ARLINGTON, Va. — Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced on June 16 that the president has made these nominations of U.S. Navy rear admirals to the rank of vice admiral: 

• Rear Adm. William J. Galinis for appointment to the rank of vice admiral and assignment as commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C.  Galinis served as program executive officer for ships, Washington, D.C. 
• Rear Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. for appointment to the rank of vice admiral and assignment as commander, U.S. Naval Forces, U.S. Central Command; commander, U.S. 5th Fleet; and commander, Combined Maritime Forces, Manama, Bahrain. Paparo is serving as director of operations, J3, U.S. Central Command, Tampa, Florida.  
• Rear Adm. Jeffrey E. Trussler for appointment to the rank of vice admiral and assignment as deputy chief of naval operations for information warfare, N2/N6, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, and director of naval intelligence, Washington, D.C. Trussler served as director, future plans, N55, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. 

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

• Rear Adm. Michael D. Bernacchi Jr. will be assigned as director, plans and policy, J5, U.S. Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. Bernacchi served as commander, Submarine Group 10, Kings Bay, Georgia. 
• Rear Adm. Yvette M. Davids will be assigned as chief of staff, U.S. Southern Command, Doral, Florida. Davids served as commander, Carrier Strike Group 11, Everett, Washington.  
• Rear Adm. Michael P. Holland will be assigned as chief of staff, U.S. Northern Command/North American Aerospace Defense Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.  Holland is currently serving as director, programming division, N80, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. 
• Rear Adm. William W. Wheeler III will be assigned as chief of staff, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Wheeler is serving as director, plans and policy, J5, U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland. 
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Anne M. Swap, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as director, National Capital Medical Directorate, Defense Health Agency, Washington, D.C. Swap is serving as commander, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic, Portsmouth, Virginia. 
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Joseph A. DiGuardo Jr. will be assigned as commander, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), Virginia Beach, Virginia, with additional duties as commander, NECC Pacific. DiGuardo is serving as deputy director of plans and policy for countering weapons of mass destruction, U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia.  
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Kevin M. Jones will be assigned as director, Logistics Directorate, J-4, U.S. Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany.  Jones is currently serving as commander, Defense Logistics Agency Distribution, New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. 
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Pamela C. Miller will be assigned as fleet surgeon, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and command surgeon, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. Miller is serving as reserve fleet surgeon, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Virginia. 
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Douglas C. Verissimo is serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group 9, San Diego. Verissimo served as deputy director for operations, National Joint Operations Intelligence Center, Operations Team Two, J3, Joint Staff, Washington, D.C. 
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Michael J. Vernazza will be assigned as commander, Naval Information Warfighting Development Center, Norfolk, Virginia. Vernazza is serving as deputy commander, 10th Fleet, Fort Meade, Maryland. 
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Darin K. Via will be assigned as commander, Naval Medical Forces Atlantic, Portsmouth, Virginia. Via is serving as director, medical systems integration and combat survivability, N44, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. 

TUCSON, Ariz. — Raytheon’s Missiles & Defense business recently carried out the first guided release of a GBU-53/B StormBreaker smart weapon from an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which will become the second fighter to utilize the weapon when the program reaches initial operational capability later this year, the company said.  

“StormBreaker is the only weapon that enables pilots to hit moving targets during bad weather or if dust and smoke are in the area,” said Cristy Stagg, the StormBreaker program director for Raytheon. “Super Hornet pilots will be able to use poor visibility to their advantage when StormBreaker integration is complete.” 

During the U.S. Navy flight test, StormBreaker safely separated from the fighter and received guidance data from the plane, enabling it to be directed to its target while in flight. 

StormBreaker, formerly known as Small-Diameter Bomb II, features a tri-mode seeker that uses imaging infrared and millimeter wave radar in its normal mode. The weapon can also deploy its semi-active laser or GPS guidance to hit targets. 

The smart weapon gives operators the ability in combat to hit moving targets in some of the worst weather conditions. The winged munition autonomously detects and classifies moving targets in poor visibility situations caused by darkness, bad weather, smoke or dust kicked up by helicopters. 

