Last Minute FY 22 $728.5B Defense Bill Funds 13 Navy Ships, 12 F/A-18s; Saves 3 LCS From Decommissioning

By: Sam LaGrone

March 9, 2022 7:59 PM • Updated: March 10, 2022 8:15 AM

USNI.org

USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) pier-side at Naval Station San Diego, Calif., on Feb. 15, 2022. USNI News Photo

House appropriators signed out an early morning, all-in-one federal funding bill that pluses up the overall budget Pentagon budget and the Navy shipbuilding account over the initial fiscal year 2022 request.

The omnibus appropriations bill, four months past the start of Fiscal Year 2022, sets a Department of Defense topline at $728.5 billion over the Biden administrations FY 2022 initial $715 billion request from May. The budget includes a $26.6 billion for shipbuilding, up from the initial request of $22.6 billion, for 13 warships to includes:

• $4.23 billion for two Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines

• $3.67 billion for two Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyers

• $1.46 billion for two John Lewis-class fleet oilers (TAO-205)

• $1.1 billion for one Constellation-class frigate (FFG-62)

• $590 million for two Expeditionary Fast Transports with one configured as a medical ship (EPF)

• $434M for one T-AGOS(X) ocean surveillance ship

• $577 for one Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB)

• $183M for two Navajo-class towing ships (T-ATS)

In addition to the new construction the shipbuilding and conversion account also includes $4.7 billion for the Columbia-class program for construction and advanced procurement, $2.2 billion for the next two Ford-class carriers Enterprise (CVN-80) and Doris Miller (CVN-81), $2.4 for a Nimitz-class carrier refueling and complex overhaul, $391 million for three Ship to Shore Connector hovercraft and $310 million for Flight II San Antonio-class amphibious warships.

The bill also defunds Navy efforts to decommission three Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships USS Fort Worth (LCS-3), USS Detroit (LCS-7) and USS Little Rock (LCS-9). The bill includes $264 million in added funds for the Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP) – the service’s overhaul of its public shipyards.

In aviation, the bill includes funds for:

• $8.5 billion for 85 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters for the Air Force, Marines and the Navy

  1. $1.5 billion for 11 CH-53K Heavy Lift helicopters for the Marine Corps

  2. $1.1 billion for V-22 tilt-rotors

  3. $977 million for 12 F/A-18E/F Super Hornets

An F-35C Lightning II, assigned to the ‘Black Knights’ of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, and an F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to the ‘Tophatters’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, fly over the Philippine Sea on Jan. 22, 2022. US NAvy Photo

The addition of the Super Hornets goes against the Navy’s plan for its carrier air wing to start adding more F-35C JSFs and start work on developing a sixth-generation fighter as part of the Next Generation Air Dominance Program.

The overdue bill from House appropriators is expected to be voted on by the full House on Wednesday and later this week in the Senate. The government is running under a Continuing Resolution that expires on March 11.

GAO Report on Littoral Combat Ship Program

February 25, 2022 2:21 PM

• USNI.org

The following is the Government Accountability Office report, Littoral Combat Ship: Actions Needed to Address Significant Operational Challenges and Implement Planned Sustainment Approach on Feb. 24, 2022.

From the report

What GAO Found

The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) fleet has not demonstrated the operational capabilities it needs to perform its mission. Operational testing has found several significant challenges, including the ship’s ability to defend itself if attacked and failure rates of mission-essential equipment. The Navy is also behind schedule in developing the various mission modules—different configurations of key systems for different missions, such as mine countermeasures—for the LCS. In addition, GAO found that the LCS has frequently encountered challenges during deployments. The Navy has begun to take steps to address some of these issues, but it does not have a comprehensive plan to address the various deficiencies identified during testing and deployments. Without a comprehensive plan to address deficiencies, perform adequate testing of the mission modules, and implement lessons learned from completed deployments, the LCS will remain at risk of being unable to operate in its intended environment. Further, gaps between desired and demonstrated capabilities have substantial implications for the Navy’s ability to deploy the LCS as intended. Until the Navy makes future operational deployments contingent on progress in addressing gaps between desired and demonstrated capabilities, the LCS will continue to be dependent in combat and require protection by multi-mission combatants.

The Navy has implemented eight of the 10 recommendations from its 2016 Review of the LCS program. Among other things, it has implemented new approaches for assigning and training sailors for the LCS crew. However, the Navy is facing challenges in implementing a revised maintenance approach, under which Navy personnel will perform some maintenance currently being conducted by contractors. Until the Navy determines the specific tasks Navy personnel will perform, it risks not being able to meet the maintenance needs of the LCS, thus hindering the ships’ ability to carry out their intended missions.

