YOKOSUKA, Japan — The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, USS Higgins (DDG 76) and USS Howard (DDG 83) arrived Aug. 16, to their new forward-deployed location in Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, commander, Task Force 71 said in a release. 

The forward presence of Higgins and Howard directly supports enduring national security strategic guidance initiatives to posture the most capable units forward in the Indo-Pacific Region. Their addition to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15 continues support toward the security of the United States and its allies and partners, including shared strategic interests. 

The United States values Japan’s contributions to the Indo-Pacific and its long-term commitment and hospitality in hosting U.S. forces forward-deployed there. These forces, along with their counterparts in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, frequently operate together allowing a rapid response with maritime and joint forces to uphold a rules-based international order that promotes security and well-being. 

Higgins and Howard’s arrival brings striking power and operational readiness to maintain a presence in the region, preserve peace and security, and further our maritime partnerships. 

“We are excited to have Higgins and Howard join our forward-deployed team,” said Capt. Chase Sargeant, commander, Task Force (CTF) 71. “These two ships will be an integral part of the 7th Fleet team for years to come.” 

Higgins is a Flight II destroyer with ballistic missile defense capabilities and Howard is a Flight IIA destroyer capable of embarking two MH-60 variant helicopters with improved ballistic-missile defense, anti-air, and surface warfare capabilities. 

“These destroyers are some of the most capable ships our Navy has to offer,” added Sargeant. “Adding them to our forward deployed forces is a clear signal of our continuing commitment to our partners and allies, and our mutual commitment to maintaining stable regional maritime security.” 

Sailors and their family members received relocation briefings and support, to include the current Commander Naval Forces Japan COVID-19 mitigation measures all service members and their families are expected to adhere to. These measures ensure the United States Navy is doing its part to stop the spread of the corona virus and protect Sailors, their families and the local community. 

As the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed fleet, 7th Fleet employs 50 to 70 ships and submarines across the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans. U.S. 7th Fleet routinely operates and interacts with 35 maritime nations while conducting missions to preserve and protect a free and open Indo-Pacific region. 

OSHKOSH, Wis. — Oshkosh Defense successfully demonstrated the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle-based Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary (ROGUE) Fires at the Sink at Sea Live Fire Training Exercises in Hawaii, the company said Aug. 18.

As part of the demonstration, a Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) launcher, based on a ROGUE Fires chassis, successfully launched a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) and scored a direct hit on a target at sea, said the company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oshkosh Corp.

The exercise, known as SINKEX, is a component of the U.S. Navy’s Large-Scale Exercise 2021, a global event in which Sailors and Marines test and validate the Navy and Marine Corps’ operating concepts.

ROGUE Fires is an unmanned ground vehicle that leverages the Joint Light Tactical Vehicles’ extreme off-road mobility and payload capacity and Oshkosh’s advanced autonomous vehicle technologies to support Ground-Based Anti-Ship Missile operations. The unmanned technology associated with ROGUE Fires allows the vehicle to operate in teleoperator or leader-follower modes, which protect warfighters from threats by removing them from the vehicle entirely.  

“ROGUE Fires was purpose-built and leverages next-generation capabilities from several proven Oshkosh Defense vehicle platforms and technologies,” said Pat Williams, vice president and general manager of U.S. Army and Marine Corps Programs.

“Much like the JLTV itself, ROGUE Fires is tailorable to the mission at hand. The flexible design allows for the integration of scalable weapon system payloads to offer the combatant commanders flexibility based on the mission’s requirements.”

Since receiving the JLTV production contract in 2015, Oshkosh Defense has worked closely with leading weapon system manufacturers to integrate and test various weapon system payloads and levels of firepower onto the platform. 

“The successful LSE demonstration validates the maturity of ROGUE Fires as a weapons platform and highlights its ability to add significant firepower and capability into the light tactical wheeled vehicle fleet,” Williams said.

MOBILE, Ala. — Austal USA was awarded a sustainment execution contract (SEC) by the U.S. Navy Aug. 13 for repair, maintenance, and modernization for all littoral combat ships (LCS) homeported in Mayport, Florida, the company said in an Aug. 16 release. 

