From Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs 

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, Fla. (September 7, 2024) – The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Richard M. McCool, Jr. (LPD 29) commissioned aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, September 7. 

 
Welcomed throughout the week, the crew, joined by the ship’s sponsor, Shana McCool, and McCool’s great-grandchildren, attended community events supported by local businesses, flyovers by the Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron, a visit by the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, and ceremony host, Naval Air Station Pensacola. Participating in the ceremony were Marine Aviation Training Support Groups Two-One and Two-Three, Navy Training Wing Ten (VT-10) Wildcats, Navy Band Southeast, McGuire’s Pipe and Drum Band, and 350 Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps and Navy League Sea Cadets from Alabama, Arkansas, and Pensacola. 

During the ceremony guest speaker, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, honored the ship’s namesake as they brought the ship to life, beginning its commissioned service. “Captain McCool’s leadership in the face of grave danger and his acts of heroism to save the crew and the ship our nation entrusted to him are indeed an example for all throughout.” 

“I am proud that the Department of the Navy is pursuing the award of the Amphibious Multi-Ship Procurement Contract for a total of three San Antonio Class amphibious ships—just like USS Richard M. McCool Jr.—along with an America Class amphibious assault ship,” Del Toro continued. “I am proud to see these Sailors and Marines bring this incredible warship to life in service to our nation, much like this ship’s courageous namesake.” 

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti also reflected on the importance of the Navy-Marine Corps team. “The LPD plays an essential role on our Blue-Green team as the workhorse of our Amphibious Fleet, and soon the USS Richard M. McCool, Jr. will set sail and begin embarking, transporting, and landing elements of our Navy-Marine Corps team for a variety of expeditionary warfare training and missions,” said Franchetti. “The commissioning of this ship puts more players on the field in America’s Warfighting Navy—players the Navy needs to promote our Nation’s prosperity and security, deter aggression, and provide options to our Nation’s leaders. We need more of these players—platforms that are ready with the right capabilities, weapons, and sustainment to ensure we are fully prepared to fight and win our Nation’s wars in this decade and beyond.” 

“LPD 29 represents a shift in what an amphibious warship is,” said Gen. C.J. Mahoney, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. “With the latest in integrated SPY-6 (air and missile defense radar system) and Next Generation Surface Search Technology, she enables reconnaissance and counter reconnaissance on the forward edge of the battlespace – making sense and decision space for the Fleet and Joint Force Commanders.” 

Emphasizing the critical role of the integrated Navy-Marine Corps team in the event that deterrence fails, Gen. Mahoney concluded, “If the Marine Corps is a bullet to be fired by the Navy, the USS Richard M. McCool, Jr. – with the very crew you see here today – will pull the trigger.” 

Commanding Officer Capt. Jeff Baker thanked family, friends, the commissioning committee, those who were not able to be present, the communities of Pascagoula and Pensacola, and Gulf Coast shipbuilders – electricians, machinists, pipe fitters, painters, riggers, welders, and more; everyone who helped to bring this ship to life 

Echoing McCool’s words when receiving the Medal of Honor “Fight as a unit, not as an individual”, Baker talked about the importance of the crew. “I hope that we’ve made him proud. I hope that we have lived up to and will continue to honor his legacy. The remarkable warship moored behind me, is ready for pictures, but its full of potential energy. It takes 330 officers, chief petty officers, and enlisted crew to sail her and make our warship ready for tasking. Manning these rails are the finest men and women this country has to offer. I couldn’t be prouder of them. The ship needs them all. I need them all. The Navy and our country need them all. Please thank them. They’ve got the watch.” 

“LPD 29, Richard M. McCool, when deployed comes equipped with the most advanced weapons system ever produced. The weapons system with unlimited reach, lethality, and combat effectiveness. The only system known to mankind that cannot be defeated by any adversary anywhere in the world. The weapons system of the United States Marines Corps.” 

LPD 29 is the 13th San Antonio-class LPD commissioned in the United States Navy, and the first U.S. Navy ship to bear this namesake. 

