Release from Commander Task Force 71 

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16 February 2023 

From Commander, Task Force 71/Destroyer Squadron 15 Public Affairs 

YOKOSUKA, Japan - USS Barry (DDG 52) departed Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan Feb. 17, as part of a scheduled homeport shift following six years of service forward-deployed to U.S. 7th Fleet. 

Barry operated in the Indo-Pacific while assigned to Commander, Task Force (CTF) 71/Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed DESRON and the 7th Fleet’s principal surface force. 

“Barry and her crew stood the watch in the Western Pacific for nearly seven years,” said Capt. Walt Mainor, commodore, CTF 71/DESRON 15. “She leaves with an incredible legacy of being the Navy’s oldest destroyer who still accomplished the mission. She held the line and provided incredible firepower to our team without fail. We will miss the fight and determination of the Barry Bulldogs, but look forward to seeing her provide that same fire power to her new squadron-mates in DESRON 31.” 

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer will move to Everett, Washington — where the ship will undergo routine maintenance, joining the U.S. 3rd Fleet. Barry will be part of the Ke Koa O Ke Kai of DESRON 31 after her transit across the International Date Line. Barry arrived in Yokosuka in 2016 and successfully participated in numerous multilateral maritime exercises such as MALABAR, Maritime Counter Special Operations Exercise (MCSOFEX), Bilateral Advanced Warfare Training (BAWT), working alongside Allies and partners from Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Great Britain, and the Philippines, to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific. 

Barry’s performance during Integrated Ship and Air Team Training (ISATT), Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT), and presence and Carrier Strike Group Operations with USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), resulted in Barry’s receipt of the Meritorious Unit Commendation Award during the COVID-19 pandemic while assigned to Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5 during the 2020 deployment. 

Barry’s list of accolades continues, as she was the first ship to be awarded the Spokane Trophy and the Battenberg cup in 2020, the Battle Efficiency “Battle E”, the Unit Tactics Award, and Bloodhound Anti-Submarine Warfare award in 2021. 

“The ship and crew got the job done. Barry is leaving the 7th Fleet family on a high note.” said Cmdr. Grant Bryan, commanding officer, USS Barry. “Our families will miss Japan, and our Sailors will miss sailing alongside our nation’s strongest Allies.” 

While assigned to CTF 71, USS Barry participated in seven Allied and coalition exercises, 12 foreign port visits, and sailed nearly 3.8 million miles across the Pacific. 

“There’s nothing quite like serving alongside so many friends and partners in such a dynamic region of the world,” said Bryan. “Only 7th Fleet can provide the unique and unforgettable experiences to our Sailors that they will carry with them for the rest of their careers.” 

Boatswains Mate 3rd Class Jonathan Perezbaez has served onboard Barry for five of the six years in Japan, and said, “This ship has been through a lot, but every single challenge we met them head-on and we came out on top. Attitude reflects leadership, and every one of us onboard knows that our team is the greatest of all time.” 

7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with Allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region. 

Release from Austal USA 

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FEBRUARY 16, 2023 

MOBILE, Ala. – Austal USA delivered Expeditionary Fast Transport USNS Apalachicola (EPF 13) to the U.S. Navy, today. This is the 2nd Navy ship named after the coastal Florida city; both ships were built in Mobile. 

EPF 13 is now the largest surface ship in the U.S. Navy fleet with autonomous capability. EPF 13 went to sea five times over a several-month duration allowing Austal USA and their industry partners, L3Harris and General Dynamics Mission Systems, to test and analyze not only her typical ship systems but those resulting from autonomous design and construction contract modifications required by the Navy to establish EPF 13 as an autonomous prototype.  

“Austal USA is proud to deliver this ship to our Navy – it’s innovative and is going to be a critical asset as unmanned capabilities continue to push boundaries and redefine how missions are achieved,” commented Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh. “Apalachicola will also be the first EPF with the ability to conduct V-22 flight operations, and launch and recover 11 meter Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs). A lot of capability is being delivered to our warfighters with this ship and I’m incredibly proud of our team of shipbuilders.” 

