RESTON, Va. — Rolls-Royce has been awarded $1 million of research funding from the U.S. government for digital foreign object debris (FOD) detection technology, the company said in a Jan. 20 release. The year-long research contract from the Navy will help further…

Navy Names Future Vessel to Honor Muscogee Creek Nation
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The U.S. Navy will name a future Navajo-class towing, salvage, and rescue ship USNS Muscogee Creek Nation (T-ATS 10) to honor the self-governed Native American tribe located in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, the Navy said in a Jan. 15…

SECNAV Names Future Vessels while aboard Historic Navy Ship
BOSTON – Secretary of the Navy Kenneth J. Braithwaite announced Jan. 15 that the Navy will name three future vessels after ships steeped in naval history and two others after a after a Medal of Honor recipient and a Native…

Navy Planning Major Combat System Upgrades to Littoral Combat Ships
ARLINGTON, Va. — While grappling with reliability and maintainability of its littoral combat ships (LCSs), the Navy this year is planning major upgrades to the ships’ combat systems in 2023. Rear Adm. Casey Moton, program executive officer for Unmanned and…

Admiral: Earlier Contract Awards to Help Shipyard Planning a ‘Sea Change’ for Navy
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy admiral in charge of maintenance of surface warships is pushing to award ship maintenance contracts at least 120 days in advance of the start of work in order to help shipyards plan the work and…

Wolfe: Navy Plans to Start Development of Nuclear Sea-Launched Cruise Missile in 2022
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy plans to wrap up an analysis of alternatives (AoA) for a ship-launched nuclear-armed cruise missile in 2021 and begin development of the missile in 2022, said the admiral in charge of strategic weapons . “We…

President Authorizes U.S. Atlantic Fleet Designation for Navy’s Fleet Forces Command
ARLINGTON, Va. — The chief of naval operations (CNO) said President Trump last week signed off on the secretary of the Navy’s proposed re-designation of U.S. Fleet Forces Command as the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. A timetable for the change has…

Navy Discusses Plans for Limited Optional Manning for Large and Medium USVs
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy has discussed plans for its forthcoming large and medium unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to be optionally manned for limited purposes. Capt. Pete Small, the Navy’s Unmanned Maritime Systems program manager, speaking Jan. 13 at a…

Marine Heading Navy’s Expeditionary Warfare Unit Wants to Keep Amphibs Mobile and Enemies Guessing
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Marine Corps general who heads the U.S. Navy’s expeditionary warfare directorate says his top priority is the acquisition of the Light Amphibious Warship (LAW) for future operations by a highly mobile and distributed deterrent force. The LAW…

Naval Surface Force Grapples with Instability in Ship Manning
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy is working hard to solve a persistent manning shortage in its surface fleet, the commander of that force said in an address to the force. “We need to man our ships to the right requirement…