ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy will christen its newest Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Canberra (LCS 30), during a 12 p.m. CDT ceremony Saturday, June 5 in Mobile, Alabama, the Defense Department said in a June 4 release. 

The Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator the Honourable Marise Payne, serves as the ship’s sponsor. As she is unable to attend, His Excellency the Honourable Arthur Sinodinos, Australian Ambassador to the United States, will deliver the christening ceremony’s principal address. Todd Schafer, acting assistant secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations, and Environment) and Vice Adm. Ricky Williamson, deputy chief of naval operations for Fleet Readiness and Logistics (N4) will also provide remarks. In a time-honored Navy tradition, the Australian Ambassador’s wife, Elizabeth Anne Sinodinos, will break a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow on behalf of Foreign Minister Payne. 

“Tomorrow we christen the second USS Canberra named for the great capital city of Australia, our stalwart ally and superb naval partner,” said acting secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker. “In so doing we move one step closer to welcoming a new ship to Naval service and transitioning the platform from a mere hull number to a ship with a name and spirit. There is no doubt future Sailors aboard this ship will carry on the same values of honor, courage and commitment upheld by crews from an earlier vessel that bore this name.”   

LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. The platform is capable of supporting forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence. 

The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom-variant and the Independence-variant, designed and built by two industry teams. The Freedom variant team is led by Lockheed Martin in Marinette, Wisconsin (for the odd-numbered hulls). The Independence-variant team is led by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama, (for LCS 6 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls). 

LCS 30 is the 15th Independence-variant LCS and 30th in class. It is the second ship named in honor of the city of Canberra. The first USS Canberra (CA 70) was laid down as USS Pittsburgh on Sept. 3, 1941, and renamed Canberra on Oct. 15, 1942. She was named in honor of the Australian heavy cruiser HMAS Canberra, which sank after receiving heavy damage during the Battle of Savo Island. 

CA 70 was the first U.S. Navy cruiser named for a foreign capital. USS Canberra (CA 70) received seven battle stars for her service in World War II. In May 1958, Canberra served as the ceremonial flagship for the selection of the Unknown Serviceman of World War II and Korea. Canberra was decommissioned in a ceremony on Feb. 2, 1970, at the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard. One of her propellers is preserved at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, while the ship’s bell was donated to the Australian National Maritime Museum in 2001. 

NORTHWOOD, U.K. — French carrier Charles de Gaulle and British carrier Queen Elizabeth conducted joint training June 1-4, the Allied Maritime Command said in a June 4 release. The naval training carried out between the two forces, dubbed Gallic Strike, involved 15 ships and 57 aircraft. 

Organized by France in its maritime approaches, the naval interaction was an opportunity for the French Carrier Strike Group, which is completing its thirteenth operational deployment, to work for the first time with the British carrier strike group and its aircraft, strengthening cooperation between the two navies. 

Gallic Strike exercise consisted mainly of training for a dual carrier operation, that is, training between aircraft carriers to coordinate and fight together in an integrated command structure. This sequence, which included a sea-to-land strike simulation and joint tactical maneuvers between Rafale marine and F-35B aircraft, gave them the opportunity to work together in a variety of fields, such as anti-aircraft, anti-surface warfare and power projection capabilities. 

“Allied cooperation and interoperability have reached new heights with this first meeting of the French and U.K. carrier strike groups at sea. These initiatives ensure crews, aircraft and ships are interoperable and able to seamlessly support one another when the need arises. More broadly, this activity is a tremendous demonstration of the burden-sharing at the core of the NATO Alliance and is essential to our ability to generate peace in perpetuity,” said Maj. Gen. Phillip A. Stewart, deputy chief of staff, Strategic Employment, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). 

Gallic Strike brought together also the Allies integrated into the two naval air groups — American, Greek, Italian and Dutch. The exercise included the participation of the USS Thomas Hudner, integrated into the French CSG, while the destroyer USS The Sullivans and 10 American F-35Bs reinforced the British CSG.  

Since Feb. 21, 2021, and until this summer, the French carrier strike group, formed around the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, has been deployed as part of the Clemenceau 21 mission. It took part in the fight against terrorism by integrating Operation Inherent Resolve/Chammal and deployed in strategic areas of interest in the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf. Task Force 473 has also contributed to guaranteeing freedom of navigation and securing and defending these strategic areas. Accompanied by foreign frigates from time to time, it demonstrates the interoperability and level of trust between the French navy and its allies. The group is now on the way home. 

