House Armed Services Committee News

Ship repair services provider Titan has announced that Frank Collins will join the company as Senior Vice President, Government and Public Affairs.Collins will replace long-time Vigor Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, Jill Mackie, who has announced her retirement effective the end of June. Additionally, Benton Strong was recently named Director of Public Affairs, responsible for all communications, as well as state and local government affairs across all Titan companies including of Vigor…

We have a national and economic security crisis on our hands. It is time for Washington policymakers to stop dancing around the facts and looking for small fixes. The U.S. mariner shortage is real and it poses an unescapable threat not only to our ability to establish lines of communication to the U.S. warfighter, but also to our nation’s ability to project power through international trade.Two Congressional hearings held on March 28 illustrate the challenge. First, General Van Ovost…

The Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), the national association representing the U.S. shipbuilding, maintenance and repair industry, announced Frank Collins as Senior Defense Advisor, overseeing the organization’s national ship repair and security, as well as the industry workforce development and education initiatives.Frank Collins is an accomplished strategic business consultant with over 36 years of public and private sector experience in the ship repair industry. Collins served as Chief Executive Officer of United States Marine Preservation…

The U.S. Navy needs more ships. And that means the Navy has to build more ships than it is decommissioning.The sea service has a stated a goal of 355 ships, and as many as 500 and more when unmanned platforms are counted. There are 298 ships in the fleet today. For surface ships, this number includes a high-low mix of highly capable large surface combatants, and smaller ships such as littoral combat ships LCS).The Navy’s smallest combatants are the 330-ton, 197-foot coastal patrol boats (PCs). Up until recently, ten of them have been serving in the Middle East with the U.S.

In an extraordinary reversal, the U.S. Navy has recommended reinstating the fired captain of the coronavirus-hit aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, whose crew hailed him as their hero for risking his job to safeguard their lives, officials said on Friday.The Navy’s leadership made the recommendation to reinstate Captain Brett Crozier to Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Friday, just three weeks after Crozier was relieved of command after the leak of a letter he wrote calling on the Navy for stronger measures to protect the crew…

U.S. President Donald Trump said he may get involved in a deepening crisis in the Navy after its top civilian on Monday ridiculed a revered former commander whose letter pleading for help for his coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier was leaked to the public.In a surprise speech to crew members of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt that was meant to be a private address, Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly defended his decision to relieve Captain Brett Crozier of his command…

The United States on Friday announced the deployment of 1,500 troops to the Middle East, describing it as an effort to bolster defenses against Iran as it accused the country's Revolutionary Guards of direct responsibility for this month's tanker attacks.President Donald Trump's administration also invoked the threat from Iran to declare a national security-related emergency that would clear the sale of billions of dollars' worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries without required congressional approval.The actions were the latest by the Trump administration as it highlights what it sees as a threat of potential attack by Iran…

The President says he wants to make American great again, so why is he trying to destroy the principal support system for America’s maritime industry? This week, we learned that President Trump is “seriously considering” issuing a broad waiver for the Jones Act, a critical law that requires domestic shipping in the U.S. to occur on ships that are built in the United States, fly the U.S. flag, and are operated by crews consisting of at least 75 percent American citizens.I served as the top Democrat on the House Subcommittee of Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation for six years.

The U.S. Navy asked shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries on Monday for detailed pricing on the cost of two aircraft carriers, showing the Trump administration is taking a serious look at doubling its order for the most expensive ship in the U.S. fleet. The Navy’s request seeks to determine the savings achievable with a two-ship buy. “This opportunity for a two-ship contract is dependent on significant savings that the shipbuilding industry and government must demonstrate,” said James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research development and acquisitions.

The U.S. Navy has decided to delay by a year until fiscal 2020 the awarding of a design and construction contract for a planned new frigate, according to congressional testimony on Wednesday by two Navy rear admirals. The delay resulted from a decision to set up a frigate evaluation team to look at how to make the vessel more lethal and survivable, Rear Admirals Ron Boxall and John Neagley said in their prepared testimony. Navy analyses have determined that the U.S. fleet needs 53 small surface combat ships to supplement the larger aircraft carriers and destroyers, undertaking tasks like antisubmarine warfare and mine countermeasures.

It’s still too early to know for certain what the new administration will do about building up the U.S. Navy, as the numbers are a moving target. But with President Trump’s recent pledge to add $54 billion to defense spending, it’s a safe bet to make that the fleet will grow. So let’s start with the numbers. There are different ways to count the fleet size, including whether or not you count auxiliaries, but let’s use this number as the baseline: There are 274 ships in the U.S. Navy now.

