HMS Prince of Wales and the UK Carrier Strike Group have redeployed after completing Exercise Joint Warrior (Picture: Royal Navy)
The Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group, led by HMS Prince of Wales, has completed Exercise Joint Warrior, which was one part of Steadfast Defender, Nato’s biggest exercise since the Cold War.
Joint Warrior, the UK-led part of the exercise, involved the simulation of surface, air and land scenarios to evaluate the collaborative capabilities of Nato nations and allied partners when responding to hostilities in home waters.
Aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales was joined by more than 30 ships, four submarines, multiple aircraft from maritime patrol aircraft to F-35 Lightning jets and more than 20,000 personnel from nations including Canada, Denmark, France and Spain.
“Through careful planning, effective orchestrating and detailed evaluation we are able to ensure that the alliance’s most powerful naval assets are consistently challenged against realistic and credible threat scenarios,” said Commodore Andrew Ingham, Commander Fleet Operational Standards and Training.
“Their work supporting the largest Nato exercise in 50 years is absolutely crucial to ensuring that we are prepared for the challenges and threats of the modern era.”
UK Carrier Strike Group units assembled for Exercise Joint Warrior (Picture: MOD)
HMS Queen Elizabeth had initially been scheduled to lead the exercise, but she had to withdraw due to an issue with her propeller shaft, leading HMS Prince of Wales to step in.
Despite being given a 30-day notice, HMS Prince of Wales got ready for deployment in just a week.
Before deployment, HMS Prince of Wales was in the early stages of a maintenance period when the decision was made to sail her.
“Scaffolding that took six weeks to erect was taken down in six days, engines that had been readied for planned overhaul were rapidly rebuilt, and many of the ship’s company altered personal plans including leave and holidays,” Admiral Sir Ben Key said in a post on X.
“The entire process was completed in seven days and will ensure we continue to meet our Nato commitments. A phenomenal effort by all,” he added.
The Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed in Norway, continuing its participation in the subsequent phase of Exercise Steadfast Defender.
Watch: The BV 206 tracked all-terrain amphibious vehicle in action.
Military drivers have been hitting some BASS notes as they learn to operate the BV 206, a tracked, articulated utility vehicle, in the Arctic region of Norway.
BASS – Brake, Acceleration, Speed and Steering – are the fundamentals they need to learn when taking on the snow and ice in an all-terrain amphibious vehicle like this.
“Watch you don’t do too much of any of those things and you should be good,” Corporal Andy Flanagan, an instructor and logistics driver from the RAF’s Tactical Wing, told Forces News.
His role is to provide driver training for all ranks from all three services – teaching them how to handle the snow and ice, as well as operate the BV 206 tracked all-terrain amphibious vehicle in winter conditions.
Cpl Flanagan explained how one particular challenge that comes with driving the BV 206 in an Artic setting is the fact that it has tracks rather than wheels.
“It makes a huge difference in how to handle it, the tracks make it much easier for the centrifuge force to throw the vehicle sideways,” he said.
“If you’re in a turn, if the vehicle wants to go sideways then it will do a lot easier, there’s a lot more to think about when operating a BV.”
The BV 206 is designed to carry troops and equipment through harsh terrain.
Making full use of the Armed Forces’ safe training space in Norway, Cpl Flanagan said it was crucial to push the principles of BASS.
“They can feel what it feels like to get themselves in a situation they don’t want to be in, and also what to do if they do get in that situation,” he said of the trainee drivers.
“It means they are less likely to flap if they do get themselves in a situation.”
The BV 206 has a low ground pressure due to its wide rubber tracks and lightweight body, but they do make it prone to skidding sideways in a turn for the unwary driver
The Course
Run by Commando Helicopter Force on behalf of Joint Helicopter Command, the driver trainees go through a five-day snow, ice and BV course.
Cpl Flanagan that they are fairly full days, but the trainees generally enjoy the opportunity.
He added: “We also go out on training area and do off-roading as well… and out and about on public roads and see a bit more of Norway.”
They also learn how to tackle ice crossing, and the driver course is available for support vehicles and Land Rovers as well.
