PORT ANGELES, Wash. — The Coast Guard decommissioned Coast Guard Cutter Cuttyhunk (WPB 1322) May 5 during a ceremony held at Air Station Port Angeles that was presided over by Capt. Mark McDonnell, 13th Coast Guard District Chief of Response. 
 
Cuttyhunk was one of the Coast Guard’s 37 remaining 110-foot Island-class patrol boats. The fleet of Island-class cutters is being replaced by 154-foot Sentinel-class cutters. 
 
Commissioned in 1988, the Cuttyhunk was the 22nd of 49 110-foot patrol boats built in support of the Coast Guard’s maritime homeland security, migrant and drug interdiction, fisheries enforcement and search and rescue missions. Cuttyhunk was built by Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana, and commissioned on Oct. 5. Cuttyhunk was named after Cuttyhunk Island, the site of the first English settlement in New England, located off the southern coast of Massachusetts. 
 
Over the past 34 years of service, Cuttyhunk’s crew conducted a wide range of operations. The cutter’s crews completed over 1,000 operations ranging from law enforcement boardings to search and rescue responses throughout the Pacific Northwest. Cuttyhunk assisted U.S. Naval Base Kitsap Bangor in several submarine escorts before Coast Guard Maritime Force Protection Unit Bangor was established to ensure the safe transport of Ship Submersible Ballistic Submarines. 
 
Nicknamed “The Pest of the West,” Cuttyhunk assisted in one of the largest maritime drug seizures in the Pacific Northwest, near Cape Flattery, Washington, in December of 1997. More than 3,500 pounds of marijuana, estimated at a street value of $15 million, was recovered from the OK Jedi, a 60-foot sailboat with three people onboard. 
 
“It has been an honor and privilege to serve alongside the final crew of Coast Guard Cutter Cuttyhunk,” said Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Garver, commanding officer. “During my time onboard, there have been many engineering challenges on our aging 110-foot ship, and I have witnessed the resiliency of our crew as they spent time away from families in selfless service to our country. I am grateful for the crew’s dedication which echoes the hard work put forth by our predecessors during the cutter’s 34 years of service.” 

Cuttyhunk’s crew is scheduled to transit to Ketchikan, Alaska. There, the crew will spend several weeks preparing to bring Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa (WPB 1335) south to Port Angeles. Anacapa is also a 110-foot Island-class patrol boat, and was previously stationed in Petersburg, Alaska. She will be shifting homeports to Port Angeles to serve the Pacific Northwest. The Anacapa will be arriving after completing an overhaul in Ketchikan. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Marine Corps plans to activate a second adversary aircraft squadron to meet the future aerial combat training needs of its fighter attack squadrons. The second squadron will provide the East Coast with similar training assets as the West Coast.  

According to the 2022 Marine Corps Aviation Plan released this week, Marine Fighter Training Squadron 402 (VMFT-402) will be activated in fiscal 2023 at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, scheduled to be safe for flight by the beginning of 2024. 

The Corps has long fielded reserve squadron VMFT-401 at MCAS Yuma, Arizona, which flies Northrop 11 single-seat F-5N and one F-5F Tiger II fighters. The squadron is upgrading to 11 F-5N+ and one F-5F+ aircraft. 

VMFT-402, which also will be a reserve squadron initially, will be equipped with three F-5N+ aircraft but eventually will operate eight F-5N+ and two F-5F+ aircraft.  

To equip the new squadron, the Marine Corps has acquired 11 additional F-5 aircraft from the Swiss air force through the Naval Air Systems Command. The aircraft will be delivered to the Corps over a four-year period beginning in the fourth quarter of 2023.  

The Navy and Marine Corps F-5 fleet is going through upgrades to increase capabilities and extend the service life. The fleet is being upgraded with digital cockpits at a rate of two or three aircraft per year. The Naval Air Systems Command plans to integrate TCTS II Tactical Combat Training System – Increment II (TCTS II) to “allow synthetic adversary injects to decrease the forecasted gap in adversary training.”    

