great deal of team pride as EMALS and AAG successfully performs. We remain laser-focused on our support of the Ford and ensuring that same success comes to fruition on the future CVN 79 and CVN 80.” 

SAN DIEGO — The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro offloaded nearly 20,000 pounds of cocaine Feb. 10 seized from known drug-transit zones of the eastern Pacific Ocean worth about $338 million, according to the Coast Guard’s 11th District. 

Eight interdictions were made between mid-November and mid-January by the joint efforts of the following four separate Coast Guard cutter crews: 

• Thetis was responsible for two cases, seizing 6,830 pounds. 
• Resolute was responsible for one case, seizing 1,951 pounds. 
• Tampa was responsible for two cases, seizing 4,270 pounds. 
• Munro was responsible for three cases, seizing 6,680 pounds. 

Numerous U.S. agencies from the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security cooperated in the effort to combat transnational organized crime. The Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Panama Express Strike Force, along with allied and international partner agencies, play a role in counter-drug operations. 

The fight against drug cartels in the eastern Pacific requires unity of effort in all phases from detection, monitoring and interdictions, to criminal prosecutions of these cases by U.S. Attorneys in districts within Florida and Texas. 

“By disrupting the profits of these cartels, we are reducing their effectiveness and helping our partner nations maintain their stability,” said Rear Adm. Peter Gautier, the 11th District’s commander. “These efforts also provide invaluable information to us that we can then use to stop these drugs further up the supply chain before they begin these dangerous routes at sea.” 

These interdictions were in support of Campaign Martillo, a regional initiative targeting illicit trafficking that threatens security and prosperity at the national, regional, and international levels. The law enforcement phase of counter-smuggling operations in the eastern Pacific is conducted under the authority of the 11th Coast Guard District, headquartered in Alameda. The interdictions, including the actual boardings, are led and conducted by members of the Coast Guard.

The U.S. Navy is seeking to shave $1.4 billion from the
Marine Corps fiscal year 2021 budget request and to reduce the active-duty
force by 2,100, according to new Defense Department budget documents.

The Marines’ piece of the Navy Department’s $207.1 billion budget request for fiscal 2021 amounts to $46 billion, down from the $47.4 billion the Corps received in the enacted 2020 budget.

See details of the Navy’s proposed fiscal year 2021 budget here.

The National Defense Strategy (NDS) shifted focus from short
conventional wars and protracted counterterrorism operations to “the high-end
fight” and the re-emergence of China and Russia in a ‘great power competition,’
said Deputy Defense Secretary David L. Norquist, explaining the reasons for Pentagon
funding diversions in a flat $705.4 billion topline budget.

“That means we had to make additional tough choices and
major cuts in some areas in order to free up money to continue to invest in
preparing for the high-end fight,” Norquist told reporters at a Pentagon budget
briefing.     

Total Marine Corps end strength dropped 2,100 to 184,100
active-duty officers and enlisted Marines from the 2020 figure of 186,200. Reserve
strength remained the same as 2020 at 38,500 officers and enlisted Marines. The
force reduction is part of “efforts to align and sustain our force, as
described by the NDS,” said Rear Adm. Randy B. Crites, the deputy assistant secretary
of the Navy for budget.

The force cuts don’t target operational units per se, Crite
said, adding that they are “primarily focused on headquarters reductions. They
looked for excess capacity.”

The number of Navy amphibious ships, key to Marine Corps
expeditionary operations, stayed flat at 33 ships, with the addition of one amphibious
transport dock ship and the retirement of one dock landing ship. Most of the
Marines’ $7 billion operation and maintenance funding for 2021 is dedicated to expeditionary
forces.

The Navy’s $17.2 billion aircraft procurement budget includes 10 F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing Lightning II strike fighters to replace Marine AV-8B Harrier jets. Seven CH-53K heavy-lift helicopters, nine MV-22B variants of the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and five more VH-92A presidential executive helicopters also are included in the Marine aircraft procurement budget.

The $2.9 billion Marine procurement budget also includes 752 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, a joint Army-Marine Corps program and the first full-rate production lot, 72, of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV), which is phasing out Cold War-era Assault Amphibious Vehicles.