The Navy’s operating and support (O&S) cost estimates for the LCS do not account for the cost implications of its revised maintenance approach. Specifically, the Navy has not assessed the cost implications of its revised maintenance approach, and thus lacks a clear picture of its impact on O&S costs. Some of the Navy’s O&S actual cost data are also incomplete and inaccurate. For example, the Navy reported on each O&S cost element for the seaframes in its Visibility and Management of Operating and Support Costs database, but it reported only on the maintenance cost element for the mission modules. Further, the Navy does not report maintenance costs separately for each mission module, but instead totals those costs for all mission modules and divides by the number of seaframes in the fleet. Without complete and accurate cost data, the Navy is at risk of failing to anticipate O&S cost increases that could create challenges in funding LCS as intended or delivering capabilities when expected.

Finally, the Navy has not updated its O&S cost estimates to reflect its revised operational and sustainment concepts and has not incorporated actual cost data into some of its estimates. Without complete information on the cost of implementing the revised operational and sustainment concepts, and the use of actual cost data, the Navy will not be able to analyze the differences between estimates and actual costs—important elements for identifying and mitigating critical risks to the LCS.

Report to Congress on U.S. Navy Ship Names

February 22, 2022 11:15 AM

• USNI.org

The following is the Feb. 15, 2022, Congressional Research Service report, Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress.

From the report

Names for Navy ships traditionally have been chosen and announced by the Secretary of the Navy, under the direction of the President and in accordance with rules prescribed by Congress. Rules for giving certain types of names to certain types of Navy ships have evolved over time. There have been exceptions to the Navy’s ship-naming rules, particularly for the purpose of naming a ship for a person when the rule for that type of ship would have called for it to be named for something else. Some observers have perceived a breakdown in, or corruption of, the rules for naming Navy ships. Section 370 of the FY2021 NDAA (H.R. 6395/P.L. 116-283 of January 1, 2021) established a commission regarding the removal and renaming of certain assets of the Department of Defense (including ships) that commemorate the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America.

For ship types now being procured for the Navy, or recently procured for the Navy, naming rules can be summarized as follows:

• The first and second SSBN-826 class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) have been named Columbia (in honor of the District of Columbia) and Wisconsin. The Navy has not stated the naming rule for this class of ships.

• Until recently, Virginia (SSN-774) class attack submarines have generally been named for states, but the four most recently named Virginia-class boats have instead been named in honor of earlier U.S. Navy attack submarines.

• Of the Navy’s 15 most recently named aircraft carriers, 10 have been named for past U.S. Presidents and 2 for Members of Congress.

• Destroyers are being named for deceased members of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, including Secretaries of the Navy.

• The first three FFG-62 class frigates have been named Constellation, Congress, and Chesapeake, in honor of three of the first six U.S. Navy ships authorized by Congress in 1794. The Navy has not stated the naming rule for this class of ships.

• Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs) were named for regionally important U.S. cities and communities.

• Amphibious assault ships are being named for important battles in which U.S. Marines played a prominent part and for famous earlier U.S. Navy ships that were not named for battles.

• San Antonio (LPD-17) class amphibious ships are being named for major U.S. cities and communities and cities and communities attacked on September 11, 2001.

• John Lewis (TAO-205) class oilers are being named for people who fought for civil rights and human rights.

• Expeditionary Fast Transports (EPFs) are being named for small U.S. cities.

• Expeditionary Transport Docks (ESDs) and Expeditionary Sea Bases (ESBs) are being named for famous names or places of historical significance to U.S. Marines.

• Navajo (TATS-6) class towing, salvage, and rescue ships are being named for prominent Native Americans or Native American tribes.

Shipbuilding: Fincantieri Marine Group Invests Mightily to Deliver for the US Navy

February 16, 2022

• Marine Link

• Fincantieri Marinette Marine rendering with completed construction and FFG-62 on shiplift. Photo courtesy FMG

• Once FMM's new shiplift is installed, LCS side launches like this into Menominee River will be a thing of the past. Photo courtesy FMM

• In addition to the physical facilities, FMM is laser focused on growing its employee base to deliver on its military contracts. “The biggest long-term risk for our ability to execute this program is manpower,” said Vandroff. “Right now, we’re roughly 1,000 trade workers in the yard, and I need to grow that to about 1,400 over the next two years. And I probably need to add around 100 additional white-collar employees between additional engineers and additional business professionals.” Photo court

• In addition to the physical facilities, FMM is laser focused on growing its employee base to deliver on its military contracts. “The biggest long-term risk for our ability to execute this program is manpower,” said Vandroff. “Right now, we’re roughly 1,000 trade workers in the yard, and I need to grow that to about 1,400 over the next two years. And I probably need to add around 100 additional white-collar employees between additional engineers and additional business professionals.” Photo court

• In addition to the physical facilities, FMM is laser focused on growing its employee base to deliver on its military contracts. “The biggest long-term risk for our ability to execute this program is manpower,” said Vandroff. “Right now, we’re roughly 1,000 trade workers in the yard, and I need to grow that to about 1,400 over the next two years. And I probably need to add around 100 additional white-collar employees between additional engineers and additional business professionals.” Photo court

