Release from Boeing  

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– Defense, Space & Security plans St. Louis workforce growth supporting new and next-generation military aircraft programs and services  

– F/A-18 Service Life Modification will continue through the mid-2030s; advanced capabilities development and upgrades for global fleet continuing for decades 

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 23, 2023 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] expects to complete new-build production of the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter aircraft in late 2025 following delivery of the final U.S. Navy fighters. Production could be extended to 2027 if the Super Hornet is selected by an international customer. 

To meet demand for defense products and services, Boeing plans to continue hiring year-over-year for the next five at its St. Louis site. More than 900 people were hired in the region last year. 

“We are planning for our future, and building fighter aircraft is in our DNA,” said Steve Nordlund, Boeing Air Dominance vice president and St. Louis site leader. “As we invest in and develop the next era of capability, we are applying the same innovation and expertise that made the F/A-18 a workhorse for the U.S. Navy and air forces around the world for nearly 40 years.” 

The F/A-18 production decision allows Boeing to: 

• Redirect resources to future military aircraft programs: To support work on the next generation of advanced crewed and uncrewed aircraft, Boeing plans to build three new, state-of-the-art facilities in St. Louis. These facilities, as well as the new Advanced Composite Fabrication Center in Arizona, and the new MQ-25 production facility at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, represent more than a $1 billion investment. 

• Boeing has invested $700 million into St. Louis infrastructure upgrades during the past decade, enabling the introduction of new design and build techniques streamlining processes and improving first-time quality. 

• Ramp up production of critical new defense programs: Boeing St. Louis will increase production of the world’s first all-digital training system, the T-7A Red Hawk, and the world’s first carrier-deployed autonomous refueling aircraft, the MQ-25 Stingray, along with ongoing production of new F-15EX Eagle IIs and 777X wing components.  
• Focus on modernization and upgrade efforts: Boeing will continue to develop advanced capabilities and upgrades for the global F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler fleet. Throughout the next decade, all Block II Super Hornets in Service Life Modification will receive the Block III capability suite. Boeing will also continue to add advanced electronic attack capability as part of ongoing Growler modifications. 

 
Since the F/A-18 debuted in 1983, Boeing has delivered more than 2,000 Hornets, Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers to customers around the world including the U.S. Navy, Australia, Canada, Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Spain and Switzerland. 

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USS Farragut (DDG 99) Arrives in the 4th Fleet AOR

CARIBBEAN SEA - The Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) arrived in the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations for a scheduled deployment, Feb. 15. Embarked with the ship is U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 406 to conduct counter narcotic operations in the region. 
  

Joint Interagency Task Force-South (JIATF-S), located in Key West, Fla., conducts counter illicit trafficking operations, delivering a high return on a modest investment. In 2022, JIATF-S enabled the disruption of a total of 260,431 kilograms of cocaine and 139,821 pounds of marijuana. JIATF-S also enabled 901 arrests through maritime, land, and air seizure operations. 
 
“We are here to enhance security in the Western Hemisphere,” says Cmdr. Nicholas Gurley, commanding officer of the USS Farragut. “We aim to break the vicious circle of threats, through direct and indirect means, while building a more effective, efficient, and resilient team.” 
 
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet supports U.S. Southern Command’s joint and combined military operations by employing maritime forces in cooperative maritime security operations to maintain access, enhance interoperability, and build enduring partnerships in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American region. 

 

Release from Commander, Naval Air Forces Public Affairs 

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By Commander, Naval Air Forces Public Affairs

22 February 2023 

SAN DIEGO – The investigation into the F-35C Lightning II crash that occurred onboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) on Jan. 24, 2022, is complete and was released on Feb. 16, 2023. The cause of the mishap was found to be pilot error; however, the error was not a result of reckless actions or malicious intent. The pilot was current on all qualifications and designations and the aircraft was in compliance with all periodic maintenance and service inspections. 
  
On Jan. 24, 2022, at approximately 1630 local time, the F-35C crashed onto the flight deck of USS Carl Vinson which was operating in the South China Sea. The pilot safely ejected and the aircraft skidded off the flight deck and into the sea. 
 
