INSURV Inspections Found Lower Material Readiness on Surface Ships, Subs

Rear Adm. Chris Engdahl, President of the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV), and then Capt. Kyle Higgins, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), converse in the hangar bay aboard Ike in 2019. US Navy Photo

Navy ship readiness has trended down over the past three years, with many ship systems on surface ships and submarines, in particular, showing lower readiness scores in Fiscal Year 2020 compared to the recent average, according to the Board of...

https://news.usni.org/2021/03/03/insurv-inspections-found-lower-material-readiness-on-surface-ships-subs

Navy: Constellation Frigate, DDG(X) Programs Mark Start of ‘Surface Ship Renaissance’

Rendering of USS Constellation (FFG-62). Fincantieri Image

The Navy already has models of the Constellation-class frigate and the upcoming DDG(X) destroyer in the water at Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock in Maryland and is using a new set of engineering best practices to guide the development of both programs, several Navy officials explained last week.

The Fiscal Year 2020 defense bill ordered the Navy to create a senior technical authority for every ship class, who would be responsible...

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

PEO Ships Preparing to Usher in Several New Ship Classes

The guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) sails in the Arabian Sea. Bainbridge is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region. US Navy photo.

The Program Executive Office for Ships is bracing for a range of new ship classes to join the fleet in the coming years and is taking steps to ensure the requirements and acquisition communities, and the industrial base, are ready for all the new...

https://news.usni.org/2021/01/20/peo-ships-preparing-to-usher-in-several-new-ship-classes

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

CNO: Navy Will Have to Convince Biden Administration to Invest in Larger, Lethal Fleet

USS Sterett (DDG-104) steams through the night in the Gulf of Oman on Sept. 17, 2020. US Navy Photo

After it took the better part of nine months to convince Mark Esper’s Pentagon that the naval force needed greater investment to be ready to deter or defeat China and Russia – even if that investment came at the expense of the Army or the Air Force – the Navy and Marine Corps will have to start anew with the incoming Biden administration, the chief of naval operations said today.

The two sea...

https://news.usni.org/2020/12/03/cno-navy-will-have-to-convince-biden-administration-to-invest-in-larger-lethal-fleet

Navy Officials Reveal Details of New $100M Light Amphibious Warship Concept

Sea Transport Solutions Image

The Navy and Marine Corps are eyeing a 200- to 400-foot Light Amphibious Warship that would carry about 75 Marines, store as much as 8,000 square feet of kit and cost not much more than $100 million apiece, a naval official.

The official, speaking on background, said about six industry teams are working with the sea services after two industry days and industry studies over the summer, and that the services feel confident they’ll find a design that can meet their...

https://news.usni.org/2020/11/19/navy-officials-reveal-details-of-new-100m-light-amphibious-warship-concept

NAVSEA: Analysis of Ship Repair Processes Led to Better On-Time Rates, More Realistic Schedules

BAE Systems has received $170.7 million in contracts from the U.S. Navy to perform simultaneous maintenance and repair on two Arleigh Burke-class (DDG 51) guided-missile destroyers in its San Diego shipyard. Under the awarded contracts, the shipyard will tandem dry-dock the USS Stethem (DDG 63) and USS Decatur (DDG 73) in October. The synchronized two-ship docking will be a first for the company’s newest dry-dock in San Diego. The contracts include options that, if exercised, would bring the...

https://news.usni.org/2020/10/13/navsea-analysis-of-ship-repair-processes-led-to-better-on-time-rates-more-realistic-schedules

SECDEF Esper Calls for 500-Ship Fleet by 2045, With 3 SSNs a Year and Light Carriers Supplementing CVNs

The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group transits in formation with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group while conducting dual carrier and airwing operations in the Philippine Sea on June 23, 2020. US Navy Photo

Defense Secretary Mark Esper announced a new future fleet plan for the Navy that would grow the attack submarine force, supplement nuclear-powered aircraft carriers with light carriers to achieve greater day-to-day presence, and invest heavily in small and unmanned ships for distributed...

https://news.usni.org/2020/10/06/secdef-esper-calls-for-500-ship-fleet-by-2045-with-3-ssns-a-year-and-light-carriers-supplementing-cvns

Hudson Recommends 581 Ships, New Class of Corvette as Part of Input to Pentagon Fleet Plan

USS Sterett (DDG-104) steams through the night in the Gulf of Oman on Sept. 17, 2020. US Navy Photo

The first of three inputs to the Pentagon’s Future Naval Force Study was released this week, the Hudson Institute is calling for a future U.S. Navy fleet of 581 battle force ships through the addition of 80 corvettes, 99 unmanned surface vessels, 40 unmanned submarines and 27 new small amphibious ships

The Hudson Institute was asked to design a future fleet that adheres to today’s budget...

https://news.usni.org/2020/09/30/hudson-recommends-581-ships-new-class-of-corvette-as-part-of-input-to-pentagon-fleet-plan

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