HMS Queen Elizabeth is the flagship for U.K. Carrier Strike Group 21, a deployment that will see the ship and her escorts sail to the Asia-Pacific and back. It leads six Royal Navy ships, a Royal Navy submarine, a U.S. Navy destroyer and a frigate from the Netherlands in the largest concentration of maritime and air power to leave the U.K. in a generation. Its seven-month global deployment will extend through the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean and on to the Indo-Pacific, interacting with more than one-fifth of the world’s nations. 

The training comes after HMS Queen Elizabeth’s participation in the NATO exercise Steadfast Defender, where it interacted with two of NATO’s Standing Naval Groups. Both Standing NATO Maritime Group One, and Standing Maritime Group Two took part in the training, along with assets from 20 Allied and partner nations. 

Several Allied aircraft carriers, under national command, are deploying into SACEUR area of responsibility during these months, demonstrating allied unity and commitment to effectively deliver multi-domain effects. The carrier strike activity demonstrates power projection over large distances with its unparalleled combat capability and are a critical element of NATO deterrence. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — A June 4, 2021, ceremony marked the U.S. Navy’s official establishment a program office for the Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG(X)), the ship that will follow the Flight III Arleigh Burke-class DDG in Navy service.  

The program office, designated PMS 460, is now part of the Program Executive Office (PEO) – Ships. Its stand-up was approved on April 22 through a memo by the acting secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition approving the establishment of the Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG(X)) program office, said Alan Baribeau, a spokesman for the PEO. 

The DDG(X) program office includes “16 headquarters billets supporting PMS 460, including 11 incumbent billets from PMS 320 focusing on Integrated Power Systems and other Electric Ships initiatives.  

Below is the Navy’s statement on the establishment of PMS 460: 

“The Acting Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition has approved the establishment of the Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG(X)) program office within Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. Capt. David Hart is assigned as the Major Program Manager and Katherine Connelly as the Deputy Program Manager. DDG(X) leadership is tasked with developing an acquisition strategy, a design/technical data package and ship construction, testing, fleet introduction and sustainment plans. 

“The Guided Missile Destroyer will provide the flexibility and margins necessary to succeed the DDG-51 class as the Navy’s next enduring large surface combatant combining the DDG 51 FLT III combat systems elements with a new hull form, an efficient Integrated Power System and greater endurance reducing the fleet logistics burden. 

“In conjunction with this establishment, PEO Ships’ Electric Ships program office will transition into the DDG(X) program office. Electric Ships was established to generate and execute an integrated power system development and transition plan. DDG(X) is the embodiment of that vision. This integration will further utilize the expertise that has been cultivated within the Electric Ships portfolio.”  

The Navy said a further statement that a “formal acquisition strategy for DDG(X) is being developed to ensure a smooth transition between Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) Class and DDG(X). Preliminary through Detail Design for DDG(X) will be accomplished through a collaborative, multi-disciplinary Navy-industry effort composed of the surface combatant shipbuilders, suppliers, ship design agents and other subject matter experts. Through FY21, Navy continued Conceptual Design efforts for DDG(X) and began collaboration with DDG 51 shipyards to achieve the Chief of Naval Operations cost, schedule and performance targets. These collaborative efforts will continue into FY22 with the start of Preliminary Design. The PB22 budget request funds transition from Conceptual Design to Preliminary Design, brings industry teams fully onboard, and continues Integrated Power System and hull form land-based test activities to ensure program risk reduction. FY22 preliminary design will lead to FY26 Detail Design and FY28 construction start.” 

WASHINGTON — The Navy accepted delivery of the next-generation landing craft, Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC), Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) 102, June 3, the Navy’s Program Executive Office – Ships said in a release. 

Delivery follows successful completion of Acceptance Trials with the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey to test the readiness and capability of the craft and to validate requirements. 
 
“SSC provides the Navy and Marine Corps team with the capability and capacity needed to execute a range of complex missions with agility and speed,” said Capt. Cedric McNeal, program manager, Amphibious Warfare Programs, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “With increases in performance and reliability, this next generation craft will meet the needs of the fleet for years to come.” 
 