A total of six personnel injured during this incident – the pilot and five other Sailors who were working on the flight deck at the time of the crash. All injured personnel have been released from medical care. The crash resulted in approximately $120,000 in damage to Carl Vinson’s flight deck, as well as more than $2.5 million in damage to an EA-18G Growler that was struck by debris while staged on the flight deck. 
 
We remain grateful to the highly trained Sailors aboard Carl Vinson who immediately responded to ensure that the pilot was recovered from the water, all injured personnel were cared for, and flight deck was cleared and re-set for operations. After a short pause in accordance with safety procedures, the rapid response from the crew enabled flight operations resume in less than an hour with minimal impact to mission requirements. 
 
On Mar. 2, 2022, a team from U.S. Navy Task Force 75 and the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV), embarked on the diving support construction vessel (DSCV) Picasso, recovered the F-35C wreckage from a depth of approximately 12,400 feet. 

Release from U.S. Fleet Forces Command. 

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By LT Sarena Padilla & ENS Garner Fleming, U.S. National Ice Center

22 February 2023 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - First in a two-part series on how the Navy and its partners are working to improve Arctic operations as the sea ice melts due to warming temperatures. 

The Arctic is the next frontier for U.S. military operations, where the physical environment poses a major threat to achieving strategic dominance, managing assets and ensuring freedom of the seas. 

The importance of the Arctic will only increase each year as the decline of the perennial sea ice continues and the ice edge shifts. It is imperative to strengthen the ability to operate there in order to gain a strategic advantage. Effective operations will hinge on reliable environmental intelligence in a region where conditions can be severe. 

The U.S. most recently Updated Its Strategy For The Arctic Region Last October with a new 10-year scope that seeks a peaceful, stable, prosperous and cooperative Arctic at the same time acknowledging strategic competition with Russia and China. Ongoing efforts include investing in technology that detects and tracks potential threats and improves our own capabilities to maneuver in the region. This is not a simple task due to the dominant role that Russia has in the Arctic, as well as the growing concern for China’s desire to be an influential nation there. 

ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT PRESENTS CHALLENGES FOR THE NAVY   

The Arctic Ocean is in many ways an uncharted domain for conducting military operations. It will be no easy feat to operate effectively because the Arctic is a hostile environment for modern vessels within ice-infested waters. 

Currently, the U.S. has a limited icebreaking capability that is completely reliant on the U.S. Coast Guard, with the Coast Guard cutters Healy and Polar Star handling all pathfinding needed to ensure safe transit. This shortfall is driving the production of the next generation of Polar Security Cutters, a joint Navy and Coast Guard program to address the dire necessity for increased icebreaking operations in the near future. The first new Polar Security Cutter is expected to be delivered in 2025. 

Along with an updated force, any future naval conflict will require leveraging technological advancements made in the past 80 years since the naval challenges of World War II, when the U.S. was last fully tested as a strategic force implementing older-era warfighting tactics. The  Arctic presents conditions and challenges far different from those encountered in earlier eras. 

The future of warfighting will demand means beyond globally deployed strike groups and a prominent physical presence. Information warfare will be of greater importance as the challenges facing battlespace awareness, assured command and control and integrated fires are heightened in the austere environment of the Arctic. 

Successful intelligence preparation of the operational environment, mastery of the electromagnetic spectrum and solid communications could very well be deciding factors for any conflicts in the high latitudes. Any future conflict will be settled in large part by how well information, including environmental intelligence, is gained, exploited and disseminated. 

Technology that implements artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) methods could yield a warfighting advantage in predicting the physical battlespace. Current projects are underway across the fleet, many led by Office of Naval Research and Naval Research Laboratory, to address the need for advanced data assimilation to improve high-latitude environmental models for weather and conditions forecasting and predictions. 

A variety of environmental data collected through in situ or remote means is necessary for these modeling efforts to be successful. The sea ice edge can vary by hundreds of miles overnight when faced with the dynamic meteorology present in the region. 