“Serving as a training asset for the entire MAGTF, as well as the joint force, the F-5 has seen adversary requirements grow significantly over the past 13 years,” according to the aviation plan, in large part because of the pilot training requirements of the F-35 fleet replacement squadrons VMFA-501 and VMFA-502. “Annual fleet adversary requirements are expected to also increase for transitioning squadrons from 12,000 air-to-air sorties in [fiscal 2022 to 17,000 sorties per year in order to meet T2.0 requirements in [fiscal 2025].” 

The aviation plan said that “Adversary capacity is the greatest issue in Marine Corps air-to-air training, followed closely by range availability and modernization, and training simulator capabilities. VMFT-401 can source up to 3,300 sorties per year, restrained by aircraft utilization and numbers of F-5s assigned. Combining A/A [air-to-air] requirements for fleet training, FRS [fleet replacement squadron] production and weapon school support, the USMC builds an adversary requirement of nearly 15,000 sorties in 2022. Accordingly, the USMC suffers over an 11,000-sortie capacity gap. Aviation is looking at options to close this gap.” 

The U.S. military uses commercial air services which fly former military jets in the adversary role, but, according to the aviation plan, “commercial air services cannot satisfy all of the adversary requirements. The future lies in multiple solutions that include using the fleet of F-5s efficiently, exploring low-cost training opportunities, incorporating Live, Virtual, Constructive capability, and commercial air services to augment requirements.”      

ARLINGTON, Va. — Boeing announced May 5 that its Arlington, Virginia campus just outside Washington, D.C. will serve as the company’s global headquarters.

The aerospace and defense firm’s employees in the region support various corporate functions and specialize in advanced airplane development and autonomous systems. In addition to designating Northern Virginia as its new headquarters, Boeing plans to develop a research and technology hub in the area to harness and attract engineering and technical capabilities. 

“We are excited to build on our foundation here in Northern Virginia. The region makes strategic sense for our global headquarters given its proximity to our customers and stakeholders, and its access to world-class engineering and technical talent,” said Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun. 

Boeing will maintain a significant presence at its Chicago location and surrounding region. 

“We greatly appreciate our continuing relationships in Chicago and throughout Illinois. We look forward to maintaining a strong presence in the city and the state,” said Calhoun. “We also want to especially thank [Virginia] Gov. [Glenn] Youngkin for his partnership, and Senator [Mark] Warner for his support as we worked through the process.”  

Over the past two years, Boeing has implemented flexible and virtual solutions that have enabled the company to reduce its office space needs. At its Chicago office, less office space will be required for the employees who will continue to be based there. Boeing will adapt and modernize the workspace to better support future work requirements. 

Research & Technology Hub 

As part of its effort to tap into engineering and technology talent across the U.S and around the world, Boeing plans to establish a research and technology hub in Northern Virginia. The hub will focus on developing innovations in the areas of cyber security, autonomous operations, quantum sciences and software and systems engineering.  

“The future of Boeing is digital,” said Greg Hyslop, Boeing’s chief engineer and executive vice president of Engineering, Test and Technology. “Focusing our R&D and talent development in areas that support digital innovation will fuel the introduction of cutting-edge capabilities. This new hub in Northern Virginia will follow the successful implementation of this technology strategy in other regions.” 

As the nation’s largest exporter, Boeing employs more than 140,000 people and is hiring as the commercial market recovers and the company invests in production, innovation and product development. The company’s three business units will continue to be based at their current headquarters, which include Boeing Commercial Airplanes in Seattle; Boeing Global Services in Plano, Texas; and Boeing Defense, Space and Security in Arlington, Virginia.

NAPLES, Italy — In a historic moment for the region, a Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, USS Sioux City (LCS 11), deployed to U.S. 6th Fleet’s area of operations, supporting U.S. and NATO ally and partner interests in Europe and Africa, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs said May 5. 

The deployment provides an opportunity for Sioux City to gain experience in an area littoral combat ships have never before operated. 

“Sioux City’s deployment allows us to integrate the LCS’ unique operational capability into our already diverse fleet,” said Vice Adm. Gene Black, commander, U.S. 6th Fleet. “The agility of littoral combat ships allows them to operate in both near-shore and open-ocean environments, enhancing our ability to provide security and stability across the European theater.” 

