US Navy Secretary (SECNAV) Richard V. Spencer is to issue a secretarial letter of censure to former USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) commanding officer Cmdr. Bryce Benson and former crew member Lt. Natalie Combs, for their role in the deadly collision off Japan in June 2018. The destroyer collided with Filip
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) got underway from Naval Station Norfolk on April 8 for its flight deck certification and for first flight ops since the summer of 2017. The ship recently completed a planned incremental availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard as part of the m
US personnel stationed in Tripoli were evacuated from the city in the wake of the advance of Libyan National Army forces, led by General Khalifa Hifter, towards the Libyan capital. LNA forces started their push on April 5. The UN-backed government says that 21 people have already been killed in figh
NATO’s Allied Maritime Command hosted a ceremony on the 70th anniversary of the alliance to ceremonially activate a new command called Commander Surface Forces NATO (COMSURFNATO). This April 4 activation is part of NATO’s Command Structure Adaptation (NCS-A) remarking new NATO at its birthday. One o
The US Naval Sea Systems Command is kick-starting the $21 billion plan to upgrade the four public shipyards to improve their productivity and increase their maintenance throughput in order to support the combat readiness of the navy the nation needs. The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Shipyard I
The US 2nd Fleet (C2F) is scheduled to lead the major Baltic Sea exercise BALTOPS 2019, seven months after the command was re-established at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia. The US 2nd Fleet, which falls under operational control of the US Fleet Forces Command, was set up again after previously bein
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) completed its sea trials following an overhaul which lasted three times longer than expected. Ike returned to Naval Station Norfolk on April 1, after getting underway five days earlier. The sea trials were the first time Ike returned to sea
US Navy’s Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) returned to sea March 28 after completing a scheduled planned incremental availability (PIA) which started in the second half of 2017. During the overhaul, the carrier received innovative upgrades, including a
Royal Navy auxiliary landing ship dock RFA Mounts Bay served as the test bed for a mobile US Navy minehunting force during a recent test off the coast of Virginia. The test included helicopters, divers, remote-controlled boats and automated surveying machines and was intended to see whether a task f
The lead ship of the US Navy’s new class of aircraft carriers, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), will return to operations three months later than originally planned, in part due to issues related to ship’s nuclear propulsion plant. News of the delay comes amid the confirmation of a US Navy plan to r
US Navy and Marine Corps units are wrapping up two weeks of joint drills as part of exercise Pacific Blitz 2019 in and off the coast of Southern California. The scenario-driven field-training exercise kicked off March 12 and is set to conclude on Tuesday, March 26. The exercise involved command and
The US Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Boeing a $4 billion contract for the procurement of 78 Super Hornet aircraft. The contract for the The Block III configuration aircraft is a multi-year procurement (MYP) of 72 between fiscal years 2019-2021, and six from fiscal year 2018. Navy officials e
US Navy’s Los Angeles-class submarine USS Providence (SSN 719) returned to Naval Submarine Base New London on March 15, completing a deployment to the European Command Areas of Responsibility. This deployment marked 33 years of service and 15 completed deployments for USS Providence (SSN 719). Durin
US Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) departed Naval Station Norfolk on March 16. This is the third time the ship is getting underway in less than a year. The carrier left homeport following a three month availability period used to upgrade systems, conduct maintenance