Many analytical intelligence challenges can be partially to fully automated AI/ML, but even these innovative efforts require substantial data, among other resources, as a driving mechanism. It will be essential to fill the current environmental data gaps in the Arctic if the U.S. is to harness the technical advances made in computing and successfully exploit technologies such as more sophisticated models and innovative AI/ML projects. Some small but highly effective naval commands have started paving a path forward to meet these shortfalls. 

HOW THE U.S. NATIONAL ICE CENTER PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE 

The U.S. National Ice Center (USNIC) is a tri-agency organization of the Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Coast Guard with a mission to provide global to tactical scale ice and snow information, ice forecasting and related environmental intelligence services for the U.S. government. 

Fewer than 50 uniformed, civilian and contract personnel comprise the USNIC on a daily basis with only a dozen of those individuals creating a variety of routine ice analyses for the Arctic, Antarctic, Great Lakes and other geostrategic locations where ice may form; a daily analysis of U.S. Northern Hemisphere snow and ice information to directly support assets and personnel in the field. 

With such a small team, providing environmental intelligence to ensure safety of navigation in treacherous polar waters and economic prosperity within and along high latitude commercial routes and port regions is a vital task. Indeed, providing environmental intelligence in particular about sea ice proliferating in the Arctic Ocean is essential. 

Several portions of the Arctic Ocean that have historically been covered with sea ice through at least parts of the winter will become increasingly ice-free in the coming years. This decrease in ice can result in shorter maritime trade routes, or completely new transpolar routes, becoming available, significantly decreasing maritime Arctic transit. 

The Arctic is still largely unfamiliar in its delicate environmental complexities. The need for increased and enhanced observations continuously grows as the sea ice left behind year after year becomes more fragile, thin and diminishes in extent, losing an equivalent area the size of South Carolina annually. 

Characterizing the ice in the region requires various input sources whether it be satellite-derived data, sensing platforms like high-tech buoys or occasionally deployed personnel feedback while onboard icebreaking operations in the region. The limited in situ observations help increase near-real time environmental knowledge in the Arctic, but at current numbers, they form an incomplete picture and are not enough for fully forecasting and safely operating within such a complex, harsh domain. 

In the next installment, we discuss how USNIC is bolstering sensor and analysis abilities in the Arctic. 

Release from Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet 

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21 February 2023 

CANBERRA, Australia — Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday travelled to Canberra, Australia, Feb. 19-21, to meet with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Chief Vice Adm. Mark Hammond, AM to discuss their shared commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific. 

 
Gilday met with other members of the Royal Australian Navy and discussed the two navies’ shared focus on interchangeability, innovation, and combined operations. 

The CNO had the opportunity to meet with U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy, where they talked about the importance of advancing our bilateral and Navy-to-Navy relationships. 
 
Additionally, Gilday met with Chief of the Australian Defence Force Gen. Angus Campbell, AO, DSC, and Commander of the Australian Defence College Air Vice Marshal Steve Edgeley. 
 
“Australia is one of our oldest friends and most enduring Allies,” said Gilday. “There is no daylight between how we see threats — we share a commitment of protecting and defending a free and open Indo-Pacific. 
 
“I’m grateful to Admiral Hammond for his partnership and teamwork as we continue to strengthen our navies’ interchangeability,” he added. “Our Sailors operate together around the globe, sailing together and participating in high-end maritime exercises—demonstrating our shared commitment to ensuring peace and prosperity throughout the Indo-Pacific.” 
 
The CNO visited the Australian Defence College, where he spoke with Royal Australian Navy, Army, and Air Force service members about the strategic importance of the enduring Alliance between Australia and the U.S.; the two navies working together to uphold the rules-based order; and strengthening partnership, advancing from interoperability to interchangeability. 
 
Gilday and his wife Linda Gilday visited the Australian War Memorial, where the CNO laid a wreath during the time-honored Last Post Ceremony. 
 
“I’m truly humbled by the opportunity to participate in such a meaningful ceremony,” said Gilday. “Reflecting upon the sacrifices of servicemen and women who came before us serves as a reminder that our security and prosperity—and our friendships that uphold them—must never be taken for granted.” 
 
