Navy postpones NATO Sea Sparrow industry day, citing shutdown

The government shutdown has prompted the Navy to postpone an industry day focused on the development of a new Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile variant for the United States and international partners.

Originally scheduled for Oct. 14, the industry day is now postponed indefinitely, according to a service announcement. The delay is one of the first outward signs of disruption within the Navy resulting from the now nine-day-old government shutdown.

The Pentagon says it is continuing most acquisition activities in the early days of the shutdown and has outlined priority areas including critical munitions, shipbuilding, depot maintenance and Golden Dome in addition to Middle East and U.S. southern border operations.

The Navy and the NATO Sea Sparrow Project Office are interested in developing a “Next Significant Variant” to serve as a successor to the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Block II to counter current and future threats.

The NATO Sea Sparrow Project Office, a joint international effort consisting of 12 nations, was launched in 1968 to collaboratively develop, sustain and upgrade interoperable defensive capabilities to counter anti-ship threats.