Adm News

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) held a formal assumption of command ceremony for Vice Adm. Joe Buzzella as he assumed the duties and responsibilities of U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area and Defense Force West Commander during an event Thursday, at Coast Guard Island in Alameda.Adm. Kevin Lunday, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard presided over the ceremony. Senior Coast Guard leadership and distinguished guests joined in recognizing Vice Adm. Buzzella’s commitment to leading the Service.Vice Adm.

Ingalls Shipbuilding division authenticated the keel  for the future USS Philadelphia (LPD 32), a Flight II San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship.The ceremony included ship sponsor Maureen Paparo, a Philadelphia native, who was joined by her spouse, Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Also, attending the ceremony was Chris Kastner, HII’s president and CEO, Brian Blanchette, Ingalls Shipbuilding president and key U.S. Navy officials.As part of the ceremony…

The Coast Guard commissioned its newest and sixth Arctic District Fast Response Cutter (FRC), Coast Guard Cutter Frederick Mann (WPC 1160), for official entry into its service fleet during a ceremony held in Kodiak, Alaska, Friday.The ceremony was presided over by Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Arctic District. Members of the Mann family were also in attendance, including the cutter’s sponsor, Mrs. Eugenia "Jeannie" Mann Hyder, niece of Frederick Mann. “Commissioning the Frederick Mann increases U.S. strength and ensures control of our maritime borders and approaches,” said Little.

The U.S. Coast Guard is accelerating long-term investments in cutters, aviation assets and autonomous systems following what service leaders described as a historic infusion of funding from Congress in 2025, according to testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee.During the hearing, Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) pressed Admiral Kevin Lunday, Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, on how the service is translating recent budget increases into operational capability, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.Adm.

Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg crew members held a memorial service honoring the fallen crew members from Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn, Wednesday, at the Blackthorn Memorial in St. Petersburg.The memorial ceremony marked the 46th anniversary of the 23 lives lost during the collision between Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn and the motor vessel Capricorn near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Jan. 28, 1980. The ship had a crew complement of 50.“Today, we honor the memory of the 23 men we lost that day,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Henry J. Audette Jr., Southeast District command master chief.

The United States Coast Guard held a formal swearing-in and assumption of command ceremony on Thursday for Adm. Kevin Lunday as the 28th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.Secretary Kristi Noem joined senior Coast Guard leadership, members of the Joint Force and distinguished guests in recognizing the transition of command and Adm. Lunday’s commitment to leading the Service.“President Trump’s plan was simple when he became President of the United States. He wanted to revitalize the Coast Guard…

Adm. Kevin E. Lunday will officially be sworn in as the 28th Commandant of the United States Coast Guard during an Assumption of Command Ceremony. The ceremony will be presided over by the Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.WHAT: Commandant’s assumption of command ceremonyWHEN: Thursday, January 15, 2026 at 11 a.m.WHERE: The ceremony will be streamed live for public viewing at: https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/37352For more information, please contact the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters media relations office at mediarelations@uscg.mil.

The Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company (ASRY) has completed several rig repair and upgrade projects for Saudi-based ADES Holding, strengthening the partnership between the two companies.In 2025, several ADES jack-up rigs underwent major works at ASRY’s facilities in Bahrain.The ADM-501 and ADM-504 units were prepared earlier in the year for drilling operations in Nigeria, while upgrade works on ADM-503 and ADM-511 were recently finalized ahead of upcoming drilling campaigns…

The U.S. Coast Guard announced the award of two contracts to build up to six Arctic Security Cutter (ASC) icebreakers between the United States and Finland..Contracts were awarded to Rauma Marine Constructions Oy of Rauma, Finland, and Bollinger Shipyards Lockport, L.L.C. of Lockport, Louisiana, and are the result of President Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s international agreements with Finland and the historic investments authorized in the President’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.The Arctic Security Cutters will defend U.S.

Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) appointed former U.S. ambassador to Norway and the 77th Secretary of the Navy, Kenneth J. Braithwaite, as Chairman of their Board of Directors. Braithwaite brings a career in defense and public service to the role, as well as deep Navy ties. He is a 1984 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and earned a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. His active naval service included time as a naval aviator flying anti-submarine missions in the Pacific and Arctic…

The Coast Guard authenticated the keel for the future Coast Guard Cutter Pickering during a ceremony Monday in Mobile, Alabama. Keel authentication is a time-honored shipbuilding tradition marking the formal start of a vessel’s construction. During the ceremony, the sponsor’s initials are applied to a ceremonial keel plate that will be installed on the cutter, symbolically indicating the keel is “truly and fairly laid.” Adm. Kevin Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, attended the event along with Rep.

HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division hosted the keel laying ceremony today for Virginia-class attack submarine Barb (SSN 804).SSN 804 will be the third U.S. Navy submarine to carry the name Barb. The first, SS 220, was commissioned in 1942. During World War II, the submarine conducted missions under the command of Eugene “Lucky” Fluckey, earning the submarine four Presidential Citations, a Navy Unit Commendation and eight battle stars for outstanding service. The second, SSN 596, was a nuclear-powered submarine commissioned in 1963.