The U.S. and Australian navies share a mutual interest in maintaining freedom of navigation and adherence to the rules-based international order. They conduct frequent cooperative deployments, and regularly operate together during flagship theater exercises like Pacific Partnership, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) and the Australian-led Kakadu. This year, the U.S. and RAN will participate in numerous exercises, to include: ANNUALEX, Sea Dragon, Pacific Partnership, Talisman Sabre, and Malabar, as well as many others. 
 
This trip marked Gilday’s third face-to-face meeting with Hammond, and his first visit to Canberra, Australia, as CNO.

Release from the Department of Defense

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The secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations announced today the following assignments: 

Rear Adm. Peter A. Garvin will be assigned as president, Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island.  Garvin is currently serving as commander, Naval Education and Training Command, Pensacola, Florida. 

Rear Adm. William C. Greene will be assigned as commander, Navy Regional Maintenance Center; and director, Surface Ship Maintenance and Modernization, NAVSEA 21, Washington, D.C.  Greene is currently serving as fleet maintenance officer, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia. 

Rear Adm. John V. Menoni will be assigned as director, Programming Division, N80, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.  Menoni is currently serving as assistant deputy chief of naval operations for Operations, Plans and Strategy, N3/N5B, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. 

Rear Adm. Milton J. Sands III will be assigned as chief of staff, U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.  Sands is currently serving as commander, Special Operations Command Africa, U.S. Special Operations Command, Naples, Italy. 

Rear Adm. Paul J. Schlise will be assigned as director, Warfare Integration, N9I, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.  Schlise is currently serving as director, Warfare Development, N72, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. 

Rear Adm. Douglas C. Verissimo will be assigned as commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia.  Verissimo is currently serving as director, Maritime Operations, U.S. Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Joseph F. Cahill III, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as commander, Naval Surface Force, Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia.  Cahill is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Fifteen, San Diego, California. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Jeffrey J. Czerewko, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as commander, Naval Education and Training Command, Pensacola, Florida. Czerewko is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Four, Norfolk, Virginia. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Brian L. Davies, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as special assistant to director, Navy Staff for Learning to Action Board, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.  Davies is currently serving as commander, Submarine Group Two, with additional duties as deputy commander, Second Fleet, Norfolk, Virginia.  

