Vice Adm. Bill Merz

Navy Shifts COVID-19 Strategy on Ships To Adhere to CDC Guidance as Omicron Variant Surges

Hull Maintenance Technician 1st Class Jenny Wilkinson, from Mt. Upton, N.Y., assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG-105), simulates a class alpha fire during an in-port emergency team (IET) drill while underway in the South China Sea on Jan. 15, 2022. US Navy Photo

New naval guidance for operating under COVID-19 will include shorter isolation periods for those with the virus, as the Navy moves to a fully vaccinated fleet.

The new standard operating guidance,...

https://news.usni.org/2022/01/26/navy-shifts-covid-19-strategy-on-ships-to-adhere-to-cdc-guidance-as-omicron-variant-surges

VIDEO: Thomas Takes Command of U.S. 7th Fleet, Merz Heading to Pentagon

Vice Adm. Karl Thomas relieves Vice Adm. Bill Merz of command during the 7th Fleet change of command ceremony at Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, on July 8, 2021. US NAvy Photo

Vice Adm. Karl Thomas has taken command of the Navy’s Japan-based U.S. 7th Fleet.

In a change of command ceremony held on Thursday morning local time in Yokosuka, Japan, Vice Adm. Bill Merz turned over his command to Thomas.

“It’s great to return to Japan and lead our forward-leaning sailors and task forces to integrate...

https://news.usni.org/2021/07/08/video-thomas-takes-command-of-u-s-7th-fleet-merz-heading-to-pentagon

Navy Tries to Cut Four Littoral Combat Ships to Save $186M in FY 22 Budget

The crew of USS Little Rock (LCS-9) man the rails during the ship’s commissioning ceremony Dec. 16, 2017 in Buffalo, N.Y. US Navy Photo

The Navy wants to cut four Littoral Combat Ships from the fleet as part of a cost-saving measure that will net the service $186 million, according to the service’s latest budget request.

The request to cull the ships from the battle force inventory comes despite criticism from Congress over last year’s proposal to retire the first four Littoral Combat Ships early.

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/28/navy-tries-to-cut-four-littoral-combat-ships-to-save-186m-in-fy-22-budget

New U.S. 7th Fleet Commander Takes Charge

Vice Adm. Bill Merz delivers remarks to the audience during the change of command ceremony for Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet at the Fleet Theater on board Yokosuka Naval Base on Sept. 12, 2019. US Navy Photo

Vice Adm. Bill Merz formally took command of U.S. 7thFleet on Thursday in a ceremony in Yokosuka, Japan.

Merz, formerly the deputy chief of naval operations for warfare systems (OPNAV N9), relieved Vice Adm. Phil Sawyer. Sawyer had led 7th Fleet since shortly after 17 sailors died in a pair of...

https://news.usni.org/2019/09/12/new-7th-fleet-commander-takes-charge

Merz: Navy Nearly Out of Readiness Pit; Future Budgets Will Balance Readiness, Size, Capability

Vice Adm. William Merz, middle, deputy chief of naval operations for warfare systems, is greeted by Capt. John Cummings, right, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), after being rung aboard for an official visit on April 22, 2019. US Navy photo.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Navy believes it is almost out of the readiness hole it found itself in over the last few years, and budget requests going forward will be marked by an attempt to balance readiness, capability and...

https://news.usni.org/2019/05/15/merz-navy-nearly-out-of-readiness-pit-future-budgets-will-balance-readiness-size-capability

Next Chief of Naval Operations Will Lead a Navy Facing Readiness, Personnel, Technology Challenges

Adm. Bill Moran, the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, speaks with sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73). US Navy Photo

When Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson took charge of the Navy in 2015, the service was still largely a support element for the larger U.S. effort in the Middle East. When Richardson leaves this summer, his successor will be at the helm of a service that is being grown and reshaped into a key role for the U.S. military’s...

https://news.usni.org/2019/04/29/next-chief-of-naval-operations-will-lead-a-navy-facing-readiness-personnel-technology-challenges

New Defense Strategy, Commitment to Readiness Drove Major Shifts in Navy Budget

Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group participates in a strait exercise in the Atlantic Ocean on April 7, 2019. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – The Navy’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget request includes tectonic shifts in how the Navy does business – swapping a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier for unmanned surface vehicles and other technologies – and it comes even as the service is reevaluating what sized fleet and what mix of ships the Navy needs to meet future challenges.

Though a force structure assessment...

https://news.usni.org/2019/04/09/new-defense-strategy-commitment-to-readiness-drove-major-shifts-in-navy-budget

Navy Sees No Easy Answer to Balance Future Surface Fleet

USS Spruance (DDG-111) and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG-53) line up in a formation prior to a replenishment-at-sea with the USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO-199) on March 12, 2019. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – Based on the Navy’s current vision of its future fleet, the service will be too top-heavy in the coming years, having more large combatants than it says it needs and not enough small combatants. But many attractive options exist today to add lethal capabilities to...

https://news.usni.org/2019/04/08/navy-sees-no-easy-answer-balance-future-surface-fleet

Navy Betting Big on Unmanned Warships Defining Future of the Fleet

Medium displacement unmanned surface vehicle (MDUSV) prototype Sea Hunter is moored onboard Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – The Navy has more questions than answers on how it will use unmanned warships in the future, but it knows now is the time to get unmanned surface vehicles into the water and start learning, the Navy’s top requirements officer told USNI News.

The service is so sure that it needs USVs for its future operations that it is pouring $2.7...

https://news.usni.org/2019/04/08/navy-betting-big-on-unmanned-warships-defining-future-of-the-fleet

After Hearings, Lawmakers Call Truman Carrier Retirement Plan ‘Ridiculous’

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) transits the Atlantic Ocean on Dec. 12, 2018. US Navy photo.

CAPITOL HILL – Lawmakers told industry representatives today that, if it wasn’t already clear from their hearings with Pentagon and Navy leadership this week, they had no intention of letting the Defense Department shed an aircraft carrier instead of refuel it.

“I think that’s’ a ridiculous idea,” Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), a retired Navy commander and current representative...

https://news.usni.org/2019/03/28/after-navy-hearings-lawmakers-still-call-truman-carrier-retirement-plan-ridiculous

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