ARLINGTON,
Va. — American commerce depends on the seas, and it’s the U.S. Navy that
secures that economic prosperity, the chief of naval operations said here, arguing
for a bigger slice of the Defense Department budget.

“American
commerce is maritime commerce. The American economy flows from the sea,” Adm.
Michael Gilday told an audience Jan. 14 at the Surface Navy Association symposium.

Addressing a
ballroom packed with Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and foreign military personnel as
well as industry representatives, Gilday reminded them that infrastructure improvements
to several ports around the world were funded by the Chinese government, which he
said is trying to expand “a network of influence which helps them assert
control over an international system we’re trying to protect.”

To meet the
challenge of the “great power competition,” the Navy needs to grow the fleet’s
capabilities while it maintains and modernizes existing platforms, Gilday said.

“We need
more money. We need more top line,” he added.

The current
practice of dividing the topline defense budget roughly into thirds for the
Army, Navy and Air Force “does not reflect a strategy,” according to Gilday.
Just 1% of the total defense budget would give the Navy an additional $7
billion a year for shipbuilding.

As an
example of Navy funding challenges, the CNO cited the Columbia class submarine
program, which he called his highest priority. The Ohio class subs will be 42
years old when they are all retired.  In
the 1980s, when that program was in full swing, it accounted for about 20% of
the shipbuilding budget. Today, the Columbia program accounts for roughly 25%
of shipbuilding funding, and it is expected to grow to 32% between fiscal 2022
and 2030.

“Lot of
dough,” Gilday said, adding that, in the 1980s, the Navy’s share of the budget
was 38%. Now, it’s 34%, he said.

“We, collectively, have to do a better job of
making the case [for] what the United States Navy does for our fellow citizens,”
he added.

ARLINGTON.
Va. — As Textron’s Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle (CUSV) goes through the
paces of testing, it is attracting the U.S. Navy’s attention for missions
beyond minesweeping.

The CUSV, an
unmanned boat capable of towing or carrying payloads, is under development for
the Navy’s Mine Countermeasures USV (MCM USV) program. Designed to tow a
mission package for the Unmanned Influence Sweep System, the MCM USV has been
tested with Raytheon’s AQS-20 and Northrop Grumman’s AQS-24 mine-hunting
sonars.

The MCM USV
has completed developmental test and operational evaluation, Wayne Prender,
vice president of Textron Systems, said in an Jan. 14 interview with Seapower
at the Surface Navy Association convention here. He said the company is
expecting a Milestone C decision from the Navy “any day now” that would
authorize low-rate initial production.

Textron has
built four CUSVs and has expanded its testing in southern Florida to include
Panama City as well. The company is working with the Naval Surface Warfare
Center at Dahlgren, Virginia, to develop expeditionary and surface warfare
packages for the CUSV.

In July, a
CUSV was modified with a remote-controlled .50-caliber M2 machine gun and a
Hellfire missile vertical launcher. In this configuration the craft was demonstrated
at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in an Advanced Naval Technology Exercise
(ANTX).

The MCM USV
has been tested in operations from an Independence-class littoral combat ship
and from two vessels of opportunity, including an expeditionary base ship and a
foreign-equivalent ship.

Prender said that Textron is continuing to work on the autonomy and mission behaviors of the CUSV.

ARLINGTON,
Va. — Lockheed Martin is on tap to deliver the latest version of the Ship
Self-Defense System (SSDS) to four Navy ships this summer, a company official
said.

Lockheed
Martin was confirmed as the Combat Systems Engineering Agent (CSEA) for the
SSDS program on Dec. 13 when a protest to the selection by the previous CSEA
was denied, Jim Sheridan, Lockheed’s vice president for naval combat and missile
defense systems, said in a Jan. 14 briefing to reporters at the Surface Navy
Association convention here. The initial bid was made in August 2017.

Sheridan said
the major challenge since the resolution of the protest was the tight timeline
to make the deliveries by July.

The SSDS
Advanced Capability Build 20 (ACB 20) will be delivered to the aircraft USS
George Washington (CVN 73), the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) and
the amphibious platform dock ships USS San Antonio (LPD 17) and USS Fort
Lauderdale (LPD 28).

