ARLINTON, Va. — The U.S. Navy’s concept of the Light Amphibious Warship (LAW), more formally designated as a medium landing ship (LSM), is advancing within the Pentagon as the Navy and Marine Corps define some goals and the concept gels as a part of the Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030 concept.  

“The [LAW] AoA [Analysis of Alternatives] has been signed,” said Marine Maj. Gen. Marcus Annibale, director of Expeditionary Warfare in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, speaking Aug. 18 at the Surface Navy Association’ Waterfront 2022 West Coast symposium in San Diego. “We’re working through some details on that. OSD CAPE [Office of the Secretary of Defense Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation] has given us some comebacks on it. We need to get it as close to right as we can.”   

The LAW, as a warship, is designed to help the Marine Corps operate within the engagement zone of China, deploying Marine littoral regiments (MLRs) as stand-in forces. The MLR, armed with anti-ship cruise missiles and an air-defense capability, among others, will be able to complicate China’s ability to operate within the first island chain. 

“We put our own A2AD [anti-access/area denial] capability in their back yard as the stand-in force,” Annibale said. 

“One important thing to maneuver the MLR and sustain the MR is a warship that can move over distance with speed and capacity to support the MLR,” he said. “That is the LAW. We’re working through the baseline for that.”  

The general said that Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday has signed off on an initial capacity of 18 LAWs. 

“What that maps out to, we’re looking at about nine LAWs for each MLR,” he said. “We’re working the technical aspects of the ship. We’ve looked at different commercial capabilities. We’re experimenting in the Pacific with some contract surrogate shipping. … It’s going to be a great enabler for those MLRs.” 

Annibale said the Navy conducted a classified survivability study on the LAW as part of the AoA. 

“It’s a warship,” he said, “It’s not a commercial ship, even though we’re going to experiment with some commercial ships.” 

Annibale said that the rank for a LAW commanding officer is under discussion, floating the option of an O-4 lieutenant commander as a skipper and the nine-LAW squadron under an O-5 commander. 

SAN DIEGO — U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command established Naval Special Warfare Assessment Command (NSWAC) under the Naval Special Warfare Center during an Aug. 18 ceremony onboard Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Alex Perlman in an Aug. 19 release. 

NSWAC substantively transforms the Navy’s commando force in its ability to compete for talent capable of solving the hardest problems from the maritime domain. It proactively engages diversity in all forms and enrolls future candidates who possess the Force’s standards and ethos. This new command accelerates the ways the Force continuously assesses and selects for the character, cognitive and leadership attributes necessary for the highest complexity and risk maritime operations mission to expand national leverage and deterrence options- and win if deterrence fails. 

During the ceremony, Cmdr. Aaron Brown, a Navy Special Warfare Officer, assumed command. Rear Adm. H.W. Howard, III, commander, U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command, was the presiding officer of the establishment ceremony. 
 
“Across the spectrum of warfare, the United States and its allies face new challenges and threats. The complexity of the strategic and operating environments demand we evolve quickly and creatively,” said Howard. “We’re aggressively seeking an edge in human capital and technology to expand the margins between mission success and failure. The Assessment Command is at the forefront of our urgent initiatives to deliver the step changes in capability and professionalism across the Force. Modernizing approaches to recruitment, assessment, selection and training underpin our transformations to be ready for the uncertainties ahead.” 
 
Attendees for the event included commander, Special Operations Command, Gen. Richard Clarke; Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Bill Lescher; Chief of Naval Personnel, Vice Adm. Richard Cheeseman; Deputy Commander, Navy Education and Training Command, Rear Adm. Scott Ruston; Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, Rear Adm. Alexis Walker; and the incoming commander of U. S. Naval Special Warfare Command, Rear Adm. Keith Davids. 
 
According to Howard, Naval Special Warfare initiated this effort in the Fall of 2020 to build the sustainable architecture for diversified outreach, more rigorous pre-assessments for character, cognitive and leadership attributes across the Assessment and Selection pathway and implement the innovative initiatives that strengthen continuous assessment across the continuum of a Naval Special Warfare. 
 
Howard also noted how the Assessment Command conducts outreach and enrollment opportunities across the United States to proactively engage under-represented demographics and geographic areas in the Force. 
 
“The Assessment Command will identify, engage and enroll the next generation of candidates we need to solve the hardest problems from – on – and under the sea,” said Howard. In partnership with CNRC, the Assessment Command will lead candidate assessment programs that deepen our Force’s diversity and capabilities.” 
 