The SEC East contract is the second major service contract for Austal USA this month following the SEC West award Aug. 5. As a result, Austal USA is now positioned to support the entire LCS fleet worldwide. This award also marks a milestone in Austal USA’s expansion to the east coast.  

“Austal USA is committed to the success of the LCS program and the growth of our services business. This award enables us to support both variants anywhere in the world,” Austal USA interim president Rusty Murdaugh said. “The SEC West and SEC East awards are a direct reflection of the growth of our services capabilities and the confidence the U.S. Navy has in Austal to provide critical services to the fleet regardless of location.” 

The SEC East award is yet another building block to Austal’s continued investment in its service business. Following continued investment in its service centers in Mobile, San Diego and Singapore, Austal USA was awarded an SEC West contract Aug. 5 to support all LCS homeported in San Diego. Additionally, In September 2020, the company invested in its U.S. Gulf Coast service operation, expanding its Mobile service center by purchasing 15 acres of waterfront property along the Mobile River. The purchase included 100,000 square feet of covered repair facilities and a 20,000-ton Panamax-class floating dry dock and supports both government and commercial service and repair. 

“We’re excited to add service capabilities in Mayport to support the U.S. Navy’s Southeast Regional Maintenance Center and grow our involvement in the Jacksonville community,” Murdaugh said. “We continue to invest in our service business to ensure our customers have the very best service and support available to them anytime, anywhere.” 

ARLINGTON, Va. — As a major step in its 20-year plan to upgrade and modernize its shipyard capacity and capability, the Navy has awarded a major construction contract for a multi-mission dry dock at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in Kittery, Maine.  

The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Mid-Atlantic, Norfolk, Virginia, awarded 381 Constructors of Omaha, Nebraska, a $1.73 billion firm-fixed-price contract for construction of the dry dock, an Aug. 13 Defense Department contract announcement said. The funds will be disbursed in increments over a seven-year period. Work is expected to be completed by June 2028. 

PNSY is a Navy-owned shipyard which specializes in the repair, modification, and overhaul of nuclear-powered attack submarines. The upgrades are part of the Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP), a 20-year plan to modernize the Navy’s four shipyards. The other three shipyards are Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia; Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington; and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, Hawaii. 

“Our naval shipyards need these major modernization efforts to sustain our ability to maintain our nuclear submarine fleet,” said Vice Adm. William Galinis, commander, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), in an Aug. 16 release. “The Navy needs combat-ready ships and submarines to go where they’re needed, when they’re needed, and these major upgrades and reconfigurations at our naval shipyards will enable the fleet to meet its future missions.” 

The seven-year project will construct an addition to Dry Dock 1 within the existing flood basin area, as well as new concrete floors, walls, pump systems, caissons, and other mechanical and electrical utilities, enhancing the 221-year-old shipyard’s ability to handle multiple Los Angeles-class and Virginia-class submarines, the Navy said. 

SIOP is a joint effort between Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command and Navy Installations Command “to recapitalize and modernize the infrastructure at the Navy’s four public shipyards, including repairing and modernizing dry docks, restoring shipyard facilities and optimizing their placement, and replacing aging and deteriorating capital equipment,” the Naval Facilities Systems Command said.  

“We look forward to getting this critical construction mega-project underway,” said Rear Adm. John Korka, commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, and Navy chief of Civil Engineers.  “This project — and other work being planned at all four of our naval shipyards — is one of the most significant and direct contributions that our systems command team can make to enable our Navy’s lethality and maximize its readiness for many years to come.” 

ANDOVER, Mass. — Mercury Systems Inc. a builder of secure mission-critical technologies for aerospace and defense, announced Aug. 12 it received a $17 million order from the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center’s Aircraft Division (NAWC-AD) for Advanced Data Transfer Systems (ADTS) for deployment across multiple rotary-wing and tiltrotor platforms. The ADTS, a rugged data, video, and audio loader and recorder with cybersecurity capability, is used for moving mission data securely to and from the aircraft for pre- and post-mission analysis. 