The weapon’s seeker works in three modes: 

• Millimeter wave radar detects and tracks targets through weather. 
• Imaging infrared provides enhanced target discrimination.  
• Semi-active laser enables the weapon to track an airborne laser designator or one on the ground.  

The tri-mode seeker shares targeting information among all three modes, enabling StormBreaker to engage fixed or moving targets at any time of day and in all weather conditions. 

StormBreaker’s small size enables the use of fewer aircraft to take out the same number of targets as larger weapons that require multiple jets. The weapon can also fly more than 45 miles to strike mobile targets, reducing the amount of time that aircrews spend in harm’s way. 

The F-15E Eagle is the first platform to add StormBreaker; it’s also being integrated on the F-35 joint strike fighter.

PASCAGOULA, Miss. — The guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald departed Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding shipyard on June 13 to return to its homeport in San Diego, Naval Sea Systems Command said in a release. 

The sail away reflects more than two years of effort in restoring and modernizing one of the Navy’s most capable warships after it was damaged during a collision in 2017 that claimed the lives of seven Sailors. 

“Today the ‘Fighting Fitz’ is returning to the Pacific Fleet as one of our nation’s most capable warfighting platforms, marking a significant step in her return to warfighting readiness,” said Rear Adm. Eric Ver Hage, director of surface ship maintenance and modernization and commander of the Navy Regional Maintenance Center. “The Fitzgerald sailors, our Navy project teams, and the men and women of Ingalls put forth a tremendous effort to restore the ship to fighting shape and did so on schedule.” 

To restore the impacted spaces to full operations and functionality, various hull, mechanical and electrical, combat system and command, control, communications, computers and intelligence repairs and upgrades were completed. This work ranged from partial to complete refurbishment of impacted spaces to replacement of equipment such as the radar and electronic warfare suite. 

Due to the extent and complexity of the restoration, both repair and new construction procedures were used to accomplish the restoration and modernization efforts. Throughout this restoration, the U.S. Navy made it a priority to ensure the Fitzgerald returned to a peak state of warfighting readiness to contribute to an agile and dynamic fleet. 

The Fitzgerald’s crew completed multiple training and certification events, such as navigation assessment and light off assessment (LOA), to ensure the crew was at peak readiness to operate the ship as it returns to homeport. 

“Completing repairs and upgrades to Fitzgerald was only possible because of the outstanding teamwork between the government and industry teams over the last 2 1/2 years,” said Cmdr. Scott Wilbur, commanding officer of the Fitzgerald. “My thanks go out to everyone involved in making sure the ship is ready, and I’m especially proud of my crew’s hard work ensuring we are trained and prepared to take our ship back to sea.”  

Prior to departing Pascagoula for San Diego, the Fitzgerald’s crew began a pre-movement sequester on May 23 in accordance with U.S. Navy pre-deployment guidelines — compliance with Navy and CDC guidance is critical to minimize the spread of COVID-19. 

The Fitzgerald is assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 1 and upon return to her homeport in San Diego, crew training and certifications will commence in support of basic phase training. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Senate Armed Services Committee has marked up its version of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to require a plan to increase the number of Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain. 

The mark-up, released June 11, “[r]equires the Chief of Naval Operations and Commander of U.S. European Command to submit a detailed plan to base two additional destroyers at our base in Rota, Spain, as soon as practicable.” 

As part of the NDAA bill, the requirement must be approved by the full Senate, the House of Representatives and the president before it becomes policy. 

The Navy currently bases four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers (DDGs) at Naval Station Rota as units of the U.S. 6th Fleet. One of the primary roles of the ships is to conduct ballistic-missile defense patrols in the Mediterranean Sea in support of European Command. 

The Navy is in the process of replacing the four DDGs originally forward-deployed in Rota with more modern versions of the Arleigh Burke class. The USS Roosevelt, a Flight IIA DDG, arrived in Rota on May 16 to replace the USS Carney, a Flight I ship. Other newer DDGs eventually will arrive to replace the USS Ross, USS Donald Cook and USS Porter in Rota. 

