ANDOVER, Massachusetts, (June 10, 2024) — Raytheon, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, was awarded a $677 million contract to continue to produce AN/SPY-6(V) radars for the U.S. Navy. This is the third option exercised from the March 2022 hardware, production and sustainment contract that is valued up to $3 billion over five years. 

Under this contract, the U.S. Navy will receive seven additional radars, increasing the total amount of radars under contract for procurement to 38. 

“SPY-6 provides the fleet with superior air surveillance, electronic warfare protection and enhanced detection abilities,” said Barbara Borgonovi, president of Naval Power at Raytheon. “This contract is a significant step forward in ensuring this technology is delivered to ships to improve the overall self-defense of the fleet.” 

The U.S. Navy is integrating SPY-6 into its surface fleet beginning with the USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125) that was commissioned in October 2023. The USS Richard M. McCool Jr. (LPD 29) is the second ship and the first to deploy the (V)2 variant. LPD 29 was delivered to the U.S. Navy April 11 following successful completion of builder’s and acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico. The SPY-6(V)2 radar not only provides defense against missile threats but will also provide air traffic control capability.   

The SPY-6 family of radars is the most tested, most advanced radar technology in production today. It is projected to be deployed on 65 U.S. Navy ships over the next 10 years to defend against air, surface, and ballistic threats.  

From U.S. Central Command, June 9, 2024 
 

TAMPA, Fla. – In the past 24 hours, Iranian-backed Houthis launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) from Houthi controlled areas of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden. One ASBM struck M/V Tavvishi, a Liberian-flagged, Swiss owned and operated container ship. M/V Tavvishi reported damage but has continued underway. The second ASBM was successfully destroyed by a coalition ship. There were no injuries reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels. 

Separately, Iranian-backed Houthis launched one ASBM and one anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) into the Gulf of Aden. Both missiles struck M/V Norderney, an Antigua and Barbados flagged, German owned and operated cargo ship. M/V Norderney reported damage but has continued underway. There were no injuries reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels. 

Additionally, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed one uncrewed aerial system (UAS) over the Gulf of Aden. Later, USCENTCOM forces successfully destroyed two Houthi land attack cruise missiles (LACM) and one missile launcher in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. 

It was determined these systems presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. This action was taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels. 

By U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa / U.S. Sixth Fleet Public Affairs, June 8, 2024 

MEDITERRANEAN SEA  –  Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) transited the Suez Canal and entered the Mediterranean Sea, June 7, 2024. 

Mason entered the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations on Nov. 4, 2023 for a routine deployment as part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG). While operating in the Red Sea, Mason supported maritime security and stability in the Middle East, providing assurance to maritime traffic by deterring threats to the international rules based order and freedom of navigation. 

“Mason and the crew demonstrated a remarkable level of operational support in the Red Sea over the past 7 months and I am extremely proud of all their accomplishments,” said Cmdr. Justin B. Smith, commanding officer of Mason. “I am eager for the next chapter of 6th Fleet operations as we continue to demonstrate our proficiency and mission support.” 

Mason is deployed as a part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower (IKE) Carrier Strike Group (CSG). IKECSG is operating in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations to deepen strategic relationships with allies and partners, and to support maritime security and stability. 

The strike group is commanded by CSG-2 and comprised of flagship Dwight D. Eisenhower, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3 with its nine squadrons, USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 22 with its guided missile destroyers. 

For more than 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with our Allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability. 

Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. 6th Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations. 

From NOAA Public Affairs, June 7, 2024 

NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps Rear Admiral Nancy A. Hann has been selected for promotion to the rank of vice admiral and will serve as NOAA’s deputy under secretary for operations, beginning August 2024. Since 2021, Hann has served as director of the NOAA Corps and NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). 

In her new role as deputy under secretary for operations, Hann will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the agency’s national and international operations for oceanic and atmospheric services, research and coastal and marine stewardship. 

“Vice Adm. (select) Hann is an experienced and well-respected leader with an impressive resume of accomplishments,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “I look forward to working with her as a key member of my management team to further advance NOAA’s mission.” 

Hann will succeed Benjamin Friedman, who has held the role for over eight years — the longest span of any NOAA deputy under secretary for operations. Later this year, Friedman will retire from the federal workforce after 30 years of service, of which 14 years were served within NOAA. After retiring, he will assume the role as chief operating officer for the SUNY Research Foundation.  

“Ben is a strong leader and a compassionate civil servant with decades of public service,” Spinrad added. “I will miss his thoughtful counsel and insight, and wish him all the best in this new endeavor.” 

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as NOAA’s next deputy under secretary for operations and lead this team of accomplished and dedicated scientists,” said Vice Adm. Hann. “I would like to thank my predecessor Benjamin Friedman for his service and look forward to working with him as I fully transition into my new position.” 

