Richard V. Spencer

Kenneth Braithwaite Sworn in as Secretary of the Navy

Kenneth Braithwaite, U.S. ambassador to Norway, delivers remarks at a reception aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG-96), in Oslo, Norway on June 25, 2018. US Navy Photo

Kenneth Braithwaite was sworn in as the newest secretary of the Navy during a private ceremony today at the Pentagon, capping what has been a tumultuous six months for the department’s leadership.

The Senate confirmed Braithwaite last week after he offered members of the Senate Armed...

https://news.usni.org/2020/05/29/kenneth-braithwaite-sworn-in-as-secretary-of-the-navy

Braithwaite to SASC: Navy Department in ‘Troubled Waters’ Due to Leadership Lapses, ‘Tarnished’ Culture

Kenneth Braithwaite, U.S. ambassador to Norway, delivers remarks at a reception aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG-96), in Oslo, Norway on June 25, 2018. US Navy Photo

The nominee for secretary of the Navy position blamed nearly a decade’s worth of Navy problems on a “breakdown” in leadership and culture during a Thursday confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Kenneth Braithwaite told the committee in his prepared opening...

https://news.usni.org/2020/05/07/braithwaite-to-sasc-navy-department-in-troubled-waters-due-to-leadership-lapses-tarnished-culture

SECNAV Nominee Braithwaite Written Statements to SASC

The following are the written statements from Secretary of the Navy nominee Kenneth Braithwaite submitted to the Senate Armed Services Committee ahead of a May 7, 2020 hearing.

Oral Statement

Mr Chairman, Ranking Member Reed and Distinguished Members of the Committee,

July 8th 1980, was a typical hot humid day aboard the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. I stood
with just over 1000 of my Classmates to take the sacred oath of office that began like many of
You, a career of service to Our Nation…For 30...

https://news.usni.org/2020/05/07/secnav-nominee-braithwaite-written-statements-to-sasc

SASC Will Consider Braithwaite SECNAV Nomination in Thursday Hearing

Kenneth Braithwaite, the U.S. ambassador to Norway, arrives aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) Navy photo

Kenneth Braithwaite, currently the U.S. ambassador to Norway and President Donald Trump’s nominee to become Secretary of the Navy, is scheduled to appear at a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing on Thursday.

In November, Trump announced his intent to nominate Braithwaite, a 1984 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and retired rear admiral, to...

https://news.usni.org/2020/05/04/sasc-will-consider-braithwaite-secnav-nomination-in-thursday-hearing

Letter from Acting Secretary of Defense Richard V. Spencer to Pentagon

The following is the July 15, 2019 message to the Department of Defense from Acting Secretary of Defense Richard V. Spencer.

MEMORANDUM FOR ALL MILITARY PERSONNEL AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EMPLOYEES

SUBJECT: Assumption of Duties as Acting Secretary of Defense

Effective immediately, I have assumed the duties of Acting Secretary of Defense.

My service as Acting Secretary of Defense affords the U.S. Senate the opportunity to provide advice and consent on the President?s nominee to serve as the next...

https://news.usni.org/2019/07/15/letter-from-acting-secretary-of-defense-richard-v-spencer-to-pentagon

U.S. Aircraft Carrier Deployments at 25 Year Low as Navy Struggles to Reset Force

USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) transits the Pacific Ocean while underway in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations on Aug. 4, 2018. US Navy Photo

This post has been updated to include a statement from the Navy as well as an explanation of how USNI News tabulated its data.

THE PENTAGON – Aircraft carriers – the most visible tools of U.S. military power – are spending more time in maintenance and at home even as the Pentagon has declared it’s entered a new era of competition with China and Russia.

According...

https://news.usni.org/2018/09/26/aircraft-carrier-deployments-25-year-low

Austal USA, Lockheed Martin Awarded FY 2018 Littoral Combat Ship Hulls

Two Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships. US Navy Photo

Austal USA and Lockheed Martin were awarded contract modifications to build the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2018 batch of Littoral Combat Ships, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday.

“The three LCSs being awarded today are the future LCS-29, LCS-32 and LCS-34,” according to a Naval Sea Systems Command statement provided to USNI News on Tuesday.
“LCS 29 will be built at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wis. LCS-32 and LCS-34 will be built...

https://news.usni.org/2018/09/18/austal-usa-lockheed-martin-awarded-fy-2018-littoral-combat-ship-hulls