• In addition to the physical facilities, FMM is laser focused on growing its employee base to deliver on its military contracts. “The biggest long-term risk for our ability to execute this program is manpower,” said Vandroff. “Right now, we’re roughly 1,000 trade workers in the yard, and I need to grow that to about 1,400 over the next two years. And I probably need to add around 100 additional white-collar employees between additional engineers and additional business professionals.” Photo court

When he served as the commander of NWSC Carderock, Mark Vandroff woke every morning knowing that his counterpart in China had just gone to bed and had spent that day trying to make China’s Navy superior. His job, he figured, was to “get cracking and work to make our Navy even better.” Now the CEO at Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), Vandroff brings that passion for navy shipbuilding – and delivering on the new USN Constellation-class frigates contract – to work every day.

Introducing a new class of warship usually comes with a heaping helping of pain, from cost overruns to technical glitches. Serving as the prime contractor on the first two Constellation-class guided missile frigates (FFGs), Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM), Marinette, Wisc., and its parent company Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG) are investing mightily in the shipyard – technology, people and processes – to help mitigate risk as prudently as possible in delivering for the U.S. Navy.

To reduce risk to budget and schedule, the new FFG will be built on an existing hull design and armed with well-known combat systems and weapons. The current program of record is for 20 ships, although it could be more.  FMM has been awarded a detail design and construction (DD&C) for up to 10 ships in the program — the lead two ships plus eight option ships, to date.

“The program was assigned to us at the beginning of 2020,” said Dario Deste, CEO & President, FMG. “The program itself is for 10 ships. We received the first one for about $800 million and we received the second one in May 2021.” Deste, a former Italian Naval pilot who has been in shipbuilding for about 15 years, said his experience as a pilot taught him to always think ahead, a valuable tool in shipbuilding to help anticipate and head-off problems while they are small. “When you’re flying a plane, you cannot stop the plane and say, ‘Let me think where I’m going, what I’m doing.’ You have to constantly think ahead.”

As the prime contractor on this new class of U.S. Navy ship, Deste and his team are working relentlessly to deliver as expected. “We have a lot of challenges here, but I would say the first priority for us is to execute the program and be on schedule,” said Deste. “Being on schedule is imperative, and it’s something that I make clear to all of my teammates through the organization.”

“One of the things that has been very useful for me is to think ahead. When you’re flying a plane, you cannot stop the plane and say, "Let me think where I'm going, what I'm doing." You have to constantly think ahead. It's very much the same in business, especially in shipbuilding.” Dario Deste, CEO & President, Fincantieri Marine Group, discussing the skillsets of being a former Navy pilot that translate into shipbuilding leadership. Photo courtesy FMG

Risk Mitigation, by Design

While investment by FMG has been substantial and continual, arguably the first, best step to help ensure the first two contracted ships are designed and built with minimal hitches lay in the selection of an existing, lower-risk design for the ship.

FFG 62 is based upon a “parent design,” the Italian-French FREMM (Fregata Europea Multi-Missione) frigate, a ship that is being been built in France and Italy for their respective navies and a few foreign customers. FMM’s parent company, Fincantieri builds the ships at its Muggiano shipyard at La Spezia, Italy. Although the parent design is European, FFG 62 will have significant American content, to include a government furnished combat system centered around the new SPY 6 radar and newest baseline of the Aegis Combat System and other U.S. sensors and systems.  

The American version will be about 23 feet longer and about 500 tons heavier to provide margin for growth and to accommodate future weapons such as lasers, although the bridge and propulsion plant layout is the same. It will be equipped with a 32-cell, strike-length MK 41 vertical launch system (VLS) launcher and armed with Standard Missiles, Naval Strike Missile capable and Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) Block II; a Mk110 57mm main gun, and have the RAM close-in system for point defense.  It will have a flight deck and hangar for MH-60R helicopters. It will have essentially the same anti-air and anti-submarine warfare capability as the newest Flight III DDGs.

“It is a risk reducer,” said Mark Vandroff, CEO, FMM, in discussing the pros and cons of the parent design, but using the European design is not without challenges. Premised on the ‘Buy American Act’, the new U.S. Navy FFG will have an entirely new set of equipment manufactured in the United States. With that, “you’re going to have some significant level of design work in order to accommodate the difference in equipment,” said Vandroff.

He points out another critical difference: getting the parent design to meet U.S. Navy damage control and survivability standards.

“Having been the CEO of Carderock, I was involved in an organization that helped develop and maintain those standards, so, I’m very familiar with them,” said Vandroff. “The way we compartment ships, the way we build in redundancy and separation of vital systems is unlike any other Navy or commercial enterprise in the world.”

