LPD 17

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...

Ingalls Eyeing LPD Cost Reductions, Capability Increases As Future Fleet Design Evolves

USS Arlington (LPD-24) transits the Mediterranean Sea on Feb. 1, 2019. US Navy Photo

As the Navy looks to smaller and cheaper manned and unmanned ships to fill out its future fleet, a larger amphibious warship program is positioning itself to remain in shipbuilding plans by highlighting the ability to continue bringing costs down – including through a potential first-ever multi-ship buy – and adding capability.
The San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks (LPD-17) went from a troubled new...

https://news.usni.org/2021/01/21/ingalls-eyeing-lpd-cost-reductions-capability-increases-as-future-fleet-design-evolves

Marines, Navy Moving Quickly on Light Amphib, Anti-Ship Missiles to Create More Warfighting Options

Sea Transport Solutions Image

The Navy and Marine Corps are quickly seeking new ideas that allow Marines to support the Navy in sea control and other maritime missions, including the rapid acquisition of a light amphibious ship and a movement toward using Marine weapons while at sea.

Maj. Gen. Tracy King, the director of expeditionary warfare on the chief of naval operations’ staff (OPNAV N95), told USNI News during a Jan. 8 media call that the services are moving quickly to buy their first light...

https://news.usni.org/2021/01/11/marines-navy-moving-quickly-on-light-amphib-anti-ship-missiles-to-create-more-warfighting-options

Marines Look to Two New Ship Classes to Define Future of Amphibious Operations

Sea Transport Solutions Image

The Navy and Marine Corps are looking to quickly overhaul their Cold War-era way of moving Marines around, with the services already agreeing on the basic requirements for a new Light Amphibious Warship (LAW) and in the early phases of looking at a separate small amphibious ship class.

LAW would be among the biggest change to the amphibious force in decades. Marines typically deploy as a 2,200-strong Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard a three-ship Amphibious Ready...

https://news.usni.org/2020/06/08/marines-look-to-two-new-ship-classes-to-define-future-of-amphibious-operations

Marines, Navy Considering ‘Alternate’ Amphibs to Supplement Today’s Fleet

San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage (LPD-23) transits the Pacific Ocean during an amphibious squadron and Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) integration (PMINT) exercise on March 27, 2018. US Navy Photo

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Commandant’s Planning Guidance has sparked several questions about the future of the amphibious ship fleet – how many ships are needed, and what kinds of ships will have a role in the future – and while answers are still in development, the...

https://news.usni.org/2019/10/29/marines-navy-considering-alternate-amphibs-to-supplement-todays-fleet