The Gulf region is home to one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world – the Strait of Hormuz – and keeping it mine-free is essential to ensure the flow of oil and trade.
Since 2006, the UK has strategically positioned itself in the Gulf to address the menace of mines, which serve as a fast and inexpensive means for nations to control vast maritime areas, disrupt vital shipping lanes, or inflict damage on maritime vessels.
What is Operation Kipion?
The UK Mine Countermeasures Force comes under the umbrella of Operation Kipion, the UK’s commitment to promoting peace and stability around the Gulf.
It typically involves three minehunters based permanently in the region and, as well as looking for mines, the ensure the safe flow of oil, gas and trade.
The minehunters are led by the commander of the UK Mine Countermeasures Force, who is based on a Royal Fleet Auxiliary landing ship dock.
The force also has an escort ship with Royal Marines from 42 Commando on board, maritime security specialists with board and search expertise, all of which are supported by the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain.
The ‘mother ship’ RFA Stirling Castle with a minehunter (Picture: Royal Navy)
How are mines neutralised?
The minehunter ships hunt for mines, using sonar to detect objects on the seabed and then use a remotely operated system called Sea Fox to dispose of them.
When a mine is detected, there are two options to deal with it.
It can either be targeted by a remotely operated vehicle with an explosive charge that would cause a controlled explosion.
Or if the visibility is poor, the task falls on to a team of specialist EOD (Explosives Ordnance Disposal) divers.
“Minehunters are some of the smallest vessels within the Royal Navy,” Commanding Officer of HMS Bangor Lieutenant Commander Andrew Platt said.
“My ship’s company is just 40 people. In that, I’ve got engineers, mine warfare experts, chefs, divers. And that team really comes together in order to deliver our equipment and operations,” he added.
How do autonomous mine-hunting systems work?
Harrier is an Uncrewed Minesweeper System. At 11 metres long it is designed to detect underwater threats in the challenging weather conditions found in the Gulf.
The three coil boats attached to it are designed to trick a mine into thinking there’s a ship on the surface.
The mine then detonates – it’s a quicker way of neutralising a minefield.
The heat and dust make the Gulf region one of the more difficult environments to operate in.
However, Richard Hurman, Commander of the UK Mine Countermeasures Force believes that if the Royal Navy can operate in the Gulf, they can operate anywhere.
“As we know all too well at the moment, mines are being used in the Black Sea and nations are utilising them in order to close off sea areas and deny the enemy,” Cdr Hurman said.
“We have that ability to be able to sustain operations, to clear channels as quickly as possible in order to keep the movement of commercial and military shipping through any particular region as quickly as possible.
“With heat, dust and environmentals, it makes it a difficult environment to operate in, so if we can operate here, we can operate pretty much anywhere else in the world,” he added.
Stern section of the future District of Columbia headed to General Dynamic Electric Boat in 2024. GD Photo
THE PENTAGON – The lead ship in the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program is facing a potential one-year delay due to supplier issues, putting the Navy’s number one acquisition program at risk and creating a potential gap in the U.S. nuclear strategic deterrent, five people familiar with the delay told USNI News.
The future USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826) could deliver in Fiscal Year 2028 instead of its planned FY 2027 delivery, the sources confirmed to USNI News.
The largest hurdle for Districtof Columbia is the bow module of the submarine that is under construction at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, two sources familiar with the delay told USNI News. The overall program is facing additional delays from the steam turbines that Northrop Grumman is under contract to build for the Navy.
Under the teaming arrangement for the Columbia program, lead contractor General Dynamics Electric Boat assembles the central barrel of the submarine’s hull at its yard in Groton, Conn., and its manufacturing facility in Quonset Point, R.I. Those modules built in New England are married to bow and stern sections that are constructed at Newport News and sent by barge up to the Columbia assembly hall in Connecticut. HII has been late in delivering the sections, delaying the timeline for construction.
Likewise, the turbines that translate the steam generated by the submarine’s nuclear reactor to mechanical and electrical energy have also hit manufacturing delays, causing blockages in production.
A spokesman for HII’s Newport News referred USNI News to General Dynamics Electric Boat when asked about the potential schedule slippage. A spokesman for General Dynamics referred USNI News to the Navy.