The Roosevelt is a Flight IIA DDG that brings the Aegis Baseline 9/Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) 5.1 Advanced Capability Build upgrade to the Aegis Combat System. The system “integrates its weapons and sensors to include Cooperative Engagement Capability; Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile; Mk15 Close-In Weapons System Block 1B; and the Mk41 Vertical Launching System, capable of supporting Standard Missile (SM) 3 and newer variants. These capabilities vastly increase the sea-based BMD force structure and contribute to NATO’s robust integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) architecture,” the release said.  

The Roosevelt and the future replacement DDGs will operate MH-60R helicopters. The Navy plans to station a full MH-60R squadron in Rota by the time the three remaining Flight I/II DDGs are replaced in 2022. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy’s new organization for warfighting development (N7) is now fully organized for its role in developing strategy and warfighters, its director said, and has joined with the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard to develop a new maritime strategy.  

The deputy chief of naval operations (DCNO) for warfighting development, Vice Adm. Stuart Munsch, said that N7 is making progress in fulfilling its roles and is hitting its stride and, in conjunction with the Marine Corps and Coast Guard, expects to field the new maritime strategy by late summer or early fall.  

“Our North Star is warfighting advantage,” Munsch said during a June 5 teleconference with reporters, noting the Navy’s focus on the current climate of Great Power Competition and the need to outpace increasingly sophisticated adversaries, renewing a focus on sea control.  

The Navy directive addressing the organizational changes defined the role of N7 “with ensuring the Navy’s warfighting advantage in order to deter, dissuade and deny or defeat adversaries by engaging in three broad, interrelated lines of effort: warfighter development, warfare development and warfighter corps development. It further established that CNO N7’s mission and functions will be supported by a digital platform to enhance its ability to achieve a warfighting edge for the Navy.”    

The N7 now has four divisions: director, warfighter development; director, warfare development; director, strategic warfighting innovation cell; and director, warfare integration.  

N7 is responsible for developing the strategic framework for the Navy, looking forward at longer range than N3/5, the DCNO for operations, plans and strategy, which focuses on the short term. N7 has now absorbed the functions and billets of the now disestablished Strategy Division, Naval Strategy Panel, and some billets from the Naval Warfare Group from N3/5. The Naval Analytics Office also now is aligned within N7.  

Munsch said that N7 is to identify the key operational problems facing the Navy and to develop solutions.  

N7 also is responsible for force employment and force development, working with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to develop the Joint Warfighting Concept and an influencing the DCNO for warfare systems (N9) with the characteristics of the capabilities needed to implement strategy.  

Munsch also said his office has the role of adapting the Navy to changing circumstances, instilling adaptability into the institutional behavior of the Navy, and instilling a lifelong habit of learning to enable that adaptability.  

To enhance that learning, Munsch said that the Naval War College, Naval Postgraduate School and U.S. Naval Academy are now under the N7 umbrella, having been shifted from the chief of naval personnel (N1) organization.  

Also now aligned within N7 are certain billets from the Resource Management Division and Total Force Manpower, Training, and Education Requirements Division from the N1 organization.  

The admiral said that N7 will craft a wargaming schedule for the War College that will be the “most advanced and significant war gaming we’ve done since the 1930s.”  

He was referring to the innovative wargaming by the Navy in the inter-war period in which the Navy developed many of the concepts that enabled the Navy to achieve victory in World War II.  

Vice Adm. Lisa M. Franchetti, commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, has been confirmed to succeed Munsch as the head of N7 this summer. 

EVENDALE, Ohio — GE Marine has delivered its first new lightweight LM2500 composite gas turbine module to Austal USA for the future USS Santa Barbara, the company said in a release. 

This new module, which was fully certified by the U.S. Navy last year after receiving MIL-S-901D shock qualification, provides a 5,500-pound weight savings (50% wall weight reduction) and 60% quieter enclosure.  

Austal USA recognized the attributes of this new composite module design by bestowing GE Marine with its 2018 Supplier Innovation Award. 

GE is supplying 38 LM2500 gas turbines to Austal USA for Independence-class variants of littoral combat ships up to LCS 38. Like all Austal USA-built littoral ships, the Santa Barbara will be powered by two GE LM2500 gas turbines arranged in a combined diesel and gas turbine configuration with two diesel engines. 