The order is part of a firm-fixed-price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract award worth up to $84.9 million originally received in September 2020 by Physical Optics Corporation, recently acquired by Mercury Systems. The $17 million delivery order was received in Mercury’s fiscal 2021 third quarter and is expected to be delivered over the next several quarters. 

“We value our long-standing partnership with NAWC-AD and are excited about the opportunity to expand our role through the delivery of trusted and secure ADTS technology solutions across multiple platforms,” said Jay Abendroth, vice president and general manager, Mercury Mission. “The IDIQ allows Mercury to fulfill our commitment to deliver critical purpose-built solutions to the Naval air fleet and further strengthens our position as a leader in making commercial technology profoundly more accessible to aerospace and defense.” 

ARLINGTON, Va. — CNA’s Center for Naval Analyses has deployed a team of 50 analysts to commands around the world that are participating the Navy’s Large-Scale Exercise (LSE) 2021. The analysts will take the lead in gathering and synthesizing data to support assessments of distributed maritime operations (DMO).  

According to CEO Dr. Katherine McGrady, CNA has played an active role leading up to LSE 2021, developing a standardized assessment framework for each DMO capability to ensure there was a common understanding of its importance and how it should be executed and assessed.   

“Prior to the LSE, CNA performed analyses of DMO concepts through fleet battle problem events that were intended to shape and inform the exercise as a capstone event. These frameworks provide the Navy with a clear and reproducible understanding of whether or not it can execute DMO capabilities against a challenging adversary and, if not, what improvement must be made,” said McGrady. 

Large-Scale Exercise was designed to reinforce the chief of naval operations’ effort to set the stage for advancing naval doctrine and tactics by integrating Fleet operations to validate DMO capabilities. 

CNA’s team will inform the Navy’s initial assessments in the days following the exercise and will provide more detailed analysis and assessments over the course of the next several months. 

Since World War II, CNA has embedded analysts at commands around the world. These “field representatives” gather data and answer some of the most complex questions facing commanders. They follow their commands through exercises and operations, sometimes spending months at sea. CNA has supported every major exercise and conflict involving the Navy or Marines since World War II, providing commanders and their staff with independent scientific expertise.   

ARLINGTON, Va. — Carlos Del Toro, the 78th secretary of the Navy, was sworn in on Aug. 9. He issued the following message to the fleet on Aug. 10: 

Today, together, we again embrace the most sacred duty — defending our nation and working to build a world more defined by peace than conflict. 

I join you as someone who loves the Navy — who spent twenty-six years in uniform and another seventeen striving to make sure you had the capabilities you needed to fulfill your mission effectively and safely. Serving you as your 78^th Secretary of the Navy is a high honor. It also carries grave responsibilities to which I will dedicate all my skill and devotion. 

You should also know I have a bias for action. 

Our Navy and our nation face critical challenges on multiple fronts. 

Like Secretary Austin, I view our most pressing challenges as the four Cs — China, culture, climate and COVID, and we need the resources and capabilities to address each now. 

China is determined to reduce our military superiority. We will not let this happen. We will deter China’s aggression, protect our national security, and preserve the peace. Our determination, our skill, and our courage will demonstrate our strength and conviction. 

Culture comes down to one goal. Every Sailor and Marine — of all races, genders, religions, and ethnicities — must treat one another with dignity and respect. This is not just about doing the right thing. It is about ensuring our Navy and Marine Corps will be the most talented, most combat ready, most committed force possible. 

Climate change exacerbates every challenge we face, from naval installations to frequent deployments. It is also a global struggle for resources that demands ingenuity and innovation. It demands solutions that mitigate climate damage while ensuring our operational success and competitive edge. 

Lastly, we must combat COVID. This means we must continue to vaccinate our naval forces with expedience. If we are not vaccinated, we are neither deployable nor combat ready. Immediately, the Navy and Marine Corps will make every effort to vaccinate and care for our force and defeat the scourge COVID has inflicted on our troops. 

