US Military Officials Speak About Forward Presence
Leading officials from the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard spoke about operating forward and being partners with global presence at the 2014 Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., April 7. The Sea-Air-Space Expo is an annual event that brings together key military decision makers, the U.S. defense industrial base and private-sector U.S. companies for an innovative and educational maritime based event. Vice Adm. Michelle Howard, deputy chief of naval operations for Operations, Plans, and Strategy, delivered opening remarks. "It's my pleasure to sit with such a group of, not just distinguished panelists, but in many cases good friends," said Howard.
Multi-mission, Dual Design, Single Focus Littoral Combat Ships
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.
Top Brass Due at Upcoming SNA Symposium
The first big naval professional development event of the year, the Surface Navy Association’s 2014 Symposium, kicks off in Crystal City, Virginia, with the theme, “Surface Warfare…Warfighting First.” Leaders in the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard will speak at the symposium and associated events starting Tuesday, January 14, 2014. The symposium kicks off with the SNA annual meeting and, focusing on the warfighters of today and the future, there will be a series of roundtables for junior officers, enlisted surface warriors and midshipmen from NROTC units and the Naval Academy.
Maiden Littoral Combat Ship Deployment: Navy Learns Much
USS Freedom’s (LCS 1) maiden 10-month deployment validated the Navy’s overall concept of operations and provided valuable feedback on its operation, manning, and logistics, sums up Vice Adm. Tom Copeman, 
Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. "The insights gained on the deployment will be used to further improve the operational flexibility, maintainability and efficiency on future deployments for this newest class of ship in the U.S. Navy . We must be more innovative in the manner in which we schedule maintenance to allow for operational flexibility while forward.
The Navy’s Battlewagon of the 21st Century
It is the newest and most transformational warship ever built, and yet it has also had the longest gestation period. Whether you call it new or old, you have to call it different. The pedigree for DDG 1000 is not from the Spruance or Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers, but rather it comes from the SC-21 (Surface Combatant for the 21st century) concept from 1994. Like DDG 1000, SC-21 was not about anti-air warfare. It was all about strike. SC-21, along with the Maritime Fire Support Demonstrator (MFSD) “arsenal ship” concept…
ZUMWALT: Maritime Reporter's 'Great Ship' of 2013
It is the newest and most transformational warship ever built, and yet it has also had the longest gestation period. Whether you call it new or old, you have to call it different. The pedigree for DDG 1000 is not from the Spruance or Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers, but rather it comes from the SC-21 (Surface Combatant for the 21st century) concept from 1994. Like DDG 1000, SC-21 was not about anti-air warfare. It was all about strike. SC-21, along with the Maritime Fire Support Demonstrator (MFSD) “arsenal ship” concept…
USS Guardian Valedictory
Vice Adm. Tom Copeman , Commander Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet fittingly remembers USS Guardian, now being scrapped. "During times of war and while operating in international exercises for nearly a quarter of a century, the crew and ship remained at the highest levels of readiness, serving our nation well," noted Admiral Copeman. "A significant moment during a ship commissioning ceremony occurs when there is a call to 'bring this ship to life,' and the crew sprints from their positions pierside…
Littoral Combat Ships Integral Part of US Navy's Future
Vice-Admiral Tom Copeman pronounces on 'Surface Forces Priorities in an Ever-Changing Maritime Environment', sees LCS playing crucilal Navy role. "Twenty-five years ago, then CNO Admiral Trost looked into the future and began our shift from a Cold War focus to dealing with regional and littoral conflicts in the years to come. So we started down the path to where we are now—working through various iterations, starts and stops, and plenty of ideas on ship types and classes to deal with unknown future threats.
Surface Warriors to Meet at Annual Symposium
The Surface Navy Association (SNA) National Symposium will be held January 15-17, 2013, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Crystal City, VA. The association was incorporated in 1985 to promote greater coordination and communication among those in the military, business and academic communities who share a common interest in Naval Surface Warfare and to support the activities of Surface Naval Forces. SNA provides for its members support, programs and activities which enable professional growth, personal satisfaction and camaraderie.
USS Fort Worth Completes Maiden Voyage
The Freedom-class littoral combat ship 'USS Fort Worth' (LCS 3) arrives in her San Diego homeport. The ship, named for Fort Worth, Texas, the 17th largest city in the United States and the 5th largest city in Texas, was built in Marinette, Wis., and was commissioned in Galveston, Texas, Sept 22. After commissioning, Fort Worth departed Galveston and steamed through the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and Panama Canal into the Pacific Ocean, completing more than 11,000 miles on her maiden voyage.
Fatigue Afflicts US Navy LCS Crews
Head of Naval Surface Forces says officials looking closely at Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) manning in order to alleviate crew exhaustion. Recent disclosure of a closely held Navy study of LCS operations, indicated among the many issues identified, that the ship’s 40-member crew was over-taxed in port and exhausted underway, reports 'Navy Times'. “Certainly, there’s some crew fatigue involved, and I think with any new class of ship, you try to find the limits of the machine and the people operating the machine,” Vice Adm.
