NORFOLK, Va. – U.S. Fleet Forces Command and U.S. Marine Forces Command will conduct Fleet Battle Problem 2023 (FBP 23-1) June 9-13 on land and off the coast of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and the Virginia Capes to further develop integrated maritime capabilities with the II Marine Expeditionary Force and U.S. 2nd Fleet.

MANAMA, Bahrain – Maritime forces from Iraq, Kuwait and the United States completed a joint patrol in the Arabian Gulf, June 6, marking the third time in less than a year the three nations sailed together to promote regional maritime security.

NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN – The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) participated in exercise Formidable Shield 2023 from the North Atlantic Ocean, May 8 to May 23, 2023.

HEBRIDES, United Kingdom – U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Thomas Ishee, commander of U.S. Sixth Fleet and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO), recently observed high-end integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) activity during the ongoing exercise Formidable Shield 2023, May 20.

The next generation of national security leaders will be called to navigate the U.S. and its allies through a quickly changing global, geopolitical landscape, Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.

MAKASSAR, Indonesia – The United States Navy joined 20 navies from around the globe in the return of the Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo (MNEK) in and around Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia June 4-8.

The following is the June 8, 2023, Government Accountability Office annual 2023 Weapon Systems Annual Assessment.

From the report

What GAO Found
The Department of Defense (DOD) continues to face challenges quickly developing innovative new weapons. These challenges persist even with recent reforms to its acquisition process intended to help deliver systems to the warfighter in a timelier manner.

Major defense acquisition programs. From DOD’s 2020 submission of reports on their major defense acquisition programs to 2022, the number of these programs declined. However, the portfolio’s total cost increased, and the average planned cycle time to deliver operational capabilities shows new delays. DOD did not produce these reports in 2021 due to the lack of future year funding data in the fiscal year 2022 budget request.

Over half of the 26 major defense acquisition programs GAO assessed that had yet to deliver operational capability reported new delays. Driving factors included supplier disruptions, software development delays, and quality control deficiencies. Additionally, these programs continue to make investment decisions without sufficient knowledge, which can increase the risk of delays. Net costs for the 32 major defense acquisition programs that GAO assessed both this year and last year increased by $37 billion. Rising modernization costs, production inefficiencies, and supply chain challenges drove the majority of costs.

Middle tier of acquisition (MTA) programs. Two MTA efforts transitioned to become major defense acquisition programs since GAO’s last assessment and could begin delivering capabilities soon. However, other MTA efforts’ schedule delays and lack of progress in maturing technologies raise questions about MTA programs’ overall ability to deliver capabilities more quickly.

Of the 16 rapid prototyping efforts included in both GAO’s current and prior assessments, six have delayed planned operational demonstrations by at least 12 months. The later that demonstrations occur during the MTA effort, the less time programs will have to address emerging issues. This delay heightens the chance that programs will transition with more technical risk.
Software development approaches and cybersecurity practices. Programs reporting use of modern software development approaches increased over the past year from 43 of 59 programs (73 percent) to 45 of 58 programs (78 percent). But, programs reported limited implementation of the Defense Science Board’s recommended practices to accelerate software development.

GAO also observed mixed progress in cybersecurity planning. All programs had or planned to have a cybersecurity strategy. But, programs did not consistently report scheduling cybersecurity test events in time to inform key milestones. Without timely cybersecurity testing, programs are at greater risk of delays if issues are discovered later in development.
Key product development principles. GAO found that some—but not all—MTA and future programs used certain product development practices aligned with key product development principles employed by leading companies to deliver innovative capabilities quickly. Examples reported by programs included practices such as using 3D modeling and printing to help design and test products, and holding regular user testing events to obtain feedback. GAO has ongoing work to define associated metrics to help inform future assessments.

Modular open systems approach. Most programs GAO reviewed reported using a modular open systems approach. But they did not consistently report planning to verify successful implementation of the approach before key points in the acquisition process, such as before beginning production. A modular open systems approach enables weapon programs to better respond to changing threats, in part, by allowing them to more easily add, remove, and replace components over the system’s life cycle.

Neither DOD systems engineering policy nor modular open systems approach guidance specifically addresses when programs should complete or document verification testing. Ensuring that any new guidance and updates to relevant policies address when programs should conduct verification testing and document planning could help DOD ensure its systems can incorporate innovative technologies over time to remain responsive to emerging threats.

Download the document here.

The White House announced a new executive order aimed at strengthening economic opportunities for military and veteran spouses, caregivers and survivors.

The three Zumwalt-class destroyers could face delays in fielding the first hypersonic weapons in the U.S. Navy surface fleet, according to a Thursday report from the Government Accountability Office’s annual weapons report.
The Navy planned to add launch tubes to USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) during an availability at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Miss., starting next year for completion by 2025. The following two ships in the $29 billion class – USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-100) and Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002) – will get the CPS tube installation in their own modernization periods.

The space now occupied by the 16,000-ton destroyer’s twin 155 mm advanced gun systems will get replaced with four 87-inch tubes for about a dozen Common Hypersonic Glide Bodies (C-HGB) – the joint round developed for the Army and Navy. The weapons are part of the Pentagon’s Conventional Prompt Strike capability, or the ability to hit a land target at long ranges with little to no notice.

However, that schedule could get hampered by testing of the Conventional Prompt Strike systems on at-sea platforms, the program told the GAO. The delays in fielding the CPS on Zumwalt in 2025 and the integration of the CPS come from both testing a maritime version of the C-HGB and the tight schedule to integrate the weapon into the hull of the three-ship Zumwalt-class.