With a shallow draft and high-speed, the EPF’s agility provides a positional advantage in the littorals and makes it an ideal candidate to prototype large vessel autonomous operations, including logistics, tendering and adjunct magazine mission profiles. 

Fundamental to the autonomy effort was Austal USA’s highly automated in-house designed machinery control system (MCS), which allows the ship to be minimally manned by centralizing machinery operations to the bridge. All Spearhead-class EPFs built to date incorporate the Austal USA MCS design which is secure, scalable, distributive and reconfigurable for multiple propulsion configurations. 

Combined with the already highly automated hull, mechanical & electrical systems installed on EPF class ships, Austal USA added automated maintenance, health monitoring, and mission readiness to provide EPF 13 with the capability to conduct up to 30 days of operation without human intervention. 

EPF 13 is also the first Expeditionary Fast Transport vessel to be delivered to the Navy with enhanced capabilities to support V-22 flight operations and launch and recover 11 meter RHIBs. These upgrades along with EPF’s speed, maneuverability and shallow water access are key enablers for support of future Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations around the world. 

Autonomous vessel capability has been identified as an area of strategic importance by the Navy. Austal USA is working to advance autonomous capability and is partnered with L3Harris on the MCS upgrade of Overlord vessel, Mariner (OUSV 3), and construction of Vanguard (OUSV 4), and with Saildrone, Inc. on the manufacture of Surveyor unmanned surface vehicles. Combined with investments from academia in uncrewed technology, south Alabama is quickly becoming the epicenter of autonomous naval architecture.

Release from United States Navy 

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From Petty Officer 1st Class Abigayle Lutz, Naval History and Heritage Command 

WASHINGTON - Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) confirmed the identity of a wreck site off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, as USS Albacore (SS 218) Feb. 16. 

NHHC’s Underwater Archaeology Branch (UAB) used information and imagery provided by Dr. Tamaki Ura, from the University of Tokyo, to confirm the identity of Albacore, which was lost at sea Nov. 7, 1944. 
 
“As the final resting place for Sailors who gave their life in defense of our nation, we sincerely thank and congratulate Dr. Ura and his team for their efforts in locating the wreck of Albacore,” said NHHC Director Samuel J. Cox, U.S. Navy rear admiral (retired). “It is through their hard work and continued collaboration that we could confirm Albacore’s identity after being lost at sea for over 70 years.” 
 
Japanese records originating from the Japan Center for Asian Historical Records (JACAR) covering the loss of an American submarine on Nov. 7, 1944, guided Dr. Ura’s missions. The location mentioned in the records matched a separate ongoing effort by UAB volunteers to establish the location of the shipwreck. 
 
Dr. Ura’s team collected data using a Remotely Operated Vehicle to confirm the historical data. Strong currents, marine growth, and poor visibility on site made it challenging to fully document the wreck or obtain comprehensive images. However, several key features of a late 1944 Gato-class submarine were identified in the video. 
 
Indications of documented modifications made to Albacore prior to her final patrol such as the presence of an SJ Radar dish and mast, a row of vent holes along the top of the superstructure, and the absence of steel plates along the upper edge of the fairwater allowed UAB to confirm the wreck site finding as Albacore. 
 
The wreck of Albacore is a U.S. sunken military craft protected by U.S. law and under the jurisdiction of NHHC. While non-intrusive activities, such as remote sensing documentation, on U.S. Navy sunken military craft is allowed, any intrusive or potentially intrusive activities must be coordinated with NHHC and if appropriate, authorized through a relevant permitting program. Most importantly, the wreck represents the final resting place of Sailors that gave their life in defense of the nation and should be respected by all parties as a war grave. 
 
Albacore was constructed by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, CT and commissioned on June 1, 1942. Before being lost in 1944, she conducted 11 war patrols and is credited with 10 confirmed enemy vessel sinkings, with possibly another three not yet confirmed. Albacore earned nine battle stars and four Presidential Unit Citations during her career. Six of the ten enemy sinkings were enemy combatant ships, ranking her as one of the most successful submarines against enemy combatants during World War II. 
 