LCACs are built with similar configurations, dimensions, and clearances to legacy LCAC, ensuring the compatibility of this next-generation air cushion vehicle with existing well deck equipped amphibious ships, as well as the Expeditionary Transfer Dock. 
 
The SSC program is now in serial production with LCACs 103-115 making progress on the production lines at Textron Systems in Slidell, Louisiana.   
 
SSC training craft, LCACs 100 and 101 are in the initial operator training pipeline and are in post-delivery test and trials at Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division. 

WASHINGTON – U.S. senators and House members representing Mississippi sent President Joseph Biden a letter opposing his recent budget request for the U.S. Navy, which would reduce the number of ships in the fleet and cut a destroyer from the Navy’s procurement plan for Fiscal Year 2022.  

The letter was spearheaded by Republican Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith and signed by House Reps. Bennie Thompson, Steven Palazzo, Trent Kelly and Michael Guest. Thompson is a Democrat and the other signers are Republicans.

“We were deeply troubled by the shipbuilding portion of the Navy’s recently released budget request for Fiscal Year 2022, which reduced the number of planned ships from 12 to just eight. This sends the exact wrong message to our global competitors — particularly China, which now boasts the world’s largest Navy fleet and is continuing to build modern warships at a breakneck pace,” the members wrote.  

In 2018, the Navy embarked on a five-year contract to procure a minimum of 10 Arleigh Burke-class DDG 51 Flight III destroyers, which are built in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and Bath, Maine. The president’s budget request would procure only one destroyer, down from the planned rate of two. The lawmakers emphasized this would have adverse consequences to both the shipbuilding industry and its thousands of employees. 

“There is simply no shortcut to building the naval fleet that America needs. We urge you to intervene by restoring a second destroyer to the budget request and prioritizing reaching a 355-ship fleet,” the lawmakers concluded. 

Read the full letter here. 

TOULON, France – U.S. Navy Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday met with Chief of the French Navy Adm. Pierre Vandier June 4, in Toulon, France, to discuss ways to advance high-end interoperability between both navies as well their recently released naval strategies (CNO’s Navigation Plan and Adm. Vandier’s Mercator: Acceleration 2021), the CNO’s public affairs office said in a June 4 release. 
 
“France is our oldest ally, and I am encouraged that the bond of friendship forged between our navies centuries ago continues to grow stronger today with Adm. Vandier at the helm,” said Gilday. “Our maritime forces operate jointly across the globe, including the Indo-Pacific and Middle East, and together, we are where it matters, when it matters.” 
 
French and U.S. Naval forces have participated in a number of exercises and operations together since April, including Steadfast Defender, Jeanne D’Arc (ARC) 21, La Perouse and Dual Carrier operations in 5th Fleet. 
 
“The French navy remains firmly committed to deepening interoperability with our U.S. allies,” said Vandier. “Over the past 20 years, we have seen significant growth in this area, and I look forward to continuing that trajectory in the face of common challenges. To do so, we must work together to ensure our people, processes and technology are able to operate side-by-side, now and in the future.” 

During the discussion, Gilday also thanked Vandier for the Charles de Gaulle Strike Group assuming command of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command’s Task Force 50 this past spring. 

This was Gilday’s first visit to France as CNO. 

COPENHAGEN – Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday travelled to Denmark June 2 to meet with his Navy counterpart as well as other senior Danish leadership to discuss areas for continued mutual cooperation, the Navy said in a release. 

During his visit, Gilday met with the Danish Minister of Defence, Trine Bramsen, Permanent Secretary of State for Defence, Morten Bæk, Chief of the Royal Danish Navy Rear Adm. Torben Mikkelsen, and Joint Arctic Commander RADM Martin La Cour-Andersen, among others. 

“Denmark is a key maritime partner and I am grateful that our navy-to-navy relationship has expanded the past several years,” said Gilday. “This visit was an important opportunity for us to build upon our solid foundation, discuss ways to strengthen our navies’ partnership, particularly in the area of maritime domain awareness, as well as reinforce our commitment to the region and the NATO alliance.” 

The U.S. Navy and the Royal Danish Navy routinely operate together throughout the globe, specifically in anti-submarine warfare and integrated air and missile defense (IAMD). Royal Danish Navy Air Defense Frigate HDMS Iver Huitfeldt (F361) is one of fifteen ships from ten countries participating in the on-going Exercise At-Sea Demo/Formidable Shield 2021. This is the first time that a Danish air defense frigate has participated in this exercise. 