The naming of LPD 29 honors U.S. Navy Capt. Richard M. McCool, Jr., Ret. who received the Medal of Honor in 1945 for the heroism he displayed after his ship, USS LSC 122, was attacked by kamikaze aircraft in the Battle of Okinawa. Despite suffering from shrapnel wounds and painful burns, he led efforts to battle a blazing fire on his ship and rescue injured Sailors. 

McCool was a leader whose life and legacy revolved around service. In addition to USS LSC 122, he commanded the USS LSC 44 and served on the USS McKean (DD-784), USS Frank Knox (DD-742), and USS Leyte (CV-32), and at the University of Oklahoma, and Eighth Naval District, New Orleans, Louisiana. Attending Boston University in Massachusetts, he was redesignated as a public information officer with assignments as the deputy commander at the Armed Forces Information School at Fort Slocum, New York; and to Commander, Naval Base, Long Beach, California; Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington, D.C.; Commander, South Eastern Asia Treaty Organization, Bangkok, Thailand; Ninth Naval District at Great Lakes, Illinois; Commander, First Fleet; and Commander, U.S. Naval Forces, and Commander, Seventh Fleet, Japan. Retiring as a captain in 1974 after 35 years of active duty, he continued serving his community through engagement in local politics in the Bremerton, Washington, area. McCool died in March 2008 and is buried at Naval Academy Cemetery in Annapolis, Maryland. 

San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships are warships that embark, transport, and land elements of a landing force for a variety of expeditionary warfare missions. They provide the Navy and Marine Corps with modern, sea-based platforms that are networked, survivable, and built to operate in the 21st century, with the MV-22 Osprey, the upgraded Amphibious Assault Vehicle, and future means by which Marines are delivered ashore. 

MIDDLETOWN, RI (September 9, 2024)—Rite-Solutions was recently awarded a $39.3 million contract to continue support of the Inter Subsystem Monitoring Tool (ISMT) and On-Board Team Trainer Master Controller (OBTT-MC) applications. The company will provide design, engineering development, integration, testing, logistics, delivery and life-cycle sustainment in support of the Program Executive Office Undersea Warfare Systems (PEO UWS), Submarine Combat and Weapons Control Program Office (PMS 425). 

“This work supporting PMS 425 is mission critical and ensures our submarine fleet possess the most advanced combat control system capabilities,” says Joe Marino, Rite-Solutions co-founder and CEO. “Rite-Solutions gives our customers an Information Advantage® by providing the cutting-edge technical expertise needed to deliver data to the warfighter quickly and efficiently.”   

As the prime contractor, Rite-Solutions will lead a team that includes Lockheed Martin, SEACORP, Innovative Defense Technologies, and Wider Security to perform application modification, upgrades, test and evaluation, delivery and legacy system support for ISMT and OBTT-MC. 

Execution of this contract falls under Rite-Solutions’ Enterprise Solutions Business Unit, led by Vice President Andrew Thibaudeau. “ISMT provides the sailor with a centralized location for monitoring and troubleshooting network traffic across the entire Submarine Warfare Federated Tactical Systems (SWFTS) Network, and OBTT-MC provides the onboard capability to coordinate team training across subsystems such as weapons, sensors, and launchers while simulating the combat environment,” said Thibaudeau. 

Laurie Carter, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Strategy, summarized the overall impact of this award: “Rite-Solutions has supported PMS 425 and ISMT/OBTT-MC for the past 10 years and we are honored to continue supporting this important initiative for at least another seven years.  We are proud of our role in ensuring these critical applications are operational for our sailors.” 

From HII 

MCLEAN, Va., Sept. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HII’s (NYSE: HII) Mission Technologies division has successfully built and delivered two REMUS 620 uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for enhanced high-resolution ocean floor mapping. 

Unveiled only 22 months ago in November 2022, the REMUS 620 is the first medium-class UUV designed to deliver a comprehensive range of above- and below-water capabilities over long distances. 

