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New Sonar For Navy Frigates Could Turn Any Ship into Submarine Hunter, Maker Says


A sonar system being installed on new U.S. Navy Constellation-class frigates could also protect merchant ships during a conflict and give them the ability to search for submarines, according to the company that manufactures the technology.

The towed-sensor system is already being used by U.S. allies and could be quickly installed on non-military ships.

“It’s a modular system that can be placed on vessels of opportunity,” said Mark Bock, vice president for strategy and business development at Thales’ Advanced Acoustic Concepts. 

At the Surface Navy Association conference in Arlington, Virginia, this week, the company showed off a video of the technology being installed on a commercial ship within 48 hours, turning the vessel into an anti-submarine “asset,” Bock said.

“We believe we can repeat that turnaround [time],” he said.

The company believes the sonar system could be loaded on a military cargo plane and quickly flown to a ship that needs it. 

“This is not a concept that is new or developmental,” Bock said. “It’s a concept of how to rapidly address [anti-submarine warfare] capacity from a DOD or navy perspective.”

U.S. Transportation Command boss Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost said in October that the military would rely heavily on commercial cargo ships and aircraft to replenish troops during a war in the vast spaces of the Pacific. Van Ovost said the command is looking at placing military advisors on merchant ships along with special communications gear that gives the ships a better picture of enemy locations.

Last March, the Navy said it would install Advanced Acoustic Concepts’ CAPTAS anti-submarine sonar on its Constellation-class frigates over similar Raytheon-made technology.

The sonar system is made up of a long cable that tows a sensor in the water that pings for submarines. Unlike the Navy’s current bow-mounted sonars, the so-called variable-depth sonar can be “placed at a depth that has the highest probability of getting a target acquisition,” Bock said.

Thales acquired Advanced Acoustic Concepts, a undersea technology joint venture it previously had with Leonardo DRS, in July. The acquisition, Thales said at the time, was to “increase its engineering and industrial footprint in the U.S. defense market, with reinforced U.S.-based teams and capabilities.”

The anti-submarine technology is already used on British, French, Spanish, and Chilean ships.

“You’re talking about a system that’s mature, has a track record, past performance record against targets,” Bock said.

One might ask whether linking a merchant ship to a military sensor network would make it more of a target. The classification of civilian vessels into legitimate targets and illegal ones is an unsettled area of international law; much depends on circumstances. The U.S. Navy’s own guidance indicates that merchant ships “incorporated into, or assisting in any way, the intelligence system of an enemy’s armed forces” may be “attacked and destroyed” by aircraft or surface warships “with or without prior warning.”  

Bradley Peniston contributed to this report.





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Europe’s pipelines and cables under threat as Putin’s Russia accused of launching deep-sea sabotage campaign


Situated off Norway’s forbidding north-eastern coast, the Lofoten-Vesteralen Ocean Observatory uses a matrix of underwater sensors to monitor the sensitive ecological balance in the surrounding frigid seas.

But alongside its work recording passing shoals of fish and other marine life, the observatory has another delicate role – forming part of the front line of Nato’s defences by listening out for submarines from Russia’s Northern Fleet, entering or exiting the Arctic en route to executing the Kremlin’s orders in spheres from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.

It was for this reason that the alarm bells sounded from London to Washington when some 2.6 miles of cable linking the sensors suddenly disappeared in November 2021, leaving a significant gap in the West’s subsea early warning system. When the damage was eventually inspected, it was found that the data link had been neatly severed.

Weeks later, as Vladimir Putin was massing his troops on the borders of Ukraine and Western intelligence was stretching every sinew to monitor Russian military manoeuvres, another piece of critical infrastructure in Norwegian waters was cut. This time a fibre-optic link to Svalbard Satellite Station was damaged, interrupting service at one of only two installations on the planet relaying signals from satellites in polar orbits.

In both cases, the Norwegian authorities have since concluded that the damage was the result of human intervention, although they have declined to publicly point the finger at a particular culprit. In the case of the incident involving the Lofoten-Vesteralen cable, it is understood by i that investigators tracked and interviewed crew members from a Russian trawler that was operating in the vicinity but it has not been possible to conclude who severed the cable and whether or not it was a criminal act.

More on Russia-Ukraine war

Western intelligence officials nonetheless believe the incidents fit into a wider pattern of Russia widening its assault on Ukraine to increasingly undertake a “hybrid war” – using specialised military forces – designed to poke and prod Western defences, and, if necessary, launch an array of attacks on the cables and pipelines that underpin the economic and energy security of the UK and the rest of Europe. As if to underline the point, in October, Mr Putin warned, gnomically but no less menacingly, that energy infrastructure around the world was “at risk”.