The ship’s size, speed, and agility allow it to perform maritime security operations, theater security cooperation engagements, and freedom of navigation patrols — keeping critical maritime commerce routes open, deterring conflict and coercion, and providing a comparable ship to strengthen partnerships with other countries.    

The ship’s motto is “forging a new frontier,” and according to Cmdr. Scott Whitworth, Sioux City’s commanding officer, that is exactly what the crew plans to do. 

“USS Sioux City is a combat ready warship manned by battle-minded Sailors, who are prepared and equipped to execute any mission we are tasked with,” said Whitworth. “This deployment will expand the relevance of these ships, particularly their ability to relieve larger surface combatants in key surface-mission areas.” 

An embarked detachment of two MH-60S Seahawk helicopters from the Sea Knights of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 supports Sioux City’s deployment. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations announced May 4 the following assignments: 

Capt. Thomas P. Moninger, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as director, Plans, Policy and Integration, N5, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Moninger is currently assigned as executive officer to commander, U.S. Southern Command, Doral, Florida. 

Capt. Nicholas R. Tilbrook, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as deputy director, Plans and Policy (DJ5), U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Tilbrook is currently serving as executive assistant to the deputy chief of naval operations, Integration of Capabilities and Resources, N8, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. 

Capt. Douglas L. Williams, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as director for test, Missile Defense Agency, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. Williams is currently serving as technical director and deputy direct reporting program manager, Strategic Systems Program, Washington, D.C. 

RESTON, Virginia – General Dynamics has appointed Gulfstream Aerospace executive Charles F. Krugh as president of General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, General Dynamics said May 5. 

“Chuck’s leadership, proven track record in manufacturing and expertise in managing complex supply chains will be an enabler to Bath Iron Works as it expands and increases the pace of shipbuilding for the U.S. Navy,” said Robert E. Smith, executive vice president for Marine Systems. 

A U.S. Army veteran, Krugh served in a variety of aerospace manufacturing roles before joining General Dynamics in 2011 as a senior vice president and general manager for Jet Aviation. He was appointed as Gulfstream’s vice president for supplier operational support in 2018. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Ukraine’s widespread use of sensor technology to find, target and destroy Russian tanks and command structure is one of the early lessons learned from that conflict, the U.S. Marine Corps’ top requirements officer says.

Discussing the Marines’ Force Design 2030 modernization effort at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on May 4, Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, head of Marine Corps Combat Development Command, was asked what strategic and tactical lessons have come out of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“To me, and in conversations with other officers across various services, clearly the ubiquity and proliferation of sensors and the ability to close kill chains accurately, precisely on any target is a major lesson to take away,” said Heckl, who is also deputy commandant for Combat Development and Integration.

While it was too soon to “draw any firm, fast conclusions,” he noted Commandant Gen. David Berger had directed several of his deputies to “make sure we’re harvesting the appropriate lessons from this thing.”

Berger’s Force Design plan seeks to retool the Corps, in size, focus and weaponry to deter a rising China, which the National Defense Strategy identifies as a “pacing challenge” to U.S. interests and the post-1945 world order. Heckl noted that a focus on loitering munitions and organic precision fires, like that seen in Ukraine and the 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, “is one of the routes Force Design went down early. And we are pursuing that in various forms.”

Logistics is another crucial issue, highlighted by the Russians’ struggle to advance their tank and truck columns.

“The pacing factor in Force Design is logistics in a contested environment,” Heckl said. “As you saw with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, any armor is a massive consumer of fuel. We learned long ago in Iraq and Afghanistan, that fuel trucks on the road immediately became the target.”

While the Marines have disposed of their battle tanks, fuel dependence is still “a significant vulnerability,” for the widely dispersed expeditionary advanced base operations envisioned in Force Design, Heckl said.

“Sustainability, just like [heat] signature management, is first and foremost in every thought, through all our studies, analyses, experiments, exercises, all this campaign of learning. It’s the analytical rigor that underpins every decision the commandant makes on Force Design,” Heckl said.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Marine Corps plans to activate another KC-130J Super Hercules tanker/transport squadron as part of its aim to provide increased mobility of Marine Corps forces in the Pacific area of responsibility in support of Force Design 2030. 