“The rapid delivery of the REMUS 620 underscores HII’s exceptional agility and efficiency in producing and deploying uncrewed systems that meet the needs of our customers,” said Duane Fotheringham, president of Mission Technologies’ Unmanned Systems business group. “The swift production and delivery timeline to NOAA demonstrate our commitment to supporting our customers’ mission requirements with rapid development and deployment of new capabilities and technology.” 

The REMUS 620 vehicles incorporate cutting-edge modular design and engineering. Like all the REMUS UUVs built by HII, the NOAA REMUS 620 vehicles have been modified with customized enhancements for NOAA’s advanced underwater mapping and habitat restoration missions. Upgrades include a synthetic aperture sonar module, additional energy module, and auxiliary equipment. 

A photo accompanying this release is available at: https://hii.com/news/hii-delivers-advanced-remus-620-uuvs-to-noaa-less-than-24-months-after-unveiling/. 

NOAA plans to use the REMUS 620 vehicles for high-resolution mapping in the Gulf of Mexico, with a focus on restoring Mesophotic and Deep Benthic Communities — or dim and sunlight-free seafloor habitats — injured by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The timely delivery of these UUVs will allow NOAA to accelerate its critical environmental restoration and exploration missions, building on its existing use of other REMUS models for habitat characterization, marine archaeology, and various oceanographic studies. 

“The market interest in the REMUS 620 has been tremendous,” Fotheringham said. “The rapid delivery to NOAA, alongside our growing backlog of REMUS 300 orders, reinforces the market’s confidence in the continued capabilities and versatility of the REMUS series.” 

More than 600 REMUS UUVs have been sold globally and are in operation in more than 30 countries, including 14 NATO members. Over 90% of the vehicles delivered in the past 23 years are still operational today, demonstrating the platform’s durability and the ability to integrate new technologies as they are developed. 

From SECNAV Public Affairs, 6 September 2024 

MOBILE, Ala. (Sept. 6, 2024) – Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro attended the keel laying ceremony for USNS Lansing (EPF 16) alongside ship sponsor Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Mobile, Alabama, Sept. 6, 2024. 
 
The Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) shipbuilding program provides high speed, shallow draft transportation capability to support the intra-theater maneuver of personnel, supplies and equipment for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Army. 
 
“Our EPFs are force multipliers for our combat logistics fleet,” said Secretary Del Toro. “They allow for quicker responses to crises, strengthen our ability to conduct humanitarian and disaster relief operations, and provide logistical support for special forces missions.” 
 
Lansing will be manned by dedicated crews, comprised of both civilian mariners from the Military Sealift Command and embarked military personnel, whose expertise and teamwork will ensure the ship operates at peak efficiency, delivering critical resources and services exactly when and where they’re needed. 
 
The keel laying represents the success and importance of our Maritime Statecraft initiative, which encompasses a national, whole-of-government effort to restore the comprehensive maritime power of our nation. 
 
“Michigan has a world-class skilled workforce and is a leader in developing the techno-industrial workforce we need to build and assemble the ships, munitions, parts, and pieces our Navy, Marine Corps, and indeed our nation need to promote peace around the world,” said Del Toro. “Austal, building this ship, represents another key line of effort under our new, national approach to Maritime Statecraft—a foreign shipbuilder establishing a U.S. subsidiary, investing in America, and partnering with us to build American ships.” 
 
USNS Lansing is the first ship named in honor of Michigan’s capital city, Lansing. A previous USS Lansing (DE 388) was named for Aviation Machinist Mate First Class William Henry Lansing and decommissioned in 1965. 
 
Bridging the gap between low-speed sealift and high-speed airlift, EPFs transport personnel, equipment and supplies over operational distances with access to littoral offload points including austere, minor and degraded ports in support of the Global War on Terrorism/Theater Security Cooperation Program, Intra-theater Operational/Littoral Maneuver and Sustainment and Seabasing. EPFs enable the rapid projection, agile maneuver and sustainment of modular, tailored forces in response to a wide range of military and civilian contingencies such as Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. 
 