The potential to cause havoc is immense. In the North Sea and the Mediterranean there are 9,600km (6,000 miles) of gas pipelines, while across the world there are now more than 580 active or planned subsea data cables. According to one analysis, data cables, the vast majority of which are owned by the private sector, carry 97 per cent of global communications and about £8.25tn in daily financial transactions.

From a mysterious incident that paralysed the rail system in northern Germany in October, after key data cables were severed in a “targeted and malicious action”, to the severing of a Mediterranean subsea internet cable linking France with Asia, governments have been left uneasy by a number of unexplained but damaging outages across the Continent.

The roll-call of headscratchers also includes the severing in October of the SHEFA-2 undersea cable that provides the Shetland Islands with its internet and telephone connection. It led the Scottish Government to declare a “major incident” after communications were lost.

AT SEA, RUSSIA - JANUARY 09: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY MANDATORY CREDIT - "ALEXEI DRUZHININ / RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS AND INFORMATION OFFICE / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Russian President Vladimir Putin watches a naval exercise from the Marshal Ustinov missile cruiser in the Black Sea on January 09, 2020. The drills involved warships from Russias Black Sea Fleet along with several ships from its Northern Fleet. More than 30 warships and 39 aircraft, including several Tu-95 strategic bombers, took part in the exercise. (Photo by ALEXEI DRUZHININ / RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS AND INFORMATION OFFICE / HANDOUT/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Vladimir Putin watches a naval exercise in the Black Sea in 2020. Russia has developed submarines capable of reaching depths up to 10 times greater than any Western navy (Photo: Alexei Druzhinin/Russian Presidential Press Office/Anadolu via Getty)

The difficulties of gathering evidence beneath the waves means that it is often difficult, if not impossible, to discern between the sort of accidental damage caused by a fishing vessel and a state-sponsored criminal act. But there is an increasing consensus that, despite the Kremlin’s denials, Moscow has opened a further front in its campaign to undermine resolve in Western capitals to see off Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.

A Western security source told i: “There aren’t CCTV cameras on the ocean floor. There is therefore a deniability to everything that happens 2,000m under the Arctic. But we believe that what has been happening in Norway and elsewhere is deliberate and carefully planned. It is Russia sending a signal and that signal is designed to say, ‘Look, we can cut off your communications, we can stop your gas and we can do it when we like.’”

It is a signal that was reinforced in recent weeks when a Russian scientific vessel, the Admiral Vladimirskiy, conducted a lingering six-day tour off the Scottish coast in North Sea waters, which are festooned with networks of oil and gas pipelines and data and power cables linking the UK to the Continent.

The Admiral Vladimirskiy is designated a “vessel of interest” for Western intelligence, meaning it is suspected of using its scientific status as a cover for conducting intelligence or espionage activities. In particular, the Russian scientific fleet is considered to be able to carry military mini-submarines and diving equipment capable of reaching extreme depths.

Among the locations it passed were two sensitive data cable junctions, including the southern end point of SHEFA-2. It also voyaged through areas where aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth was operating, before the Royal Navy flagship embarked to conduct training with the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force currently protecting Europe’s eastern flank.

According to the Plenty of Ships blog, which monitors Russian state shipping movements, the Admiral Vladimirskiy’s visit may also have coincided tests in the area of a new advanced British Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV, the naval equivalent of a drone).

The blog said: “The presence of Russian scientific and reconnaissance vessels around the UK could simply be strategic messaging designed to raise anxiety over the vulnerability of underwater infrastructure. However… it could be something entirely more sinister.”

The precise nature of “something entirely more sinister” remains to be seen, but a likely flavour of Russian intent was provided on 26 September when a series of explosions tore apart the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Swedish investigators looking into the blasts said last month that they had found traces of explosives at the breakage sites, indicating a military strike using carefully-laid explosive charges. Despite a degree of puzzlement as to just why the Kremlin should choose to blow up its own infrastructure, the finger of suspicion for the blasts remains firmly pointed at Moscow.