Asked about the initial report during the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget briefing on Monday, Under Secretary Erik Raven pointed to Secretary Carlos Del Toro’s 45-day shipbuilding review.
“We’re seeing stress across the industrial base and again I think putting this in the context of the Secretary’s 45-day review will add additional depth and context to the challenges that we’re seeing across the shipbuilding portfolio and we expect to have that done fairly soon,” Raven told USNI News.
Artist’s rendering of the Columbia-class SSBN submarine. US Navy Image
The Navy’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget books, released Monday with the annual budget request, list District of Columbia as delivering in October 2027, the same schedule listed in last year’s documents.
When asked about the potential delay, a Navy spokeswoman referred USNI News to Raven’s comments from the budget briefing and said more information on the program will be available when the service releases the results of the 45-day review that began in January. The Navy is expected to publish the review later this month, USNI News understands.
The service began to express concern over potential program delays last year. In a March 29 hearing before the House Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee, Del Toro warned the panel that the program was facing major headwinds.
During her confirmation hearing in September, now Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti said the $132 billion program was still meeting its timelines, but the margin was eroding.
“Columbia started out on an accelerated schedule. We are no longer on the accelerated schedule, but we are meeting the contracted delivery schedule for Columbia,” Franchetti told lawmakers at the time.
“We are continuing to work closely with industry against all those challenges that I described earlier and continuing to provide the right level of oversight so we understand where we are. It is [an] all hands on deck effort to ensure that we stay on time,” she added.
USS Alaska (SSBN-732) arrived at the Port of Gibraltar on June 28, 2021. US Navy Photo
The Columbia program, which recapitalizes the sea-based leg of the U.S. military’s nuclear triad, has a razor-thin schedule margin because each boat needs to replace the submarines in the Ohio class one-for-one. To provide some cushion, the Navy is planning to perform short extensions for up to five Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines that would stretch each boat’s service life by three years. Starting with USS Alaska (SSBN-732), each boat would undergo an 18-month maintenance availability for the extension. But the service has several years and budget cycles before it needs to make a final decision on the extensions.
Under U.S. Strategic Command requirements, the Navy’s submarine force must be able to surge 10 ballistic missile submarines should a nuclear contingency arise. There are currently 14 SSBNs in the Navy’s inventory. Without a service life extension for the Ohio-class boats, the inventory would dip to 13 in FY 2027, then 12 in FY 2029, according to the FY 2024 long-range shipbuilding blueprint. Without the extension, the number would then decrease to 11 in FY 2030 through FY 2032.
It is seen here getting ready to load fully-equipped Marines during a loading test of the troop-carrying capacity of the aircraft. The only Navy flying boat ever equipped with turboprop engines, the R3Y could also beach itself, and offload troops and cargo on a beachhead. Needless to say, the idea did not take off.
Fly Navy,
Dave
www.logbookmag.com
Photo: U.S. Navy via the National Museum of Naval Aviation.
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of March 11, 2024, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.
Ships Underway
Total Battle Force
Deployed
Underway
293 (USS 233, USNS 60)
97 (USS 65, USNS 32)
61 (45 Deployed, 16 Local)
In Japan
Japan Ground Self Defense Force CH-47JA Chinook pilots with Landing Division 1, fly over the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA-6), during flight operations with the amphibious dock landing ship USS Green Bay (LPD-20), part of Iron Fist 24, in the Philippine Sea, March 9, 2024. US Marine Corps
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is in port in Yokosuka. The carrier is set to depart for the East Coast later this year. USS George Washington (CVN-73) will replace Reagan in Japan.
USS John Finn (DDG-113) conducts routine operations during a Taiwan Strait transit, March 5. US Navy Photo
USS John Finn (DDG-113) made the second U.S. transit of the Taiwan Strait for 2024.
“U.S. ships transit between the South China Sea and the East China Sea via the Taiwan Strait and have done so for many years. The transit occurred through a corridor in the Taiwan Strait that is beyond any coastal state’s territorial seas,” reads a statement from U.S. 7th Fleet.
The People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command said Chinese forces monitored the transit, according to a statement on Chinese social media service Weibo.
The Japan-based destroyer made a similar transit on Jan. 24.
In the South China Sea
Sailors direct an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to the ‘Black Knights’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 154, on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), March 8, 2024. US Navy Photo
Aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is operating in the South China Sea.
The carrier has been using older C-2A Greyhounds as a temporary carrier-onboard delivery vehicle while the CMV-22B fleet was grounded following the November crash of an Air Force MV-22B Osprey off the coast of Japan. While the military has recently lifted the grounding guidance, Navy Vice Adm. Daniel Cheever, commander of Naval Air Forces, told reporters Wednesday that the Navy CMV-22s returning to flight would be a “crawl, walk, run incremental approach. There will first be enhanced maintenance checks,” Cheever said, followed by functional flight checks done by the Navy’s most experienced pilots. “Return to flight is not the same as return to mission,” Cheever said. He added it will be weeks, if not months, before CMV-22 pilots and crews will be again transporting personnel and equipment to aircraft carriers.
Carrier Strike Group 9
A C-2A Greyhound prepares to land on the deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) on March 6, 2024. US Navy Photo
Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), homeported at San Diego, Calif.
Carrier Air Wing 11
The “Fist of the Fleet” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 25 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
The “Black Knights” of VFA 154 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
The “Blue Blasters” of VFA 34 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Flying Checkmates” of VFA 211 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Rooks” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Liberty Bells” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 115 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
The “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Station, Norfolk, Va.
The “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
The “Eightballers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.
Cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
Destroyer Squadron 23 Destroyer Squadron 23 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Theodore Roosevelt.
USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
USS Halsey (DDG-97), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
The National Security Cutter USCGC Bertholf (WMSL-750) is operating on the edge of the South China Sea near Singapore.
In the Western Pacific
USCGC Harriet Lane (WMEC-903) coxswains drive two separate Vanuatu Marine Police Wing small boats in Port Vila, Vanuatu Harbor, March 1, 2024. US Coast Guard Photo
Coast Guard cutter USCGC Harriet Lane (WMEC-903) is underway on its first deployment since the cutter relocated to Hawaii. The ship last reported in Cairns, Australia, on Thursday.
In the Atlantic
Airman Wason Ilassie , assigned to the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD-5), tows an MH-60s, attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, March 2, 2024. US Navy Photo
The ships of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), along with the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (MEU(SOC)) departed the Mediterranean and transited the Strait of Gibraltar Wednesday en route return to homeport following an extended deployment to the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean.
Embarked units include Amphibious Squadron 8, 26th MEU (SOC), Fleet Surgical Team 8, Tactical Air Control Squadron 21, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 26, Assault Craft Unit 2, Assault Craft Unit 4 and Beach Master Unit 2. The 26th MEU (SOC), based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., includes Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 6th Marines; Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162 (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 22.
In the Red Sea
U.S. ships are continuing to patrol the Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S.-led multinational effort to protect ships moving through the region. Houthi forces in Yemen continue to attack merchant shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, while U.S. naval forces in the region have continued self-defense strikes against Houthi weapons that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says are a threat to naval and merchant ships. Houthi forces say they are targeting ships with connections to the United Kingdom, the U.S. and Israel.
As of Monday, the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group was operating in the Red Sea.
Ike deployed on Oct. 14, while several of the carrier’s escorts left on Oct. 13. The carrier transited the Strait of Gibraltar on Oct. 28 and transited the Suez Canal on Nov. 4.
The U.N. Security Council on Jan. 10 approved a resolution calling on Yemen’s Houthi rebel group to “cease its brazen” attacks in the Red Sea.
Carrier Strike Group 2
Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) directs an F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet, attached to the ‘Gunslingers’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105, during flight operations aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) in the Red Sea, March 4, 2024. US Navy Photo
Carrier
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), homeported at Norfolk, Va.
Carrier Air Wing 3
The “Gunslingers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The “Fighting Swordsmen” of VFA 32 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Rampagers” of VFA 83 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Wildcats” of VFA 131 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
The “Zappers” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
The “Screwtops” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 123 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Norfolk, Va.
The “Rawhides” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Air Station Norfolk.
The “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
The “Dusty Dogs” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 – MH-60S – from Naval Station Norfolk.
Cruiser
Sailors drive a rigid-hull inflatable boat during a mine exercise aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) in the Red Sea, Feb. 20, 2024. US Navy Photo
USS Philippine Sea (CG-58), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
Destroyer Squadron 22
Destroyer Squadron 22 is based in Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Eisenhower.
USS Gravely (DDG-107), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
USS Mason (DDG-87), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.
On Saturday, U.S. Navy aircraft and ships, with the aid of other coalition ships, shot down at least 28 one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles, according to USNI News’ timeline of events in the Red Sea. No warships or commercial vessels reported damage.
Over the past week, Central Command forces, not identified in the command’s releases, conducted multiple strikes on Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles, anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones. The forces, which at times include Navy warships, shot down six drones and one anti-ship ballistic missile launched toward the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
In the Gulf of Aden
M/V True Confidence, a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier after getting hit wiht a Houthi missile while transiting the Gulf of Aden on March 6, 2024. US CENTCOM Photo
On Friday, Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles from Yemen into the Gulf of Aden at M/V Propel Fortune, a Singapore-flagged, owned, and operated vessel. The missiles did not impact the vessel. There were no injuries or damages reported.
On Wednesday, a Houthi-launched anti-ship ballistic missile hits M/V True Confidence, a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier. The missile causes a fire aboard the ship and leads to three fatalities, the first since the Houthis began launching missiles and drones at ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
In the Arabian Sea
Bags of illegal narcotics seized from a vessel are stacked on the deck of the U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class fast response cutter USCGC Glen Harris (WPC-1144) in the Arabian Sea, March 5, 2024. US Coast Guard Photo
On Tuesday, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter operating under the Canadian-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 of Combined Maritime Forces seized 770 kg of methamphetamines from a dhow in the Arabian Sea.
Sentinel-class fast response cutter USCGC Glen Harris (WPC-1144) seized the methamphetamines.
Glen Harris is forward deployed to Bahrain as part of a contingent of U.S. Coast Guard ships operating in the region.
In the Persian Gulf
U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) are forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships with U.S. and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East. Initially deployed in 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, PATFORSWA is now a permanent presence based out of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
In the Atlantic
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) weapons department sailors wait for helicopters to deliver cargo during a vertical replenishment on the flight deck of Truman, Feb. 21 2024. US Navy Photo
In addition to these major formations, not shown are others serving in submarines, individual surface ships, aircraft squadrons, SEALs, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, Seabees, EOD Mobile Units and more serving throughout the globe.
Guided-missile destroyer Harvey C. Barnum, Jr. (DDG-124) in dry dock at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works in June 2023. BIW Photo
This post has been updated with additional details from the budget materials.
THE PENTAGON – The Navy wants to buy six battle force ships and decommission 19 ships in the next fiscal year, according to the service’s latest budget request.
Faced with fiscal constraints, the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget prioritizes readiness over modernization, leading to a smaller shipbuilding request and a delay for several new programs and research and development efforts.
The request, released Monday, is seeking one Virginia-class attack submarine, two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, one Constellation-class frigate, one San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock and one Medium Landing Ship.
The Department of the Navy is asking for a total of $257.6 billion, with $203.9 billion for the Navy and $53.7 billion for the Marine Corps. The numbers are a .7 percent increase above last year’s request, according to a Navy summary. Last year’s Fiscal Year 2024 submission sought $255.8 billion for the Department of the Navy, broken out with $202.5 billion for the Navy and $53.2 billion for the Marine Corps.
The Navy’s portion of the budget breaks down to $70.2 billion in operations and maintenance funding, $63.3 billion in procurement, $43.8 billion for military personnel, $22.7 billion in research and development funding, and $3.9 billion for military construction.
