Much-needed new ships are on the way for the U.S. Coast Guard, acting Commandant Admiral Kevin Lunday told members of a House Armed Services Committee panel on May 14 as Congress prepares to receive defense budget requests from the new administration.

Lunday noted the service quickly moved resources to the Southern U.S. border in the wake of the presidential election.

“In January of this year, under the leadership of Secretary [Kristi] Noem, I directed our operational commanders to immediately increase Coast Guard presence along the U.S. border and maritime approaches, starting with the southern border where the president has declared a national emergency,” Lunday told members of the committee’s Subcommittee on Homeland Security. “We surged forces, tripling the number of forward-deployed air and surface assets in that area.”

The service also moved to continue operations to control the northern border, including on the Great Lakes, to maritime approaches around Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. territories in the Pacific.

“Tasked with defending the nation’s maritime borders, countering threats like illegal migration and drug trafficking, safeguarding our ports and waterways, responding to maritime disasters, and saving lives, the service is now stretched thin, with significant workforce shortages and aging, underfunded assets and infrastructure nearing collapse,” he said. “The Coast Guard’s current organizational structure and reactive posture are no longer adequate to meet current and emerging challenges.”

Acquisitions

Last month, Lunday debuted a plan called Force Design 2028, aimed at addressing those issues. It will focus on four major areas: People, organization, acquisition and contracting and technology, including an effort to “Develop a high velocity acquisition and contracting system to rapidly deliver the assets the service needs to fulfill its commitment to the American people.”

Some much-needed assets are already in the works, Lunday told members of the panel, with new production milestones achieved.

The service’s top ship acquisition priority is the polar security cutter and Lunday said the first PSC received approval on April 30 for full production by Bollinger Shipyards. Functional design maturity has topped 95 percent, so “they already are construction 10 of the pre-fabrication assembly units, which are the bottom center sections of that new icebreaker,” he said.

Likewise, the service is moving ahead to replace its aging construction tenders and river tenders, which maintain aids to navigation, and some of which have been in service since the 1940s. The DHS has approved the construction of the first eight of the new water commerce cutter being built by Birdon America, with their homeports to be decided later.

New systems are needed in the air as well, Lunday said.

The recent termination of the C-27J missionization program and stalled growth in our HC-130J program place our readiness to conduct various missions in jeopardy, including long range surveillance, disaster response, and border security operations,” he said. “For our rotary wing fleet, it is imperative that we continue and accelerate transition of air stations from the short-range MH-65E to the medium-range MH-60 to ensure sustainability and increase our capability to serve our national priorities.”

From Airbus U.S. Space & Defense and L3 Harris, May 14, 2025 

WASHINGTON (May 14, 2025) — Airbus U.S. Space & Defense and L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) announced a teaming agreement to incorporate L3Harris’ proven platform system integration capabilities on the Airbus MQ-72C Logistics Connector, an unmanned variant of the UH-72 Lakota helicopter.  

Airbus will utilize L3Harris’ robust digital backbone with integrated command and control nodes. Combined with their modular open systems approach, the infrastructure enables the U.S. Marines to rapidly integrate third-party, commercial off-the-shelf hardware that will enable maximum system versatility and mission adaptability. 

“Our MQ-72C platform is capable of supporting the warfighter on a range of unmanned operations that will support the future fight,” said Robert Geckle, Chairman and CEO, Airbus U.S. Space & Defense. “Partnering with a proven systems integrator opens the aperture on what our aircraft can do operationally in contested and austere environments.” 

This partnership will allow the Marines’ mission sets to evolve over the next several years and will enable more advanced levels of systems integration across the Marine Corps and broader joint force. 

“We are focused on accelerating development to get this capability into the hands of military personnel,” said Jason Lambert, President, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, L3Harris. “With more than 60 years of experience in aircraft systems integration, L3Harris brings proven expertise developing complex mission system design and integration to enhance operational effectiveness in contested environments.” 

The Airbus team is entering the second year of the Aerial Logistics Connector Middle Tier of Acquisition Rapid Prototyping Program, which aims to provide the service with aircraft prototypes to demonstrate capabilities to the warfighter through a series of operational demonstrations and experiments. 

The Aerial Logistics Connector effort is one of several across the Department of Defense to deliver logistical support in distributed environments during peer or near-peer conflicts. 