The Module Modernization Program was a four-year collaborative effort with the Navy, Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine, and GE. GE’s strategic partners in this effort included: RL Industries of Fairfield, Ohio, for help in developing and qualifying the carbon fiber enclosure; and DRS Power Technology of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, which helped satisfy all first article inspection quality requirements and package assembly.  

Changes to the LM2500 system include the composite module, components, and fewer shock mounts for weight reduction, all while leveraging the experience and loadings from previous LM2500 shock tests with running units. Components such as sensors, transducers, ice and flame detectors and the heater also were updated.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Navy is mobilizing 1,629 Reservists to support aircraft carrier and submarine maintenance at its four public shipyards starting in July, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) said in a release. This mobilization will help reduce the maintenance backlog that has developed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

NAVSEA authorized weather and safety leave for shipyard personnel who fell under the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) “high risk” category for extreme complications tied to the COVID-19 virus. With up to 25% of the production workforce unable to report to their duty location, the shipyards have not been able to execute all their work and have built a backlog of work that, if left unchecked, would result in delays in returning ships to the fleet.  

The Reservists are all part of the Navy’s Surge Maintenance, or SurgeMain, program. Established in 2005, SurgeMain has 2,200 enlisted Reserve Sailors and 240 Reserve officers across 75 units and was created to augment the Navy’s organic civilian shipyard workforce in times of need. 

SurgeMain Sailors have technical and trade backgrounds that allow them to have an immediate impact at the shipyards. 

“Our Sailors are electricians, pipe fitters, sheet metal workers, plumbers, hydraulic technicians, mechanics, machinists, carpenters, welders and more,” said Capt. Michael P. MacLellan, SurgeMain’s national director. “Many of our people have prior experience at the shipyard where they’re being sent, down to the specific shop where they will be working alongside the shipyard’s organic civilian workforce.”  

This is the first time SurgeMain has activated this many Reservists at one time. 

“We’re excited to mobilize and execute the mission for which we’ve been training,” MacLellan said. “This deployment presents a valuable opportunity for our Sailors to hone their skills, contribute to our national defense and allow us to gain valuable lessons you can only learn during mass mobilization.” 

SurgeMain Reservists will start arriving at their respective shipyards in phases starting in early July, with all 1,629 Sailors onsite by September. They will be functioning on one-year mobilization orders that may be extended or curtailed should circumstances change. 

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, will receive 267 Reservists; Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia, will receive 486; Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton, Washington, will receive 676; and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, will receive 200. 

“We have been methodical in how we planned this mobilization,” said Vice Adm. Tom Moore, NAVSEA’s commander. “We did not mobilize anyone who already works in the ship maintenance or construction field, and we worked to place people into shipyards where they have previously drilled so there was a built-in comfort factor for both the Reservist and the shipyard personnel.” 

Once mobilized, the Reservists will abide by all Defense Department travel restrictions and protocols tied to minimizing the spread of COVID-19. Sailors are being assigned to their designated Reserve duty location, which is usually the shipyard closest to where they live. 

Once at their designated shipyard, Sailors will abide by all COVID-19 policies. These include conducting a daily self-screening and undergoing a temperature check prior to accessing the shipyard, wearing all required personal protective equipment and following the same social distancing measures as the rest of the shipyard workforce.

ARLINGTON, Va. ― FLIR Systems Inc. has received orders for more than 160 of the company’s Centaur unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) for the U.S. Navy and Army, the company announced. The two contracts totaling $23.5 million include related spares and accessories and are being sourced through the Army’s Man Transportable Robotic System Increment II (MTRS Inc II) program. 

Since March, FLIR has announced orders totaling more than $65 million for nearly 500 Centaur UGVs from the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and now Navy. Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams will use the Centaur to assist in disarming improvised explosive devices, unexploded ordnance and similar hazardous tasks. Operators can attach different sensors and payloads to the robot to support other functions, such as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear missions. 

“With the Navy joining the MTRS Inc II program, it means that all U.S. military forces will now use a common, medium-sized robotic platform for EOD and CBRN operations,” said Roger Wells, vice president and general manager of the Unmanned Systems and Integrated Solutions business at FLIR. 

“In an era of increased joint service operations in combat zones worldwide, having common equipment across EOD units can support more standardized tactics and techniques, plus add new efficiencies in sustainment and training for years to come.  

