Chuck Goddard News

Building programs continue, spanning the full range of missions, despite budget concerns. Amidst all the talk of Beltway budget cutbacks and sequestration, the U.S. Coast Guard is quietly investing approximately $30 billion in major acquisition projects to modernize its physical assets. The process of recapitalizing these older and difficult-to-maintain assets has never been an easy task, and the Coast Guard has seen its share of bumps along the way. For example, the initially messy Deepwater debacle initially kicked off what has evolved into today’s more successful recapitalization process, now run by the Coast Guard’s Acquisition Directorate, which stood up in July 2007.

Last month marked the launch of two new Littoral Combat Ships: Milwaukee (LCS 5) launched by Marinette Marine into the icy Menominee River; and Jackson (LCS 6) launched by Austal into the far warmer waters found off of southern Alabama. While the two LCS variants and shipyard climates are a world apart, this innovate U.S. Navy ship production program has the common goal of fortifying U.S. defense interests while spurring investment in the creation of two state-of-the-art ship production facilities. Mid-December in Marinette, Wis., can be described with one word: cold.

The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program has come under the microscope after news of an electrical problem resulted in a brief loss of power for USS Freedom (LCS 1) over the weekend and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a critical, 72-page report today scrutinizing the cost of the program. However, top Navy leadership including the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert view the performance problems as common for any first-in-class platform--especially…

Marinette Marine Corporation a Fincantieri Company contracted to build an additional 4 Response Boats – Medium (RB-Ms) by the U.S. Coast Guard. With an approximate value of $9,400,000, the new boats are part of a multi-year, Coast Guard contract requiring the construction and delivery of up to 250 RB-Ms at a total contract value of up to $600 million. Delivery of the 4 boats is scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2014. This brings the total number of boats under Contract to 170. Marinette Marine builds 50% of the boats at its ACE facility in Green Bay WI.

On Monday, May 20, Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) of Fincantieri Marine Group, held a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of the company’s newest facility and to mark the completion of Fincantieri’s $74 million investment in the shipyard. Chuck Goddard, President and CEO of Marinette Marine, welcomed employees, Navy and Coast Guard representatives, government officials, and local community members to today’s event. Since 2009, MMC has doubled its indoor production space and increased its workforce by 60 percent, for a total of 1,400 employees. The shipyard, with purpose designed facilities, has utilized superior engineering and cutting edge technology to maximize production efficiency and minimize energy consumption.

Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) has been awarded options to build two additional Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). These are the fifth and sixth LCS ships that MMC has been contracted to build under the 2010 block buy contract. The award of LCSs 13 and 15 increases MMC’s backlog through 2016 and assures the company’s ability to maintain its current workforce of approximately 1400 employees. “We are extremely proud and humbled to build these fine ships for our nation’s warfighters,” stated MMC President and CEO Chuck Goddard. “The dedication and skills of our workforce are second to none. It’s no longer a Wisconsin secret that MMC produces some of the most technologically advanced vessels in the world.

Under the Radar and also the higher profile Fast Response (FRC) and National Security Cutter (NSC) acquisitions is the U.S. Coast Guard’s effort to replace and upgrade its fleet of smaller response workboats. The building programs involve big money and substantial innovation. But, for all the progress being made, the failure of the federal government to come to a budget deal for the coming fiscal year could also put the brakes on some of the most innovative programs that the Coast Guard has ever embarked upon. In the meantime, it is full speed ahead with a three-pronged small boat program that could eventually involve as many as 650 vessels. The effort to recapitalize the Coast Guard never ends.

Seventh Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) takes shape as Lockheed Martin team lays keel of the future 'USS Detroit'. The event was part of a time-honored keel laying ceremony that took place at the Marinette Marine Corporation shipyard in Wisconsin. The Lockheed Martin-led LCS team includes ship builder Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, as well as hundreds of domestic and international suppliers, including approximately 30 small businesses in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Hundreds of current and future shipbuilders will be trained in Marinette pursuant to a contract signed today by Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) and Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC). “At Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, we are committed to meeting the marine manufacturing industry’s need for skilled shipbuilding workers,” said Dr. H. Jeffrey Rafn, NWTC president. Through the two-year agreement, NWTC will provide 130,000 hours of training to MMC new hires and incumbent workers. Focusing on electricians, shipfitters, welders, and pipefitters, the training will be provided at the NWTC Marinette campus, MMC facilities, and at the new NWTC North Coast Marine Manufacturing Center which is scheduled to open February 1, 2012, on Main Street in Marinette.

“It isn’t everyday we get to sign a contract to begin construction of a lead ship, but on Feb. 14, we met in my office and did exactly that, twice! Not one but two lead DDG 1000 ships will now begin construction,” said Rear Adm. Vic Guillory, the director for Surface Warfare. Two identical lead ships will be built by Bath Iron Works (General Dynamics) and Ingalls (Northrop Grumman). Bath Iron Works will build DDG 1000 and Ingalls will build DDG 1001. Other prime contractors include BAE Systems and Raytheon. Delivery of the lead ship is expected in the late 2012 to early 2013 time frame.

The DD(X) National Team, led by Northrop Grumman Corporation, has introduced the U.S. Navy's first shipboard active phased array multifunction radar, AN/SPY-3, designed to meet all horizon search and fire control requirements for the 21st century fleet. The SPY-3 multifunction radar, designed by Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems and introduced in a ribbon-cutting ceremony here yesterday, combines the functions provided by more than five separate radars currently aboard Navy surface combatants. SPY-3 supports new ship design requirements for a reduced radar cross section, significantly reduced manning requirements, and total ownership cost reduction. "We've been making tremendous progress with all of the critical technologies in the DD(X) program," said Capt.

partnership with General Dynamics, BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin, has completed the initial critical design review for the overall system design for the DD(X) multi-mission destroyer. The event demonstrated that the program is ready for the Flag level review in September and that the DD(X) Flight 1 system design is complete, stable and mature enough to enter detail design. "Absolutely magnificent," said U .S. Navy Capt. Chuck Goddard, PMS 500 DD(X) program manager. "The hard work and dedication of the DD(X) National Team and Navy program office to further mature the design and technologies since successfully carrying out the preliminary design review over a year ago should be applauded," said Brian Cuccias, Northrop Grumman vice president and DD(X) program manager.

The U.S. Navy successfully achieved a significant milestone for the multi-mission DD(X) destroyer with the completion of a system-wide Critical Design Review (CDR) on Sept. 14. The review represents the culmination of years of design effort that encompassed the ship, mission system, human, and shore designs that now comprise DD(X). DD(X) is the Navy’s next-generation destroyer, tailored for land attack and inland support of joint and coalition forces. It is designed to meet Marine Corps, Army and Special Operations requirements for precision strike ashore, but be able to outmatch current and projected threats in the air, on the surface and under water.