May 14, 2025 | By DoD News  

The Defense Department conducted a second successful flight of a fully recoverable uncrewed hypersonic test vehicle in March 2025, with the first being in December 2024.   

This test campaign, led by DOD’s Test Resource Management Center, in partnership with Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, marks the nation’s first return to reusable hypersonic flight testing since the X-15 hypersonic research program ended in 1968.    

In both tests, the Talon-A hypersonic vehicle, powered by a liquid rocket engine and launched from a carrier aircraft, flew over the Pacific Ocean and achieved speeds greater than Mach 5, about 3,836 mph, before landing at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The landmark tests supported the TRMC’s Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonics Test Bed project.   

The project accelerates delivery of advanced hypersonic capabilities to the warfighter by providing DOD, other federal agencies, industry and academia with the capability to affordably and rapidly conduct hypersonic experiments and test hypersonic system components, according to a DOD news release published earlier this month.  

George Rumford, the director of TRMC, said historically, a hypersonic development program would conduct the first flight test of a new aeroshell material, GPS unit, or other system component in a costly, full-system weapon test. Because of the high cost, a program may perform only one or two full-system weapon tests per year, so if a test fails, it may not be tested again for months.   

With such high stakes associated with each flight test, the program would often over-engineer the components and materials being tested to offset the risk of test failure. For instance, Rumford said the aeroshell material would have to be thicker and heavier, sacrificing range and maneuverability. The GPS would require redundancy, which would crowd out other equipment.   

In contrast, DOD’s MACH-TB project leverages commercial space launch services to test hypersonic system components and materials in-flight prior to a full-system weapon test.   

This approach allows developers to test components and materials under hypersonic conditions at relatively low cost, iterate and improve based on real data, and rapidly retest to ensure they are proven before being integrated into an “all-up-round” for a full-system weapon test.   

Rumford said the December and March flight tests represent another advancement in accelerating the pace of hypersonic experimentation and testing.   

“Demonstrating the reuse of fully recoverable hypersonic test vehicles is an important milestone for MACH-TB,” he explained. “Lessons learned from this test campaign will help us reduce vehicle turnaround time from months down to weeks.”  

The Skelmir S12 is a lightweight 12.75-inch diameter platform that enables AUV and torpedo missions representing a significant leap in underwater technology, offering unprecedented pricing, flexibility, and performance 

The company’s new manufacturing facility leverages patent-pending modular design and vertical integration techniques, enabling rapid production at a scale previously unseen in the underwater vehicle market 

From Vatn Systems, May 12, 2025 

PORTSMOUTH, R.I., May 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Vatn Systems, a leading defense technology company building autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for the US military and allies, along with commercial customers, today announced the launch of its new innovative AUV-torpedo product line, the Skelmir S12, and the opening of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, which is capable of producing up to 2,000 vehicles annually. 

New AUV-Torpedo Product Line Fills Gap in the Market 

The 12.75-inch diameter AUV represents a significant leap in underwater technology, offering unprecedented flexibility and performance with the ability to fulfill torpedo and AUV roles in various modular configurations. Uniquely designed to be agnostically deployed from submarines, surface vessels, and aircraft, the vehicle can serve multiple mission profiles including torpedo operations, sensor platforms, and electronic warfare capabilities. 

“With the Skelmir S12, we set out to fill a critical market void—creating a vessel that merges the capabilities of a traditional AUV with the agility and performance of a lightweight torpedo for a fraction of the cost,” said Nelson Mills, co-founder and CEO of Vatn Systems. “We’ve created a platform that delivers superior payload capacity, flexible deployment, and unmatched cost-effectiveness compared to existing solutions, and we’re excited to be able to produce these at scale in our new manufacturing facility to fill that gap in the market and meet customer demand starting this summer.” 

The Skelmir S12, in its AUV configuration, has successfully completed its first exercise and the first production run has already been sold to government customers, with deliveries expected this year. The torpedo variant will be manufactured and delivered next year. 

New Manufacturing Facility Scales Production to an Industry-Leading 2,000+ Vehicles Per Year 

The company’s new manufacturing facility leverages patent-pending modular design and vertical integration techniques, enabling rapid production at a scale previously unseen in the underwater vehicle market. 

“With current industry standards at about 200 vehicles per year, this facility will enable a strong competitive differentiation for us as we scale production capacity to 2,000+ vehicles annually to meet growing customer demand,” said Brendan Smith, Director of Manufacturing at Vatn Systems. Smith recently joined the team from Boston Dynamics, where he led the scaling of manufacturing operations for multiple robot hardware programs from early stage development to high rate production.  

