ARLINGTON, Va. — As a major step in its 20-year plan to upgrade and modernize its shipyard capacity and capability, the Navy has awarded a major construction contract for a multi-mission dry dock at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in Kittery, Maine.  

The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, awarded 381 Constructors of Omaha, Nebraska, a $1.73 billion firm-fixed-price contract for construction of the dry dock, an Aug. 13 Defense Department contract announcement said. The funds will be disbursed in increments over a seven-year period. Work is expected to be completed by June 2028. 

PNSY is a Navy-owned shipyard which specializes in the repair, modification, and overhaul of nuclear-powered attack submarines. The upgrades are part of the Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP), a 20-year plan to modernize the Navy’s four shipyards. The other three shipyards are Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia; Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington; and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Hawaii. 

“Our naval shipyards need these major modernization efforts to sustain our ability to maintain our nuclear submarine fleet,” said Vice Adm. William Galinis, commander, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), in an Aug. 16 release. “The Navy needs combat-ready ships and submarines to go where they’re needed, when they’re needed, and these major upgrades and reconfigurations at our naval shipyards will enable the fleet to meet its future missions.” 

The seven-year project will construct an addition to Dry Dock 1 within the existing flood basin area, as well as new concrete floors, walls, pump systems, caissons, and other mechanical and electrical utilities, enhancing the 221-year-old shipyard’s ability to handle multiple Los Angeles-class and Virginia-class submarines, the Navy said. 

SIOP is a joint effort between Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command and Navy Installations Command “to recapitalize and modernize the infrastructure at the Navy’s four public shipyards, including repairing and modernizing dry docks, restoring shipyard facilities and optimizing their placement, and replacing aging and deteriorating capital equipment,” the Naval Facilities Systems Command said.  

“We look forward to getting this critical construction mega-project underway,” said Rear Adm. John Korka, commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, and Navy chief of Civil Engineers.  “This project — and other work being planned at all four of our naval shipyards — is one of the most significant and direct contributions that our systems command team can make to enable our Navy’s lethality and maximize its readiness for many years to come.” 

NAVAL AIR STATION NORTH ISLAND, Calif. — The last E-2C Hawkeye to complete the planned maintenance interval two (PMI-2) procedure at Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) departed the command’s test line Aug. 3 to Carrier Airborne Early Squadron 116 (VAW-116) stationed at Naval Base Ventura County, the center said in an Aug. 12 release. 

The aircraft was inducted Sept. 21, 2020, from VAW-123. 

Developed by the Grumman Aircraft Co. in the mid-1960s, the twin turbo-propeller E-2 Hawkeye and its sister airframe, the C-2A Greyhound transport, still serve aboard naval aircraft carriers. 

Production of the airborne early warning system (AEWS) E-2C variant began in 1973. With its detachable 24-foot diameter rotodome radar system, the Hawkeye’s ability to guard against airborne threats remains the standard for protection of naval carrier battle groups to this day. 

FRCSW performs two levels of scheduled maintenance on the airframe: PMI-1, or a light maintenance interval at FRCSW’s Site Pt Mugu and FRC Mid-Atlantic, and PMI-2, or a heavy maintenance which is handled at FRCSW’s Building 460 onboard Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI). 

During PMI-1, artisans assess the attachment points of the flight control surfaces on the body of the aircraft, the engines, and other areas identified in the maintenance specification. Sheet metal repairs are made and worn parts replaced. 

FRCSW is the Navy’s sole provider of PMI-2 events to the airframe, and employs approximately 120 artisans and 53 indirect support personnel. Though not a complete overhaul, PMI-2 is a substantial disassembly of the aircraft down to the fuselage. Artisans remove the aircraft’s wings, engines, landing gear and tail. 

By using chemical or physical means, the aircraft’s corrosion preventive paint is removed and an in-depth metal assessment is performed to locate surface anomalies like cracks, corrosion, exfoliation and missing fasteners. 

PMI-2 procedures are completed under a project management method called the Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) program. CCPM designates resources — like people and equipment — needed to complete a task in a specific amount of time. A software program called “Concerto” is used to manage the aircraft’s throughput as well as multiple CCPM projects. 

