Rear Adm. James Downey

Ford Aircraft Carrier John F. Kennedy to Deliver a Year Late

In this aerial photograph, the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) sits at Pier 3 at Newport News Shipbuilding division. The ship is approximately 76 percent complete and is progressing through final outfitting and testing. Huntington Ingalls Industries photo.

The next Ford-class aircraft carrier will now deliver to the Navy in 2025, one year later than the service’s most recent projection, according to Fiscal Year 2024 budget documents released this week.

The Navy delayed future carrier J...

https://news.usni.org/2023/03/23/ford-aircraft-carrier-john-f-kennedy-to-deliver-a-year-late

White House Nominates New N7, Air Boss, NAVSEA Commander

(l to r) Vice Adm. Vice Adm. Daniel Dwyer, Rear Adm. Daniel Cheever, Rear Adm. James Downey. USNI News graphic

The White House has nominated the next admiral to oversee shipbuilding and repair, the next Air Boss and the next admiral in charge of naval education, the Department of Defense announced this week.

Rear Adm. Daniel Cheever was nominated for a third star and to command Naval Air Forces, as well as to lead Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. If confirmed by the Senate, Cheever is set to...

https://news.usni.org/2023/03/23/white-house-nominates-new-n7-air-boss-navsea-commander

HII Lays Keel of Future Aircraft Carrier USS Enterprise

An artist’s concept of the future carrier Enterprise (CVN-80). DoD Image

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – HII has laid the keel block of the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN-80) on Tuesday, USNI News has learned.

The seventh U.S. warship named after the Revolutionary War sloop, Enterprise formally began fabrication at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding yard in Virginia, Rear Adm. James Downey, the program executive officer for carriers, told USNI News on Tuesday.

The start of fabrication comes three weeks...

https://news.usni.org/2022/04/05/hii-lays-keel-of-future-aircraft-carrier-uss-enterprise

Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Wraps Up Maintenance Availability

Master-at-Arms Seaman Robert Rowe, from Lansing, Kansas, assigned to USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN-78) security department, stands transit watch during a sea and anchor evolution on the flight deck on Feb. 25, 2022. US Navy Photo

The lead ship in the Navy’s new class of aircraft carriers wrapped up a key maintenance availability and will soon start work-ups ahead of its first deployment.

USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN-78) six-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) at Huntington Ingalls Industries...

https://news.usni.org/2022/03/01/carrier-uss-gerald-r-ford-wraps-up-maintenance-availability

Navy Says Aircraft Carrier Supply Chain Improving; USS Gerald R. Ford to Deploy by Fall

Carriers USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) at Newport News Shipbuilding on Nov. 12, 2021. USNI News Photo

The Navy is confident in its supply chain and the availability of spare parts to build and sustain its aircraft carriers, as the lead ship in the Gerald R. Ford class gears up for its first deployment, two service officials said last week.

After taking parts from the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), the Navy is beginning to receive orders to replace those parts....

https://news.usni.org/2022/01/26/navy-says-aircraft-carrier-supply-chain-improving-uss-gerald-r-ford-to-deploy-by-fall

No Margin Left: Overworked Carrier Force Struggles to Maintain Deployments After Decades of Overuse

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) pier side in 2017. US Navy Photo

Navy aircraft carrier operations are up 40 percent this year over last year, even as the service has fewer available for tasking due to maintenance and acquisition challenges.

From January through Oct. 31, U.S. carriers had spent a combined total of 855 days at sea – 258 days more than all of 2019, according to a USNI News analysis of carrier deployments over the last five years.

That heavy carrier usage makes 2020 the busiest year for...

https://news.usni.org/2020/11/12/no-margin-left-overworked-carrier-force-struggles-to-maintain-deployments-after-decades-of-overuse

Navy Mulling Extending Service Lives of Nimitz-class Carriers

Sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) conduct a barricade drill on Oct. 28, 2019. US Navy Photo

The Navy is considering an extension of the service lives of the first few aircraft carriers in the Nimitz-class, the head of the service’s carrier program said on Thursday.

The Navy is assessing whether to delay decommissioning timelines for the first few ships in the Nimitz-class, Program Executive Officer for Carriers Rear Adm. James Downey said at a symposium hosted by the...

https://news.usni.org/2020/09/17/navy-mulling-extending-service-lives-of-nimitz-class-carriers