The engineering work that goes into meeting and beating the U.S. Navy standards is no small feat, and while he knows his team is up to the challenge, the process does not come without those moments when you ask: “Well, how the heck are we going to make this work?”

FFG-62 rendering. Photo courtesy FMG

Investing in the Shipyard(s)

Serving as the prime contractor on a new U.S. Navy shipbuilding contract comes with ample challenges and rewards, too. According to Deste, the three basic essentials to have an efficient shipbuilding system is to have a very high-technology products and systems; the facilities and the people. “Those are the three main pillars to good steady operations.”

While the FFG is the current focus, FMG’s investment in FMM started before construction began on the Littoral Combat Ship program, an investment of around $150m to “get the shipyard up to speed.”

But to win the frigate contract, more investment was needed. “The Navy was very clear about our capacity. We had to produce two ships per year at least, so we redesigned the shipyard,” said Deste. The end result when completed will be an ultra-modern and efficient layout, a layout that “will allow us to complete up to 92% of the ship before it’s in the water.”

All told, FMM will have invested $300 million in capital expansions to prepare for the U.S. Navy frigate contract, $300m invested in a contract that could be worth $5.5 billion if all options are exercised.

The major pieces of the capital investment strategy include:

• Panel Line: FMM is getting a new robotic panel line, module assembly facility and paint shop. Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, a commercial yard that will support the frigate contact, is undergoing similar upgrades. “We had a great panel line facility at Marinette for the LCS program, but for the frigate program we’ve invested in state-of-the-art technology,” said Vandroff. “What we used to do with about 12 people will now be done with one or two operators. The robotic welding gives a more consistent, higher quality product, as well as the ability to put more panels through the line more efficiently. That new panel line is installed and going through its final testing.” With the previous system, when panels came off of the line they were shuttled around the yard for module assembly. At the end of the new line is a new module assembly facility. “This way, we’re moving more complete modules around the yard for outfitting, and that’ll be a more efficient flow for the frigate throughout the yard,” said Vandroff.
  

• Building 34: Wisconsin winters are harsh, so keeping as much construction under cover in a climate-controlled environment positively impacts efficiency. To this end Building 34 will accommodate the construction and erection of two full-size frigates simultaneously under cover. The frigate is both longer, taller and heavier than the littoral combat ships that FMM is now building, and it needed a larger facility. FMM broke ground on the building at the beginning of 2020, and “I would describe it as dangerously near completion,” said Vandroff, noting that the contractor should be done with a few final items, in time for a ribbon-cutting in March/April 2022.
  

• Ship Lift: The other major investment is the installation of a Syncrolift, which will allow FMM to lower ships into the water more gently and effectively than the traditional side launch into the Menominee River. “Ships have been side launched for a long time: it’s simple, it’s not a lot of infrastructure. You just need a set of incline weights and you let gravity take its natural course,” said Vandroff. “But there are some drawbacks.” First, the yard can complete more of the ship on land using the ship lift. “And there are some things that are on the frigate that we don’t want a side launch, parts of the combat system that require very high precision alignment. We want to do that in the building, and then we don’t want do it again after we put it in the water.” With most of the ship lift’s civil works done, it is expected to be up and operational by the end of 2022, in time to launch the first of four multi-mission surface combatant hulls, similar to the LCS design, for the Royal Saudi Navy. When completed, the new ship lift system will be approximately 500 ft. long and 82 ft. wide, and will be capable of handling vessels of nearly 10,000 tons, making it the largest in the U.S.
  

• Blast and Paint Facility: In moving the panel line, FMM freed up a production building which will be converted to an additional blast and paint facility. “We have excellent blast and paint facilities in the yard,” said Vandroff. “But if we’re going to do two frigates a year, which is the Navy’s goal for us, we needed additional blast and paint capacity. That conversion project is scheduled for completion in 2023.
  

While much of the focus, rightfully so, is on FMM, two additional FMG shipyards in the area – Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, which is a commercial yard; and Fincantieri Ace Marine in Green Bay, which builds aluminum boats up to 25m long, as well as aluminum modules – complete Fincantieri’s ‘system of yards’ that provide flexible manpower and facilities to help facilitate the building of the Frigates.

“For the frigate, Bay is going to be critical for us,” said Vandroff. “We’ve invested significantly in Bay: a new panel line, a new blast and paint facility, and a new erection bay. Roughly one-fourth of the frigate will be built in Bay and completely erected and outfitted and then barged over for those super modules to be erected onto the ship. And that gives us a lot of advantages, particularly in terms of workforce flexibility.”

“Shipyards are most efficient when they are busy, working at capacity,” added Deste. And while each of the three yards will contribute to the Navy program, he was quick to emphasize: “Let me be crystal clear here; commercial shipbuilding and repair will remain the core business at Bay Shipbuilding.”