Rear Adm. (lower half) Michael P. Donnelly, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as director, Air Warfare Division, N98, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.  Donnelly is currently serving as commander, Task Force Seven Zero; and commander, Carrier Strike Group Five, Yokosuka, Japan. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Kenneth W. Epps, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as commander, Naval Supply Systems Command; and chief of the Supply Corps, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.  Epps is currently serving as commander, Naval Supply Systems Command Weapons System Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Rick Freedman, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as deputy chief, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery; deputy surgeon general of the Navy; and director, Medical Resources, Plans and Policy Division, N0931, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Falls Church, Virginia.  Freedman is currently serving as deputy assistant director, Operations, Strategy, and Education and Training, Defense Health Agency, with additional duties as chief of the Dental Corps, Falls Church, Virginia. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Casey J. Moton, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as program executive officer for Aircraft Carriers, Washington, D.C.  Moton is currently serving as program executive officer, Unmanned and Small Combatants, Washington, D.C. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Richard E. Seif Jr., selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  Seif is currently serving as commander, Submarine Group Seven; commander, Task Force Seven Four; and commander, Task Force Five Four, Yokosuka, Japan. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Paul C. Spedero Jr., selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as vice director of operations, J-3, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C.  Spedero is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Eight, Norfolk, Virginia. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Dennis Velez, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as director, Plans and Policy, J-5, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.  Velez is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Ten, Norfolk, Virginia. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Christopher D. Alexander will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Nine, San Diego, California.  Alexander is currently serving as commander, Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center, San Diego, California. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Sean R. Bailey will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Eight, Norfolk, Virginia.  Bailey is currently serving as deputy commander, U.S. Naval Forces, U.S. Central Command; and deputy commander, Fifth Fleet, Manama, Bahrain. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Mark D. Behning will be assigned as director, Undersea Warfare Division, N97, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.  Behning is currently assigned as commander, Submarine Group Nine, Silverdale, Washington. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Heidi K. Berg will be assigned as assistant deputy chief of naval operations for Operations, Plans, and Strategy, N3/N5B, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.  Berg is currently serving as director, Plans and Policy, J5, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Michael A. Brookes will be assigned as director, National Maritime Intelligence Integration Office/commander, Office of Naval Intelligence, Washington, D.C.  Brookes is currently serving as director, J2, U.S. Southern Command, Doral, Florida. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Christopher J. Cavanaugh will be assigned as commander, Submarine Group Seven; commander, Task Force Seven Four; and commander, Task Force Five Four, Yokosuka, Japan.  Cavanaugh is currently serving as director, Maritime Headquarters, N03, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Jennifer S. Couture will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Eleven, Everett, Washington.  Couture is currently serving as commander, Naval Service Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) William R. Daly will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Fifteen, San Diego, California.  Daly is currently serving as deputy director, Policy, Plans, Strategy, Capabilities and Resources, J5/8, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Dion D. English will be assigned as director, Supply, Ordnance and Logistics Operations Division, N4L, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.  English is currently serving as vice director, J4, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Erik J. Eslich will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Twelve, Norfolk, Virginia.  Eslich is currently serving as deputy commander, Seventh Fleet, Yokosuka, Japan. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Ronald A. Foy, will be assigned as commander, Special Operations Command Africa, U.S. Special Operations Command, Naples, Italy.  Foy is currently serving as deputy director, global Operations, J39, J3, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Patrick J. Hannifin will be assigned as commander, Task Force Seven Zero; and commander, Carrier Strike Group Five, Yokosuka, Japan.  Hannifin is currently serving as deputy director for Political-Military Affairs (Asia), J5, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Oliver T. Lewis will be assigned as director, Strategic Integration, N2N6T, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.  Lewis is currently serving as director, Plans and Operations, U.S. Naval Forces Europe – Sixth Fleet; deputy commander, Sixth Fleet; and commander, Submarine Group Eight, Naples, Italy. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Stephen G. Mack will be assigned as director, Plans and Operations, U.S. Naval Forces Europe – Sixth Fleet; deputy commander, Sixth Fleet; and commander, Submarine Group Eight, Naples, Italy.  Mack is currently serving as deputy chief of staff, Submarines, Maritime Command Headquarters, Northwood, Great Britain; commander, Submarines, NATO; and deputy commander, Submarine Group Eight, United Kingdom. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Wesley R. McCall will be assigned as commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia.  McCall is currently serving as commander, Navy Region Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Max G. McCoy Jr. will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Four, Norfolk, Virginia.  McCoy is currently serving as commander, Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center, Fallon, Nevada. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Martin J. Muckian will be assigned as commander, Submarine Group Two with additional duties as deputy commander, Second Fleet, Norfolk, Virginia.  Muckian is currently serving as commander, Undersea Warfighting Development Center, Groton, Connecticut. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Benjamin R. Nicholson will be assigned as commander, Expeditionary Strike Group Two, Norfolk, Virginia.  Nicholson is currently serving as U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Representative, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau; commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Marianas; and commander, Joint Region Marianas, Apra, Guam. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Matthew N. Ott III will be assigned as commander, Naval Supply Systems Command Weapons Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Ott is currently serving as deputy chief of staff for fleet ordnance and supply/Fleet Supply Officer, N41, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia.  

Rear Adm. (lower half) Randall W. Peck will be assigned as commander, Expeditionary Strike Group Three, San Diego, California.  Peck is currently serving as president, Board of Inspection and Survey, Virginia Beach, Virginia. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Benjamin G. Reynolds will be assigned as deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for Budget; and director, Fiscal Management Division, N82, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.  Reynolds is currently serving as director, Operations and Plans, N3, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Michael S. Sciretta will be assigned as director, Warfare Development, N72, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.  Sciretta is currently serving as commander, Standing NATO Maritime Group Two, Naples, Italy. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Ralph R. Smith III will be assigned as deputy director, Operations, National Security Agency, Fort Meade, Maryland.  Smith is currently serving as vice director for intelligence, J2, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Philip E. Sobeck will be assigned as commander, Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia.  Sobeck is currently serving as director, Strategy, Policy, Programs, and Logistics, J5/4, U.S. Transportation Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Jonathan T. Stephens is assigned as lead special trial counsel, Office of Special Trial Counsel, Washington, D.C.  Stephens previously served as interim lead special trial counsel, Office of Special Trial Counsel, Washington, D.C. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Nicholas R. Tilbrook will be assigned as commander, Submarine Group Nine, Silverdale, Washington.  Tilbrook is currently serving as deputy director, Strategy, Plans and Policy, U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. 

