Thursday, April 25, 2024
Key Issues Optical clocks Prototype funding SPAFORGEN
Hiring and retaining a robust workforce is the key challenge the submarine industrial base must overcome to reach the Navy's desired production rate of one Columbia- and two Virginia-class submarines each year, according to a senior official.
Within the next year, the Australian government will announce the "shipbuilding partner" that will build the future SSN-AUKUS submarine and help to develop the vessel's requirements, an Australian Navy official said today at the Naval Submarine League Symposium.
The Navy is nearing completion of an initial capabilities document for the future SSN(X) submarine and expects to begin conducting an analysis of alternatives for the program in 2024, a senior service official said today.
The Navy plans to extend the service life of the ballistic missile submarine Alaska (SSBN-732), the first of five Ohio-class boats that could receive life extensions to reduce the risk of gaps appearing in the fleet as next-generation Columbia-class submarines come online.
The Navy has released a request for information for the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel, a future platform intended to carry a variety of modular payloads and provide anti-surface warfare capabilities to the fleet.
The U.S. industrial base could receive a $2 billion investment as soon as 2025 if lawmakers pass pending AUKUS implementation legislation before the end of the calendar year, according to a Congressional Budget Office cost estimate.
The Senate voted 86-0 today to confirm Lt. Gen. Christopher Mahoney as Marine Corps assistant commandant days after Commandant Gen. Eric Smith was hospitalized following an undisclosed medical emergency, leaving the service with no Senate-confirmed No. 2 officer.
The Senate voted 95-1 today to confirm Adm. Lisa Franchetti as the next chief of naval operations, breaking a months-long hold that left Franchetti serving as the acting CNO while awaiting senate confirmation.
Shipbuilder HII has exceeded its annual hiring goal with over 5,000 new hires through the third quarter of 2023, according to company executives, who said they are still working to improve retention rates.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) advanced the nominations of three senior military officials on Tuesday, seeking to fill key Defense Department positions that have been left vacant due to a blanket hold by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).
The Navy is splitting its MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft program into two subprograms as it seeks capability upgrades for “Increment 2” systems while slashing overall procurement quantities.
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith has been hospitalized following an Oct. 29 medical emergency, according to a service press release.
Annual shipbuilding appropriations must increase by 31% to 40% over their current five-year average for the Navy to achieve any of the three alternatives presented in its latest 30-year shipbuilding plan, according to a new Congressional Budget Office analysis that points to submarine acquisitions as a leading driver of cost growth.
Lawmakers are calling on the Navy to speed up the production and delivery of weapons to Taiwan and are demanding an explanation for months-long delays in the transfer of two key missile systems in a letter to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.
The Navy successfully launched a Standard Missile-6 from Littoral Combat Ship Savannah (LCS-28) using a “containerized launching system” during a Tuesday demonstration in the Eastern Pacific, according to a Navy announcement.
For the first time, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer simultaneously intercepted short-range ballistic missile threats and anti-ship drone threats during an Integrated Air and Missile Defense test, according to a Wednesday Missile Defense Agency announcement.
Maintenance backlogs pose the greatest challenge to submarine fleet readiness, according to a senior Navy official, who today said the service is on track to reach an 80% operational availability rate for its attack submarines by late 2027 or early 2028.
The Defense Department is preparing to brief lawmakers on the findings of a recent AUKUS-focused industrial base study, acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Mara Karlin told the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee today.
General Dynamics Electric Boat continues to receive late deliveries of submarine components from a "very fragile" supply chain, company executives said today, noting enduring production challenges within the Navy's two critical submarine programs.
A legislative proposal that aims to fund AUKUS oversight using fees collected through the foreign military sales process would, if enacted, direct $115 million of mandatory spending into AUKUS implementation efforts over the next decade, while drawing little in appropriations, according to a Congressional Budget Office cost estimate.