Both our nation’s security and your success as Sailors and Marines require your enthusiastic, unwavering commitment. We will succeed or fail together.  Accordingly, with a leadership ethos forged as a destroyer captain, I will strive to be direct and transparent with you about what we need to accomplish together. 

Please know your safety and welfare will always be paramount to me, and I will work tirelessly with you to meet the challenges that lie ahead. 

To do this, we must possess the resources needed to expand our capabilities. I will make that my top priority. I am committed to ensuring you have the tools and training you need to succeed. Just as I am committed to confronting our maintenance backlog, managing our operational requirements, and building our Navy of the future. 

When I began my Navy career over 40 years ago, as a midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy, I looked up to then-Secretary of the Navy Edward Hidalgo. Like me, he was an immigrant to this nation and, like me, his experience taught him why the world needs a strong United States Navy. Most of all, I understood that while I served our nation, he also served me. 

The same is true today. I am your secretary of the Navy-Marine Corps Team focused on your and our collective promise to our Constitution and nation. 

We will succeed together. It has never been more important that we do. 

Finally, a personal note. My wife Betty and I well understand the sacrifices your loved ones make and how crucial they are to our success. We are both honored to be back once again working shoulder-to-shoulder with you. We look forward to getting out to the fleet and meeting you all soon. 

Full Speed Ahead. 

Very Respectfully,                                                                                         

Carlos Del Toro 

MILTON, Fla. The first operational TH-73A “Thrasher” training helicopter landed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field in Milton, Aug. 6, the Navy said in a release. 

 The helicopter will be assigned to Training Air Wing (TW) 5 and will replace chief of Naval Air Training’s (CNATRA) TH-57B/C Sea Ranger as the undergraduate training helicopter for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. 

The helicopter made the two-day transit to the base from the Leonardo Helicopters facility in Philadelphia, where the aircraft was manufactured. CNATRA leadership welcomed the aircraft alongside representatives from Leonardo Helicopters, Vertex Aerospace, who will provide maintenance support for the TH-73A, in addition to local community leaders. 

Leonardo Helicopters is contracted to deliver 31 additional Thrashers this calendar year for a total of 130 through 2024 before the Sea Ranger’s scheduled sundown in 2025 and will provide the Navy the capacity to train several hundred aviation students per year. 

The TH-73A incorporates a modern avionics suite with a fully integrated flight management system, automatic flight control system, and independent, digital cockpit displays to both pilot stations. It boasts increased performance in power, speed, payload, and endurance over the Sea Ranger, making it comparable to fleet aircraft. These upgrades will help bridge capability and capacity gaps to better prepare newly winged naval aviators as they transition to fleet replacement squadrons for postgraduate training. 

In addition to new helicopters, the full Advanced Helicopter Training System (AHTS) includes aircrew training services that provide availability on new simulators, a modernized curriculum, and a new contractor logistics support contract for Thrasher maintenance and flight line support. 

“Using current cockpit technologies and a new training curriculum, AHTS will improve pilot training and skills and ensure rotary wing and tilt-rotor aviators are produced more efficiently at a higher quality and are ready to meet the fleet’s challenges,” CNATRA Rear Adm. Robert Westendorff said. “AHTS will meet our advanced rotary wing and intermediate tilt-rotor training requirements through 2050.” 

The TH-73As will be housed in a temporary hangar at NAS Whiting Field, while construction of a new helicopter maintenance hangar on base is slated to begin in 2023. Leonardo Helicopters also recently established a TH-73A maintenance support team at Santa Rosa County’s new aviation customer service hangar at Peter Prince Airport in Milton. 

“This delivery signifies a new era for Naval Aviation training,” said Capt. Holly Shoger, Naval Undergraduate Flight Training Systems Program Office (PMA-273) program manager. “The combined government and contractor team set new standards to meet much needed requirements in the fleet. We are proud to develop and provide these new capabilities that will improve pilot training for many years to come.” 