“By leveraging modular design and vertically integrated production, we’re able to reduce lead times, minimize handoffs, and eliminate many of the inefficiencies common in traditional assembly processes,” Smith added. “This approach gives us tighter control over quality, faster iteration cycles, and the ability to rapidly scale output as demand increases.” 

Vatn recently announced a partnership with Palantir that enables the company to digitize its manufacturing process and provide AI-driven insights to accelerate the production of AUVs built in the new facility, which is expected to reach full production capability in July 2025. 

From Chief of Naval Air Training, May 9, 2025   

NAS CORPUS CHRISTI —The Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA), Rear Admiral Rich Brophy, hosted former CNATRA commanders onboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi and NAS Kingsville last week as part of the Graybeards conference, an event that brings together previous leaders of naval air training to share their experience and insight with the current training enterprise. The conference offered a unique opportunity for these distinguished former commanders to witness firsthand the evolution of flight training and contribute their perspective to the ongoing transformation of naval aviation. 
 
During their visit, the Graybeards toured Training Air Wing FOUR’s (TW-4) simulator facilities where they tested the virtual reality (VR) “sleds” used in primary flight training. These VR devices provide immersive and realistic instruction for Student Naval Aviators before they advance to the aircraft. The group also interacted with the new T-54 simulator, which is set to replace the T-44 Pegasus in multi-engine advanced training. The T-54 represents a significant step forward in-flight training modernization, offering improved systems integration and better alignment with fleet aircraft. 
 
Following the simulator tour, the group returned to CNATRA headquarters for a mission brief outlining the current and future state of the Naval Air Training Command. Discussions focused on efforts to increase training throughput and modernize the curriculum in line with naval strategic demands and fleet requirements. The day concluded with a visit to NAS Kingsville, where the Graybeards toured the advanced strike training facilities and received an overview on the successful Bird/Animal Aircraft Strike Hazard radar program, the planned Service Life Extension Program for the T-45 Goshawk, and the maintenance scheduling optimization program to increase jet training availability and efficiencies. 
 
“The Graybeards conference honors the legacy of leadership that continues to guide Naval Air Training today,” said Rear Adm. Rich Brophy. “These former CNATRAs laid the foundation for the work we do, and their insights continue to be vital as we train the future of naval aviation.” 

By U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command / U.S. 4th Fleet Public Affairs, May 13, 2025 

MAYPORT, Florida – The U.S. Navy Mercy-class hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) will deploy this June-August to the U.S. Southern Command area of operations as part of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet’s Continuing Promise 2025 mission. After several months of detailed planning, USNS Comfort is scheduled to visit Grenada, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic during the nearly three month-long mission. 
  
Continuing Promise 2025 marks the 16th mission to the region since 2007 and the eighth aboard USNS Comfort. The mission will foster goodwill, strengthen existing partnerships with partner nations, and encourage the establishment of new partnerships among countries, non-federal entities, and international organizations. 
  
The focus during each mission stop will be working alongside partner nation medical personnel to provide direct patient care and technical expertise in community clinics to improve medical readiness, strengthen partnerships, and enhance the combined capabilities of the U.S. Navy and partner nations to respond to public health disasters and humanitarian crises. 
  
“The USNS Comfort’s deployment under Continuing Promise demonstrates the U.S. Navy’s enduring commitment to our allies and partners across the Caribbean, Central and South America,” said Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet. “This mission will forge lasting partnerships and deliver impactful aid, leaving a legacy of goodwill throughout the region.” 
  
The Continuing Promise team also includes a U.S. Army veterinary element from the 248th Medical Detachment (Veterinary Service Support), which will collaborate with host nation colleagues to provide direct public health education and animal care at local veterinary organizations in-country. U.S. Navy Seabees from Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 11 will assist in host nation led community engineering projects. U.S. Navy experts will host seminars and training exercises with host nation civilian officials and military professionals covering disaster preparedness and response. These exchanges aim to support host nation facilities, improve readiness, and empower local and national officials with the knowledge and experience to act with confidence during emergencies. 
  