“Tiger Woods once said his golf swing was never standing still. He was either working to get it better or it was getting worse. I have that same philosophy about safety. You’re either working to make it better or over time, it will start to get worse.”
Mark Vandroff, CEO, Fincantieri Marinette Marine. Photo courtesy FMM

People, too

In addition to the physical facilities, FMM is laser focused on growing its employee base to deliver on its military contracts. “The biggest long-term risk for our ability to execute this program is manpower,” said Vandroff. “Right now, we’re roughly 1,000 trade workers in the yard, and I need to grow that to about 1,400 over the next two years. And I probably need to add around 100 additional white-collar employees between additional engineers and additional business professionals.”

To address the need FMM is attacking the issue on multiple fronts. “We are engaged in national recruiting efforts for both blue collar and white collar employees,” said Vandroff, as well as leveraging partnerships with the State of Wisconsin, as well as educational institutions from the local high schools to the local technical and community colleges, as well as the local four-year college, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. “Their Dean of Engineering and their Dean of their Business School have both visited the yard,” said Vandroff, and both have tailored curriculum so that their engineers and business professionals both have the skills that FMM needs. If all else fails, there is outsourcing. “On previous programs we’ve given chunks of ship construction to an outsource partner,” said Vandroff. “We are  exploring options to do that, additionally, on the frigate in order (if needed) to make sure that we have the right resources to build the ships at the rate the Navy needs us to build them.

New Fincantieri Florida Ship Repair Business is ‘Open’

The first customer for the new Fincantieri Marine Repair facilities, Commodores Point, Jacksonville, Fla. repair yard is a commercial vessel, and one that has special meaning: it is the recently-competed liquefied natural gas (LNG) barge Clean Canaveral, which was built by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, WI. Image courtesy Fincantieri Marine Group

Prompted by the Navy’s request to expand its ship repair capacity and help enable a better record of uptime for navy ships, particularly the ones built by Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Fincantieri Marine Repair, a division of Fincantieri Marine Systems North America (FMSNA), expanded to Northeast Florida late in 2021, and in early January 2022 welcomed its first commercial customer to Commodores Point in downtown Jacksonville, effectively marking the start of operations in northeast Florida.“The U.S. Navy wanted additional maintenance and sustainment support for Fincantieri-built military ships homeported in nearby Mayport, and that’s what we’ve done,” said Dario Deste, CEO & President, Fincantieri Marine Group. “But there are other military, government and commercial customers who need sustainment help as well, especially in the southeastern U.S.”

According to Deste, the move to open the new facility and bring it up to ‘Fincantieri standards’ represents an investment of nearly $30 million – with the new 16,000-ton capacity drydock expected to open in early 2023, serving as the biggest ticket time – with additional investment to come.

Fincantieri Marine Group already has a well- and long-established repair hub in Wisconsin in the form or Bay Shipbuilding, but the Florida facility is well situated to handle both Littoral Combat Ships built by Fincantieri Marinette Marine as well as similarly sized military and commercial craft.

The ship repair practice is seen throughout the Fincantieri brand globally, particularly in the cruise and foreign military sectors, and as Deste reasons “we obviously know best what we build. To the navy, maintenance and sustainment is a serious issue,” said Deste. “We talk about increased number of ships, and that is obviously very important. But we also have to talk about how to keep those ships at sea as long as possible (with an efficient repair cycle). We don’t want to waste time (in the shipyard), we want to keep ships sailing; so it is important to have more quality facilities where the ships can be maintained and repaired as quickly as possible.”

For the navy, keeping ships in shape and sailing is a mission imperative for national security; for the commercial market, it’s a business imperative to keep cash flowing.

The first customer for the new repair yard is a commercial vessel, and one that has special meaning: it is the recently-competed liquefied natural gas (LNG) barge Clean Canaveral (pictured), which was built by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, WI, and is in the yard for testing and trials.

Report to Congress on Constellation-class Frigate Program (FFG-62)

February 1, 2022 9:39 AM

• USNI.org

The following is the Jan. 31, 2022, Congressional Research Service report, Navy Constellation (FFG-62) Class Frigate (Previously FFG[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress.

From the report

The Navy began procuring Constellation (FFG-62) class frigates (FFGs) in FY2020, and wants to procure a total of 20 FFG-62s. Congress funded the first FFG-62 in FY2020 at a cost of $1,281.2 million (i.e., about $1.3 billion) and the second in FY2021 at a cost of $1,053.1 million (i.e., about $1.1 billion). The Navy’s proposed FY2022 budget requests $1,087.9 million (i.e., about $1.1 billion) for the procurement of the third FFG-62, and $69.1 million in advance procurement (AP) funding for the fourth and fifth FFG-62s, which are programmed for procurement in one or more future fiscal years.