This handout photo taken on September 28, 2022 from an aircraft of the Swedish Coast Guard (Kustbevakningen) shows the release of gas emanating from a leak on the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, in the Swedish economic zone in the Baltic Sea. - A fourth leak has been detected in undersea gas pipelines linking Russia to Europe, the Swedish Coast Guard said on September 29, 2022, after explosions were reported earlier this week in suspected sabotage. (Photo by Handout / SWEDISH COAST GUARD / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / SWEDISH COAST GUARD" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by HANDOUT/SWEDISH COAST GUARD/AFP via Getty Images)
Gas emanating from a leak in the Nord Stream gas pipeline after a series of explosions ruptured it. A Swedish investigation found evidence of sabotage (Photo: Swedish Coast Guard/AFP via Getty)

Alarm at Russian interest in Europe’s pipelines and data cables is not new. In 2017, a British commander in Nato warned Russian underwater activity was already at unprecedented levels, while in January this year, Britain’s most senior military officer, Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, spoke of a “phenomenal increase” in Moscow’s deep-sea exploits over the past two decades.

Britain is thought to be one of the countries better prepared to deal with Russian interference. The Royal Navy and the UK military have a long record of being able to track Russian deep-sea movements in home waters, allowing for locations to be checked for tampering and interference. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We constantly observe our areas of UK responsibility and interest. This includes protecting critical infrastructure such as underwater cables.”

Leading experts told i that the greatest concern for the West is the emergence of a Russian military doctrine, outlined by the chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, that any future conflict could be won – or at least settled on terms favourable to Moscow – by the nimble destruction of economic targets such as subsea infrastructure rather than a head-on battefield confrontation with a better-equipped adversary.

Professor Katarzyna Zysk, an expert in international relations at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies, said: “The worry is that selective attacks could electronically isolate, or severely damage or disrupt the economy of, individual countries or regions, [and] sow financial or societal chaos.

“There is a broad understanding in Russia that much lower levels of damage than those planned for during the Cold War may be sufficient to break the Western will to continue to fight. The Russian strategic documents… underline therefore that the destruction of economic targets, along with the adversary’s system of state governance, will be given a priority in a conflict.”

At the sharp end of this strategy lies the Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research, known by its Russian acronym of GUGI, a shadowy elite force directly answerable to the Russian defence ministry and thereby the Kremlin, which is specifically trained and equipped to carry out both undersea sabotage and the tapping of data cables for intelligence gathering.

The unit has been suggested as a likely culprit for the Nord Stream explosions and is trained to use equipment unmatched in the West. This includes the Losharik, a nuclear submarine whose hull is fashioned from a series of conjoined titanium spheres capable of withstanding pressures that can take the vessel to depths perhaps as much as 10 times greater than any crewed Nato subs. The inherent dangers of such capabilities were underlined in 2019 when the Losharik, which is now transported beneath a vast £3bn converted nuclear missile submarine called the Belgorod, suffered a battery compartment fire that left 14 sailors dead.

The question remains as to just what more Britain and its Nato allies, who have already made clear that they consider any act of hybrid warfare to be on a par with a conventional act of war, should be doing to counter the Russian threat.

Norway, now the main European source for gas supplies, has already vastly increased patrols and security around its oil and gas installations with the help of allies, including Britain. The UK has, meanwhile, announced the purchase of two Multi-Role Ocean Survey Ships, designed to try to spot and intercept tampering, along with the development of a new £15m drone submarine – named Cetus after a sea monster of Greek mythology – capable of travelling 1,000 miles per mission and likely to be used to monitor and safeguard underwater energy and data cables.

The European Union has, in the meantime, urged a new regime of “stress testing” for subsea energy and data infrastructure, with Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, describing the sector recently as “the new frontier of warfare”. Among those who should be more than alive to the risk are Rishi Sunak who, while still a backbench MP in 2017, authored a think-tank report calling for vastly improved protection for “highly vulnerable” marine pipes and cables.

One school of thought is that increased investment in spare cable and cable-laying vessels would allow outages to be rapidly repaired. But there is no equivalent quick fix for pipelines and there are deep qualms that, in general, the action taken so far does not go nearly far enough.

While UK intelligence services are understood to liaise with private pipeline and data cable operators to collect information on outages and possible interference on British territory, other countries are less engaged and, where they are, there is no single collection point to pool equivalent information. Technology to equip cables with sensors to detect tampering or to harden new infrastructure is being rolled out spasmodically and the key problem remains of the near impossibility of policing a domain thousands of feet under the sea.

Bart Groothuis, a Dutch MEP and a former specialist in cyber security for the Dutch defence ministry who has long campaigned on improving cable and pipeline security, told i that existing measures were “hardly sufficient”.

He said: “I’ve been asking for a giant leap forwards when it comes to protecting our subsea infrastructure. We’ve neglected a threat that has maintained equal pace with the speed with which we have built out our electric, fossil fuel and data transport infrastructure.”



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Dean of University of Maine School of Law to Christen Future U.S. Navy Ship Augusta > United States Navy > News-Stories


Saufley, president and dean of the University of Maine School of Law and the former chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, will break a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow to symbolically christen the ship at the Austal USA shipyard. Augusta’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Christopher Polnaszek, will represent the ship’s crew in the ceremony.

 

The principal speaker with be the Honorable Jerry Carl, U.S. House of Representatives (R-AL). Remarks will also be provided by the Honorable Mark O’Brien, mayor of Augusta; Vice Adm. John Mustin, chief of Navy reserve; Ms. E. Anne Sandel, acting principal civilian deputy to the assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition; Mr. Rusty Murdaugh, president, Austal USA; and Mr. Stan Kordana, vice president of Surface Systems, General Dynamics Mission Systems.

 

“The future USS Augusta will honor the beautiful, capital city of the pine tree state,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. “The Honorable Saufley and the ship’s crew will forge a special connection with the fine people of Augusta. This future ship’s Sailors will stand the watch with pride and represent Augusta with the honor, courage, and commitment they deserve.”

 

Augusta’s motto, “Protecting the frontier”, continues the legacy of the first USS Augusta (SSN 710), a Los Angeles-class submarine that was in active service for 24 years and decommissioned on February 11, 2009. Augusta is the 17th Independence-variant LCS and 33rd in the LCS class. It is the second ship named in honor of the city of Augusta, Maine.

 

Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ships are fast, optimally-manned, mission-tailored surface combatants that operate in near-shore and open-ocean environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. LCS integrate with joint, combined, manned, and unmanned teams to support forward-presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence missions around the globe. Currently, Independence-variants USS Charleston (LCS 18) and USS Oakland (LCS 24) are on deployment in the Indo-Pacific.

 

The LCS class consists of two variants, Freedom and Independence, designed and built by two separate industry teams. Austal USA, which leads the Independence-variant industry team for even-numbered hulls, is a ship manufacturer headquartered in Mobile, Ala., with service centers in San Diego and Singapore, and a technology center in Charlottesville, Va. Austal USA has earned 21 safety excellence awards.

 

Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342. More information on the Littoral Combat Ship Program can be found at:  https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2171607/littoral-combat-ship-class-lcs/



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Increasing maritime power among the Quad nations – Asia Times


Increasing maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean has propelled India to engage in extensive maritime diplomacy with the other countries in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue for maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

One advanced maritime exercise, Malabar 2022, was held from November 8 to 18 by the navies of India, the US, Japan and Australia in the Seas of Japan. This edition of the exercise marked its 30th anniversary and was hosted by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).

The Malabar exercise happened to occur at a significant time amid China’s expansionist behavior in the Indo-Pacific region and North Korea’s missile tests.



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Important milestone in Hampton Roads for Navy submarine Arkansas


Saturday will bring the keel authentication ceremony for the fast-attack submarine Arkansas, which is under construction at the shipyard.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — An important milestone is at hand for the Navy, Hampton Roads’ largest industrial employer, Newport News Shipbuilding, and some civil rights pioneers.

Saturday will bring the keel authentication ceremony for the fast-attack submarine Arkansas, which is under construction at the shipyard.

When it’s completed, hopefully in 2025, the future USS Arkansas will become the Navy’s 27th Virginia Class submarine.

“It’s not just a warship we’re going to get, but it’s a fully trained crew, ready to go to battle warship. So, it’s a fantastic value for the American taxpayer,” said CDR Adam Kaunke, the Arkansas’ commanding officer.

The thousands of men and women who are constructing the $2.8 billion, 377-foot long vessel are proud, nobody more than Arkansas native Joe Holden, who is now a production foreman at the shipyard.

“Every day I look at it and say, ‘I get to build something that represents my home,'” he said. “Everything I am–bravery, courage, willingness to step up.'”

Also beaming with pride are Arkansas’ ship’s sponsors: the Little Rock Nine, who made history in 1957 as the first African American students to attend all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. 

“Yeah, we’ve come a long way, but we still have a distance to go. And that is why I wanted to be a part of the change,” said Little Rock Nine member Ernest Green.

After all he and his school-mates went through, Green has one piece of advice for all people facing adversity.

“If you believe in it, stand up for it and things can change for the better,” he said.

Newport News Shipbuilding President Jennifer Boykin was thrilled to host these eyewitnesses to history.

“To be able to celebrate one the boats we build with the Little Rock Nine, their legacies, their struggles, what they’ve done for the nation, the challenges they went through to set the nation on the right path, it’s an incredible day for the shipbuilders,” she said.

The keel authentication ceremony takes place at 11 a.m. on Saturday. You can watch it live on 13NewsNow.com and 13News Now-plus.



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Tokyo Protests Chinese Surveillance Ship Transit in Territorial Waters, Japan Prepares for Fleet Review


Shupang-class survey ship

A People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) survey ship vessel entered Japan’s territorial waters near islands south of Kyushu this week, according to the Japanese Ministry of Defense.

The Shupang-class survey ship was sighted sailing northeast through Japan’s contiguous zone west of Gaja Island and entered Japan’s territorial waters southwest of Kuchinoerabu Island at 12:10 a.m. local time on Wednesday. The ship departed Japan’s territorial waters after three hours of operating near Yakushima Island and sailed southeast. According to Japanese officials, the transit was the fourth intrusion of a foreign warship this year, marking a record high.

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force fast attack craft JS Otaka (PG-826), JMSDF P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) from Fleet Air Wing 1 out of Kanoya Air Base, Kyushu and Fleet Air Wing 4 operating from Naval Air Facility Atusgi, Honshu, and a JMSDF P-3C Orion MPA from Fleet Air Wing 5 operating from Naha Air Base, Okinawa, monitored the PLAN ship. Japan has lodged a diplomatic protest over the incident.

On Monday, the Japanese MoD issued a statement that said on Oct. 28, a Russian Navy Balzam-class surveillance ship was sighted sailing west in an area 160 kilometers west of Cape Ryupi, Aomori Prefecture, Honshu. An image and hull number provided in the release identified the ship as Pribaltica (80), which is part of the Russian Navy Pacific Fleet. The following day, the Russian ship was sighted sailing southeast towards the Tsugaru Strait before turning around in an area 80 kilometers west of Cape Ryupi and subsequently sailing northwest into the Sea of Japan. Minesweeper JS Izushima (MSC-687) and a JMSDF P-3C Orion MPA of Fleet Air Wing 2 based at JMSDF Hachinohe Air Base, Honshu monitored the Russian ship, according to the release.

Meanwhile, a number of naval vessels are docked in Yokosuka for the JMSDF International Fleet Review (IFR), which will happen on Sunday at Sagami Bay. Australia, Brunei, Canada, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States will take part in the IFR. Details on the U.S. participation have not yet been disclosed, but the following list of ships are currently docked at Yokosuka, according to ship spotters:

https://twitter.com/US7thFleet/status/1587711061326716933

  • Australia: Destroyer HMAS Hobart (DDG39), frigate HMAS Arunta (FFH151) and submarine HMAS Farncomb (SSG74)
  • Brunei: Offshore patrol vessel KDB Darulehsan (07)
  • Canada: Frigates HMCS Vancouver (FFH331) and HMCS Winnipeg (FFH338)
  • India: Frigate INS Shivalik (F47) and corvette INS Kamorta (P28)
  • Indonesia: Corvette KRI Diponegoro (365)
  • Malaysia: Next generation patrol vessel KD Kelantan (PV175)
  • New Zealand: Replenishment ship HMNZS Aotearoa (A11)
  • Pakistan: Frigate PNS Shamsheer (FFG-252) and replenishment ship PNS Nasr (A47)
  • Republic of Korea: Fast combat support ship ROKS Soyang (AOE-51)
  • Thailand: Frigate HTMS Bhumibol Adulyadej (FFG471)
  • Singapore: Frigate RSS Formidable (68)

U.K. patrol vessel HMAS Tamar (P233) is also taking part in the fleet review. Submarine Farncomb was originally scheduled to take part in the Rim of the Pacific exercise in Hawaii over the summer, but maintenance issues caused the submarine to miss the it, according to Australian media reports. The submarine did deploy to Hawaii at the end of RIMPAC and conducted bilateral training there before heading to Japan.

Several ships have wrapped up deployments to the Indo-Pacific recently. USCGC Midgett (WMSL-757) arrived home on Monday in Honolulu following an 83-day, 16,000 nautical-mile deployment to the Western Pacific, which began in August. The national security cutter operated under the tactical control of U.S. Navy 7th Fleet, according to a Coast Guard news release.

“Midgett’s crew executed numerous cooperative engagements, professional exchanges, and capacity building efforts with naval allies and partners, who included the Philippine Coast Guard, Singapore Maritime Security Response Flotilla, the Information Fusion Center, Police Coast Guard, Indian Coast Guard, and Maldives National Defense Force.” the release reads.

USS Chicago (SSN 721) returns to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam after completing a deployment in U.S. 7th Fleet on Nov. 2, 2022. US Navy Photo

On Wednesday, USS Chicago (SSN-721) returned to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam following a seven-month deployment that began on March 28. It was the submarine’s final deployment before decommissioning, which is scheduled for 2023 following 37 years of service, according to a U.S. Navy news release.





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DVIDS – News – 28 Chief Petty Officers Promoted at USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park



Twenty-eight new chief petty officers from Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Naval Submarine Training Center Pacific, Submarine Readiness Squadron 33, USS Tucson (SSN 770), USS Hawaii (SSN 776), USS North Carolina (SSN 777) and USS Minnesota (SSN 783) were promoted during a pinning ceremony held at the USS Bowfin Submarine Museum and Park in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Oct. 21.

The ceremony was the culmination to chief’s initiation, commonly referred to as “chief season” during which chief-selects completed six weeks of education and training to enhance their leadership styles and prepare them for the challenges of being a U.S. Navy chief petty officer, as outlined by the Chief Petty Officer Creed. Unique to the Navy, being a chief petty officer marks a career milestone that comes with responsibilities unlike any other position.

“Being a chief petty officer means you are expected to lead up, down and laterally. Chiefs are in a unique position to mentor and train Sailors under their charge, with the goal of making them better than we were in their shoes,” said Force Master Chief Jason Avin, Force Master Chief, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. “However, chiefs are also expected to mentor junior officers and aid in their development as well as continuously accept the responsibility of teaching and learning from every chief in the Mess. The final six weeks of initiation season are used not only to focus selectees on what the Chief Petty Officer Creed means, but also to Get Real and Get Better through honest self-assessment and teamwork.”

Navy chiefs are expected to not only maintain in-rate technical expertise that exceeds that of any other Sailor, but also to stand ready to handle challenges ranging from their Sailors’ administrative issues to their professional development. Navy chiefs are deckplate leaders who bridge the gap between officers and enlisted personnel, filling a role that could be done by no other.

Being promoted to the rank of chief petty officer represents not only a significant achievement in any Sailor’s career, but also formally recognizes the family members, shipmates, and friends who have supported and helped each of these Sailors achieve this milestone.

“Today, you enter an entirely new level of leadership and responsibility — and it will be one of the most rewarding aspects of your career. It’s your turn to … BE THE CHIEF, to wear the anchors and the khaki uniform, to shoulder the responsibility and burdens of leadership, to always be ready to answer the call, and to carry forward our Navy’s highest traditions.” said Rear Adm. Jeff Jablon, commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.







Date Taken: 10.21.2022
Date Posted: 10.21.2022 21:39
Story ID: 431841
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> U.S. Department of Defense > Contract


ARMY

AM General LLC, South Bend, Indiana, was awarded a $527,400,979 firm-fixed-price contract for Contact Maintenance Trucks. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of March 9, 2028. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Detroit Arsenal, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-22-D-0002). 

CAE USA Inc., Tampa, Florida, was awarded a $12,529,210 modification (P00014) to contract W9124G-20-C-0008 for advanced helicopter flight training. Work will be performed in Tampa, Florida, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 9, 2027. Fiscal 2022 operation and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $7,378,257 were obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Field Directorate Office, Fort Eustis, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

AIR FORCE

Raytheon Intelligence & Space, El Segundo, California, has been awarded $183,969,508 for Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar System (ASARS)-2B sensors. This contract provides for ASARS Sensors and supplemental equipment. Work will be performed in El Segundo, California, and is expected to be complete by Aug. 16, 2027.  This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Fiscal 2021 and 2022 Air Force procurement funds in the amount of $63,599,846 are being obligated  at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity  (FA8691-22-C-101).

Leidos, Reston, Virginia, has been awarded a $12,000,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for research, development, testing, and evaluation of joint and coalition requirements for tools and technologies that allow for joint and combined planning and data interchange with U.S. coalition partners in multiple theaters of operation to maximize interoperability and mission effectiveness when combatting chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats. Work will be performed in Reston, Virginia, and is expected to be complete by Aug. 31, 2027. This award is the result of a non-competitive acquisition. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $218,380 on one task order are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory Wright Site, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-22-F-6432).

MIG GOV, Virginia Beach, Virginia, has been awarded a $9,350,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for base-wide fencing. This requirement is to inspect, test, construct, install and maintain new and repair existing fencing systems and swing-arm barriers on real property on Joint Base Andrews and its mission partner sites. Work will primarily be performed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by Sept. 15, 2027. Air Force District of Washington, 316th Contracting Squadron, Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, is the contracting activity (FA286022D0002). 

MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY

Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), Reston, Virginia, is being awarded a noncompetitive, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with a total value of $39,619,003. Under this follow-on contract, the contractor will work with the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to evolve analysis capability to model the Missile Defense System’s (MDS) expected performance in support of the Director for Engineering’s Quick Reaction Team (QRT) support and analysis effort. This effort supports research, development and testing of the MDS. The analytical support for the QRT will create products used by the MDA director, the National Command Authority, the combatant commands, and Congress. Deliverables include technical reports, trade studies, predictive analysis, concept exploration and data inputs to presentations. The work will be performed in Amherst, New York; Orlando, Florida; and Arlington, Virginia. The performance period is from September 2022 through September 2027. One offer was solicited and one offer was received. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,892,000 are being obligated on this award. The Missile Defense Agency, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (HQ0854-22-C-0003).

NAVY

Raytheon Missile and Defense, Tucson, Arizona, is awarded a $39,293,592 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N00024-22-C-5400 for fiscal 2022/2023 Navy, government of Germany, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) procurements for Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 2/2B Guided Missile Round Pack, spare replacement components and recertification. This contract combines purchases for the Navy (4%); and the government of Japan (96%) under the FMS program. Work will be performed in Ottobrunn, Germany (50%); Tucson, Arizona (32%); Glenrothes Fife, Scotland (8%); Keyser, West Virginia (5%); Bedford, New Hampshire (2%); and various other locations each under 1% (3%), and is expected to be completed by January 2026. FMS (Japan) funds in the amount of $37,709,452 (96%); fiscal 2022 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $1,236,630 (3%); and fiscal 2022 weapons procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $347,510 (1%) will be obligated at the time of award, of which $1,236,630 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-22-C-5400).

General Atomics, Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, California, is awarded a $35,895,000 firm-fixed-price order (N0001922F2395) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001922G0006). This order procures spares necessary for the successful operational capability of the Marine Air Ground Task Force Unmanned Aircraft System Expeditionary Medium Altitude Long Endurance MQ-9A Block 5 Reaper air vehicles, ground control stations and ancillary equipment for the Navy. Work will be performed in Poway, California (52%); San Diego, California (15%); Walpole, Massachusetts (5.1%); Carlsbad, California (5%); St. Charles, Missouri (2.7%); El Cajon, California (2.5%); Oxnard, California (1.5%); Farmingdale, New York (1.3%); Herndon, Virginia (1.3%); Aurora, Ohio (1.05%); Ontario, California (1%); Nevada City, California (1%); Tulare, California (1%); Huntsville, Arkansas (1%); Miami, Florida (1%); Newberry, South Carolina (1%); Toronto, Canada (0.75%); and various locations within the continental U.S. (5.8%), and is expected to be completed in December 2026. Fiscal 2022 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $35,895,000 will be obligated at the time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

L3Harris Technologies Inc., Clifton, New Jersey, is awarded a $31,714,640 firm-fixed-price modification to previously awarded contract N0002421C5525 to exercise an option for MK 234 Nulka Advanced Decoy Architecture Program series payloads. Work will be performed in Clifton, New Jersey, and is expected to be completed by June 2025. Fiscal 2022 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $15,857,320 (50%); and fiscal 2022 other customer funds in the amount of $15,857,320 (50%) will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Oceaneering International Inc., Hanover, Maryland, is awarded a $27,357,473 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract N00024-20-C-4315 to exercise options for the continuation of the Navy’s domestic and international submarine rescue program, Submarine Rescue Operations Maintenance Contractor. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed in September 2023. Fiscal 2022 operations and maintenance (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,658,009 (92%); fiscal 2022 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $528,429 (5%); and fiscal 2021 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $368,188 (3%) will be obligated at the time of award, of which, funds in the amount of $9,658,009 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Systems Planning and Analysis Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, is awarded a $16,835,956 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract action in support of engineering services for the Program Executive Office (PEO), Integrated Warfare Systems (IWS) 2.0 Above Water Sensors. Work will be performed at the Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.; and Alexandria, Virginia. Work is expected to be completed on March 13, 2023. Fiscal 2022 other procurement (Navy); fiscal 2022 operations and maintenance (Navy); fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); and fiscal 2022 shipbuilding and conversion (Navy) in the amount of $7,421,806 will be obligated at time of award. This contract was not competitively procured and is in accordance with 10 U.S. Code 2304(c)(1) — only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Indiana, is the contracting activity (N00164-22-C-B006).

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Charlottesville, Virginia, is awarded a $13,112,512 cost-plus-fixed fee and cost-only modification to previously awarded contract N0002418C5216 for additional engineering hours in support of continued Navy Electronic Chart Display and Information System software support. Work will be performed in Charlottesville, Virginia, and is expected to be completed by September 2024. Fiscal 2022 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $2,885,000 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

Tactical Engineering & Analysis Inc., San Diego, California, is awarded an $8,678,958 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, multiple award modification to previously awarded task order N00178-19-D-8638 / N66001-20-F-3503 for engineering services. These services will provide software support activity engineering services for the Command and Control Processor Mod system. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (100%), and is expected to be complete by September 2023. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Funds will be obligated as incremental funding modifications are issued using research, development, test and evaluation (Navy); operations and maintenance (Navy); other procurement (Navy); shipbuilding construction (Navy); and working capital (Navy) funds. The Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity. 

DEFENSE HUMAN RESOURCES ACTIVITY

College Entrance Examination Board, Reston, Virginia (H9821022D0001), is awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract in the amount of $38,491,800. This contract provides College Level Exam Program (CLEP) testing for military personnel and eligible civilian groups, including Reserve components, to support officer accession programs and to meet entrance requirements for postsecondary education. This is a sole-source requirement; funding will be provided at the task order level utilizing operations and maintenance funding for the year that the task order is issued. This contract has a five-year ordering period from Sept. 15, 2022, through May 14, 2027. Defense Human Resources Activity, Alexandria, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES

TM3 Solutions, Alexandria, Virginia (HQ0034-19-C-0165), is awarded an option period (P00043) on a hybrid firm-fixed-price and cost reimbursable contract in the amount of $10,723,665. The total amount of this action if all options are exercised is $58,860,027. The Joint Service Provider (JSP) has a requirement to procure software asset management support services. This requirement will provide administrative, technical and professional services for the effective management and operation of JSP’s software maintenance licenses and renewals. The contractor shall manage software maintenance licenses and renewals to improve on-time software maintenance renewal, purchase software maintenance renewals and licenses on behalf of JSP, reduce maintenance costs through co-terming and synching products from the same manufacturer, and improve software asset management compliance by linking the JSP Supported Products List to a software license/maintenance management tool. The contractor shall provide all labor, supervision and quality control necessary to provide comprehensive administrative, technical and professional services in support of JSP. Fiscal 2022 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $10,723,665 are being obligated at the time of the award. The estimated completion date is Sept. 28, 2024. The work will be performed at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia; the Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia; the Raven Rock Mountain Complex; and other government sites within the National Capital Region as defined in 10 U.S. Code 2674. Washington Headquarters Services, Arlington, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

Golden State Medical Supply Inc., Camarillo, California, has been awarded a maximum $10,306,354 modification (P00002) exercising the second one-year option period of a one-year base contract (SPE2D2-20-D-0098) with four one-year option periods for duloxetine delayed release Hydrochloride capsules. This is a fixed-price requirements contract. Location of performance is Spain, with a Sept. 16, 2023, performance completion date. Using customers are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Services and Federal Bureau of Prisons. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2022 through 2023 defense working capital funds. The contracting agency is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

UPDATE: Garsite Progress LLC,* Kansas City, Kansas (SPE8EC-22-D-0013, $150,000,000), has been added as an awardee to the multiple award contract for commercial sweeper and scrubber equipment, issued against solicitation SPE8EC-17-R-0003 and awarded Aug. 31, 2017.

UPDATE: Eastern Aviation Fuels, doing business as Titan Aviation Fuels, New Bern, North Carolina (SPE607-22-D-0107, $9,433,885), has been added as an awardee to the multiple award contract for fuel support at Charlotte County, Florida, issued against solicitation SPE607-22-R-0200 and awarded May 4, 2022.

*Small business



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