“Working with our partner nation and State Department teammates, each Continuing Promise stop has been meticulously planned to provide world-class medical care where it is needed most,” said Capt. Ryan Kendall, U.S. Navy, commodore Destroyer Squadron 40 and Continuing Promise mission commander. “Most notably, these engagements are only possible with the support of the various county teams and our military partners to make this mission an overwhelming success.” 
  
Continuing Promise will feature the U.S. Fleet Forces Band, “Uncharted Waters.” The band will embark on USNS Comfort to conduct classes at community schools, collaborate with military and civilian musical organizations in partner nations, and entertain local communities with concerts at each mission stop. This cultural exchange aims to strengthen community ties and foster goodwill. 
  
USNAVSOUTH/FOURTHFLT is the trusted maritime partner for Caribbean, Central and South America maritime forces leading to improved unity, security and stability. Learn more at https://www.fourthfleet.navy.mil, and follow at https://www.facebook.com/NAVSOUS4THFLT, https://x.com/navsous4thflt, and https://instagram.com/usnavysouth4thflt/. 

From U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area, May 9, 2025 

HONOLULU — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756) returned to their Honolulu home port Monday after an 84-day deployment to the Eastern Pacific Ocean. 
 
While patrolling international waters off the Pacific coasts of Mexico, Central, and South America, Kimball’s crew interdicted five suspected drug smuggling vessels, seizing $191 million worth of cocaine and apprehending 18 suspected drug smugglers. 
 
The drugs were offloaded in San Diego on April 24 by the Kimball crew and multiagency partners. 
 
The Kimball deployed to the region under the tasking of Joint Interagency Task Force – South (JIATF-S) in support of Operation Martillo. 
 
During the deployment, Kimball’s crew conducted counter-drug missions in the Coast Guard’s Eleventh District area of responsibility countering transnational criminal organizations and preventing illegal narcotics from reaching the United States. They worked alongside other Coast Guard units, law enforcement personnel from Tactical Law Enforcement Team South (TACLET SOUTH), contractors operating small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS), Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) crews, Department of Defense assets, and Customs and Border Protection. 
 
Together, these partners supported the Kimball in controlling, securing, and defending the U.S. border and maritime approaches. 
 
“The pride I feel for this crew is immeasurable,” said Capt. Robert Kinsey, commanding officer of Kimball.  “Their professionalism, resilience, and dedication to serving our nation at sea is truly inspiring.  They are mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters who have answered the call to defend the nation as part of the joint fighting force as the pointy end of the spear that protects our shores and saves American lives.  We remain steadfast in our commitment to continually hardening and sustaining enhanced maritime security operations. We will continue to work tirelessly with our partners to disrupt these criminal enterprises and protect our nation.” 
 
These interdictions are part of the U.S. government’s ongoing effort to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and deny them resources to fund violent and illicit operations. 
 
The Kimball’s crew partnered with the Mexican Navy at-sea to promote regional maritime governance and assist in combating the international drug trade. For 54 days, two Mexican naval officers observed U.S. Coast Guard counter-drug operations firsthand, fostering enhanced collaboration between the two nations. 
 
While moored in Amador, Panama, the Kimball’s crew also hosted personnel from Panama’s Servicio Nacional Aeronaval (SENAN) for a subject matter expertise exchange. The event featured discussions and demonstrations of the Kimball’s capabilities, including sUAS drones, cutter small boats, and the embarked HITRON MH-65 Dolphin helicopter. Personnel from U.S. Coast Guard Tactical Law Enforcement Team South showcased their law enforcement kits and highlighted counter-drug boarding methods, furthering international cooperation in addressing maritime security challenges. While in Panama, the Kimball partnered with the USS Chosin (CG-65) to host Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, emphasizing DoD and DHS joint presence in the region. 
 
Several units and partners supported the Kimball’s counter-drug operations and interdictions. The U.S. Coast Guard HITRON from Jacksonville, Florida, provided aerial support in the forms of reconnaissance and aerial use of force. The U.S. Coast Guard TACLET SOUTH and U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team Los Angeles / Long Beach (MSST LA/LB) assisted with surface pursuit and law enforcement boardings. The U.S. Coast Guard Eleventh District provided operational oversight and logistical support, ensuring the execution of mission objectives throughout the deployment. 
 
Along with partner nations, JIATF-S targets, detects, and monitors illicit drug trafficking within the joint operating area. The organization facilitates the interdiction and apprehension of illicit drug traffickers to dismantle transnational criminal organizations while reducing the flow of illegal drugs to the public. Once interdiction is imminent, the operation transitions into its law enforcement phase, with the U.S. Coast Guard assuming control throughout the interdiction and apprehension of the traffickers. 
 