“The United States Navy is one of our closest maritime partners, and there is a strong working relationship and friendship between our navies,” said Mikkelsen. “Throughout the years the US-Danish naval cooperation has grown stronger and stronger, and I am sure that we can continue to widen our cooperation in the future to the benefit of both our navies and the NATO alliance.” 

This trip marked the second time Gilday has met with Mikkelsen, and his first visit to Denmark as CNO. 

EVERETT, Wash. – Naval Station Everett was designated as the Navy’s future homeport for the initial ships of the next generation of guided missile frigates, a new and improved class of small surface combatant ships, the commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a June 2 release. 

As an important homeport for Navy ships, Naval Station Everett will continue to support the fleet, its service members, and their families. 
 
Everett will serve as the homeport for 12 Constellation-class Frigates, with a future Navy homeport decision planned for the following ships. The Navy’s homeporting plan will ensure forces are optimally postured to support national security. 
 
The new Constellation-class frigates will be built with improved capability to support the National Defense Strategy goal of achieving a resilient and agile force more quickly and affordably. 
 
This new class of frigate are designed to be agile, multi-mission warships, capable of operations in both blue-water and littoral environments, within a strike group or independently, to provide increased combat-credible forward presence.  
 
Specifically, Constellation-class frigates will include an Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar, Baseline Ten Aegis Combat System, Mk41 Vertical Launch System, enhanced C4ISR capabilities, Mk110 57mm Gun, countermeasures, and added design flexibility for future growth.  
 
Last year the Navy awarded a contract to build the first new frigate, the USS Constellation (FFG 62), scheduled to be delivered in 2026. 
 
The previous Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates entered service between 1977 and 1989. They were decommissioned between 1994 and 2015. The last Everett homeported frigate, USS Rodney M. Davis, was decommissioned in 2015. 
 
The Navy’s Surface Force is the preeminent means available for our nation to protect its interests and sustain its prosperity around the globe. The Navy remains focused on building and deploying combat ready, battle-minded teams capable of carrying out their missions today and tomorrow, at home and abroad.  Constellation-class frigates will help us do that and enable us to maintain our advantage at sea.    
 
As a shore installation, Naval Station Everett supports the fleet so that active and reserve military are ready to operate in the interest of national defense. The Navy plans to increase capabilities across the enterprise. For shore installations, that includes improvements that offer greater capacity for support to a growing number of Navy ships in the fleet. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy has been reducing its patrol boat force in recent years and proposes to continue that trend by retiring its rather new Mark VI patrol boats under the fiscal 2022 budget, after having retired its entire riverine force.

As the Navy pivots to reshape its force to focus on high-end capabilities to counter China and Russia, the relatively flat 2022 budget is demanding some sacrifices, and the Navy chose to inactivate its fleet of 12 Mark VI PBs.  

Last year the Navy changed the names of the units that had operated the 78-foot-long Mark VI PBs and the smaller coastal and harbor — and previously riverine — patrol boats. The Coastal Riverine Force is now known as the Maritime Expeditionary Security Force. 

“Riverine warfare is no longer an assigned mission area for the United States Navy, and the legacy name no longer captures the roles and missions of our force,” said Lt. Cmdr. Amber Lewis, a spokeswoman for Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC). “The new name captures the Maritime Expeditionary Security Force’s (MESF’s) growing green and blue-water fleet integration and contributions to the high-end fight in an era of great power competition, which are more robust than the legacy riverine roles.” 

The change is significant. The Navy has operated riverine forces off and on over the decades, most recently restoring the capability during the Iraq War, assuming the role from the Marine Corps. The Navy built and sustained an impressive riverine capability during the Vietnam War, but most of that capability was turned over to the South Vietnamese Navy as the United States ended its in-country force presence in South Vietnam. (The Navy Special Operations Command retains some small boat coastal and riverine capability for insertion and extraction of SEALs and other special operations forces.) 

In May 2012, the Navy selected a SAFE Boats International design for the Mark VI, eventually procuring 12 boats. Other Mark VI PBs are being procured by Ukraine. The first Mark VI PBs were delivered to the Navy on Aug. 27, 2014, and were delivered to NECC in September 2015. Some of the PBs have been deployed to the Persian Gulf and to Guam. 