For more information on Albacore, please visit our website.

 
NHHC, located at the Washington Navy Yard, is responsible for preserving, analyzing, and disseminating U.S. naval history and heritage. It provides the knowledge foundation for the Navy by maintaining historically relevant resources and products that reflect the Navy’s unique and enduring contributions through our nation’s history and supports the fleet by assisting with and delivering professional research, analysis, and interpretive services. NHHC comprises many activities, including the Navy Department Library, the Navy Operational Archives, the Navy art and artifact collections, underwater archeology, Navy histories, 10 museums, USS Constitution repair facility, and the historic ship Nautilus. 

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WASHINGTON — Senior U.S. Navy leaders in the Atlantic and European regions discussed, in some detail, the nature of the Russian build-up and naval activity in the Arctic region during a recent seminar in Washington. 

Speaking Feb. 9 at a seminar sponsored by the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute and the Center for Maritime Strategy (CMS), a think tank of the Navy League of the United States — Deterring Russia at Sea in the High North — were Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Vice Adm. Dan Dwyer, commander, U.S. Second Fleet. The seminar was moderated by retired Adm. James Foggo, dean of CMS. 

“Russia now has six bases, 14 airfields, 16 deep-water ports, and 14 icebreakers built,” Caudle said of the Russian build-up. 

“They dominate the Arctic geography and possess the corresponding ability to dominate in capability and infrastructure,” he said. “They do have legitimate sovereign interests and have elevated their Northern Fleet to constitute its own military district — think, combatant command.” 

For decades, Russia and its prior Soviet Union entity have been especially protective of the northern approaches of the Barents Sea and Artic Ocean out of a desire to maintain a protective bastion for its nuclear-tipped missile force deployed on its ballistic-missile submarines.  

Caudle said Russia has the largest icebreaker fleet in the world and has even armed icebreakers with the Kalibr cruise missile.  

“They have an active defense system that has high readiness, mobility, and firepower in the Northern Fleet,” he said. “They centralize the command-and-control authority of the S-400 [surface-to-air] missile system. They have strong anti-access and access-denial capability that reaches from the Arctic to the Baltic to the GIUK [Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom] Gap. They have long-range, precision-guided strike weapons especially focused in and near the Kola Peninsula.” 

Caudle said those weapons include submarine-launched Kalibr submarine-launched land-attack cruise missiles, the Kinzhal long-range anti-ship missile, and the Screwdriver mobile land-attack cruise missile. 

Arctic Upgraded as Russian Priority

Dwyer, whose fleet had increased its excursions into the High North, said “[t]he stability that we enjoyed in the High North is in fact being challenged not only by climate change but by Russia themselves. 

He said that in July 2022 Russia released its new maritime doctrine, “prioritizing the Arctic as its most important maritime direction, pledging to protect these waters ‘by all means.’ This includes increasing attention on the Arctic littorals as well as the introduction of new missile capabilities … to focus on its bastion of the Northern Fleet…. Prior to this announcement, the Arctic was their number three priority. The Atlantic was their number one priority. Now Russians realize that the Arctic is the key to their economy and to their defense as they see the receding of the Arctic ice cap.” 

Dwyer also noted that in August 2022, Russia, “unveiled plans for a new strategic missile-carrying submarine cruiser for Atlantic operations. Moreover, in September Russia conducted Exercise Inka in the Arctic, deploying several submarines together, showing their capability in the High North. It is worth noting that Russia has renovated many Arctic sites and opened new ones. This is why we at JFC [NATO’s Joint Forces Command] Norfolk do everything in our power to manage and mitigate risk, prevent escalation, and ensure transparency of NATO operations in the Arctic.”   

Release from Austal USA

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FEBRUARY 13, 2023 

San Diego, Calif. – Austal USA celebrated the opening of the company’s new San Diego waterfront ship repair facility today during an afternoon reception that brought together military and community leaders, elected officials, and representatives from across the ship repair industry. 