The Kimball is one of two 418-foot, Legend-class national security cutters homeported in Honolulu. The cutter’s primary missions are counter-drug operations and defense readiness. 

From FRCE Southeast, May 13, 2025 

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In November 2024, Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) stood up repair capability for a T-45 Goshawk service life extension program (SLEP) production line supporting the Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems Program Office (PMA-273). 

FRCSE expects the first SLEP wing swap and full aircraft SLEP in June 2025, only 13 months after the Navy identified the requirement in May 2024. Usually, this process takes upward of two years. 

Currently, the command has one fuselage and three wings on deck, with each wing SLEP expected to take 4,000 working hours and each fuselage to take 24,000. The command expects to ramp up to work on 12 aircraft simultaneously by 2028 and the work to continue through the 2030s. 

“The point of the service life extension program is to extend the flyable hours on the T-45 aircraft,” said Jeff Cavanaugh, FRCSE’s F-5 production line lead. “Right now, those hours are being reached at a faster rate than anticipated. The Goshawk is important because pilots receive their carrier qualification on this airframe, which must be completed before a pilot can fly any other carrier-capable fighter.” 

PMA-273 called on the command for this workload because of its proven track record establishing rapid repair capability to deliver warfighting readiness. Since the Goshawk is the primary Navy and Marine Corps tandem-seat jet trainer, the tasking came with urgency. 

After getting the initial call for the new work, the FRCSE team immediately began preparation, but the process presented challenges including aircraft movement, tooling and equipment obstacles. 

“Fortunately, we had access to a stricken aircraft that we were permitted to use as a mock for proposed engineering repairs,” said James Bock, an FRCSE business development office structural and mechanical component lead. “However, we needed to make the aircraft mobile to transport it on public roads to our facility, which involved many logistical challenges. It was vital because having the fuselage onsite allowed us to create shoring that made concurrent work possible.” 

Further, FRCSE artisans use standard customary units for their tooling, but the T-45 was built using metric measurements. 

“Outside of moving the aircraft from Cecil Field, the first challenge was identifying the type of tooling we needed,” said Cavanaugh. “We’ve created metric kits to use while we build up our comprehensive toolboxes.” 

Understanding the challenges, tight timeline and complexity of the SLEP tasking, the team realized it was necessary to divide the initial depot capability (IDC) into phases. 

“To provide the most positive impact back to the fleet, we came up with an incremental approach,” said Bock. “During phase one, or IDC, we trucked in three wings and performed SLEP on all three to get ahead of the process. With a backlog of wings, it’s easier to transition to IDC phase two, which allows aircraft to fly into FRCSE and swap their wings with ones that have already undergone SLEP. Finally, we have full depot capability, where we will see aircraft getting the full scope of SLEP work.” 

To perform the majority of the work on the T-45 wing, the command had to obtain a flip jig—a piece of equipment that allows the artisans to work on the wing’s underside. The jig turns over, or flips, the approximately 2,000-pound wing so that artisans can conduct the repairs safely and ergonomically. After the jig was acquired, personnel underwent training and certification to effectively and safely operate it. 

“The majority of the work on the wing is done on the bottom, so being able to acquire the flip jig, or the device we use to flip the wing, was vital so that artisans don’t have to conduct this work over their heads or upside-down,” said Cavanaugh. 

“Our T-45 team’s ability to urgently answer the Navy’s call without compromising quality is a testament to their commitment and expertise,” said Capt. Mike Windom, FRCSE commanding officer. “This accomplishment highlights not only their resolve, but also FRCSE’s commitment to getting capability into the hands of warfighters faster.” 

About Fleet Readiness Center Southeast  

Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) is Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia’s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, employing approximately 5,000 civilian, military and contract workers. The organization serves as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy, Naval Air Systems Command, and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers by maintaining the combat airpower for America’s military forces. 

By U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command / U.S. 4th Fleet Public Affairs, 13 May 2025 

CARIBBEAN SEA – The littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21) interdicted a suspected drug smuggling vessel May 1 while supporting Joint Interagency Task Force South. 
 