Rear Adm. (lower half) Robert D. Westendorff will be assigned as commander, Carrier Strike Group Ten, Norfolk, Virginia.  Westendorff is currently serving as director, Fleet Integrated Readiness and Analysis, N02R, U.S. Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia. 

Release from Lockheed Martin 

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Company will integrate weapon system onto U.S. Navy surface ships 

LITTLETON, Colo., Feb. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is partnering with the U.S. Navy to integrate hypersonic strike capability onto surface ships. 

The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth more than $2 billion, if all options are exercised, to integrate the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) weapon system onto ZUMWALT-class guided missile destroyers (DDGs). CPS is a hypersonic boost-glide weapon system that enables long range missile flight at speeds greater than Mach 5, with high survivability against enemy defenses. 

“Lockheed Martin continues to advance hypersonic strike capability for the United States through this new contract,” said Steve Layne, vice president of Hypersonic Strike Weapon Systems at Lockheed Martin. “Early design work is already underway. Our team looks forward to supporting the warfighter by providing more options to further protect America at sea.” 

Under this contract, prime contractor Lockheed Martin will provide launcher systems, weapon control, All Up Rounds (AURs), which are the integrated missile components, and platform integration support for this naval platform. The company, along with industry partners including subcontractors Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics Mission Systems, is on track to provide the CPS surface-launched, sea-based hypersonic strike capability to sailors by the mid-2020s. The contract also provides for additional AURs plus canisters for the U.S. Army’s Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) testing, training and tactical employment. 

A Shared Missile

CPS shares a common AUR with the Army LRHW and can be launched from multiple platforms including surface ships, submarines, and land-based mobile launchers. 

Lockheed Martin is the prime systems integrator for the CPS and LRHW weapon systems. The company leads a team of industry, government, and academic partners to make critical progress in design and development to meet this urgent warfighter need in both land and sea domains. 

A National Imperative

Hypersonic vehicles or hypersonic missiles can travel faster than five times the speed of sound and are highly maneuverable. The combination of the CPS capability, and the stealth and mobility of the ZUMWALT-class destroyer, will provide the nation’s first sea-based hypersonic strike capability. 

Fielding CPS on the ZUMWALT-class destroyer will be a necessary and important step toward equipping the warfighter with a capability that embodies Lockheed Martin’s 21^st Century Security vision in support of our customers. 

Lockheed Martin is leveraging its corporate history of system integration on naval platforms and our more than 60 years of hypersonic strike experience to accelerate development on an unprecedented timeline. 

Release from U.S. Navy 

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WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro announced today that the formerly named Maury Hall, at United States Naval Academy (USNA), has been renamed Carter Hall. 

This renaming honors former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who served as the 39th president from 1977 to 1981.  

  

The decision arrived after a congressionally mandated Naming Commission outlined several military assets across all branches of service that required renaming due to confederate ties. In September 2022, Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd accepted all recommendations from the naming commission and gave each service until the end of 2023 to rename their assets. 

  

“When Secretary Austin directed us to implement the recommendations of the Naming Commission, he instructed us to give proud new names. Names that echo with honor, patriotism, and history. Names that will inspire generations of service members to defend our democracy and our Constitution,” Secretary Del Toro said during a renaming ceremony. “Today, on the Friday before Presidents Day weekend, that is exactly what we are doing. I can think of no one more worthy of this renaming than President Jimmy Carter.” 