Throughout her 25-year career as a NOAA Corps officer, Hann has served aboard NOAA aircraft as both a pilot and flight meteorologist, and has supported a variety of scientific missions and multiple uncrewed aircraft as a pilot and project manager. She has also served aboard NOAA Ships Miller Freeman and Townsend Cromwell in support of fisheries surveys and oceanographic research in the Pacific.  

Hann has also previously served as executive officer at the NOAA Marine Operations Center-Atlantic, associate director at the NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and NOAA liaison to the U.S. Pacific Command. 

Hann holds a master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, a master’s degree in aeronautical science and space studies from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a bachelor’s degree in marine science and biology from the University of San Diego. She has received numerous awards, including the NOAA Corps Meritorious Service Medal and multiple Department of Commerce medals. 

Rear Admiral Chad Cary has been nominated to succeed Hann as the next director of the NOAA Corps and OMAO, pending U.S. Senate confirmation. 

From U.S. Navy Office of Information, 07 June 2024 

The Navy will christen the Navajo-class towing, salvage, and rescue ship, the future USNS Cherokee Nation (T-ATS 7), during a 10 a.m. CDT ceremony Saturday, June 8, in Houma, Louisiana. 

The Honorable Chuck Hoskin, Jr., Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, will deliver the principal address. Remarks will also be provided by the Honorable Franklin Parker, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs; Vice Adm. Scott Gray, commander, Navy Installation Command; and Mr. Ben Bordelon, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bollinger Shipyards. In a time-honored Navy tradition, the ship’s sponsor, the Honorable Victoria Vazquez, Deputy Speaker of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council, will christen the ship by breaking a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow. 

The future USNS Cherokee Nation is the second ship in its class and will be operated by the Navy’s Military Sealift Command. The vessels will replace the existing Powhatan-class T-ATF fleet ocean tugs and Safeguard-class T-ARS rescue and salvage ships in service with the U.S. Military Sealift Command. 

The Navajo-class is a new series of towing, salvage, diving, and rescue ships (T-ATS) being constructed for the U.S. Navy. The Navajo-class is a multi-mission common hull platform that will be deployed to support a range of missions such as towing, rescue, salvage, diving, humanitarian assistance, oil spill response and wide-area search and surveillance operations. 

By U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/ U.S. Sixth Fleet Public Affairs 

June 5, 2024 

CHERBOURG, France  –  Sailors assigned to the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) arrived in Cherbourg, France June 3, 2024, to commemorate their namesake’s region while paying tribute to the 80th year of D-Day. 
 
During the visit, USS Normandy will participate in a remembrance event that marks the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion of France, scheduled for June 6, 2024, which marked the turn in America’s campaign during World War II. Leadership will also participate in a reception attended by The 76th Secretary of the Navy, The Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Admiral Stuart B. Munsch, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) and Allied Joint Forces Command (JFC) Naples, and Admiral Nicolas Vaujour, 63rd Chief of Staff of the French Navy. 
 
“It is an honor to be a part of this historic milestone and pay tribute to the men and women who paid the ultimate price in the name of freedom,” said Capt. Errol Robinson, Commanding Officer of USS Normandy. “Representing not only these Sailors, but the countless other French, American, and Allied heroes who gave their lives on these hallowed grounds is a moment in time that will never be forgotten.” 
 
USS Normandy is named after the French region of Normandy, the site of the D-Day landings on June 6, 1944 that shifted the tide of WWII in favor of the allies. In the months that followed D-Day, American, French resistance, and Allied forces fought to drive Nazi occupiers from the region and establish a strong base for the final push to liberate France. 
 
USS Normandy is independently deployed to enhance integration for future operations and demonstrate the U.S. Navy’s commitment to a peaceful, stable and conflict-free Atlantic region. 
 
For more than 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with our Allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability. 
 
Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations. 

By Chief Petty Officer Mark Faram 

06 June 2024 

CORONADO, California — Eighty years ago today, June 6, 1944, 132,500 Allied forces stormed ashore on France’s Normandy coast to begin the final liberation of Europe from Nazi rule. 
 
It was the biggest amphibious operation the world has ever seen. Nearly 12,000 Allied aircraft and 7,000 ships landed 132,000 troops on the beaches or by parachute behind German lines. 
 
By the end of the day, a tenuous foothold in Hitler’s “Fortress Europe” had been won at a cost of more than 4,500 Allied soldiers killed and another 5,500 wounded or missing. 
 
It was an operation that could have gone either way. That day in Normandy, the fate of the war hung in the balance for both the Allies and the Axis powers. 
 
“Victory is not assured, but it can be achieved,” Capt. Tim Steigelman, deputy commodore of Naval Beach Group 1 (NBG 1), told a gathering of West Coast Navy amphibious units in a ceremony on the beach near Naval Amphibious Base Coronado. 
 
