Vice Adm. Jim Kilby

Biden Announces Nominations for New N9, Naval Surface Forces

Rear Admiral Brendan McLane, Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic is piped aboard during a retirement ceremony for Captain Zoah Scheneman on Aug. 12, 2022. U.S. Navy Photo

President Joe Biden has nominated the next deputy chief of naval operations for warfighting requirements and capabilities, the commander of Naval Surface Forces and the deputy commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, the Pentagon announced Monday.

Biden nominated Rear Adm. James Pitts to serve as the deputy chief of naval...

https://news.usni.org/2023/04/24/biden-announces-nominations-for-new-n9-naval-surface-forces

Navy’s Force Design 2045 Plans for 373 Ship Fleet, 150 Unmanned Vessels

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) sails alongside amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli (LHA-7) during a photo exercise for Valiant Shield 2022 on June 12, 2022. US Navy Photo

The latest plan to design a future force calls for a fleet of 373 manned ships, buttressed by about 150 unmanned surface and underwater vehicles by 2045, according to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday’s update to his Navigation Plan for the Navy.

“In the 2040s and beyond, we envision this hybrid fleet to require more...

https://news.usni.org/2022/07/26/navys-force-design-2045-plans-for-373-ship-fleet-150-unmanned-vessels

Navy Clear to Decommission 5 Cruisers, Unclear Which Ships Will Leave the Fleet

Five cruisers that could be targets for decommissioning this year, according to the Navy’s latest inactivation plan.

The Navy is clear to decommission five Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers following the passage of the Fiscal Year 2022 defense appropriations bill, USNI News understands.

The overdue spending bill follows the FY 2022 defense policy bill and allows the Navy to decommission five of the seven cruisers originally requested as part of the White House’s budget request.

Congress...

https://news.usni.org/2022/03/23/navy-clear-to-decommission-5-cruisers-unclear-which-ships-will-leave-the-fleet

Large Scale Exercise 2021 Tests How Navy, Marines Could Fight a Future Global Battle

Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlos Jaimez, left, and Fire Controlman 2nd Class Hector Wimmer control a close-in weapons system during a tracking-and-firing exercise aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) on Aug. 8, 2021. US Navy Photo

ABOARD GUIDED MISSILE CRUISER USS SAN JACINTO – The Navy and Marine Corps have bet big that they have locked into a workable vision on how they’ll fight in the future, kicking off a massive exercise last week to prove their concepts.

The...

https://news.usni.org/2021/08/09/large-scale-exercise-2021-tests-how-navy-marines-could-fight-a-future-global-battle

CNO Gilday Says With Current Budget, Cutting Ships Necessary for Navy Long-term

USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) transits the Indian Ocean during a surface target exercise on March 12, 2021. US Navy Photo

As Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday prepares for a battle with lawmakers over a divisive plan to strike more than a dozen vessels from the fleet, the service’s top officer said Tuesday that he’s using the investments to prepare for the fleet emerging in 2025.

That’s when the Navy will be on the cusp of receiving several new additions to bolster the service, Gilday said...

https://news.usni.org/2021/07/20/cno-gilday-says-with-current-budget-cutting-ships-necessary-for-navy-long-term

White House Nominates Next U.S. Fleet Forces Commander, Deputy

Vice Admiral Daryl Caudle (left), Vice Vice Admiral James Kilby (right)

The current commander of the Navy’s Atlantic submarine force and the current head of the service’s requirements office have been nominated to lead U.S. Fleet Forces Command, the Pentagon announced on Thursday.

Vice Adm. Daryl Caudle is up for a promotion to four-star admiral and will head to the Hampton Roads, Va.-based command. Caudle has lead Naval Submarine Forces and U.S. Atlantic Fleet since November of 2019. Vice Adm....

https://news.usni.org/2021/07/15/white-house-nominates-next-u-s-fleet-forces-commander-deputy

Navy Outlines Planning, Execution Failures in Cruiser Modernization Program

Guided-missile cruiser USS Hué City (CG-66) was inducted into the Cruiser Modernization program on Oct. 3, 2019. US Navy Photo

The Navy’s push to retire seven guided-missile cruisers stems from management and planning in its original modernization program that caused exorbitant cost growth, according to service officials.

Navy officials have repeatedly cited cost as a reason for the proposed decommissionings, arguing that the service could put the money toward other modernization priorities...

https://news.usni.org/2021/07/08/navy-outlines-planning-execution-failures-in-cruiser-modernization-program

Lawmakers Probe Navy’s Plan to Decommission Cruisers, Navy Says Cuts Will Save $5B Across FYDP

USS Makin Island (LHD-8), back, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG-52) transit the South China Sea on April 9, 2021. US Navy Photo

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), the seapower panel’s ranking member, also voiced concerns over decommissioning the cruisers because of a potential capability gap. Each cruiser has 120 missile cells, meaning the seven ships have a total of 910 cells. Kilby confirmed to Wittman that a “large percentage” of the Navy’s surface fires comes from...

https://news.usni.org/2021/06/17/lawmakers-probe-navys-plan-to-decommission-cruisers-navy-says-cuts-will-save-5b-across-fydp

Report to Congress on Command and Control

The following is the April 8, 2021 Congressional Research Service In Focus report, Defense Primer: What Is Command and Control?

From the report

The Department of Defense (DOD) defines command and control (C2) as “[t]he exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned forces in the accomplishment of the mission.” At its most fundamental level, C2 represents how DOD makes operational decisions. One can view C2 through the context of five variables: who, what,...

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/13/report-to-congress-on-command-and-control

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