The E-2 CCPM throughput is divided into four procedures: induction, repair, assembly and test line. Each step has a targeted completion time for a total of about 220 days, depending on material availability.  

During fiscal 2020, FRCSW inducted five of the aircraft for PMI-2 and one for PMI-1. Approximately 29 E-2Cs remain in service. The command will continue to support the maintenance requirements of the airframe as the Navy transitions to the technologically advanced E-2D, the fourth variant that will replace the E-2C.  

FRCSW delivered its first E-2D Hawkeye to complete PMI-2 last January. 

MIAMI — Haitian’s government requested Coast Guard assistance following a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, the Coast Guard 7^th District said in an Aug. 15 release. The Coast Guard has committed numbers of air and surface assets to help in transporting medical personnel and supplies and transporting critically injured citizens to facilities needing a higher level of care in Port au Prince, Haiti.   

“On behalf of the United States Coast Guard I express our deepest sympathies to the people of Haiti,” said Coast Guard District Seven Commander, Adm. Brendan McPherson. “Our hearts go out to our Haitian diaspora here in Miami and to those tragically impacted in Haiti. We are supporting USAID humanitarian relief efforts, U.S. Southern Command’s Enduring Promise, and coordinating closely with Ambassador Sison and her country-team to assist in every way that we can. Our helicopters and aircrews are transporting medical personnel and evacuating those requiring higher levels of care. Our cutters remain offshore and on standby to assist the citizens of Haiti and to support agency response locally. Our unity of effort, our commitment to our neighbors, and our ability to lead through crisis will help see us all through this tragic event.” 

ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Legend-class cutter Munro (WMSL 755) arrived in the Western Pacific Aug. 15 from its homeport in Alameda for a months-long deployment to the region, the Coast Guard Pacific Area said in an Aug. 13 release. 

The crew is operating in support of United States Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees military operations in the region. 

Operating under the tactical control of commander, 7th Fleet, the cutter crew plans to engage in professional exchanges and capacity-building exercises with partners and allies and will patrol and operate as directed. 

“Forward-deployed Naval Forces routinely and seamlessly integrate as one maritime force with a proud heritage of serving and fighting together,” said Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. “It is a fitting nod to that heritage that Munro joins us following the U.S. Coast Guard celebration of its 231st birthday on Aug. 4.” 

The Coast Guard’s deployment to the Indo-Pacific theater aligns with the integrated all-domain naval power of the naval service and increases the traditional influence of sea power regionally. 

“The U.S. Coast Guard’s unique authorities, capabilities, and missions position us to collaborate on maritime safety and security with partners around the world,” said Vice Adm. Michael F. McAllister, commander, Coast Guard Pacific Area. “An increased presence throughout the Indo-Pacific strengthens our alliances and partnerships through improved interoperability, which will enhance regional stability, promote rules-based order, and improve maritime governance and security in the region and globally.” 

Coast Guard forces provide expertise within the mission sets of search and rescue; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; maritime environmental response; maritime security; and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Deployable Coast Guard cutters, port security units, and advanced interdiction teams are also highly capable in augmenting naval operations in theater. 

As both a federal law enforcement agency and an armed force, the Coast Guard is uniquely positioned to conduct defense operations and security cooperation in support of combatant commanders on all seven continents. The service routinely provides forces in joint military operations worldwide, including the deployment of cutters, boats, aircraft and deployable specialized forces. 

The U.S. Coast Guard has a 150-year enduring role in the Indo-Pacific. The service’s ongoing deployment of resources to the region directly supports U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives in the Indo-Pacific Strategy and the National Security Strategy. 

Commissioned in 2017, Munro is one of four Coast Guard legend class national security cutters homeported in Alameda. National security cutters are 418-feet long, 54-feet wide, and have a 4,600 long-ton displacement. They have a top speed in excess of 28 knots, a range of 12,000 nautical miles, endurance of up to 90 days and can hold a crew of up to 170. Munro is the second cutter named for Signalman First Class Douglas A. Munro, the only Coast Guardsman awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. 

National security cutters feature advanced command and control capabilities, aviation support facilities, stern cutter boat launch and increased endurance for long-range patrols to disrupt threats to national security further offshore. 

Since 2018, three other Coast Guard Cutters — Bertholf, Stratton and Waesche — have deployed to the Western Pacific. 

