Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

First Flight III Destroyer Jack H. Lucas Completes Acceptance Trials, Delivery Imminent

Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) underway in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2023. HII Photo

The first Flight III Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer completed its final acceptance trails ahead of delivery and commissioning into the service later this year, Naval Sea Systems Command said on Friday.

Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) returned to Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., on Thursday after several days of trials in the Gulf of Mexico. Now cleared to enter service, the destroyer is expected to...

https://news.usni.org/2023/05/19/first-flight-iii-destroyer-jack-h-lucas-completes-acceptance-trials-delivery-imminent

Bath Iron Works Lays Keel for Shipyard’s First Flight III Destroyer

The May 16, 2023 keel laying for the future USS Louis H. Wilson, Jr. (DDG-126). BIW Photo

General Dynamics Bath Iron Works laid the first keel of its Flight III Arleigh-Burke guided-missile destroyer, the company announced.

The future USS Lewis H. Wilson (DDG-126) is named after Medal of Honor recipient Marine Corps Gen. Louis H. Wilson, Jr. The ship will be the first Flight III destroyer to be built by the Maine shipyard. The future USS Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125), built by Ingalls Shipping, is the f...

https://news.usni.org/2023/05/16/bath-iron-works-lays-keel-for-shipyards-first-flight-iii-destroyer

VIDEO: Navy Commissions Destroyer USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee in Key West

USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) sits at Naval Air Station Key West’s Truman Harbor on May 8, 2023. US Navy Photo

One of the last of the Navy’s Flight IIA Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyers was commissioned in a ceremony on Saturday.

USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG-123) formally entered the fleet during a ceremony in Key West, Fla.

Higbee was the second superintendent of the Navy Nurse Corps during World War I and the influenza pandemic, according to a 2017 piece in Naval History Magazine....

https://news.usni.org/2023/05/14/video-navy-commissions-destroyer-uss-lenah-sutcliffe-higbee-in-key-west

Fiscal Year 2024 Department of the Navy Budget Materials

The following are the Department of the Navy Fiscal Year 2024 budget summary materials released this week.

From the report

America is a maritime nation. American naval primacy is essential to meeting the challenges we face today. The seas are the lifeblood of our economy, our national security, and our way of life. With 90 percent of global commerce traveling by sea, the Department of the Navy safeguards the world’s economy from hostile nations and organizations that threaten international...

https://news.usni.org/2023/03/16/fiscal-year-2024-department-of-the-navy-budget-materials

Top Stories 2022: U.S. Navy Acquisition

The future USS Oregon (SSN-788) pierside at General Dynamics Electric Boat on Feb. 28, 2022. USNI News Photo

This post is part of a series looking back at the top naval stories from 2022.

This year saw the U.S. Navy moving down an acquisition path with more certainty than in 2021.

With the Biden administration embarking on its second budget cycle, the U.S. Navy released its first long-range shipbuilding plan in several years, providing more clarity to the industrial base on where the service is...

Congressional Appropriators Reach $1.7T Omnibus Deal; Defense Bill Funds 11 Battle Force Ships

Moon over U.S. Capitol on Nov. 13, 2016. NASA Photo

Congressional appropriators early Tuesday announced a deal for a $1.7 trillion omnibus spending package for Fiscal Year 2023 that allots funding for the Navy to buy 11 battle force ships.
The omnibus package allots $858 billion for national defense, matching the FY 2023 authorization bill. It’s a $45 billion increase from the $813 billion the Biden administration sought for national defense in its FY 2023 budget mission.

The defense spending...

https://news.usni.org/2022/12/20/congressional-appropriators-reach-1-7t-omnibus-deal-defense-bill-funds-11-battle-force-ships

Flight III Arleigh Burke Destroyer Jack H. Lucas Underway for the First Time

Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) underway in the Gulf of Mexico underway during builders trials. HII Photo

The first Flight III Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyer was underway for the first-time last week for builder’s trials in the Gulf of Mexico, Naval Sea Systems Command announced on Monday.

Jack H. Lucas (DDG-25) left Ingalls Shipbuilding on Dec. 12 for three days of sea trials before returning to the Mississippi shipyard on Thursday, according to NAVSEA.

“We are all very happy with how DDG-125...

https://news.usni.org/2022/12/19/flight-iii-arleigh-burke-destroyer-jack-h-lucas-underway-for-the-first-time

President Biden Signs Continuing Resolution; Senate Passes NDAA Fiscal Year 2023

Marine One lands on the White House lawn in 2021. White House Photo

President Joe Biden on Friday signed a stopgap bill that will keep the government funded for another week while lawmakers work on a final spending framework.

The continuing resolution, the second one for Fiscal Year 2023, keeps the government funded through Dec. 23. The first CR was set to expire tonight.

The Senate passed the measure on Thursday following the House’s passage on Wednesday.

Under a CR, the Defense Department cannot...

https://news.usni.org/2022/12/16/president-biden-signs-continuing-resolution-senate-passes-ndaa-fiscal-year-2023

House Passes FY 2023 NDAA That Authorizes $858B for National Defense

Moon over U.S. Capitol on Nov. 13, 2016. NASA Photo

The House, on Thursday, passed the compromise Fiscal Year 2023 defense policy bill that authorizes $858 billion for national defense.
In a 350 to 80 vote, lawmakers authorized legislation that approves $32.6 billion for the Navy to buy 11 battle force ships, an increase from the nine battle force ships the service sought in its original budget request.

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, praised the...

https://news.usni.org/2022/12/08/house-passes-fy-2023-ndaa-that-authorizes-858b-for-national-defense

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