The TH-73A Helicopter Instructor Training Unit (HITU) team under TW-5 at NAS Whiting Field will use the first Thrasher to validate the modernized curriculum efforts, which is a requirement prior to training student naval aviators with the new curriculum in the new system. 

“The simple cockpit design and layout, pushbutton and toggle switch interface, advanced navigation and communication capabilities, and rapid control response make it the ideal training aircraft and the perfect stepping stone to any service rotary wing platform,” said Cmdr. Dustin Robbins, TW-5 AHTS Fleet Integration Team (FIT) officer in charge. “With its all-digital cockpit and fully integrated Flight Management System coupled with superior power and speed margins, the TH-73A is a lot of fun to fly.”  

PMA-273 at Naval Air Systems in Patuxent River, Maryland, oversees the AHTS and TH-73A, and will determine the final disposition of the 35-year-old TH-57 Sea Ranger, which is scheduled to sundown in fiscal years 2022 through 2025. 

The TH-73A Thrasher is named for the brown thrasher, a bird common to the skies over the Southeastern United States including Northwest Florida. The inconspicuous, yet territorial, bird is a fearless defender known for its low-level flying prowess. 

TW-5 is comprises three primary fixed-wing and three advanced helicopter squadrons and trains aviators from the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, and allied nations. 

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Airborne Strategic Command, Control, and Communications Program Office (PMA-271) purchased a retired Royal Air Force E-3D for $15 million that will be used as an E-6B Mercury pilot training aircraft, the Naval Air Systems Command said in an Aug. 4 release. 

The program office had been looking to acquire a dedicated training aircraft for the fleet to take the strain off using the current mission-capable E-6 aircraft. 

“The training flights expose mission aircraft to significant wear-and-tear and impact their readiness and availability,” said Capt. Adam Scott, PMA-271 program manager. “This is a great chance to work with the United Kingdom and bring a much-needed aircraft to the fleet.” 

Since the E-6’s inception over three decades ago, the Navy has looked for ways to train pilots and keep them up to date on the airframe. Those options have included leasing several different commercial aircraft as well as using the mission-capable aircraft. 

For the past several years, the program has been looking for a dedicated trainer and found one when the Royal Air Force decided to retire their fleet of E-3Ds. 

Both the E-3 and E-6 are militarized versions of the Boeing 707. 

When the funds became available in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, the team moved fast. 

Members of the program office went to Louisiana at the end of February to inspect the condition of the aircraft as they moved closer to acquiring it. 

“This team has done a great job of moving quickly and capitalizing on this opportunity,” Scott said. “It’s a big win for the entire E-6 community.” 

Once the aircraft comes to NAVAIR, a modification will begin with a goal to get it out to the fleet by October 2023. 

The aircraft will help reduce an estimated 600 flight hours and 2,400 landings/cycles per year from the E-6 mission aircraft. 

The E-6B is a communications relay and strategic airborne command post aircraft. It provides survivable, reliable, and endurable airborne command, control and communications between the National Command Authority and U.S. strategic and non-strategic forces. 

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Technical Solutions division announced Aug. 10 it has been awarded a five-year contract with a total value of $273 million to support the U.S. Navy’s carrier engineering maintenance assist team, surface engineering maintenance assist team for West Coast surface ships, and other maintenance and material readiness programs. 

“Continuous modernization and sustainment of our nation’s fleet is essential to our national security,” said Garry Schwartz, president of Technical Solutions’ Defense and Federal Solutions business group. “HII is honored to extend our 40-year partnership with the U.S. Navy in support of these critical defense assets, and to continue leveraging our expertise to maximize efficiency and cost-savings in the future.” 

Work performed on the contract will support maintenance and planning for the overhaul and repair of equipment and systems including hull, mechanical and electrical; aviation equipment and systems; command, control, communications, computer and intelligence; and combat support systems. The programs follow a “find, fix and train” philosophy with assessments, maintenance, and training to enhance sailor self-sufficiency and maintenance capabilities while ensuring platforms remain mission capable. Work will be performed within the U.S. and internationally during operational deployments.