“Our team is incredibly proud to know all four branches of America’s armed services have chosen Centaur as their mid-sized EOD robot. And, more importantly, that our technology is helping so many warfighters keep out of harm’s way,” Wells said. 

In 2017, the Army selected Endeavor Robotics, acquired last year by FLIR, as its medium-sized robot provider for MTRS Inc II. The company designed Centaur as its MTRS solution. FLIR is delivering robots to the Army under that multi-year program of record, which upon award was valued at more than $150 million, including options. These latest orders fall under the current ceiling. 

Centaur is a medium-sized UGV that provides a standoff capability to detect, confirm, identify, and dispose of hazards. Weighing roughly 160 pounds, the open-architecture robot features an advanced EO/IR camera suite, a manipulator arm that reaches over six feet, and the ability to climb stairs. Modular payloads can be used for CBRNE detection and other missions.  

Deliveries are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2020.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy secretary and chief of naval operations on June 10 announced these flag officer assignments: 

• Rear Adm. Daniel L. Cheever will be assigned as director for plans, policy and strategy, J-5, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. Cheever served as commander, Carrier Strike Group 4, Norfolk, Virginia. 
• Rear Adm. Thomas E. Ishee will be assigned as director, global operations, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Ishee is serving as director, Undersea Warfare Division, N97, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C.
• Rear Adm. Peter G. Stamatopoulos will be assigned as commander, Naval Supply Systems Command, and chief of Supply Corps, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.  Stamatopoulos served as director of logistics, J-4, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany.  
• Rear Adm. (lower half) William J. Houston, selected for promotion to rear admiral, will be assigned as director, Undersea Warfare Division, N97, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, D.C. Houston served as director, plans and operations, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-6th Fleet; deputy commander, 6th Fleet; and commander, Submarine Group 8, Naples, Italy. 
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Anthony C. Carullo is serving as director, plans and operations, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-6th Fleet; deputy commander, 6th Fleet; and commander, Submarine Group 8, Naples, Italy. Carullo served as deputy director, strategic targeting and nuclear mission planning, J-5N, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. 
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Richard D. Heinz is serving as director of logistics, J-4, U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany. Heinz served as commander, Naval Supply Systems Command Weapons Systems Support, Philadelphia. 
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Andrew J. Loiselle is serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group 4, Norfolk, Virginia. Loiselle served as commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, Norfolk.  
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Joseph D. Noble Jr., is serving as commander, Naval Supply Systems Command Weapons Systems Support, Philadelphia. Noble served as special assistant for audit readiness, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller), Washington, D.C.  
• Rear Adm. (lower half) Ryan B. Scholl is serving as commander, Carrier Strike Group 8, Norfolk, Virginia. Scholl served as deputy director, plans, J-5, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The most recent U.S. Navy warship to detect COVID-19 among crew members, the amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall has been cleaned and sanitized and awaits a decision to move the crew back on board, according to a Navy spokesperson.

Several crew members tested positive for the novel coronavirus on May 23, at Carter Hall’s homeport, Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Virginia, as the ship prepared for duty as a standby surge force for this year’s Atlantic Coast hurricane season. Under Defense Department policy, the Navy does not report the number of COVID-19 cases detected on specific ships and other units.

Most of the approximately 400 Sailors and Marines assigned to the ship were moved ashore to barracks or hotel rooms at Navy installations in the Norfolk, Virginia, area, according to Lt. Commander Amelia Umayam, a U.S. Fleet Forces Command spokesperson. A portion of the crew remained on board to perform cleaning, maintenance and in-port watchstanding duties.

“The crew has been monitored by medical personnel and are receiving care as necessary. No Carter Hall crewmembers have been admitted to the hospital,” Umayam said in an emailed statement June 9.

She declined to discuss a specific timeline for restoring the Carter Hall to duty but noted “the ship has been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, and we plan to move the crew back aboard the ship as soon as possible.”

While ashore, crew members are being checked daily by their leadership and receiving deliveries of food and essential items. The entire crew, as well as the Marines assigned to the 609-foot, 16,700-ton Carter Hall, have been tested for COVID-19, she said. In addition to crew members, the Carter Hall can carry a complement of 400 Marines and two air cushion landing craft.