Secretary Del Toro made the announcement alongside Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Mayor Andy Schor of Lansing, Michigan, July 22, in addition to announcing the Michigan Maritime Manufacturing (M-3) initiative. 
 
Austal USA, located in Mobile, Alabama, was realized in 1999 for the purpose of reaching the ever increasing commercial and defense aluminum vessel market in the United States. Our shipbuilding facility occupies 164 acres on the eastern shore of the Mobile River and is strategically positioned at the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico. 

From L3Harris, Aug 28, 2024  

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 28, 2024 — L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has received a new order from the U.S. Marine Corps for multi-channel handheld and vehicular radio systems worth more than $120 million, bringing program orders to date above $600 million.  

The recent order is under a 10-year, $750 million indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract for L3Harris Falcon IV® handheld radios. These software-defined devices allow for immediate upgrades to the latest in NSA-certified, high-assurance standards and access to a broad resilient waveform portfolio to maintain spectrum superiority against emerging threats.  

“Our continued investment toward high-assurance technology centers around providing U.S. Marines and other customers the ability to operate seamlessly on the move without enemy interference or detection,” said Chris Aebli, President, Tactical Communications, L3Harris. “These highly advanced systems allow our fighting forces to coordinate with a growing coalition that have selected L3Harris as their resilient communication systems provider.” 

L3Harris delivers communication systems enabling Combined Joint All-Domain Command-and-Control concepts with more than 60 years of experience supporting joint force and coalition partner initiatives, including the U.S. Army’s Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Factor, the U.S. Special Operations Command’s Next Generation Tactical Communications and the UK Ministry of Defence’s Multi Mode Radio programs. 

From QinetiQ, Sept. 5, 2024 

MCLEAN, Va., — QinetiQ US announces that it has received a contract from General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) in San Diego, California to deliver control hardware and software for the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) to be installed on the U.S. Navy’s next Ford-class aircraft carrier, the future Doris Miller (CVN 81). 

This contract reflects a multi-year production task to update, procure, assemble, and test launch control and arresting control hardware. For more than a decade, QinetiQ has supported GA-EMS and the U.S. Navy by providing the hardware and software for the EMALS Launch Control Subsystem, as well as control hardware and software for the AAG system. These systems were developed for and installed on the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and future Ford-class carriers John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) and Enterprise (CVN 80). 

“QinetiQ US is honored to continue our partnership with General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems, delivering critical technology for the fourth ship in the Ford-class, CVN 81. Our ongoing commitment to excellence ensures that the Navy is equipped with the best systems to accomplish its mission with increased reliability, improved operational efficiencies, and significantly decreased lifecycle costs,” said Christopher Forrest, Executive Vice President of Advanced Robotics and Mission Solutions at QinetiQ US. 

Development and production of the hardware and software will be done in QinetiQ’s Franklin, Massachusetts facility. 

MOBILE, Ala. – Austal USA launched USNS Point Loma (EPF 15) at the company’s state-of-the-art ship building facility in Mobile, Ala. today. The U.S. Navy’s 15th Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF), christened in the beginning of August, is now docked pier side for final outfitting and system activation in preparation for sea trials later this year. 

During the launch process, self-propelled modular transporters (SPMT) lifted the ship almost three feet and moved it approximately 400 feet onto a deck barge moored adjacent to the final assembly bay. The barge moved the ship downriver to Austal USA’s West Campus repair yard where the ship was placed in a floating dry dock. The EPF was submerged in the dry dock enabling it to float for the first time, and it was returned back upriver to Austal USA’s new construction facility.  

“The continued success of this launch process is a testament to the value of teamwork and applying lessons-learned to everything we do,” stated Austal USA Vice President of New Construction Programs, Dave Growden. “Our test and activation, crane and rigging, and safety teams work methodically alongside our Navy partners and key vendors such as Berard Transportation and E.N. Bisso & Son tug services. These partnerships allow us to continually examine our process, identify opportunities for improvement, and more effectively achieve these major ship milestones.” 

Production efforts on EPF 15 will shift to final outfitting and system activation to support USNS Point Loma getting underway for sea trials. 