SSDS ACB 20 is
a combat system that will integrate such systems as the Evolved SeaSparrow
Missile Block II system, the SLQ-32 Surface Electronic Warfare Program III
system and the Enterprise Air-Search Radar. The upgrade features cybersecurity
enhancements and fire-control loop modernization. It also will integrate the
Advanced Training Domain.

In addition,
the SSDS ACB 10 will be migrated from Hardware Technology Insertion (HTI) 12 to
HTI 16 infrastructure.   

Sheridan said
the selection of the Lockheed Martin as CSEA for the SSDS makes the company the
CSEA for aircraft carriers and most surface combatants, the major exception
being the Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyers. The company plans to bid to
become the CSEA for the new FFG(X) guided-missile frigate.

Lockheed Martin is adding
the SSDS ACB 20 software to its Common Source Library, also inhabited by its
Aegis Combat System software.

Retired Adm. Vern Clark will assume the position of chairman
of the board of directors of the Surface Navy Association (SNA) this week at
the association’s annual banquet on Jan. 16.

Clark was approved by the board on Jan. 13 at the
association’s annual board of directors meeting. He succeeds retired Adm. James
Hogg, who has been chairman since 1994.

In addition to numerous ashore assignments, Clark served at sea aboard the destroyers USS John W. Weeks and USS Gearing. He commanded USS Grand Rapids, USS McCloy, USS Spruance, the Atlantic Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Training Center, Destroyer Squadron 17 and Destroyer Squadron 5.

As a flag officer, he commanded the USS Carl Vinson Battle Group/Cruiser-Destroyer Group 3, the U.S. 2nd Fleet and U.S. Atlantic Fleet. He became the 27th chief of naval Operations in 2000 and retired in 2005. He serves on boards or as a trustee of corporations, organizations and universities.

Hogg is a 1956 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and was commissioned in 1956. His sea commands included a guided missile cruiser, two destroyer squadrons, a cruiser-destroyer flotilla and the U.S. 7th Fleet. He served for 35 years and retired from active duty in 1991 as an admiral. He was the director of the NO’s Strategic Studies Group at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, from 1995 to 2013. Hogg succeeded Adm. Arleigh Burke (then chairman emeritus) as chairman of SNA’s board.

“It’s been an honor and privilege to lead SNA for the past 25 years, and it has been immensely gratifying — both professionally and personally — to see our association grow in support of the surface warfare professionals in the Navy and Coast Guard in so many meaningful ways,” Hogg said. “Vern Clark, with his experience and expertise as a surface warfare officer and as a leader, will ensure our association continues its steady course of growth, success and increasing value to the Navy and all those it serves.”

“We have been incredibly fortunate to have Adm. Jim Hogg at the helm of our association during a period of incredible growth and success in meeting its mission,” said retired Vice Adm. Rick Hunt, who is the president of SNA. “Surface warriors have benefited from his leadership and his dedication to his shipmates, past, present and to come. SNA’s success in maintaining a strong membership, growing participation in our symposiums and professional development events, active chapters and sound financial health is in no small part due to his contributions.”

Koblenz, Germany — Sikorsky and Germany’s Rheinmetall submitted a bid for the production and operation of the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion as the Bundeswehr’s new heavy-lift transport helicopter for its Schwerer Transporthubschrauber (STH) program, Lockheed Martin, which owns Sikorsky, said in a release.  

“Our entire team is pleased to offer the CH-53K, the most efficient, capable and intelligent helicopter that will deliver the best long-term value to the Bundeswehr through the 21st century,” said Beth Parcella, CH-53K’s international business development director.  

Sikorsky and Rheinmetall formed a STH project team of more than 10 German companies, which includes MTU Aero Engines, Autoflug GmbH and Hydro Systems.  

Parcella stressed that it was important “to build a strong German industrial team early on and to capitalize on the know-how of the German teammates for the STH project.” This will ensure the quality of the offer and subsequently the high availability of the CH-53K in the German air force, she said. 