The Mark VI is the largest craft in the MESF. It can patrol shallow littoral waters beyond sheltered harbors and bays. The PBs are used for maritime intercept; escort; infrastructure protection; theater security cooperation; security force assistance; and visit, board, search and seizure operations. They can launch UAVs and UUVs. The PBs are armed with Mk38 25mm guns and .50-caliber machine guns and feature integrated workstations, shock-mitigating seats, a galley and a shower. 

In addition to the Mark VI PBs, the MESF operates 164 patrol craft. These include 117 SeaArk 34-foot Dauntless-class patrol boats and 17 SAFE Boats 25-foot Oswald-class patrol boats. The riverine assault craft, riverine command boats and riverine patrol boats all have been retired and stored. The single Coastal Command Boat, a smaller predecessor to the Mark VI that was deployed to the 5th Fleet, was transferred to a test role in 2018. 

The current mainstay of the MESF, the SeaArk 34-foot patrol boat, performs the roles of high-value escort, port and harbor defense, and port security. The 34-foot boats are scheduled for replacement, beginning in June 2021 when the first new 40-foot patrol boats arrive, Lewis said. 

In October 2017, the Navy awarded a contract to Metal Shark for a new patrol boat, PB(X), to replace the service’s Oswald- and Dauntless-class tactical craft. Metal Shark’s 40-foot Defiant design actually is a 43-foot-long welded aluminum boat powered by twin diesel inboard engines. The boats have a wide-waterplane, sharp-entry hull capable of attaining 40 knots and enhanced handling at cruise speeds of 10 to 15 knots. The boats offer ballistic protection; an armored, climate-controlled pilothouse; five whole-body isolation suspension seats and an advanced communications, navigation and situational awareness suite.  

“Metal Shark Boats currently has 54 40-foot Patrol Boats [PBs] under contract, with two delivered for a total of 56,” said the Support Ships, Boats and Craft program office of the Program Executive Office – Ships. “To date, two boats have been delivered and 10 boats are in production and scheduled to be delivered in [fiscal 2021]. The current plan is to procure a total of 120 40-foot PBs over the next 10 years [to replace the 34-foot and 25-foot PBs].” 

The Navy also has ordered 24 Force Protection-Medium (FP-M) patrol boats from Lake Assault Boats LLC, which was awarded a contract for up to 119 FP-Ms in February 2020. The 33-foot-long aluminum V-hull boats will be used for harbor and waterway patrols, interrogation of other waterborne assets and escorting large vessels in and out of ports in various weather and water conditions. The first was scheduled for delivery this spring. 

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The USCGC Resolute (WMEC 620) and crew returned home to St. Petersburg Tuesday, after a 41-day Central Caribbean patrol, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a June 2 release. 

The Resolute crew patrolled the coast of Haiti in support of Operation Southeast Watch. The team focused efforts on known transit zones and served as a presence to discourage hazardous migration voyages. 

Watchstanders received an urgent radio call from a cargo vessel on May 13, reporting it collided with a wooden sailboat approximately two miles from Isla de la Tortue. The small boat sank, leaving two people in the water. The Resolute and its small boat crews, along with an Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk aircrew forward-deployed in Great Inagua, conducted search patterns. The small boat crew located the men in the water clinging to foam fishing buoys. After a medical check, both survivors were determined to be in good health and were returned safely to port. 

On May 28, the Resolute crew interdicted two Cuban migrants on a makeshift raft, 15 miles south of Key West. 

During the routine patrol, May 27, the bridge team spotted multiple Cuban migrants in the water, about 16 miles south of Key West. The team alerted Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders. Response efforts resulted in eight people rescued, and two people recovered deceased. An extensive search operation began for 10 people reportedly still missing. Search and rescue efforts continued for two days before the search suspended. 

On May 27, the Resolute crew interdicted two suspected smugglers and 25 Cuban migrants, 60 miles south of Key West. 

Among multiple events, the Resolute crew completed emergency drills and training. The Damage Control Olympics is a unique and active way to train crewmembers on proper damage control procedures. At the same time, the Navigation Seamanship Olympics achieve the same goal of creating an interactive learning environment but focus on rescue and assistance and small boat operations. These training evolutions enhance technical skills while building camaraderie and ensuring technical proficiencies are maintained. 

The Resolute, a 210-foot Reliance-class cutter with a crew of 72, was commissioned on Dec. 8, 1966.