The shipyard, located adjacent to Naval Base San Diego, will provide full-service repair, maintenance and modernization services for small surface combatants, unmanned and autonomous vessels, and auxiliary ships. 

Since finalizing an agreement for the property over a year ago, Austal USA has invested over $100 million in facility upgrades and a new floating dry dock to transform the facility. The 15-acre site now provides 678 feet of improved San Diego Bay shoreline, 80,000 square feet of covered working space, and has been equipped with new pier fenders and moorings, modernized shore power conversions, and enhanced security. 

“As much as this is a significant day for Austal USA, this is a significant day for our Nation, Navy and Coast Guard customer, the National City community and surrounding Port tenants, as well as our fellow industry colleagues,” stated Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh. “Together, we have a shared commitment to maintaining an operationally ready and available surface fleet and we are proud to join a community here on the southwest waterfront dedicated to that mission.”  

Austal USA is currently executing its first availability in its new facility, the post shakedown of the future USS Canberra (LCS 30). With the company’s new floating dry dock on schedule to be fully operational by summer 2023, Austal USA will have the capability to execute more extensive depot maintenance on Littoral Combat Ships, Frigates, and other similar sized surface combatants and auxiliaries. 

“Getting our Nation’s ships ready and out to sea is critically important. Our team responded to the need to increase capacity here in San Diego and we will similarly respond to the need to deliver ships safely from their availabilities on-time, on-budget, and warfighting ready,” Murdaugh said. “Our team is energized and we’re ready to get to work.” 

With repair and service capabilities previously established in Mobile, Ala. and Singapore, recent expansions into steel shipbuilding, and a technology center in Charlottesville, Va., the San Diego shipyard opening continues Austal USA’s growth as a full service defense provider. 

Release from Northrop Grumman

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Multi-platform demonstration showcased interoperability among F-35, MQ-4C Triton, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye and naval ships 

SAN DIEGO – Feb. 13, 2022 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) successfully demonstrated its gateway technology in a flight test that proved the ability to connect airborne platforms with naval assets. The first-of-its-kind demonstration was conducted with Naval Air Systems Command, Office of Naval Research, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific and BAE Systems. 

“Our gateways provide an open, secure and resilient solution needed to enable information advantage for our customers,” said Ben Davies, vice president and general manager, network information solutions, Northrop Grumman. “This powerful combination expands the mission sets of maritime platforms to deliver a seamlessly connected fleet – a critical step as the U.S. Navy achieves its naval operational architecture to enable distributed maritime operations.” 

Equipped on Northrop Grumman’s MQ-4C Triton Flying Test Bed, the airborne gateway shared fifth-generation sensor data to ground-based simulators that represented an F-35, an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, U.S. Navy Aegis class destroyers and carrier strike groups. The gateway integrated with Triton’s radar and artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities to significantly enhance situational awareness across previously disconnected platforms. The addition of the gateway on Triton expands data sharing and will improve the warfighter’s ability to stay ahead of the adversary and make decisions faster across a vast and diverse environment. 

“Triton’s altitude, persistence, and robust communication links make it an ideal candidate to host the Gateway system,” said Jane Bishop, vice president and general manager, global surveillance, Northrop Grumman. ”This demonstration highlighted gateway technology enhancements to Triton that would enable information dominance across distributed maritime assets; including access to the F-35’s robust sensor suite and the E-2D’s battle management capabilities.” 

Northrop Grumman recently demonstrated another gateway solution and also unveiled Australia’s first Triton. Northrop Grumman’s family of systems brings enhanced interoperability between joint and coalition forces across air and sea. 

Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with the capabilities they need to connect and protect the world, and push the boundaries of human exploration across the universe. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our 95,000 employees define possible every day.