“German companies will play a significant role in the success of the CH-53K program,” said Mike Schmidt, managing director of Rheinmetall Aviation Services. “For the industry, this means the creation of many new, long-term jobs for highly qualified employees and an important transfer of know-how. Sikorsky and Rheinmetall prepared the application together over a long period of time — this has strengthened the bonds within our team.”  

The CH-53K’s avionics and digitized flight control systems are designed to accommodate future software upgrades, and its internal payload capability may be increased substantially with relatively simple modifications. An integrated sensor system enables the aircraft to predict and prevent problems at an early stage and thus drastically reduce the maintenance effort, which is key for high availability rates of the fleet. 

Additionally, the CH-53K is equipped with air-to-air refueling fully interoperable with Lockheed Martin’s KC-130J tanker aircraft, which the Bundeswehr is planning to operate and which is already being used by France. 

The CH-53K easily accommodates the same air transport pallets, enabling fast cargo handling between it and fixed-wing transport aircrafts such as the C130-J and the A400M. This means that the helicopter can be used particularly in areas where these aircraft cannot land. 

The CH-53K can be used for the tactical transport of personnel and material as well as for disaster relief, humanitarian missions, medical evacuation or combat search-and-rescue operations. For example, no other heavy-lift helicopter can transport more water to fight fires and simultaneously carry material and personnel. The CH-53K features fly-by-wire flight controls, reducing the pilots’ workload and allowing pilots to anticipate limits while keeping their eyes outside. 

If the bid is successful, Sikorsky and Rheinmetall intend to set up a logistics hub and a STH fleet support center at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The two are in talks with representatives of state government, local companies and the airport operator.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The admiral in charge of the Navy’s surface warships praised the Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) and predicted that they will be fearsome warships. 

“I’m very excited about getting the Zumwalt-class destroyers out there,” Vice Adm. Rich Brown, commander of Naval Surface Forces, said during a Jan. 6 media teleconference embargoed until Jan. 13. “Incredibly capable ships. When the ships deploy, they will bring the fear of God to our adversaries. I wish we were building more of them. They are great ships.” 

The USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), still in its build phase under a split-phase delivery, has been going through installation of its combat systems installed in San Diego since its commissioning in Baltimore and its transit through the Panama Canal to San Diego. The installations included the SPY-3 radar, the testing of the radar and the combat systems, the testing of the integrated power system, the testing of the hull form in light and heavy weather. 

“We still have a little bit of work on the installation of the aviation facilities,” Brown said, noting that the ship will be going through combat system qualification trials and full employment of the weapon system. 

Zumwalt “is tracking right on the timeline … and it’s looking like [fiscal 2021] will be FOC [full operational capability],” he said. 

The second ship of the class, USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), is deep into its combat systems installation, Brown said. “It’s not taking near as along as Zumwalt — Zumwalt was the first, a lot of lessons learned from BAE [Systems] on that installation, and Michael Monsoor’s installation is tracking right along.  

The admiral said that the Zumwalt will deploy in fiscal 2021. 

The third ship of the class, Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002), is being built at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. 

“We’re looking at various options to keep her on track,” Brown said. “Right now, there is a little bit of slippage in schedule, but there are a lots of things that the contractor and the Navy are going to do keep her delivering when we want her to with a full combat system. There are some options we can do that I can’t really talk about right now.”

ARLINGTON, Va. — The admiral in charge of the Navy’s surface warships said a littoral combat ship (LCS) soon will deploy with a laser weapon system on board. 

Vice Adm. Rich Brown, commander of Naval Surface Forces, in a Jan. 6 media teleconference, embargoed until Jan. 13, said the weapon system will be installed in the Freedom-class USS Little Rock (LCS 9). Brown said the laser system would be installed in the ship midway during its deployment during a crew swap and planned maintenance availability.  

The Little Rock, based in Naval Station Mayport, Florida, is expected to deploy sometime over the next year. The Navy was not ready to discuss the origin or type of laser weapon system to be installed. 

