WASHINGTON — The Navy’s force structure — “gray hulls” — is the current top focus for the acting secretary of the Navy as the service nears completion of a new force structure assessment and plans its 2021 budget proposal. “We…
Navy Officials: Dry Dock Availability Will Be Ready for Submarine Force Growth
WASHINGTON — The Navy’s officials in charge of shipbuilding noted a silver lining in the cloud of the service’s upcoming trough in the force level of submarines in the fleet: a chance to keep pace on the maintenance backlog while…
Navy Goes Big With Virginia Block V Sub Multi-Year Contract, Builders to Add Thousands of Workers
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy awarded it largest shipbuilding contract ever with an order for nine Block V Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs), with an option for a 10th SSN, Navy officials said in a Dec. 2 media roundtable in…
Royal Navy Seeks U.S. Coast Guard Help in Training Ship Crews
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Coast Guard is seeking volunteers to help the U.K. Royal Navy train its engineering Sailors on board the Royal Navy’s ships. In a Nov. 27 message from Coast Guard headquarters, the service has solicited 11 personnel…
The Fighting Marlins Return: The Navy’s Last Active-Duty P-3 Squadron Completes Its Final Deployment
On Oct. 10, 2019, the last of nine P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft assigned to Patrol Squadron 40 (VP-40) returned to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, after more than six months deployed to the other side of the world….
Adm. James L. Holloway III, Who Led the Naval Historical Foundation and Made So Much History Himself, Dies at Age 97
ARLINGTON, Va. — Adm. James L. Holloway III, the 20th chief of naval operations and a combat veteran of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, died Nov. 26, according to the Naval Historical Foundation (NHF), an organization he headed after his retirement from…
Navy Leaders Meet to Chart Course Following Spencer’s Departure
ARLINGTON, Va. — Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper is set to meet Nov. 25 with top U.S. Navy officials to discuss the way ahead in the wake of Secretary Richard V. Spencer’s sudden departure, a Pentagon spokesman said in a statement. Esper has proposed a retired Navy admiral…
Continuing Resolution Already Taking Toll on Navy Readiness, Geurts Says
ARLINGTON, Va. — The continuing resolution currently in effect instead of an enacted fiscal 2020 budget already is taking a toll on the readiness of U.S. Navy units and acquisition plans, with two ship overhauls delayed indefinitely and more to come unless Congress…
F-35 Operational Evaluation May Resume in Mid-2020, Pentagon Tester Says
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s head of operational test and evaluation said the earliest the F-35 Lightning II strike fighter’s Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) could resume is mid-2020, when the Joint Simulation Environment is ready. That evaluation, paused earlier…
Subs Will Get Harpoon Missiles Next Year, Navy Undersea Warfare Director Says
ARLINGTON, Va. — The admiral in charge of undersea warfare requirements said the Harpoon anti-ship missile will be returning to the submarine force next year, restoring more lethality to the sub force. “I am happy to report that we will have…