“The Allied armies’ foothold was tenuous,” he said. “We might have been thrown back into the sea. The Allied advance might have stalled out in the hedgerows or later that winter at the Bulge. But the advance continued, and allied forces prevailed.” 
 
The perceived outcome was in doubt for much of the day. Preparing for any contingency, the Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower prepared two messages for release to the troops and the public that day. One would trumpet success, and in the other, he took responsibility for defeat. 
 
In many cases, Steigelman said, what could go wrong did go wrong. 
 
“When the allied troops hit the beaches with codenames like Utah, Omaha, and Juno, 
they faced fierce resistance,” he said. “Much else went wrong; not all amphibious landings occurred at the right locations; paratroopers got separated in their jumps. And yet the allied armies kept coming and kept coming. Eisenhower would not publish his scribbled message of failure.” 
 
Present on the Strand Beach were nearly 200 Sailors from all units under the San Diego-based Naval Beach Group (NBG) 1. Those include Beachmasters Unit 1 (BMU) 1, Assault Craft Units (ACU) 1 and 5, and Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB)1. All are current Navy units whose jobs or unit lineage can be traced back to World War II and in some cases, the Normandy landings on D-Day. 
 
New modern amphibious technology and technique was highlighted on the beach with arrival of two Landing Craft, Air Cushioned (LCAC) craft from ACU-5 which disembarked two Marine Corps Light Armored Vehicles (LAV-25). 
 
These are the Sailors and units that would be called should the Nation need to assault an enemy beach again. 
 
Also present were midshipmen from around the nation learning about the Navy, which they will soon join as ensigns. 
 
The Sailor’s role in the fight for Normandy started early before sunrise as they prepared to bring the attacking force ashore. Amphibious operations are a team sport. But it’s the Army who must win the fight ashore. 
 
It’s the Navy’s role to get them there and keep them supplied with reinforcements and supplies to sustain the fight. In the aftermath of the battle and for many years this role became little more than a footnote in history. Movies like 1998’s “Saving Private Ryan” helped bring the Navy’s story back to light. 
 
Most soldiers coming ashore that day arrived on the beach in an LCVP, a Navy abbreviation for “Landing Craft, Vehicle, and Personnel.” These boats were also known to the Sailors and Soldiers alike as “Higgins Boats.” 
 
The name is a nod to Andrew Jackson Higgins, the New Orleans entrepreneur who invented the craft and others like it and supplied them to U.S. and Allied navies by the thousands. 
 
According to General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was in overall command of the Normandy Landings, Higgins was “the man who won the war for us,” historian and author Steven Ambrose wrote in his book D-Day – June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II. 
 
“If Higgins had not designed and built those LCVPs, we never could have landed on an open beach,” Eisenhower said. “The whole strategy of the war would have been different.” 
 
Some of the youngest Sailors in the Navy were driving those boats. If not for the grit and determination of these boat coxswains, there might not have been the resounding victory that came with the arrival of the Allies on European soil. 
 
“[The Navy coxswains], as much as anybody, won that lengthy battle for the storm-stricken Normandy beaches of Omaha,” wrote Lt. Cmdr. Max Miller in his 1944 book The Far Shore which describes in detail U.S. Navy’s role in Normandy both on June 6th and in the days after. 
 
The book’s title words — the “Far Shore,” was the Navy’s official word for where the invasion would take place. Miller’s account, written shortly after the battle for the beaches brings their role to light in a way rarely described elsewhere. 
 
Miller called these Sailors “small-boat boys.” It is the legacy of these Sailors that now falls to the men and women of the Navy’s Beachmaster, assault craft and amphibious Seabee units for whom this kind of work is done by today. Back in the day, these units were all male, but in today’s Navy, women fill this role, too. 
 
“He is of high-school age perhaps, or just about to become a college freshman,” Miller wrote in his description of these coxswains. 
 
“His craft would vary from [landing craft] to anything small which could be beached quickly, then backed away again before the [German 88mm artillery] would get adjusted on him,” Miller wrote. “The usual time required for the adjustment of these guns was four minutes. This means that the small-boat boy would try to accomplish each beach assignment within three minutes.” 
 
Miller wrote that there wasn’t time to check their watches. This battle timing was instinct, born of trial and error and many trips from ship to shore. Many of those who didn’t meet that timeline paid the ultimate price. Others lost their lives to mines and other obstacles. 
 
During the opening days of the battle for Normandy, his boat became his home, battered by the sea and “grimy inside and out” with sand and grease and “with a hull bearing the bumps of many batterings (sic) and with some bullet holes,” Miller wrote. 
 