Release from CAES 

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February 13, 2023 

CAES to Provide Support to the Program Covering Spares, Engineering Services, and Repair for Antenna Array Panel Assemblies 

Arlington, Va. — CAES, a leading provider of mission-critical advanced RF technology, has been awarded an IDIQ contract with value to $38.5M over a five-year period from the U.S. Navy for spares, engineering services, and repairs on antenna array panel assemblies to support the SEWIP Block 2 program. 

The contract was awarded on a sole source basis. Work will be performed at CAES’ Lansdale, Pennsylvania, site and is expected to be complete by February 2028. 

“CAES has a history of performance on critical programs that help our military keep pace as needs evolve,” said Dr. Rob Smith, Senior Vice President and Division General Manager, CAES. “Our extensive knowledge of electronic warfare systems and flawless execution makes us a trusted partner of choice. We’re honored to support the Navy as it continues to implement and maintain essential programs.” 

For over 40 years, CAES has remained one of the premier suppliers of advanced electronic systems, helping to support warfighters in the changing electronic warfare landscape. CAES has supported the SEWIP Block 2 program over the past 10 years, providing antenna array panel assemblies and spares to continue to improve passive electronic counter surveillance capabilities. 

The SEWIP program has upgraded existing AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare systems. Block 2 has added new defensive technologies and functional capabilities to electronic warfare systems, including improved electronic support receivers and combat system interfaces. These capabilities have allowed the Navy to better detect threats and provide greater situational awareness. 

CAES is a leading designer and manufacturer of advanced electronics and mission systems for defense and commercial use. CAES enables customers to fully exploit the electromagnetic spectrum by combining our decades of experience with electronic warfare systems and advanced technology. For more information about CAES’s electronic warfare capabilities, visit our website here.

About CAES 
CAES is a pioneer of advanced electronics for the most challenging defense and aerospace trusted systems. As a leading provider of advanced RF technology to the United States aerospace and defense industry, CAES delivers high-reliability RF and digital solutions that enable our customers to ensure a safer, more secure planet. On land, at sea and in the air, CAES’ extensive experience in the RF market and enhanced manufacturing capabilities are at the forefront of mission-critical military and aerospace innovation. www.caes.com 

Release from the U.S. Navy Chief of Information 

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11 February 2023, From Capt. MacKenzie Margroum TF 61/2 

Marines and Sailors from Task Force 61/2 (TF 61/2), commanded by Brig. Gen. Andrew Priddy, operating under U.S. Naval Forces Europe (NAVEUR) and U.S. Sixth Fleet arrived at Incirlik Air Base in support of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, Feb. 9. 

The U.S. Department of Defense established a Command and Control Center, commanded by Priddy, to support requirements from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and to coordinate all U.S. military operations, following a 7.8-magnititude earthquake that tragically struck Türkiye on Feb. 6. 

“We are here in support of USAID to assist the government and people of Türkiye during this time of need,” said Priddy. “Right now, the Navy-Marine Corps team is working alongside the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force to support the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) as they provide aid to the people of Türkiye.” 

Currently, TF 61/2 is overseeing the additional arrival of several U.S. military helicopters. The helicopters arriving include two UH-60s, three HH-60s, and three CH-47s from the U.S. Army, and a few U.S. Navy MH-60S and MH-60R helicopters from the USS GEORGE H W BUSH. These aircraft are in addition to the four UH-60 helicopters currently supporting aid from Incirlik. The primary mission of these aircraft is to support transportation and logistics for the DART and the two U.S. Urban Search and Rescue teams. 

“Our forward deployed integration with U.S. Sixth Fleet enabled us to rapidly respond to this whole of government effort,” said Priddy. “This is the value of the blue-green team, a dynamic world-wide deployable crisis response force.” 

TF 61/2 Marines and Sailors join other U.S. European Command components already on station, in addition to our U.S. allies and partners. The U.S. has helped facilitate 1337 total international aircraft sorties since the recovery efforts initiated. 

