Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Key Issues GPI timeline Project Convergence FTUAS cancellation
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- The Navy plans to procure the technical data package for a landing ship design from Dutch shipbuilding conglomerate Damen Naval, according to a Tuesday announcement that comes as the sea service recalibrates its requirements and procurement plans for the Landing Ship Medium program.
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- The Navy will pilot a new maintenance program for amphibious warships this year that will provide extended lead time for maintainers to plan and prepare for big-deck amphibious ship maintenance availabilities, senior officials said Monday at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space conference.
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- As the Navy faces spending pressure from the full-year continuing resolution and a Pentagon-wide budget review, it may look to retire or scale back spending on aging platforms like cruisers as it prioritizes personnel, munitions and capacity for shipbuilding and unmanned systems, the sea service's top officer said today.
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- United States shipbuilder HII have signed a memorandum of understanding with South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to "explore opportunities to collaborate on accelerating ship production" for both defense and commercial work, the companies announced today.
NATIONAL HARBOR, MD -- Defense companies General Atomics and Rafael are entering a partnership to produce a long-range, precision-guided strike missile to meet multiple United States military service requirements, the companies announced today at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space conference.
The first operational unit of a developing passive sensing and targeting system designed by L3Harris for use on Navy surface ships is expected to be installed aboard an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in 2027 and integrated with the vessel's Aegis Combat System, according to company executives.
United States shipbuilding is at risk under President Trump's tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, according to Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who is leading a bipartisan push in the Senate to end a 25% tariff levied on the majority of Canadian goods.
Congress may tighten amphibious warship readiness requirements in future authorization legislation to ensure vessels sidelined by extended maintenance problems are not designated “operational” by the Navy and counted toward the service’s legal requirement to maintain a minimum of 31 amphibious vessels, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) said yesterday.
Civilian Navy personnel involved in the design, construction and maintenance of the service's fleet have largely been spared from the sweeping federal layoffs being carried out by the Trump administration, two Navy officials told lawmakers today.
The Senate has confirmed financier John Phelan to serve as the 79th Navy secretary in a 62-30 vote that drew support from some Democrats who joined with Republicans to advance President Trump's pick.
CHARLESTON, SC -- On a spring day in South Carolina, shipyard workers at HII's newly acquired facility here were laying the groundwork for submarine modules and putting the finishing touches on an initial aircraft carrier "structural unit" that will soon become part of future Ford-class aircraft carrier Doris Miller (CVN-81).
The new director of the White House Office of Management and Budget may be receptive to a Navy proposal that could free up additional funding to boost shipyard wages, according to Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), who said Congress and the new OMB director are engaged in productive talks over the Shipbuilder Accountability and Workforce Support proposal.
CHARLESTON, SC -- On a spring day in South Carolina, shipyard workers at HII's newly acquired facility here were laying the groundwork for submarine modules and putting the finishing touches on an initial aircraft carrier "structural unit" that will soon become part of future Ford-class aircraft carrier Doris Miller (CVN-81).
The lack of fiscal year 2025 spending legislation continues to undercut Marine Corps modernization efforts, according to Commandant Gen. Eric Smith, who listed aviation modernization efforts and the procurement of ship-killing missiles as priority areas at risk under Congress' current string of stopgap funding patches.
Contractors Saildrone and Palantir Technologies today announced the formation of a new strategic partnership intended to leverage artificial intelligence tools from the latter company for maritime domain awareness applications on the former’s autonomous platforms.
Federal civilian employees working in shipyard maintenance facilities and depots are exempt from the Trump administration's sweeping federal layoffs, a defense official told Inside Defense today.
Anduril Industries has received a $642 million contract to produce a new counter-drone system for the Marine Corps, capping off a competition to fulfill what service officials have described as an "urgent need" to better defend buildings, bases and other installations.
The Marine Corps is using a mobile air defense system to protect amphibious warships from drones and other aerial threats, according to a service spokesperson, who told Inside Defense the recently developed capability now deploys with each Marine Expeditionary Unit as part its Low Altitude Air Defense detachment.
As defense policy shifts under the Trump administration, the United States should remain committed to the submarine-focused AUKUS security partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom as long as U.S. industry can build enough attack boats to meet domestic needs first, the nominee for a senior Pentagon post indicated this week.
The Marine Corps is preparing to release a draft request for proposals and host a June industry day at its Blount Island Command in Jacksonville, FL to discuss an upcoming need for logistics support for its strategic prepositioning program, according to a government notice posted yesterday.