The Navy already has installed a laser weapon system on the amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27). Earlier, an experimental laser weapon system, the SEQ-3, was deployed to the Persian Gulf in 2014 on board the USS Ponce, which since has been decommissioned. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Coast Guard will commission the fast-response cutter Daniel Tarr in Galveston, Texas, on Jan. 10, according to the Coast Guard’s 8th District.  

The Daniel Tarr is the 36th FRC delivered to the Coast Guard by Bollinger Shipyards. Vice Adm. Scott Buschman, Coast Guard Atlantic Area commander, will preside over the ceremony. 

Lt. Nicholas Martin is the Daniel Tarr’s commanding officer. 

Daniel Tarr, the cutter’s namesake, was one of four Coast Guard coxswains who served with the Marines during the amphibious invasion of Tulagi, Solomon Islands, in August 1942. Tarr enlisted as a surfman and later became coxswain of USS McKean’s Boat Number 1 prior to the invasion. 

On Aug. 7, 1942, Tarr, along with the other three coxswains, landed the first wave of the Marine Corps’ Raider Battalion on the beaches of Tulagi. In the following three days, they also delivered vitally needed equipment, ammunition and supplies. For their role in the landing of the Marines’ first wave and capture of Tulagi, the four coxswains were awarded the Silver Star Medal. They were the first enlisted men in the Coast Guard to receive the Silver Star Medal. 

The Coast Guard Cutter Daniel Tarr’s patrol area will encompass 900 miles of coastline for the 8th District, from Carrabelle, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas. Fast-response cutters are named after Coast Guard enlisted heroes and are replacing the service’s 110-foot patrol boats. These vessels feature advanced command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment. 

NORFOLK, Va. — BAE Systems has received a $175 million contract
from the U.S. Navy to modernize the guided-missile cruiser USS Vicksburg, the
company said in a Jan. 6 release. The Vicksburg will undergo about 18 months of
work at the company’s shipyard in Norfolk, the ship’s homeport.

The modernization period (MODPRD) contract includes options that,
if exercised, would bring its cumulative value to $175.1 million.

BAE Systems initiated the first phase of Vicksburg’s
modernization program in May 2017. The company will begin the final phase of
work, called MODPRD, later this month. Under
the new contract, the shipyard’s employees and industry partners will work on
the ship’s weapons and engineering equipment, including its gas turbine
propulsion system, restore crew habitability spaces and support the
installation of a new Aegis combat system, communication suite and CANES
(Consolidated Afloat Network Enterprise System). The Vicksburg’s MODPRD is
scheduled to be complete in July 2021, allowing the ship to rejoin the
operational fleet afterward.

BAE’s Norfolk shipyard also is performing similar work on the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg. The Gettysburg’s MODPRD work began in January 2019 and is expected to be complete this fall. The Gettysburg and Vicksburg were commissioned in the early 1990s, but BAE’s work is expected to extend the service lives of both ships into the mid-2030s.

“Over the last few years, BAE Systems has worked extensively on modernizing the Navy’s Atlantic Fleet cruisers,” said Dave Thomas, vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair. “The Vicksburg and Gettysburg modernizations are big jobs. Our experience with cruisers and the expertise of our ship repair partners will return these vital combatants to the fleet with clear improvements and upgraded capability to carry out their missions.”

MIAMI — The Coast Guard interdicted nine Cuban
migrants 25 miles southeast of Tavernier Creek on Jan. 2, the Coast Guard 7th
District said in a release.

Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders received a notification via radio of a migrant vessel with nine people aboard. The watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Station Islamorada response boat and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton (WPC-1108) to interdict the vessel.

The cutter crew interdicted the vessel and
safely embarked the migrants.

One migrant was transferred into U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody after being brought ashore for more advanced medical care.

The remaining eight migrants were safely
repatriated to Cuba on Jan. 4.

A total of 52 Cuban migrants have attempted to
illegally enter the U.S. via the maritime environment in fiscal year
2020, which began Oct. 1, 2019, compared to 454 Cuban migrants in fiscal year
2019.  These numbers represent the total number of at-sea interdictions,
landings and disruptions in the Florida Straits, the Caribbean and Atlantic.