According to Capt. Brian Dreschler, commanding officer, NSWCEN, over the past year as the team deliberately iterated to build this new command, the team conducted 60 outreach events partnered with local Navy Talent and Acquisition Groups (NTAGs). More than half of the outreach events were specifically focused on increasing Force diversity and inclusivity, with under-represented demographics. 
 
“The Assessment Command is a mission imperative for the Force’s relevance, survivability and lethality to contribute in irregular ways to Integrated Deterrence options,” said Capt. Brian Dreschler, the commanding officer of NSWCEN. “Not only are we adapting the way we assess and select our potential candidates, but we are also evolving the assessment and selection of our leadership, officer and enlisted, at all levels of command. The Assessment Command is also charged with learning from the Joint Force, allies and partners, and from private sector innovations to reinforce our culture of continuous assessment – the candid assessments for feedback, self-improvement and optimal leadership and team formation decisions.” 
 
One of NSWAC’s assessment programs is Naval Special Warfare Leader Assessment Program (NLAP). Enhancing NSW’s culture of continuous assessment, NLAP evaluates and selects NSW operators at every level. During NLAP, operators participate in purpose-filled events to select for officer and enlisted career milestones. Through feedback from peers, leaders, and subordinates, NLAP assesses an operator’s leadership, character, physical and mental attributes. According to Brown, this program ensures NSW places the right leaders in the right assignments, while offering critical professional development to guide the force into the future. 
 
“I’m humbled to assume command of this mission imperative,” said Brown. “With this high-performing team of professionals, we will strengthen the precision of candidate identification, assessment, selection, enrollment, training and development.” 
 
NSWAC is headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in Coronado, California with a detachment in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Alongside Basic Training Command and Advanced Training Command, NSWAC will be a subordinate command to NSWCEN. 
 
“With the establishment of the Assessment Command, Howard said, we are in position to compete for talent and more rigorously assess, select, train and retain men and women who embody the courage, integrity, humility, creativity, team-ability, creativity and grit that expand competitive edge to remain the Nation’s preeminent maritime special operations force.” 
 
NSWCEN provides initial assessment and selection and subsequent advanced training to the Sailors who make up the Navy’s SEAL and Special Boat operational formations. The Naval Special Warfare mission is to provide maritime special operations forces to conduct full-spectrum operations, unilaterally or with partners, to support national objectives. For more information on the NSW assessment, selection and training pathways, visit https://www.sealswcc.com/. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — Construction of the U.S. Navy’s next-generation guided-missile frigate (FFG) is to take begin later this month, a Navy admiral said. 

“[Regarding] the FFG 62 Constellation class, we’re going to start bending metal later this month,” said Rear Adm. Fred Pyle, director, Surface Warfare Division in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, speaking Aug. 18 at the Surface Navy Association’s Waterfront 2022 West Coast symposium. “That’s a success story. This frigate is going to bring DDG-like capability. We need to build small surface combatants in numbers [and] get this fighting frigate to sea. So, we’re excited about the Constellation-class frigate.” 

Three Constellation-class FFGs—Constellation (FFG 62), Congress (FFG 63), and Chesapeake (FFG 64) currently are on order. In June, the Navy exercised a contract option to order to build FFG 64 from Wisconsin-based Fincantieri Marinette Marine, the ship’s builder.  

The Marinette Marine shipyard is currently working on the detailed design for the future USS Constellation.  

The Navy has a requirement for 20 frigates. Marinette Marine is now under contract for the first three FFGs with options for seven more.  

The Constellation class FFG is based largely on the Italian FREMM frigate, but with a longer hull and features modified to meet U.S. Navy standards on reliability, survivability, maintainability, habitability and lethality. The 496-foot-long steel ship will displace 7,300 tons and have a beam of 64.6 feet and a draft of 18 feet. It will be powered by a combination diesel electric and gas turbine propulsion system. 

The FFG will feature a Mk41 Vertical Launching System, canister-launched Naval Strike Missiles, Mk110 57 mm gun, RAM Mk49 launcher, CAPTAS-4 variable-depth sonar, TB-37 Multi-Function Towed Array, SQQ-89(V)16 undersea combat system, SLQ-25E Nixie, SLQ-32(V)6 SEWIP Block 2, SPY-6(V)3 FFG Radar, Aegis Baseline 10 combat system, one MH-60R helicopter, one MQ-8C, and two 7-meter rigid-hull inflatable boats. Delivery of Constellation is anticipated for 2026.