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Coast Guard Cutter James (WMSL- 754) and crew returned to Charleston, Aug. 14, following an 82-day counter-drug patrol in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the Coast Guard 7th District said in an Aug. 16 release.  

The James crew offloaded nearly 51,000 pounds of cocaine and marijuana worth an estimated $1.4 billion, Aug. 5, 2021, at Port Everglades, Florida. 

Working alongside other Coast Guard cutters, U.S. Navy ships and international allies, the James patrol efforts were in direct support of drug interdiction efforts in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean to put increased pressure on the drug trafficking organizations operating in Central and South America.  

During their patrol, the James crew, augmented by an embarked armed helicopter aircrew from the Coast Guard’s Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON), successfully interdicted 11 drug smuggling vessels and seized or disrupted nearly 13,608 kilograms of cocaine. The James crew also successfully executed two search and rescue cases off the coast of Florida, saving eight distressed mariners over Memorial Day weekend.  

“This patrol highlights our crew’s continued commitment to protecting the maritime border from our adversaries. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Capt. Todd Vance, James commanding officer. “The James crew demonstrated supreme resilience and the results of their exceptional performance are being showcased today.”  

The Coast Guard Cutter James is one of three 418-foot National Security Cutters (NSC) homeported in North Charleston, South Carolina. With its robust command, control, communication, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance equipment, the NSC is the most technologically advanced ship in the Coast Guard’s fleet. NSCs are equipped with three state-of-the-art small boats, a stern boat launch system, dual aviation facilities, and serve as an afloat command and control platform for complex law enforcement and national security missions involving the Coast Guard and numerous partner agencies.  

JUNEAU, Alaska — Crews aboard Coast Guard Cutters Midgett and Healy patrolled the Bering and Chukchi Seas off the coast of Alaska this summer to demonstrate the Coast Guard’s commitment to ensuring a safe and secure Arctic and to work respectively with Canadian and Russian counterparts on shared maritime interests, the Coast Guard 17th District said in an Aug. 12 release.  

In late July, the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Midgett, one of the Service’s National Security Cutters, conducted combined operations and training with the Canadian coast guard Ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier in the Chukchi Sea, a joint patrol of the U.S.-Russia maritime boundary north of the Diomede Islands with the Russian Border Guard vessel Kamchatka, and a joint transit of the Bering Strait with the Coast Guard Cutter Healy, one of the service’s two operational polar icebreakers. In each case, Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak crews forward-deployed to Kotzebue, Alaska in an HC-130J Hercules airplane supported the operations. 

The simultaneous presence of Healy and Midgett in the Arctic region signals the increasing demand for the merged icebreaking and maritime security capability required of future Polar Security Cutters. 

Midgett is the Coast Guard’s eighth National Security Cutter and is homeported in Honolulu. Featuring advanced command-and-control capabilities, national security cutters are the flagship of the Coast Guard’s fleet, deploying globally to confront national security threats, strengthen maritime governance, and promote economic prosperity. While National Security Cutters possess advanced operational capabilities, more than 70% of the Coast Guard’s offshore presence is the service’s aging fleet of medium-endurance cutters, many of which are over 50 years old and approaching the end of their service life. Replacing the fleet with new Offshore Patrol Cutters is one of the Coast Guard’s top acquisition priorities. The first Offshore Patrol Cutter is scheduled to be delivered in 2022.  

Healy is a medium icebreaker capable of conducting a wide range of Coast Guard operations including search and rescue, ship escorts, environmental protection, and enforcement of laws and treaties in the polar regions. Uniquely equipped to conduct scientific operations, Healy is also the Nation’s premiere high-latitude research vessel. Healy is the only U.S. military surface vessel that routinely deploys to the ice-covered waters of the Arctic to provide access and secure national interests related to our maritime borders and natural resources.  

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Coast Guard and Puerto Rico Police crews rescued 48 Haitian migrants Aug. 13, stranded on Monito Cay, Puerto Rico in the Mona Passage, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release. 