  

Carter was born in 1924 and grew up in Georgia. After briefly attending college, he entered the U.S. Naval Academy in the Class of 1947. After graduation 1946 (his class graduated early to support the Fleet following World War II), he spent the next seven years as a submarine officer. In 1962, he returned to Georgia, entered state politics, and was ultimately elected as Governor of Georgia where he focused on government efficiency and human rights efforts regarding racial barriers. During Carter’s tenure as President of the United States he continued his efforts regarding equal rights for all, promoted economic and social development, and later received a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on peaceful solutions to international conflicts. 

  

“As part of our mission here at the Naval Academy, we strive to graduate leaders with the potential to assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship, and government.  Among all of our institution’s thousands of graduates, only one has assumed the one office that most wholly embodies each of these responsibilities, the office of the President of the United States. That graduate is, of course, our 39th President, President James Earl Carter, Naval Academy Class of 1947,” said U.S. Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Sean Buck. “We are here today to honor his legacy as one of our institution’s most distinguished graduates. By naming this building in his honor we not only recognize his great contributions, but ensure that his legacy will forever inspire our nation’s future leaders. For generations to come, when midshipmen walk the corridors of Carter Hall, I have no doubt that they will be reminded of President Carter’s example and his legacy of lifelong service, and reinvigorated with the call to serve we all answered when we took our first oath.” 

  

Family members of the Carter family, military and USNA leadership, and USNA students were present for the renaming ceremony. 

  

“It would be impossible to overstate what this Academy and the Navy has meant to my grandfather, and by extension to my family,” said Josh Carter. “It was life on the farm that gave my grandfather his work ethic and his ability to enjoy getting up at 5:30 every morning. But it was this school that taught him discipline, the value of expertise, and the importance of service. It is my hope that every student that comes through this great hall will learn the same foundational values that my grandfather learned here and through his career in the Navy.” 

  

Maury Hall was built and named in the early 1900s after Matthew Fontaine Maury. Maury was a leader in science and oceanography, nicknamed “pathfinder of the seas,” resigned his commission to serve in the Confederate Navy. 

Release from the U.S. Department of Defense 

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Feb. 17, 2023 

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced that the president has made the following nominations: 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Stephen D. Barnett for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Barnett is currently serving as commander, Navy Region Hawaii, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Michael W. Baze for appointment to the grade of rear admiral. Baze is currently serving as commander, Navy Personnel Command; and deputy chief of naval personnel, Millington, Tennessee. 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Richard T. Brophy Jr., for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Brophy is currently serving as chief of Naval Air Training, Corpus Christi, Texas. 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Joseph F. Cahill III, for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Cahill is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Fifteen, San Diego, California. 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Jeffrey J. Czerewko for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Czerewko is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Four, Norfolk, Virginia.  

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Brian L. Davies for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Davies is currently serving as commander, Submarine Group Two, with additional duties as deputy commander, Second Fleet, Norfolk, Virginia. 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Michael P. Donnelly for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Donnelly is currently serving as commander, Task Force Seven Zero; and commander, Carrier Strike Group Five, Yokosuka, Japan.   

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Kenneth W. Epps for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Epps is currently serving as commander, Naval Supply Systems Command Weapons Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Rick Freedman for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Freedman is currently serving as deputy assistant director, Operations, Strategy, and Education and Training, Defense Heath Agency, with additional duties as chief of the Dental Corps, Falls Church, Virginia. 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Daniel P. Martin for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Martin is currently serving as director, Maritime Operations, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Casey J. Moton for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Moton is currently serving as program executive officer, Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC), Washington, D.C. 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Richard E. Seif Jr., for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Seif is currently serving as commander, Submarine Group Seven; commander, Task Force Seven Four; and commander, Task Force Five Four, Yokosuka, Japan. 
  
Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Paul C. Spedero Jr., for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Spedero is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Eight, Norfolk, Virginia. 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Stephen R. Tedford for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Tedford is currently serving as program executive officer for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons, Patuxent River, Maryland.  