The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) invited two U.S. Naval War College (NWC) faculty members to testify in Washington, D.C. on understanding and countering China's growing maritime concerns. Erickson's testimony centered on China's growing involvement of their Maritime Militia, which he describes as the third maritime force in addition to the nation's navy and coast guard. The Maritime Militia is a civilian force posing as fishing boats and other noncombatants but is clearly under the operational control of the government, according to Erickson.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) hosted Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, for a tour of the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division. The visit provided an opportunity for Conaway to meet shipbuilders and see the progress being made across Newport News’ ship construction programs. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Conaway introduced legislation last fall to increase the number of operational U.S. Navy aircraft carriers mandated by law from 11 to 12. “I enjoyed touring the Newport News Shipbuilding division today,” Conaway said.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) hosted Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) Tueaday, for a tour of the company’s Newport News Shipbuilding division. The congressman saw first-hand the progress being made on Virginia-class submarines, which Newport News builds in partnership with General Dynamics Electric Boat, located in Courtney’s district. He also learned about progress being made on the aircraft carriers Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) and met with Newport News…

The Washington D.C., office of global law firm K&L Gates LLP has welcomed Stephen Martinko as a government affairs counselor in the public policy and law practice. Martinko joins the firm from the Port of Pittsburgh Commission (PPC), where he served as executive director of one of the largest inland ports in the United States. Previously, Martinko spent 12 years as a congressional aide, including serving as deputy staff director for the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I Committee) of the U.S. House of Representatives, which has broad jurisdiction over all modes of transportation – aviation, maritime, highways, bridges…

U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus on Thursday warned that congressional plans for a piecemeal modernization of 11 cruisers would cost billions of dollars more than the Navy's original plan and meant the warships would have to be retired earlier. "They will still be under the command of the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations). They will never go out of commission," he told reporters after a speech at the National Press Club. Mabus said the Navy remained in dialogue with Congress about the issue, and would gladly accept congressional language aimed at ensuring modernization was actually completed. For instance, he said Congress could impose financial penalties if the Navy reneged on the plan, or require it to sign contracts with U.S. shipyards for upgrade work.

United States Congressmen Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) and Rob Wittman (R-Va.) this week received the Maritime Leadership Award from the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA), a national trade association representing the nation’s shipbuilding and repair industry. The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication and support to the shipbuilding and repair industry. “From their critical role in supporting the U.S. shipbuilding and repair industry…

The U.S. military commander for Asia warned that, China could eventually deploy radar and missile systems on outposts it is building in the South China Sea that could be used to enforce an exclusion zone over the disputed territory, according to a report in Reuters. Admiral Samuel Locklear described as aggressive the land reclamation and construction projects China has been conducting at eight military outposts in the South China Sea. Locklear said the artificial islands planned by China will provide the nation with basing and resupply for its large fleet of maritime security vessels and the country would be able to deploy missiles and radar on the islands.

China could eventually deploy radar and missile systems on outposts it is building in the South China Sea that could be used to enforce an exclusion zone over the disputed territory, the U.S. military commander for Asia said on Wednesday. Admiral Samuel Locklear, speaking at a congressional hearing in Washington, described as "aggressive" the land reclamation and construction projects China has been conducting at eight military outposts in the South China Sea. The work involved "fairly massive" reclamation in the Spratley archipelago and upgrades to facilities in the Paracel Islands, he said. The building in the Spratleys included better berthing space for ships, as well as what was presumed to be an airfield on the Fiery Cross Reef, Locklear, head of the U.S.

Huntington Ingalls Industries today hosted Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., for a tour of the company's Newport News Shipbuilding division. Palazzo represents the fourth district of Mississippi, which includes Newport News' sister shipyard, Ingalls Shipbuilding. The visit provided an opportunity for Palazzo to see nuclear shipbuilding at Newport News and understand the value that Mississippi suppliers contribute to ship construction in Newport News. Palazzo's visit included a tour of aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), which is about 85 percent complete and scheduled for delivery in 2016. Shipbuilding suppliers in Mississippi contribute an average $3.6 million to Newport News' efforts each year.

The board of directors of General Dynamics has elected Rudy deLeon to be a director of the corporation, effective September 30, 2014. DeLeon is a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress, a position he has held since November 2007. He began his career with the federal government, where he served for 25 years until 2001. In his final position as deputy secretary of defense, he was the chief operating officer at the Pentagon, a member of the Deputies Committee of the National Security Council and a member of the National Partnership Council. He was also undersecretary of defense for Personnel and Readiness from 1997 to 2000, and he was undersecretary of the U.S. Air Force from 1994 to 1997.

Huntington Ingalls Industries informs it hosted U.S. Reps. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas; Bobby Scott, D-Va.; Randy Forbes, R-Va.; Rob Wittman, R-Va.; and Scott Rigell, R-Va., for a tour of the company's Newport News Shipbuilding division. The tour gave the Virginia statesmen the opportunity to introduce Thornberry to their shipbuilding constituents and get a behind-the-scenes look at the defense industrial base. Accompanied by Newport News Shipbuilding President Matt Mulherin, the congressmen got an in-depth look at aircraft carrier and submarine construction, including a tour of nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and a look at ROVR (rapid operational virtual reality), a tool used to increase construction efficiencies.

"Commonly referred to as the 30-year shipbuilding plan, we have highlighted a path forward that captures the required number of ships by type, as outlined in the FY12 Force Structure Assessment (FSA). Our FSA identified those forces that most efficiently execute the missions and priorities of the Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Strategic Guidance (DSG) and meets requirements in the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review. This report builds and maintains a battle force inventory of near or above 300 ships, and ultimately shows that we can achieve the FSA objective of 306 battle force ships. As we have done with previous submissions our plan assesses Department of the Navy (DoN) investments in battle force ships in three 10-year periods — near-, mid-, and far-term.