CHENNAI, INDIA — Military Sealift Command’s (MSC’s) Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10) conducted maintenance at Larsen & Toubro Ltd, commonly known as L&T shipyard, in Kattupalli near Chennai, India, Aug. 7-17, MSC Far East Public Affairs Spokeswoman said in a release. 
 
“India’s initiative to offer logistics, repairs, and refits to the U.S. ships assumes special significance in furthering the strategic partnership between India and the United States, thereby promoting harmony in South Asia under the Indo-Pacific initiative,” said Dr. Ajay Kumar, defense secretary of India. 
 
Both Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed their intent to conduct maintenance in India during the U.S.-India 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in April. 
 
“This inaugural repair of a United States naval ship, the Charles Drew, conducted by the L&T Kattupalli shipyard, is a landmark development to be celebrated as a symbol of our strengthened U.S.-India partnership,” said Judith Ravin, U.S. Consul General in Chennai. 
 
“Today marks another step forward in Indian and American maritime cooperation. Our shipping industries positively contribute to a free and open Indo-Pacific by partnering to deliver effective, efficient, and economical repair of military vessels We look forward to seeing the outcomes of this endeavor and where our partnership may go in the future,” said Defense Attaché at the U.S. Embassy at New Delhi Rear Adm. Michael Baker, when the ship first arrived in India. 
 
Routine maintenance conducted aboard Charles Drew in India included repairs to safety and crew habitability systems and equipment. 
 
“We appreciated the opportunity to complete this maintenance in India which will ensure we are ready for any tasking,” said Charles Drew’s Third Officer Anna Lewis, who serves as the ship’s navigator and operations officer. 
 
Charles Drew is one of the many ships that are part of the U.S. Navy’s MSC’s Combat Logistics Force (CLF). CLF are the supply lines to U.S. Navy ships while at sea. These ships provide virtually everything Navy ships need including fuel, food, fleet ordnance, dry cargo, spare parts, mail, and other supplies. 
 
CLF ships enable the Navy fleet to remain at sea and combat ready for extended periods of time. In addition to U.S. Navy ships, CLF ships also resupply international partners and allies operating in the Indo-Pacific Region. 
 
MSC Far East ensures approximately 50 ships in the Indo-Pacific Region are manned, trained, and equipped to deliver essential supplies, fuel, cargo, and equipment to warfighters, both at sea and on shore. Under Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet and routinely interacts and operates with 35 maritime nations in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific Region. 

NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain — The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) arrived in its new homeport, Naval Station Rota, Spain, as the U.S. Navy’s last Forward Deployed Naval Forces–Europe (FDNF-E) destroyer scheduled to shift its homeport to Rota, Spain, Aug. 17, 2022, the ship’s public affairs office said in a release. 

Prior to arriving in Rota, Bulkeley visited Las Palmas, Spain, for a scheduled port visit. The visit marked Bulkeley’s arrival in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) area of operations and is the first port stop since the ship departed Naval Station Norfolk, Aug. 4, as part of the U.S. Navy’s long-range plan to rotate the Rota-based destroyers of the Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E) force. 

“I could not be more proud of the crew,” said Cmdr. Arturo Trejo, Bulkeley’s executive officer. “The massive effort it takes to conduct a homeport shift is a representation of the hard work and brilliance everyday Americans and our allies do on a daily basis.” 

Arriving in a new homeport also brings unique opportunities to the Bulkeley crew. 

“The crew of Bulkeley is happy to arrive in our new home, and we are looking forward to a continued partnership with our host nation, Spain, as well as continuing to foster the strong relationship with our NATO allies,” said the ship’s Command Master Chief Jeremiah Hoyt. “We’ll have a few days to settle in, but we are ready to get back out and operate in the most dynamic environment in the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet.” 

Earlier this year, USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117), another FDNF-E ship, shifted its homeport to Rota, Spain. With Paul Ignatius and Bulkeley’s arrival, fellow destroyers USS Porter (DDG 78) and USS Ross (DDG 71) will conclude their time stationed in Rota, heading back to the continental United States for their own home port shifts later this fall. These shifts mark the final scheduled homeport shifts in the long-planned FDNF-E rotation. These FDNF-E ships have the flexibility to operate throughout the waters of Europe and Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arctic Circle, demonstrating their mastery of the maritime domain. 