“This was a very complex rescue and the migrants were in pretty bad shape after being abandoned by smugglers in this austere and highly dangerous environment,” said Lt. Benjamin Williamsz, Coast Guard Cutter Winslow Griesser commanding officer. “The Winslow Griesser crew performed superbly, while working with our Puerto Rico Police and Border patrol partners, in rescuing and saving the migrants from the cliff’s edge and jagged rocks and bringing them to the safety of the cutter.” 

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Juan were initially contacted late Wednesday night by the aircrew of a Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft, who spotted the migrants flashing a light and waving their hands for assistance. 

Coast Guard watchstanders proceeded to divert the Coast Guard Cutter Winslow Griesser and launched an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen to further investigate and rescue any persons in distress. A Puerto Rico Police marine unit also responded to assist. 

Upon arriving on scene, the crew of the Winslow Griesser located the migrants, 26 men and 22 women, on the side of the cliff and taking shelter inside nearby caves. The Winslow Griesser launched their Over-the-Horizon IV small boat to recover the migrants.  

The migrants were transported to Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, where they were transferred to awaiting U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol agents, who rendered assistance to the migrants along with emergency medical service personnel at the scene. 
 

ANDOVER, Mass. — Mercury Systems Inc. a builder of secure mission-critical technologies for aerospace and defense, announced Aug. 12 it received a $17 million order from the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center’s Aircraft Division (NAWC-AD) for Advanced Data Transfer Systems (ADTS) for deployment across multiple rotary-wing and tiltrotor platforms. The ADTS, a rugged data, video, and audio loader and recorder with cybersecurity capability, is used for moving mission data securely to and from the aircraft for pre- and post-mission analysis. 

The order is part of a firm-fixed-price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract award worth up to $84.9 million originally received in September 2020 by Physical Optics Corporation, recently acquired by Mercury Systems. The $17 million delivery order was received in Mercury’s fiscal 2021 third quarter and is expected to be delivered over the next several quarters. 

“We value our long-standing partnership with NAWC-AD and are excited about the opportunity to expand our role through the delivery of trusted and secure ADTS technology solutions across multiple platforms,” said Jay Abendroth, vice president and general manager, Mercury Mission. “The IDIQ allows Mercury to fulfill our commitment to deliver critical purpose-built solutions to the Naval air fleet and further strengthens our position as a leader in making commercial technology profoundly more accessible to aerospace and defense.” 

ARLINGTON, Va. — CNA’s Center for Naval Analyses has deployed a team of 50 analysts to commands around the world that are participating the Navy’s Large-Scale Exercise (LSE) 2021. The analysts will take the lead in gathering and synthesizing data to support assessments of distributed maritime operations (DMO).  

According to CEO Dr. Katherine McGrady, CNA has played an active role leading up to LSE 2021, developing a standardized assessment framework for each DMO capability to ensure there was a common understanding of its importance and how it should be executed and assessed.   

“Prior to the LSE, CNA performed analyses of DMO concepts through fleet battle problem events that were intended to shape and inform the exercise as a capstone event. These frameworks provide the Navy with a clear and reproducible understanding of whether or not it can execute DMO capabilities against a challenging adversary and, if not, what improvement must be made,” said McGrady. 

Large-Scale Exercise was designed to reinforce the chief of naval operations’ effort to set the stage for advancing naval doctrine and tactics by integrating Fleet operations to validate DMO capabilities. 

CNA’s team will inform the Navy’s initial assessments in the days following the exercise and will provide more detailed analysis and assessments over the course of the next several months. 

Since World War II, CNA has embedded analysts at commands around the world. These “field representatives” gather data and answer some of the most complex questions facing commanders. They follow their commands through exercises and operations, sometimes spending months at sea. CNA has supported every major exercise and conflict involving the Navy or Marines since World War II, providing commanders and their staff with independent scientific expertise.   

ARLINGTON, Va. — The secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations announced on Aug. 12 the following flag assignments: 

Rear Adm. (lower half) William P. Pennington will be assigned as deputy commander, Tenth Fleet, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. Pennington is currently serving as commander, Task Force Seven Zero; and commander, Carrier Strike Group Five, Yokosuka, Japan. 

Capt. David G. Wilson, selected for promotion to rear admiral (lower half), will be assigned as commander, Naval Legal Service Command, Washington, D.C. Wilson is currently serving as assistant judge advocate general (Operations and Management), Washington, D.C.