Four industry teams competed for the FFG-62 program. On April 30, 2020, the Navy announced that it had awarded the FFG-62 contract to the team led by Fincantieri/Marinette Marine (F/MM) of Marinette, WI. F/MM was awarded a fixed-price incentive (firm target) contract for Detail Design and Construction (DD&C) for up to 10 ships in the program—the lead ship plus nine option ships. The other three industry teams reportedly competing for the program were led by Austal USA of Mobile, AL; General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works (GD/BIW) of Bath, ME; and Huntington Ingalls Industries/Ingalls Shipbuilding (HII/Ingalls) of Pascagoula, MS.

As part of its action on the Navy’s FY2020 and FY2021 budgets, Congress has passed provisions relating to U.S. content requirements for certain components of each FFG-62 class ship, as well as a provision requiring the Navy to conduct a land-based test program for the FFG-62’s engineering plant (i.e., its propulsion plant and associated machinery).

The FFG-62 program presents several potential oversight issues for Congress, including the following:

• the Navy’s emerging force-level goals for frigates and other surface combatants;

• the accuracy of the Navy’s estimated unit procurement cost for FFG-62s, particularly when compared to the known unit procurement costs of other recent U.S. surface combatants;

• the potential impact of the COVID-19 situation on the execution of U.S. military shipbuilding programs, including the FFG-62 program;

• whether to build FFG-62s at a single shipyard at any one time (the Navy’s baseline plan), or at two or three shipyards;

• whether the Navy has appropriately defined the required capabilities and growth margin for FFG-62s;

• whether to take any further legislative action regarding U.S. content requirements for the FFG-62 program;

• technical risk in the FFG-62 program; and

• the potential industrial-base impacts of the FFG-62 program for shipyards and supplier firms in the context of other Navy and Coast Guard shipbuilding programs.

SWOBOSS: Littoral Combat Ships Positioned to Supplement EABO Mission

By: Mallory Shelbourne

January 10, 2022 12:01 PM

USNI.org

USS Kansas City (LCS-22) off the coast of California on Aug. 16, 2021. USNI News Photo

The Navy and Marine Corps are testing out whether Littoral Combat Ships armed with anti-ship missiles could be key to how the Marines employe their island-hopping strategy in the Pacific.

The platform, which has struggled to find its footing in the surface fleet, could aid the Marine Corps in its Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) mission, Naval Surface Forces commander Vice Adm. Roy Kitchener said last week.

“We looked at lethality and adding [Naval Strike Missile] and then some of the experimentation we’re looking at, particularly in the area of finding, getting targeting data and things like that,” Kitchener told reporters in a Friday media call previewing the upcoming Surface Navy Association symposium. “We think that LCS out in the first island chain and supporting EABO with the Marines and littoral warfare – [is] a very potent hull. And we continue to work it and we’ll continue to find better ways to get it more reliable and more sustainable.”

The Navy has done some experimentation with using the LCS for EABO out in U.S. 7th Fleet and off the coast of California, including in a recent exercise called Steel Knight, which featured amphibious ships and unmanned assets working to pass information back and forth to each other.

The idea from the Navy is the LCS would work in conjunction with the Light Amphibious Warship, a program the Marine Corps is pursuing to shuttle Marines around Indo-Pacific archipelagos and shorelines, where they would set up ad-hoc bases to fire anti-ship missiles.

USS Kansas City (LCS-22) off the coast of California on Aug. 16, 2021. USNI News Photo

Kitchener described LAW and LCS as a “complement” to each other in the EABO mission. LAW could move Marines around, while LCS provides necessary firepower to the emerging Marine Littoral Regiment formations. The Navy plans to outfit each LCS with the Naval Strike Missile and is prioritizing fielding the weapons on ships heading to the Indo-Pacific.

“LAW – we see it as going to be able to move people and things around. LCS can do that, but LCS can also move and be different places with different packages that are tactically relevant, whether it’s a [unmanned aerial vehicle], a [unmanned undersea vehicle], or be somewhere where it can employ NSM, alongside of those Marine Regiments that are employing NSM from their positions where they’re bedded down,” Kitchener said.

“In Steel Knight, where we’re passing data from Marines to ships and ships to Marines, that focus on controlling [sea lanes of communication] is kind of what we’re doing there to get right at it. And so I do think it is going to become a viable platform to support those kind of missions as far as – alongside of LAW. I think you kind of need a little bit of both,” he added. “LAW can help the Marines move their gear around. LCS is going to give them a little bit of a punch working alongside of them. And so I think those are the things we’ve been working out in 7th Fleet and some of the things we’ve been working off the coast here.”

During an August visit aboard USS Kansas City (LCS-22), Rear Adm. Robert Nowakowski, the deputy commander of Navy Recruiting Command and Naval Education and Training Command Force Development who is currently leading an initiative called Task Force LCS, emphasized the speed of the LCS in making the case for the platform to participate in the EABO mission.