His existence was that of constant motion from ships to the shoreline, which Miller described as the life of a “water gypsy,” who often never returned to the ship that launched them at 6:30 a.m. on June 6. 
 
To sleep, he said, these amphibious Sailors would “hot rack” in stretchers used for evacuating the wounded and the dead. They became experts at scrounging food and candy. Sometimes, they’d even manage a shower or a hot meal from the ships they’d visit after depositing the wounded and before being reloaded for another trip to the beach. 
 
Their role and that of Sailors throughout the D-Day armada was crucial to the battle’s successful outcome that day. Many more served on the destroyers who brought fire support to the soldiers on the beaches or scoured the beaches as Naval Combat Demolition Units (NDCU) in the dark hours before the landing, clearing mines and obstacles in the way of the landing force. 
 
In the days following the landings, Rear Adm. Alan G. Kirk, commander of U.S. Naval Forces off Omaha and Utah beaches reflected on the Navy’s participation, saying, “Our greatest asset was the resourcefulness of the American Sailor.” That phrase has often been used as a reason for Navy successes in war and peace in the years since. If needed, that asymmetrical advantage could loom large again in future operations. 
 
“Looking at you all here today, I am heartened,” Steigelman said. “You are training, you will continue to train…you may be called upon sooner than you think.” 
 
“With great sacrifice and some good fortune, 80 years ago today, D-Day at Normandy was a painful, hard-fought success for America and her allies — keep your chin up, keep working every day — when the nation calls, we must be ready again.” 
 

From U.S. Central Command, June 6, 2024

TAMPA, Fla. – In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed eight Houthi uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen over the Red Sea. Additionally, USCENTCOM forces successfully destroyed two Houthi uncrewed surface vessels (USV) in the Red Sea.  

Separately, a coalition ship successfully engaged one UAS launched from a Houthi controlled area of Yemen over the Red Sea.  

Also, Iranian-backed Houthis launched one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) from a Houthi controlled area of Yemen over the Red Sea.  

There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.  

It was determined these systems presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. This action was taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels.  

Chief of Naval Operations Spokesperson Cmdr. Desiree Frame provided the following readout: 

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti met with the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, June 4. 

Franchetti thanked the Crown Prince for the inviolable U.S. – Bahrain defense relationship and expressed her gratitude for the continuous hospitality Bahrain shows in hosting the U.S. Navy. 

The CNO also highlighted Bahrain’s leadership in the security and stability of the region and expressed her gratitude to the Crown Prince for being one of the United States’ longest and closest partners in the Middle East, a major non-NATO Ally, and their participation in Operation Prosperity Guardian.  

During their discussion, Franchetti applauded the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA) signed last year to formalize U.S – Bahrain cooperation to deter conflict in the region, enhance regional stability, and de-escalate tensions. Franchetti added that C-SIPA is as a significant upgrade in our strategic bi-lateral relationship with Bahrain. Right now, C-SIPA is a bilateral agreement between the United States and Bahrain, however both leaders said they welcome other friendly countries to join because the more integrated and coordinated we are, the more secure, stable, and prosperous the region will be. 

This is the first time Franchetti has met the Crown Prince. 

NASHUA, N.H. — June 5, 2024 — BAE Systems received a $95 million contract from the U.S. Navy for advanced countermeasure pods to protect the P-8A Poseidon Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft from missiles and other threats. The electronic warfare (EW) pod detects and counters inbound threats, protecting the Poseidon and its crews, and expanding the aircraft’s operating range in contested environments. 

“We’re working closely with the U.S. Navy to deliver innovative solutions to protect this critical, high-value aircraft,” said Don Davidson, director of Advanced Compact Electronic Warfare Solutions at BAE Systems. “We quickly prototyped a very capable system using proven technology to defend against air-to-air and surface-to-air guided threats.” 

BAE Systems’ survivability pod provides early threat detection and effective countermeasures to protect U.S. and international high-value airborne assets. The system’s flexible, open architecture design allows rapid and affordable modernization, is compatible with future threat-detection and decoy countermeasure capabilities, and can host third-party EW techniques. 

The engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) contract follows a rapid-response contract from the U.S. Navy to demonstrate the system in 2021. The BAE Systems team designed, built, and tested a demonstration pod, exhibiting strong military-industry collaboration and rapid prototyping. The EMD contract follows successful airworthiness and effectiveness testing. 

The P-8A self-protection pod is part of BAE Systems’ Intrepid Shield^TM layered approach to aircraft and ground platform survivability that uses the full electromagnetic spectrum to detect, exploit, and counter advanced threats. The pod can be rapidly adapted for other high-value airborne assets, enabling them to operate in contested environments. 

Work on the P-8A pod and its components is conducted at BAE Systems’ state-of-the-art facilities in Nashua, New Hampshire and Austin, Texas.