According to the 2022 Marine Corps Aviation Plan released this week, the Corps plans to activate Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 153 (VMGR-153) in fiscal 2023. The squadron will be based at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, where two MV-22B Osprey squadrons also are based. 

The additional squadron in Hawaii will enable Marine Forces Pacific to better support aerial refueling, logistics, close air support and multi-sensor imagery reconnaissance in support of expeditionary advance base operations in the Pacific region, particularly for the recently activated 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, also based in Hawaii. 

VMGR-153 will grow to 17 KC-130J aircraft by fiscal 2026. The East Coast squadron, VMGR-252, based at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, will level out this year at 17 aircraft, and the West Coast squadron, VMGR-352 at MCAS Miramar, California, also will reach a force level of 17 aircraft by the end of fiscal 2022. The squadron based at MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, VMGR-152, will reach a level of 17 aircraft in fiscal 2023.  

The reserve squadron based at Naval Air Station Fort Worth, Texas, VMGR-234, is scheduled to reach a level of 17 aircraft in fiscal 2027. The reserve squadron based at Stewart Air National Guard Base, VMGR-452, has only five KC-130Js and is planned to remain at that level. 

The Marine Corps’ program of record for KC-130Js is 86 aircraft.  

VMGR-252 and VMGR-352 rotate detachments to support the North Africa and East Africa Responses Forces. 

The Marine Corps also plans to sustain the Harvest Hercules Airborne Weapons Kit (Harvest HAWK) program. Ten KC-130J aircraft — five with VMGR-252, four with VMGR-353 and one with test squadron VX-20 — have been modified post-production with the Harvest HAWK to provide the MAGTF a multi-sensor imagery reconnaissance and close air support capability with the MX-20 electro-optical/infra-red imaging system and both wing and door mounted employment of AGM-114P Hellfire and AGM-176 Griffin missiles. A total of six kits are on hand for the 10 fleet aircraft. 

SAN DIEGO — Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) departed San Diego, May 3, marking the beginning of Pacific Partnership 2022, the partnership’s public affairs said in a release. 

Now in its 17th year, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. The Pacific Partnership 22 team will work with host nation counterparts and regional partners to provide tailored medical, dental, and veterinary care and conduct bilateral engineering civic actions, and exchange information related to disaster response processes and procedures. 

As part of PP22, Mercy and the mission team will conduct missions throughout Oceania and the Western Pacific. Typical Pacific Partnership events include the building of schools, medical and engineering expert exchanges, and host nation outreach events. 

“Pacific Partnership is a unifying mission that builds trust among nations to work efficiently together in preparing to respond in crisis,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Hank Kim, Pacific Partnership 22 mission commander.  

“I look forward to exchanging experiences and expertise with our host and partner nations to collectively build skills that will last well after the mission.” 

MOBILE, Ala. — Austal USA has been awarded a $230.5 million contract for the detail design and construction of EPF 16, the Navy’s newest expeditionary fast transport ship, the company said May 3.  

Austal USA has successfully delivered 12 EPFs, on schedule and on budget. Three additional EPFs are currently under construction. EPFs have demonstrated their operational capability to conduct a variety of missions to include humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, maritime security, surveillance, command and control and counter narcotic missions around the globe. The inherent versatility of the EPF design allows for its mission to be tailored to the needs of each fleet and combatant commander’s geographic command. 

“Like the previously delivered EPFs, EPF 16 will benefit from the serial production of this program, resulting not only in a world-class ship but also providing assurance to the U.S. Navy that capability will be delivered on budget and on schedule,” said Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh. “Our reputation for delivering quality is a direct reflection of the commitment and dedication of our talented shipbuilders and suppliers.” 

EPF 16 will be the third ship constructed in the Flight II configuration. Flight II ships will enhance the original capabilities of the Spearhead class through incorporation of reconfigurable spaces for operating rooms and postsurgical recovery efforts. Combined with the ship’s flight deck that is capable of landing V-22 aircraft, Flight II ships provide unmatched versatility.  

Construction efforts on EPF 16 are expected to commence later this year with delivery projected for 2025. Austal USA is currently under contract to build additional EPFs, the Independence-variant littoral combat ship, and the Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ships and is supporting Navy unmanned vessel programs leveraging its advanced machinery control system.