“The Wolfpack aboard USS Bulkeley is excited to finally be joining our allies as part of Forward Deployed Naval Forces – Europe,” said Capt. Mac Harkin, Bulkeley’s commanding officer. “We are grateful to our Spanish partners for welcoming us to Rota.” 

Bulkeley will operate under Commander, Task Force 65 and Destroyer Squadron 60 in support of NATO’s Integrated Air Missile Defense architecture. These FDNF-E ships have the flexibility to operate throughout the waters of Europe and Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arctic Circle, demonstrating their mastery of the maritime domain. 

Commissioned on Dec. 8, 2001, the ship is named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Rear Adm. John Duncan Bulkeley, whose 55 years of naval service included action in both the Pacific and Atlantic theaters during World War II and the Korean War. Bulkeley was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions as commander of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3 in Philippine waters from December 7, 1941, to April 10, 1942. He died on April 6, 1996, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

CORPUS CHRISTI — On Aug. 16 at approximately 12:00 p.m. CDT, a U.S. Navy T-45C Goshawk jet trainer aircraft assigned to Training Air Wing 2 at Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, crashed on approach to NAS Kingsville, the Chief of Naval Air Training Public Affairs Office said in a release.  

One instructor pilot was aboard and ejected from the aircraft. The pilot has been transported to Christus Spohn Hospital-Kleberg for further evaluation.  

The aircraft impacted an empty field on Navy property just north of the airfield. NAS Kingsville Emergency Services and Kingsville Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. No civilians were harmed in this incident.  

The pilot was conducting a routine training flight that originated at NAS Kingsville. The incident is under investigation. 

This loss is the first for a T-45 this calendar year. Three were lost in 2021.

WASHINGTON — The keel for the future USS Jeremiah Denton (DDG 129), a Flight III Arleigh-Burke class destroyer was ceremonially laid at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division, August 16, Team Ships Public Affairs said in a release. 

The ship is named for former Senator Jeremiah Denton, Jr., a Vietnam War veteran who was awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism as a prisoner of war. Following his Navy career, he was elected to the U.S. Senate representing his home state of Alabama in 1980. 

The contemporary keel laying ceremony represents the joining together of a ship’s modular components at the land level. The keel is authenticated with the ship sponsors’ initials etched into a ceremonial keel plate as part of the ceremony. Co-sponsors of DDG 129 are the daughters of the namesake, Madeline Denton Doak and Mary Denton Lewis. 

“We are honored to build a ship named for the late Senator Denton and to have his family present to celebrate this important milestone on the path to delivering another Flight III destroyer to the Fleet,” said Capt. Seth Miller, DDG 51 class program manager, Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships. “The USS Jeremiah Denton is the Navy’s next great warship, which will provide power projection with the latest advanced combat capability.” 

The DDG 51 Flight III upgrade is centered on the AN/SPY-6(V)1 Air and Missile Defense Radar and incorporates upgrades to the electrical power and cooling capacity plus additional associated changes to provide greatly enhanced warfighting capability to the fleet. Flight III is the latest Flight upgrade in the more than 30-year history of the class, building on the proud legacy of Flight I, II and IIA ships before it. 

HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding is also in production on the future USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123), the future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), the future USS Ted Stevens (DDG 128) and the future USS George M. Neal (DDG 131).

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Defense Department has increased the ceiling for its contract for Lot 15 Joint Strike Fighters to 129, the department said in an Aug. 12 release.  

The Naval Air Systems Command awarded Lockheed Martin a not-to-exceed $7.63 billion firm-fixed-price, fixed-price incentive (firm target), un-definitized modification to a previously awarded advanced acquisition contract, the Defense Department said in the release. The modification increases the contract ceiling to procure 129 F-35s. 

Of the 129 F-35s, the total includes three F-35Bs and 10 F-35Cs for the U.S. Marine Corps and 10 F-35Cs for the U.S. Navy. The numbers notionally will enable the Navy and Marine Corps each to add one F-35C squadron to its force structure. 

The total also includes 49 F-35As for the U.S. Air Force; 32 F-35As and four F-35Bs for non-U.S. program partners; and 16 F-35As for Foreign Military Sales customers. The contract also includes 69 shipsets of hardware.   

The Navy currently has two F-35C fleet squadrons on strength, while the Marine Corps has one. The Corps also fields five fleet F-35B squadrons. 

Work on the contract is expected to be completed in October 2024. 