By Team Ships Public Affairs, Aug.30, 2024 

The U.S. Navy celebrated the keel plate signing for one of the Navy’s future Arleigh Burke-class Flight III destroyers at an event hosted at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) on Aug. 30. 

The ceremony was held in honor of Capt. Thomas G. Kelley, a Medal of Honor recipient for his heroism during the Vietnam War and the namesake of the future USS Thomas G. Kelley (DDG 140). 

During the ceremony, Marc Cote, a senior welder from General Dynamics BIW, welded Capt. Kelley’s signature onto the keel plate which will be used in the future during the keel laying ceremony. 

“What an honor! I am truly grateful and humbled that Secretary Del Toro chose me to be the namesake of DDG 140. To have the ship built in my backyard makes it more special and is a testament to the work skills of New England men and women.  I am so proud of the capability this destroyer will eventually bring to the fleet” 

Flight III destroyers feature the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and incorporate upgrades to the electrical power and cooling capacity plus additional associated changes to provide greatly enhanced warfighting capability to the fleet. 

PEO Ships, one of the Department of Defense’s largest acquisition organizations, is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships and craft, auxiliary ships, special mission ships, sealift ships and support ships. 

By Team Ships Strategic Operations, Aug. 29, 2024 

Bath, Maine – The keel for the future USS William Charette (DDG 130), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, was laid during a ceremony on Aug. 29 at General Dynamic Bath Iron Works (BIW). 

The ship is named in honor of Master Chief Hospital Corpsman William R. Charette, a veteran who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic acts during the Korean War, while assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines,1st Marine Division in Panmunjom Corridor (DMZ), Korea. 

Rear Adm. Darin K. Via, Surgeon General of the Navy and Chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED), presided over the ceremony on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. 

“All of us in Navy Medicine are immensely proud to have a warship named after one of our own.  We understand that it is one of the greatest honors you can receive in the Navy. The future USS William Charette will not only be a symbol of American strength but also a testament to the courage and dedication of Navy corpsmen,” said Rear Adm. Darin Via. “To have a ship named after a Navy corpsman is to hold to the maxim of ‘Corpsman Up!’ and embodies the ethos of courage, fidelity, and service before self.” 

A keel laying ceremony represents the joining together of the ship’s modular components at the land level. During the ceremony, the keel is authenticated when the welder etches the initials of the keel honorees into the keel plate. The authentication was confirmed by Via, on behalf of the namesake’s children, Margaret Ann Charette Henderson, Kati Charette Donovan, Laura Charette Bennett, Michael R. Charette, and the late William A. Charette. The namesake’s daughters are the ship’s co-sponsors. BUMED Force Master Chief PatrickPaul (PaP) Mangaran, director of the Hospital Corps and leader of the Navy Medicine’s enlisted force, also read a statement on behalf of the Charette family. 

“The future USS William Charette will be a welcomed addition to the fleet and another player on the field to provide the Navy with the most advanced warfighting capability” said Capt. Seth Miller, DDG 51 Class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “This ship honors the legacy of the late William Charette and his heroism during the Korean War. We are honored to have his daughters as sponsors and for the entire family to celebrate this significant milestone.” 

A DDG 51 Flight III destroyer features the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and incorporates upgrades to the electrical power and cooling capacity plus additional associated changes to provide greatly enhanced warfighting capability to the fleet. The future destroyers Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124), Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126), Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), Quentin Walsh (DDG 132), John E. Kilmer (DDG 134), and Richard G. Lugar (DDG 136) are also under construction at BIW. 

PEO Ships, one of the Department of Defense’s largest acquisition organizations, is responsible for executing the development and procurement of all destroyers, amphibious ships and craft, auxiliary ships, special mission ships, sealift ships and support ships. 

From U.S. Central Command, Sept. 3, 2024 
 

TAMPA, Fla – In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed an Iranian-backed Houthi missile system in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen. 

It was determined this system presented an imminent threat to U.S. and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. This action was taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels.