Monday, May 20, 2024
Key Issues GAO on F-35 SLCM-N program office PrSM funding
After delivering an initial prototype in December, Boeing plans to turn over the remaining five Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicles to the Navy before the end of 2025, according to company executives and service budget documents.
The Navy submitted a $3.7 billion list of "unfunded priorities" to Congress today, including $403 million in additional funding for the submarine industrial base workforce and supplier development as its top item, according to a document obtained by Inside Defense.
The Navy is pumping the brakes on the development and fielding of the Large Unmanned Surface Vessel, reducing the fiscal year 2025 funding request for LUSV research and development by approximately $74 million while postponing planned procurement of the lead vessel by two years, budget documents state.
Congress' final fiscal year 2024 appropriations package directs the Government Accountability Office to conduct a comprehensive review of the Virginia-class submarine program, citing concern over cost and schedule performance for both Virginia- and Columbia-class submarine production.
Contractors BAE Systems and ASC Pty Ltd have been selected to build the future class of SSN-AUKUS submarines under the trilateral security agreement between the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, according to a March 21 Pentagon announcement.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command plans to test a developing battle management system connecting "sensors and shooters" across the joint force during a major exercise later this year, in a demonstration that could provide a roadmap for the Pentagon's Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) initiative.
A day after submitting an $11 billion unfunded priority list to Congress, the outgoing chief of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command recommended additional appropriations beyond the Pentagon's fiscal year 2025 budget request to bolster Guam missile defense and support "blind, see, kill" capabilities.
The Navy has submitted a new 30-year shipbuilding plan to Congress, presenting a roadmap to grow the fleet through increased spending, while also providing an alternative, budget-constrained path that would maintain a more modest force size for the coming three decades.
The Marine Corps has sent Congress nearly $2.4 billion in "unfunded priorities" in a list topped by several quality-of-life investments that also includes over $1.2 billion for force design efforts and $492 million for military construction projects.
The Marine Corps is trimming its Amphibious Combat Vehicle procurement plans for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, reducing acquisition quantities by 48 vehicles across the two years due to spending caps under the Fiscal Responsibility Act, inflation and a higher-than-expected vendor proposal.
The Navy's fiscal year 2025 budget request looks to enter into a multiyear procurement contract for CH-53K helicopter engines in a five-year deal expected to save approximately $125 million, according to budget documents.
The lead ship in the Constellation-class frigate program, FFG-62, is now expected to deliver in December 2027, according to the Navy's fiscal year 2025 budget documents, a 15-month delay compared to the September 2026 date listed in the prior year's budget.
A proposed multibillion-dollar spending plan for the submarine industrial base within the Navy’s fiscal year 2025 budget request, combined with a pending supplemental spending package, are expected to improve Virginia-class submarine production to a rate of two vessels per year by FY-28, according to senior Navy officials.
The Navy is seeking $257.6 billion in fiscal year 2025 funding -- a modest 0.7% increase over the previous year's request -- in a budget that sees the service procuring fewer new ships and aircraft than expected and pushing the development of next-generation platforms further into the future in order to prioritize near-term readiness.
With the Navy set to unveil its fiscal year 2025 budget request on Monday, lawmakers are signaling their disapproval for a rumored reduction in Virginia-class submarine procurement, suggesting Congress is likely to add a second vessel back to the budget if it's absent from the service's forthcoming request.
The United States shipbuilding industry could benefit from foreign investment, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said today, indicating a "cash infusion" from an international shipbuilder could boost production capacity, drive down prices and inject competition into the domestic market.
Drone company Saildrone today announced it has launched the first aluminum Surveyor unmanned surface vehicle from shipbuilder Austal USA's production line, marking a step forward for a strategic partnership between the two contractors that aims to meet growing demand for uncrewed systems.
The Marine Corps has officially awarded contracts to Textron Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems to design and produce 30mm autocannon Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle prototypes, according to a Wednesday service announcement indicating the prototype vehicles will be delivered in fiscal year 2025.
As demand for munitions surges amid heightened global tensions, the Navy has launched a multibillion-dollar plan to fill critical industrial base gaps by revitalizing the government-run production of solid-rocket motors and other key energetics at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division.
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith has returned to full duty status following an Oct. 29 heart attack and a subsequent open-heart surgery and four-month recovery period, according to a March 5 announcement from the service.