This year’s request continues the Navy’s plans to divest 10 older platforms before the end of their service lives for a total of 19. The service wants to decommission two cruisers, the first four Expeditionary Fast Transports, one Whidbey Island-class docking landing ship, one Expeditionary Transfer Dock and two Littoral Combat Ships. Those ships are USS Shiloh (CG-67), USS Lake Erie (CG-70), USNS Spearhead (EPF-1), USNS Choctaw County (EPF-2), USNS Millinocket (EPF-3), USNS Fall River (EPF-4), USS Germantown (LSD-42), USNS John Glenn (ESD-2), USS Jackson (LCS-6) and USS Montgomery (LCS-8).
The Navy performed a “hull-by-hull analysis” of each ship to determine which ones to retire early, Navy Under Secretary Erik Raven told reporters Friday ahead of the budget rollout.
“On Littoral Combat Ship, very consistent with prior year’s message that we look at the requirements for LCS and we find we have hulls excess to the validated requirements,” Raven said. “So the divestments proposed in this year’s budget are very consistent with that analysis.”
Raven justified the LSD retirement by citing the Navy’s plans to keep buying LPD-17 Flight II ships, a line the Navy halted procurement for last year.
The Pentagon built this year’s budget under restrictions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which limits the Biden administration’s spending on national defense to $895 billion. In adhering to the FRA, Raven said the Navy prioritized readiness over modernization, meaning it delayed the development of some future programs.
“In terms of what comes at the top of the list it is readiness, it is people. It is the today issues that we have to get on top of,” Raven said. “Where our guidance directs us to take risk is in future modernization when there are tough choices to be made.”
“So if you look at F/A-XX or the other X programs, we knowingly took risk in the schedule for the development of those programs in order to prioritize those key investments, whether that’s readiness, or investing in our people, or undersea, to make sure that we make those programs whole,” Raven added, referring to the Navy’s next generation fighter program and other new programs like the next-generation submarine program, or SSN(X).
On the personnel side, The FY 2025 request includes a 4.5% pay increase for active-duty military and a 2% increase for civilians.
Shipbuilding
Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) leaves from Ingalls Shipbuilding on Sept. 26, 2023. HII Photo
The overall request for the shipbuilding account is $32.4 billion, which is a $400 million decrease from Fiscal Year 2024’s request for $32.8 billion. The Navy notably only asks for one Virginia-class submarine in FY 2025, despite previous plans to consistently buy two attack boats each year.
Asked why the Navy cut one submarine from the request, Raven cited the fact that industry is not building the attack boats at the two-per-year rate that the Navy has been buying the Virginias. Industry is currently delivering 1.3 attack boats per year.
“We believe that the best choice for where we are in the Virginia-class program is to make substantial investments in the submarine industrial base to make sure that we get these programs on the cadence that we need,” Raven said. “And looking at where we are in procurement, we judged that funding 9 out of the 10 Virginia class that are funding in the ‘25 budget is the right move.”
A senior defense official echoed Raven’s rationale about industry when asked about the Navy’s cut.
“I think everybody felt that it’s time for a fresh approach and refresh,” that official said. “There’s a lot of money in the industrial base to try and change the dynamics so that when we do go back to ordering two subs a year, we are more closely aligned to being able to get two subs a year built.”
To that end, Raven said the Navy is making “significant investments in the submarine industrial base” across the Fiscal Year 2025 five-year budget lookout. In addition to the $2.4 across last year’s Future Years Defense Plan, Raven said request is seeking another $8.8 billion for the submarine industrial base across the FY 2025 FYDP.
This year’s request also includes a new shipbuilding program called the light replenishment oiler, which the Navy plans to begin buying in Fiscal Year 2027.
“That is a capability gap that we needed to fill,” Rear Adm. Ben Reynolds, the Navy deputy assistant secretary for budget, said of the light replenishment oiler.
Aviation
An F-35C Lightning II attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 lands on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 28, 2024. US Navy Photo
For aviation procurement, the Navy is seeking $16.2 billion to buy a total of 75 aircraft. The buy is $900 million below last year’s $17.3 billion aircraft procurement request.
The Fiscal Year 2025 procurement profile includes nine F-35C Joint Strike Fighters for the Navy, four F-35Cs for the Marine Corps, 13 F-35Bs for the Marine Corps, 15 Multi-Engine Training Systems for the Navy, 12 Multi Engine Training Systems for the Marine Corps, 19 CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopters for the Marine Corps, and three MQ-25A Stingrays for the Navy’s carrier air wing, according to a service summary.