“Being able to support USAID’s humanitarian effort is an incredible opportunity,” said Lt. Michael Weaver, a Navy medical planner with TF 61/2. “We are here to assist the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team as they assess the damage, identify priority needs, and coordinate with the Government of Türkiye.” 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The maritime forces of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and their allied and partner navies have enjoyed considerable success in recent months in intercepting Iranian arms shipments to Houthi rebels in Yemen, the Navy’s regional commander said. 

“In fact, in just the last two months alone, five major interdictions at sea have resulted in U.S. and partner maritime forces seizing more than 5,000 weapons, 1.6 million rounds of ammunition, 7,000 proximity fuses for rockets, over 2,000 kilograms of propellant that are used for rocket-propelled grenades, or RPGs, and $60 million worth of illegal drugs,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander, U.S. Fifth Fleet and commander, Naval Forces, U.S. Central Command, speaking Feb. 13 during an off-camera, on-the-record briefing transcript of United States-Gulf Cooperation Council Working Group Meetings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  

“And these numbers are part of an overall two-year trend. In 202 — or rather, since 2021 we’ve seized over a billion — with a B — dollars in illicit drugs and nearly 15,000 illegal arms,” Cooper said. “The weapons were unlawfully headed to Yemen, as I think is well-documented.” 

Also speaking at the council was Dana Stroul, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of Defense for the Middle East.  

“Let me start out by saying we have seen no change in Iranian willingness or activities to transfer weapons to the Houthis, despite their work with increasing military cooperation with Russia for the war in Ukraine, number one,” Stroul said. “And number two, there has been a decrease in Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia because of the truce that has been in place. Now, the actual truce has expired, and at this point in time, all sides are not resuming hostilities, though the truce has not been formally extended.” 

Cooper also leads two major maritime coalitions, the 38-member Combined Maritime Force, which he describes as “the largest maritime partnership in the world,” and the 11-member International Maritime Security Construct.  

“Everything we’ve accomplished both in recent months and over the last two years is the direct result of great work our maritime forces are doing, really, in two key areas, strengthening partnerships and accelerating innovation,” he said. 

Release from HII 

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HII Breaks Ground on New Submarine Facility at Newport News Shipbuilding 

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Feb. 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Global all-domain defense partner HII (NYSE: HII) recently broke ground on a new project that will support nuclear submarine construction at its Newport News Shipbuilding division. 

The Multi-Class Submarine Production Facility is one of three new facilities, enabling NNS to further support the construction and delivery of Columbia– and Virginia-class submarines. 

“The Navy has made it clear how important both the Columbia- and Virginia-class submarine programs are to our nation’s defense,” said Brandi Smith, NNS vice president of Columbia-class submarine construction. “The Multi-Class Submarine Production Facility is an intentional investment to accelerate our efforts to deliver the highest quality submarines our Navy needs.” 

Wednesday’s groundbreaking marked the first phase of construction. Work on two additional facilities is expected to begin later this year. The Multi-Class Submarine Production Facility is designed to be adaptable, allowing NNS to support both Columbia- and Virginia-class construction. 

The Multi-Class Submarine Production Facility is funded jointly by the Navy and HII, and is part of $1.9 billion in capital investments HII is making at NNS between 2016 and 2025. NNS is one of only two shipyards capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines for the U.S. Navy. 

The Navy has identified the Columbia-class as its top acquisition priority. Twelve Columbia-class boats will replace the fleet of Ohio-class nuclear ballistic submarines and take over the role of the nation’s sea-based strategic deterrent; these submarines will provide the most survivable leg of the nation’s strategic triad. 

NNS is a major contractor and shipbuilding partner in the Columbia-class program, designing, constructing and delivering six module sections per submarine under contract to General Dynamics Electric Boat. 

Under a separate teaming agreement with Electric Boat, NNS is also building Virginia-class submarines for the Navy. The advanced capabilities of Virginia-class submarines increase firepower, maneuverability and stealth. 

In November, NNS celebrated the keel authentication for Arkansas (SSN 800), the 27th Virginia-class fast attack submarine, as the shipyard continues to invest in its workforce and facilities to make steady progress on delivering these important assets to the Navy.