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Derek A. Trinque for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Trinque is currently serving as commander, Expeditionary Strike Group Seven; commander, Task Force Seven Six; and commander, Amphibious Force, Seventh Fleet, Okinawa, Japan. 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Dennis Velez for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Velez is currently serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group Ten, Norfolk, Virginia. 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Darryl L. Walker for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Walker is currently serving as commander, Combined Joint Task Force, Cyber, Tenth Fleet, Fort Meade, Maryland. 

Navy Rear Adm. (lower half) Jeromy B. Williams for appointment to the grade of rear admiral.  Williams is currently serving as commander, Special Operations Command Pacific, U.S. Special Operations Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. 

Release from Textron Aviation 

***** 

February 16, 2023 

WICHITA, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Textron Aviation today announced it has been awarded the Multi-Engine Training System (METS) contract by Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) through a full and open competition. 

Beechcraft King Air 260 Multi-Engine Training System (METS) T-54A for the U.S. Navy (Photo: Business Wire) 

The contract award is for up to 64 King Air 260 aircraft, which will be known as the T-54A. The initial Lot I award will procure 10 new Beechcraft King Air 260 commercial aircraft and associated support. Lot II and Lot III, if the options are exercised, would each procure up to 27 aircraft. Aircraft deliveries are planned from 2024 to 2026. 

The Beechcraft King Air 260 aircraft acquired under the METS contract will replace the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) fleet of T-44C Pegasus aircraft. The T-44C Pegasus aircraft is a variant of the twin-engine and pressurized Beechcraft King Air 90. The T-44 has been in service since 1977. 

“We are honored the U.S. Navy has again selected the Beechcraft King Air to fulfill its training needs,” said Bob Gibbs, vice president, Special Missions Sales for Textron Aviation. “METS will modernize multi-engine aircraft training at CNATRA, providing an intermediate and advanced training platform for U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard aviators into the P-8, EP-3, KC-130, E-6, E-2, CMV-22, CV-22 and MV-22 aircraft.” 

METS specific capabilities include factory options for TACAN (Air to Air), angle of attack (AOA), V/UHF radio, digital audio system, engine trend monitoring, condition-based maintenance plus, observer/jump seat, passenger mission seats, and full-face oxygen masks. 

“With its advanced technology, the new METS platform will be more representative of fleet aircraft,” said Capt. Holly Shoger, Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems Program Office (PMA-273) program manager. “The T-54A will include an updated avionics suite, automation qualities, and virtual reality and augmented reality devices to better prepare students for the advanced aircraft they will fly in the fleet.” 

The King Air 260 METS aircraft will be delivered in a fully compliant, METS mission ready configuration from Textron Aviation’s King Air production line in Wichita, Kansas. 

Endless Special Missions Possibilities 

When government, military and commercial customers want airborne solutions for critical missions, they turn to Textron Aviation. The company’s aviation solutions provide the high performance and flight characteristics required to address the unique challenges of special missions operations. With unparalleled quality, versatility and low operating costs, Textron Aviation products are preferred for air ambulance, ISR, utility transport, aerial survey, flight inspection, training and a number of other special operations. 

King Air Leadership 

More than 7,700 Beechcraft King Air turboprops have been delivered to customers around the world since 1964, making it the best-selling business turboprop family in the world. The worldwide fleet has surpassed 62 million flight hours in its 58 years, serving roles in all branches of the U.S. military and flying both commercial and special missions roles around the world. 

About the King Air 260 

The King Air 260 brings state-of-the art technology to the cockpit and offers greater ease of flight. The cockpit features the Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) ThrustSense Autothrottle system, which supports pilots in their critical mission of delivering people or cargo by automatically managing engine power from the takeoff roll through the climb, cruise, descent, landing, and go-around phases of flight. This enhancement reduces pilot workload and is designed to prevent over-speed or under-speed, over-temp and over-torque conditions. 

The King Air 260 cockpit also features a digital pressurization controller, which automatically schedules cabin pressurization during both climb and descent, reducing pilot workload and increasing overall passenger comfort. The pressurization gauges have been integrated with the powerful Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion flight deck. 

The aircraft includes the Collins Multi-Scan RTA-4112 weather radar, providing pilots with a fully automatic system that is optimized to detect short, mid and long-range weather.