“I mean these ships are fast. And one of the options is to use these ships to transport between the island chain. Now, if you have missiles on these island chains and you have ships moving people between the island chain, that’s a whole other element of surprise, a whole other strategy, that throws a curveball to our adversary,” Nowakowski said at the time.

ndependence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10) launches a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) during Exercise Pacific Griffin on Oct. 1, 2019. US Navy Photo

“How do they know what we have specifically? We’re going to have stuff on the ships, but we’re also going to have stuff on the land. And we’re moving people around all the time – it’s hard for them to counter it,” he continued. “And if they do counter it, they have to have more forces in order to counter it. So it just adds a whole other level of complexity and lethality to our national security.”

The Independence-class ships, with their large mission bays, could house Marines and their equipment, USNI News previously reported. Kitchener on Friday also highlighted the ability to deploy both UAVs and UUVs from the Independence-class ships.

“I think I would use something that – you know what I really like about it, to be honest with you, it’s got the big well deck. It’s got an incredible flight deck, particularly the Independence variant, where I can use UAVs. UUVs can launch from them,” Kitchener said. “And if I can put more weapons on it, I think it’s really good. I think it’s a good support for that whole EAB Marine logistics regiment that we would use in the first island chain. So, yeah, I think having something like that, LCS-like, in our tool bag, is something that we should pursue.”

While the Navy is evaluating new ways to employ the LCS in the Indo-Pacific, Kitchener also noted the ships still have to perform the mine countermeasure mission. Fielding both the anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasure packages on the LCS have been delayed.

“I think there’s some other walk-on capabilities we can use and the ability to do targeting. I also think that – as I discussed earlier – the UAS, UUV stuff, is very key to their mission. I think that’s going to give them more lethality. And then let’s not forget, we do need them to do our MCM mission and we’re tagged by Congress to do that. We deployed a couple of the ships out there this time, have the aviation MCM capability and we should be finishing up the surface capability this year,” Kitchener said.

“And so I think that combination – and I’m always looking for other things to put on LCS – and so it’s a great, with that big mission bay, there is a lot of things you can do,” he added. “Talking to our Navy commandos that are down the strand from us here, there are some things we’ve worked with them on, and we’ll continue to experiment and make it more lethal. But it’s got a great role out there in EAB mission and 7th Fleet continues to experiment with it.”

USS Marinette's name honors contributions of the city

By EagleHerald Staff

• Nov 23, 2021

MARINETTE—The future USS Marinette, the 25th Littoral Combat Ship that was officially christened Saturday at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) shipyard, bears a name that honors the city’s significant contribution to Navy shipbuilding. It will be the first commissioned U.S. Navy combatant ship to be named after the city. One other ship by the name, a Natick-class tugboat, launched in 1967.

“Building LCS 25 and sister ships for the U.S. Navy is an honor and we are proud to be the nation’s shipyard in the heartland,” FMM CEO Mark Vandroff said at the ceremony. “It is especially memorable to have this ship be named for the great town it’s built in. This christening is a testament to the hard work of more than 2,500 shipbuilders who pass through our gates and build American warships.”

“Today’s christening of Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 25, the future USS Marinette, marks the next critical milestone in the life of this warship,” Lockheed Martin Vice President of Small Combatants and Ship Systems Steve Allen said during his speech. “It’s an honor to celebrate this moment with the many hardworking men and women who both built the Marinette and call this great city home. The Lockheed Martin team is proud of our continued partnership with the U.S. Navy to support enhanced warfighting capabilities to this highly capable class of Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships.”

The future USS Marinette will begin acceptance trials, a test process and materials inspection undertaken by the government, next year.

Littoral Combat Ship Minneapolis-Saint Paul Delivers to Navy After Combining Gear Fix; Navy Resumes Delivery of Freedom-Class

By: Sam LaGrone

November 18, 2021 6:31 PM

USNI.org

LCS 21 (Minneapolis-Saint Paul) Christening and Launch on June 15, 2019.

The Littoral Combat Ship Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) delivered to the Navy after almost a year of waiting for a fix to the gearing mechanism that connects the ship’s gas turbines and diesel engines, Navy officials said today.

Minneapolis-Saint Paul had completed its acceptance trials in 2020, but the Navy did not take delivery of the ship while the service was assessing the larger class-wide defect in the RENK AG-built combining gear that came to light after two combining gear casualties aboard USS Detroit (LCS-7) and USS Little Rock (LCS-9). Without the gears that combine the power of the ships’ Rolls Royce MT-30 turbines and diesel engines, the Freedom-class ships can’t achieve their top speed in excess of 45 knots.

The fix to the combining gear, announced on Wednesday by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, now lifts the Navy’s restriction – implemented in January – on accepting new deliveries of the Freedom-class LCS from shipbuilder Lockheed Martin.

“I feel confident that we have applied that technical rigor to address this problem. And I look forward to delivering LCS 21… as well as the rest of the Freedom variants of the LCS class,” Jay Stefany, acting assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, told reporters on Thursday.