The Navy will kick off a two-year block buy for the Marine Corps’ CH-53Ks in FY 2025, according to a Navy summary of the request. The Marine Corps’ aircraft are purchased using the Navy’s aircraft procurement account.
While the service is continuing its development of the F/A-XX next-generation fighter program, the FY 2025 request is seeking significantly fewer research and development dollars for the effort. While last year’s request sought $1.5 billion for F/A-XX, this year’s submission is asking for $454 million.
“We rephased across the FYDPs,” Reynolds told reporters Friday of the Navy’s cut in funding to the program.
The F/A-XX funding is specifically for research and development of the fighter and does not include funding spent on the Next Generation Air Dominance family of systems, some of which are classified, Reynolds said.
Weapons Systems
Lockheed Martin LRASM Missile during a 2018 test. NAVAIR Photo
The Navy’s weapons procurement request seeks to build upon the multi-year procurement strategies for several munitions programs – the Standard Missile 6, the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, the Naval Strike Missile, and the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile – that the service asked to start last fiscal year. The defense spending bill for FY 2024 has yet to pass Congress, so the funding for those multi-year procurement schemes is not technically secured yet.
The Navy wants to buy 125 SM-6s, which the service has consistently asked for in the last few budget cycles. This year’s request also asks for 22 Tactical Tomahawks for the Navy and Marine Corps, 102 Naval Strike Missiles for both services, 30 LRASMs, 261 AMRAMs, and 60 LRASMs Extended Range.
The request does not ask to buy any Conventional Prompt Strike weapons. CPS is a hypersonic missile that the Navy planned to field on the Zumwalt-class guided-missile destroyer in FY 2025 and the Virginia-class attack submarine in FY 2028. But the plans to field the weapon on the Zumwalt-class destroyers are delayed until FY 2026, Reynolds told reporters.
“We’re rephasing Conventional Prompt Strike to allow our tech team and our development to catch up,” Reynolds said.
“The Department continues to pursue critical milestones on the path to fielding CPS on USS ZUMWALT in the mid-2020’s,” a Navy spokesperson told USNI News.
Unmanned Systems
Large unmanned surface vessel Ranger transits the Pacific Ocean to participate in Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. US Navy Photo
The Navy is continuing research and development efforts for its unmanned systems programs, but two of the larger platforms are delayed.
The service is asking for $54 million in research and development funding for the Large Unmanned Surface Vehicle and $21 million in R&D funding for the Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle. It’s a substantial decrease compared to the FY 2024 request, which asked for $117 million for LUSV and $104 million for XLUUV. That decrease is due to the delays for both programs, Reynolds told reporters.
“Where we have one to two unmanned systems that we’re experiencing any kind of technical difficulty, we working to move those, rephase those across the FYDP,” Reynolds said. “So LUSV, for example, we’re moving that from ‘25 to ’27.”
On the surface and sub-surface side, the smaller platforms are progressing better than the larger platforms, he noted.
“Some of those platforms are doing very well and transitioning from R&D into procurement,” Reynolds said, citing the small UUVs.
Marine Corps Procurement
U.S. Marines maneuver an Amphibious Combat Vehicle on the beach during the Amphibious Assault School Transition Training Unit Operator Certification Course at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Dec. 14, 2023. US Marine Corps Photo
The Marine Corps request for Fiscal Year 2025 breaks down to $17.4 billion in operations and maintenance funding, $13.8 billion in procurement funding, $18.1 billion in personnel funding, $3 billion in research and development funding and $1.4 billion in military construction funding.
The service is asking for 80 Amphibious Combat Vehicles, matching the FY 2024 request. The Marine Corps wants to buy 674 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, 123 Anti-Armor Missile Javelins, eight Long Range Fires, and 12 Medium Range Interceptor Capability launders and missiles.
The Marine Corps is not asking to buy any of its Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction Systems, also known as NMESIS, nor is it asking to buy any Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar (G/ATOR).
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