Two cargo vessels were headed for grain port terminals near New Orleans on Monday to load with the first U.S. soybean shipments to China since May, according to a shipping schedule seen by Reuters.A third vessel was en route to a Texas Gulf Coast grain terminal to be loaded with China-bound U.S. sorghum in the coming days in what will be the first American shipment of the feed grain to China since mid-March, the shipping schedule showed.U.S. farmers and grain traders have been awaiting shipments to China to resume after Beijing shunned U.S.

The U.S. Navy needs to dramatically increase the fleet, especially submarines, but the available pool of skilled workers is not keeping pace.Submarine construction is ramping up. The Navy continues to build Virginia-class submarines, striving for two per year, and is gearing up build the new Columbia-class of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. At the same time, the industry needs to support the ambitious Australia-U.S.-U.K. AUKUS program to make the Royal Australian Navy a nuclear submarine navy.Qualified workers are not only needed to build submarines…

The US Coast Guard is moving forward with the acquisition of the new Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) class, designed to replace the legacy fleet of inland tenders and facilitate commerce vital to the nation’s economic security and strategic mobility.The service has ordered production of the first river buoy tender (WLR) and long lead time material (LLTM) for the second inland construction tender (WLIC), with construction to take place at Birdon America, Inc.’s shipyard in Bayou La Batre…

In Memoriam: Captain Charles Robert MacVean, USN, (Ret.), PhDMarch 22, 1937 – September 10, 2025The book, Blind Man’s Bluff, describes the secret USN submarine operations known as “The Projects.” It begins with the opening line, “There was something about Commander Charles R. MacVean that had a way of inspiring legend.” Authors Sontag and Drew narrowed that “something” down to “his sense of humor and humanity.”  Even in the toughest of situations, MacVean radiated calm assurance and situational command.

The U.S. Coast Guard has awarded a blanket purchase agreement to Stealth Solutions Inc. to modernize the service’s Mariner Credentialing Program (MCP) information technology system and support revitalization of the maritime workforce and industry.The MCP is essential to vetting and denying criminals access to critical maritime infrastructure and supporting the Marine Transportation System (MTS). The National Maritime Center (NMC) processed nearly 75,000 credential requests and 66…

The U.S. Coast Guard  exercised a contract option with Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport, Louisiana, to fund initial construction on 10 additional Fast Response Cutters (FRCs), a $507 million option that supports ongoing efforts to modernize the fleet and expand the Coast Guard’s global maritime mission.The action increases the total number of FRCs ordered under the current agreement from 67 to 77. Supported by historic investments, this legislation provides nearly $25 billion – the largest single funding commitment in Coast Guard history – including $1 billion dollars for additional FRCs.

The U.S. Coast Guard responded to two Chinese research ships operating offshore Alaska between Sunday and Tuesday. In both instances, the Coast Guard Arctic District deployed USCGC Healy (WAGB-20) to monitor and query the vessels.An HC-130J Hercules fixed wing aircraft from Air Station Kodiak was also deployed Sunday to provide aerial support.On Tuesday, the Chinese-flagged research vessel JIDI was operating approximately 265 miles northwest of Utqiagvik, Alaska.On Sunday, August 31…

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Facilities Design and Construction Center completed a contract modification with The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company Aug. 25 to remove up to 100 submerged concrete piles under the old Pier November at Base Charleston in North Charleston, South Carolina. The modification, with a potential value of approximately $14.8 million, includes work that is necessary to complete construction of new, modernized piers to provide support and logistics for up to five…

“In a global marketplace, supply and demand in one area of the world can greatly impact the agricultural production in another. American products are shipped worldwide …” is how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) describes the backdrop for international trade. The inland and coastwise waterway systems serving the United States (where agricultural cargoes are an important component) are sometimes regarded as insular highly specialized marketplaces. However, they are indeed elements of much larger trading networks that are influenced by global economic…

The U.S. Coast Guard has officially commissioned the USCGC Storis (WAGB 21) in Juneau, Alaska.The vessel is the Coast Guard’s first polar icebreaker acquired in over 25 years. The Storis, formerly the motor vessel Aiviq, was acquired on December 20, 2024, and subsequently renamed after modifications to enhance its communication and defense capabilities.Storis is manned by a hybrid crew of military cuttermen and civilian mariners. It will be temporarily berthed in Seattle, Washington…

The Surface Navy Association (SNA) announced the appointment of retired Vice Admiral Ron Boxall as its new President, succeeding retired Vice Admiral Rick Hunt, who has served in the role since 2019. Admiral Boxall will make his first official appearance as SNA President at the upcoming Waterfront West Symposium, taking place September 10–11, 2025, in San Diego.Admiral Boxall’s career highlights include three tours with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, most recently as Director for Force Structure…