Cooperstown (LCS-23), the next ship in line for the fix, is finalizing the repair to its combining gear and is expected to deliver to the Navy by January, Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants Rear Adm. Casey Moton told reporters at the same roundtable.

After Minneapolis-Saint Paul was taken from the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin to Escanaba. Mich., to prove out the repair techniques that will be applied to the rest of the class.

“On LCS-21, it took us a little under six months, it’s an extensive process,” Moton said.
“We think LCS-23 will probably only take four to five months.”

The Navy now has a path to repair the remaining ships to be delivered – Cooperstown (LCS-23), Marinette (LCS-25), Nantucket (LCS-27) and Beloit (LCS-29).

Cleveland (LCS-31), the final Freedom-class ship, “already has the gear fix because of where that ship was in the production schedule. Her gears were actually delivered with the fix already installed,” Moton said.

While the fix is set for the ships under construction, questions remains as to how much of the cost will be shouldered by the Navy or Lockheed Martin.

Moton declined to say how much the repair would cost ,citing ongoing contract negotiations that would determine the cost responsibility.

The Navy is still also working through how it will address the fixes for the eight in-service ships with the RENK AG combining gear. The decommissioned Freedom (LCS-1) and USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) were designed with a different gearing mechanism built by U.S. company Philadelphia Gear.

“Specific plans for incorporating the fix for in-service ships are under Navy assessment,” Moton said.

Until then, the remaining Freedom-class LCS are under a Naval Sea Systems Command advisory restricting operations of the LCS to either turbines or diesels – not both.

As for the ships in the yard, the service will keep them in the Great Lakes over the winter to wait out the freezing of the Saint Lawrence Seaway to the Atlantic Ocean and transiting to their homeport in Mayport, Fla.

“Our plan for Minneapolis-Saint Paul is to keep the ship there over the winter. And then she will sail away in the spring and head to her commissioning which is going to be in Duluth in the spring,” Moton said.

CNO: First Combining Gear Fix Completed on Freedom-Class LCS Minneapolis-Saint Paul

By: Sam LaGrone

November 17, 2021 7:20 PM

USNI.com

Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) during acceptance trials in Lake Michigan in 2020. Lockheed Martin Photo

The Navy has completed and tested the first fix for the complicated gearing system that has plagued the Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday told reporters on Wednesday.

In January, the Navy announced it would not take deliveries of the Lockheed Martin-built Freedom-class LCS until the class-wide issue with the under-engineered combining gear from German manufacturer RENK AG was repaired. The gear links the ships’ diesel engines and gas turbines. The determination followed two high-profile propulsion failures in USS Detroit (LCS-7) and USS Little Rock (LCS-9). In total, 13 ships required the repair to the gears.

“We held industry’s feet to the fire … We stopped delivery of these ships until we got this right. Reliability of LCS is our number one priority with respect to that ship class,” Gilday said.
“We really forced industry to go back to the drawing board with respect to the fidelity of the engineering work to do significant and rigorous shore side testing before we approve that final design that actually just got installed in the first ship.”

Navy officials said in August that Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) had completed the initial repair of the combining gear in Escanaba. Mich., near Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Wisconsin.

“It’s a very complex fix to replace the bearings on the combining gear. It’s a very tight space. There’s a lot of interferences that have to be removed,” LCS deputy program manager Howard Berkof said in August.

The key to the 40-knot top speed of the Freedom class is the gearing system that combines the output of the ship’s Rolls Royce MT-30 gas turbines and its diesel engines. Without the gearing system operating as designed, the Freedom-class ships in commission can only operate on one type of engine at a much lower speed.

With Minneapolis-Saint Paul cleared to deliver to the Navy, Lockheed and RENK AG will continue to repair the ships under construction at Marinette Marine – Cooperstown (LCS-23), Marinette (LCS-25), Nantucket (LCS-27) and Beloit (LCS-29). The final Freedom-class ship, Cleveland (LCS-31), will be outfitted with a fully corrected combining gear, the Navy has said.

It’s unclear how the Navy will feather in the fix to the eight Freedom-class LCS with the RENK combining gear already in commission. The decommissioned Freedom (LCS-1) and USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) were designed with a different gearing mechanism built by U.S. company Philadelphia Gear.

Moving ahead, Gilday said the Freedom-class ships would move beyond their current missions in U.S. Southern Command to the Middle East and the Western Pacific.

“Our intent is to scale the LCS around the globe and to get as much as we can out of that platform,” he said. “We’re back fitting those ships with some significant weapon systems.”

Gilday said LCS were in use as part of the Global 14 exercise series currently underway at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.

“They definitely played in a positive way in the game. I will say that LCS was designed to operate in shallower waters around archipelagos,” he said. “And that’s exactly how they played in the game and we found them very useful.”

Constellation-Class Brings Frigates back to the U.S. Fleet

Magazines.MarineLink.com

By Edward Lundquist