Alerted to suspected drug smuggling from maritime patrol aircraft operating in the region, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul proceeded to the target location and launched a helicopter from the embarked Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 50.  The helicopter crew observed the suspect drug smuggling vessel jettisoning packages. The Minneapolis-Saint Paul then launched its rigid-hull inflatable boat with an embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) to intercept the vessel. The boarding team recovered 22 bales of suspected cocaine. 
 
“The USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul is delivering decisive blows against transnational criminal organizations,” said Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet. “These interdictions send a clear message: We are vigilant, and illicit trafficking will be interdicted to protect our homeland as well as our regional partners from this threat.” 
 
This is the ship’s third successful interdiction during its maiden deployment. In mid-April, the Minneapolis-Saint Paul interdicted two vessels, confiscating 580 kilograms (1,279 pounds) of cocaine valued at $9,463,860 and 1,125 kilograms (2,480 pounds) of marijuana valued at $2,807,360. 
 
“I’m consistently impressed by the speed and precision of our joint team,” said Cmdr. Steven Fresse, Commanding Officer of USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul. “The professionalism and expertise of the Aviation and Law Enforcement Detachments in concert with ship’s crew continue to be instrumental in these successful interdictions.” 
 
The Minneapolis-Saint Paul is assigned to Commander, Task Force 45, the 4th Fleet surface task force responsible for combined naval operations, building partnerships in Latin America and the Caribbean, and supporting Joint Interagency Task Force South’s counter-drug trafficking operations. 
 
LEDETs are deployable specialized Coast Guard forces that enforce U.S. laws and treaties at sea.  U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet supports U.S. Southern Command by employing maritime forces in cooperative security operations to maintain access, enhance interoperability, and build partnerships to promote regional security and stability in the Caribbean and Central and South America. 

By MC1 Kelby Sanders, COMNAVSURFPAC Public Affairs, May 2, 2025 

SAN DIEGO, California — Since the latest outbreak of conflict in and around the Red Sea in October of 2023, several U.S. Navy ships operating within carrier strike groups have engaged and defeated hostile airborne targets while patrolling the area. 
 
The Sailors communicating and coordinating with fighter pilots to shoot down Houthi missiles and drones, called Air Intercept Controllers (AICs), are trained and supported by an elite team of operations specialists assigned to Commander, Naval Surface Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CNSP) in San Diego. 
 
In response to an increased demand for qualified and motivated AICs, Senior Chief Operations Specialist James Byrnes undertook the necessary steps to establish a detachment of enlisted operations specialists dedicated to developing more AICs and providing them with consistent, challenging training opportunities. 
 
Over the past year, this detachment has conducted more than 800 hours of training and “leveled-up” numerous AICs. 
 
“This has changed the culture of what it means to be an air controller,” said Byrnes. “We’ve provided technical experts to the fleet and enhanced our warfighting capability.” 
 
The AIC training pipeline consists of seven levels of expertise, each featuring specific knowledge and quality-of-work requirements focused on their ability to communicate clearly, accurately, and concisely with friendly aircraft in high-stress environments. The AIC must demonstrate continuous improvement to progress to higher levels. 
 
“We operate in a world that is constantly evolving,” said Operations Specialist 1st Class Cameron Rogers. “In my time as an AIC, I have learned that we are never done preparing and never done studying.” 
 
The CNSP AIC detachment utilizes the Tactical Training Group Pacific Battle Lab at Naval Base Point Loma, in Point Loma, Calif., to immerse trainees in simulated air combat exercises, but also deploys its Sailors aboard ships as operators to complement their watch teams. 
 
“I learned that for real world threats, especially when controlling air assets from different branches or coalition forces, simplifying communications to be easily understood is critical,” said Operations Specialist 1st Class Victor Lacey, who has recently deployed aboard Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Spruance (DDG 111) and USS Frank E. Petersen (DDG 121). 
 
Lacey is credited with supervising and controlling six confirmed drone kills while aboard Spruance and earned the Combat Action Ribbon. 
 
The detachment was established with a small team of six Sailors. Within a few months, the detachment was supporting its first carrier strike group deployment. 
 
Due to the program’s success, CNSP increased manning to support 25 billets and they’ve now supported four carrier strike group deployments. 
 
While manning challenges persist fleetwide, CNSP remains focused on placing highly trained and motivated AICs where they’re needed most. 
 
“Personnel are the key,” said Rogers. “The difference is made when people who care and study and execute effective air control are added to the fight. A good air intercept controller is a force multiplier.”