GROTON, Conn. — General Dynamics Electric Boat, a business unit of General Dynamics, was awarded a modification of the previously awarded U.S. Navy contract for engineering, technical, design and planning yard support for operational strategic and attack submarines, the company announced in an Aug. 12 release. 

The contract modification has a value of $236,182,606 million. Work will be performed in Groton, Connecticut; Kings Bay, Georgia; Bangor, Washington; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; North Kingston, Rhode Island; and Newport, Rhode Island, and is expected to be completed by September 2023.  

“The shipbuilders of Electric Boat are proud to continue our role providing lifecycle maintenance and modernization support to the U.S. Navy’s operational submarine fleet in keeping with our mission to provide sailors with the advantage that helps protect our nation,” said Kevin Graney, president of General Dynamics Electric Boat.  

General Dynamics Electric Boat designs, builds, repairs and modernizes nuclear submarines for the U.S. Navy. Headquartered in Groton, Connecticut, the company employs approximately 18,000 people. 

ARLINGTON, Va. — A web of connecting sensors and buoys for conducting ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) in the maritime environment. Specialized GPS that can monitor fishing routes and pinpoint suspicious activity that might reveal the presence of drug smugglers. 

These were just two of the ideas presented by recent U.S. Naval Academy graduates during a “design thinking” event aimed at addressing a major challenge facing the Joint Interagency Task Force-South (JIATF-S) — limited resources to cover a huge area of operations to counter narcotics smuggling into the U.S.,” said Warren Duffie Jr., Office of Naval Research, in a release. 

The Academy event — which lasted from Aug. 2-5 and culminated in presentations to Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Lorin Selby and other stakeholders — was a partnership between the Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored SCOUT initiative, JIATF-S and multiple warfare centers. 

“My job is to train people to think differently and challenge the current system,” said Selby, “and this generation is the one that will change things. We’re trying to change the conversation and talk openly about challenges, obstacles and opportunities to learn and improve.” 

The event was spearheaded by SCOUT, an ongoing, multiagency experimentation campaign that rapidly brings solutions to warfighter challenges. SCOUT is committed to getting nontraditional, commercial-off-the-shelf, government-developed and/or government-sponsored technologies to the fleet rapidly. 

Currently, SCOUT is helping JIATF-S, which works with U.S. Southern Command and partner naval forces to leverage all-domain technologies and unmanned capabilities to target, detect and monitor illicit drug trafficking in the air and maritime domains. This facilitates interdiction and apprehension to reduce the flow of drugs, as well as degrade and dismantle transnational criminal organizations. 

“We wanted to get fresh minds and perspectives to study the warfighting problems faced by JIATF-S,” said Dan Cabel, who heads up SCOUT. “What better minds than those at the Naval Academy, who will surely bring creative thinking and viewpoints to real-world challenges?” 

During the Academy event, the graduates divided into two teams and listened to JIATF-S operators and subject matter experts describe challenges and needs unique to their mission. From there, they grouped these issues into themes that would serve as the basis for generating ideas. Afterward, they held a Shark Tank-style round robin to pitch ideas and select the best four for final presentation. 

In addition to the ideas about connecting sensors and buoys and specialized GPS, other concepts included using artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict where drug runners might operate — as well as improve data gathering for asset allocation and case management. 

“An event like this is fantastic for exposing these Academy graduates, who are now newly minted Navy and Marine Corps officers, to operational issues and challenges they will face when leading our warfighters,” said Lt. Cmdr. Allison Mabrey, lead facilitator of the event.  “We can’t wait to see them bring their innovative ideas and skills to use in the fleet.” 

Next steps involve SCOUT and JIATF-S reviewing the four presentations and determining which aspects could be incorporated into experimentation exercises. The Academy graduates will be part of this implementation process. 

“This has been a fantastic experience,” said Ens. Skyler Schork, one of the presenters. “It’s not often that someone fresh out of the Academy gets to brief a two-star admiral. It’s inspiring to know that naval leadership is interested in the ideas and viewpoints of an ensign.”  

The Academy event was part of the larger SCOUT Experimentation Campaign, which will leverage the Naval Research and Development Establishment communities, capabilities and enterprise tools to solve warfighter-driven problems. The goal of SCOUT is a series of innovation sprint events, exercises and experimentations to encourage learning and innovation, in order to rapidly develop technologies and techniques to improve warfighting capability—and assist in quicker leadership decision-making. These events will ultimately culminate in a large-scale demonstration early next year.