“The CPS program office noted that significant scope and challenges associated with the first-time integration of CPS may present risks to achieving DDG 1000’s installation schedule. In reviewing CPS program office information on critical technologies, we found that significant work remains for the program to demonstrate technology maturity,” reads the report.
“If the hypersonic weapon is not ready for integration on the DDG 1000 at the time of the aforementioned maintenance period, the Navy may have to extend the duration of the planned maintenance period or wait for the next scheduled period to incorporate the system on the ship.”

To hit the Navy’s planned 2025 goal for hypersonic weapon integration, “we got to get on with getting all of the design for the Zumwalt, getting all of those tubes in there, as we pulled out the forward gun mounts. We’ve gotten to put these large diameter tubes in there, and then finish the integration work into the combat system,” Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe, the head of the Navy’s strategic systems programs, said in November.

After backing away from the 155 mm AGS, the Navy singled out the Zumwalt-class ships for the hypersonic mission ahead of the Block V Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines. The Block V attack boats will include the Virginia Payload Module, which will also have room for the large hypersonic missile planned for delivery by 2028, but this has also been delayed, according to the report.

“In addition, as a result of delivery delays for the newest Block V Virginia class submarines, CPS will not be fielded on the submarine in phase three until 2030—2 years later than planned—unless another submarine option is identified,” reads the report.

The Zumwalt class faces other delays, according to the report. The initial operational capability for DDG-1000 is planned for April 2023 – more than six years behind schedule.

“The other two ships continue to face delivery delays. DDG-1001 final delivery was delayed 12 months to September 2023. While the program is working toward the completion of combat systems installation and activation for the DDG-1002, program officials stated that DDG-1002 final delivery moved from Fiscal Year 2024 to early Fiscal Year 2025,” reads the report.

The Pentagon press secretary spoke during a briefing about a report compiled by a DOD internal review team on racial disparities in the investigative and military justice systems.

The era of Senate Armed Services Committee Democratic and Republican members dramatically increasing Pentagon spending requests ended with the budget deal to resolve the debt ceiling crisis, a key member of the panel said Thursday.

Speaking at a Center for Strategic and International Security Studies event, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said the administration’s Fiscal Year 2024 Pentagon budget request would “shrink the Navy, shrink the Army, shrink the Air Force” and expect the armed services committees to boost the spending to meet personnel, weapons and systems requirements, and commitments abroad to Taiwan and Ukraine.

“The budget deal won’t increase it [the original request],” he said. Under the agreement, defense spending is capped at $886 billion, about a 3 percent increase over last’s approved spending levels. The inflation rate for 2022 was 6.6 percent and so far, in 2023, has been about 5 percent.

Sullivan said the Taiwan Relations Act means “we’re not going to let the Taiwan issue be resolved by any other than peaceful means,” which China is aggressively testing.

Also on Thursday, Ely Ratner, the Pentagon’s point man on the Indo-Pacific, criticized recent Chinese intercepts of American and allied operations in international air space and international waters, calling them “dangerous maneuvers” that “tempt an incident that can lead to a crisis.”

Speaking at a Center for New American Security forum, Ratner cited Saturday’s incident, in which a Chinese warship cut across the bow of a U.S. destroyer as it and a Canadian frigate transited the Taiwan Strait.

“The administration’s response is: ‘we’re not going to be intimidated,’” Ratner said, adding that Washington is in intense negotiations with allies and partners to remain united in how to proceed.

At CSIS, Sullivan encouraged allies “to bring their assets to the region” in a show of unity.

Ratner, speaking at the CNAS event, said: “All this is happening in the context of the PLA [Peoples Liberation Army] not engaging with the United States in [military-to-military] discussions.” This happened again at the recently concluded Shangri-La Dialogue meeting, which Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu both attended.

Meanwhile, during an Air Force and Space Association interview Wednesday, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. C.Q. Brown said: “If you’re doing to deter, you need to understand who you are deterring and what message you’re sending” when conducting operations like Freedom of Navigation and Freedom of Air Space. Brown has been nominated to serve as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

At the CSIS event, Sullivan stressed that defending Taiwan “is in Americans’ interest.” Taipei has 66 percent, by revenue, of the global microchip manufacturing market. Access to microchips is critical to the U.S. defense industrial base. Microchips “run the whole world’s economy,” he added.

If Beijing successfully invaded Taiwan, he asked rhetorically, “you think they’re just going to sit there?”

If Washington failed to come to Taiwan’s defense, “our commitment to our allies would be strongly questioned,” Sullivan added.

If China attacked Taiwan, Sullivan said Chinese President Xi Jinping should not expect the United States to respond like it has to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – shipping ammunition, weapons and aid, and training forces – and not commit forces to the self-governing island’s defense.

Under the Taiwan Relations Act, Sullivan said the United States would be “coming to the assistance of Taiwan if attacked by the CCP [Chinese Communist Party].”

But “maybe the most important” deterrent to a Chinese invasion would come “from economic, financial, energy sanctions, which I believe we should take up now,” he said.

The United States and its allies and partners account for 65 to 70 percent of the world’s gross domestic product, Sullivan noted. “These are all huge strategic advantages” in making Xi think twice, he said.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen H. Hicks hosted a round-table discussion with the crew of a multi-national SpaceX Crew-5 mission and aspiring-astronaut servicemembers.   

Nations in the Indo-Pacific want a continued strong U.S. presence and they are improving interoperability and training with U.S. and regional partners, the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs said.

The task force responsible for U.S. 5th Fleet’s mine countermeasures mission welcomed a new commander during a change of command ceremony at the U.S. Navy base in Bahrain, June 8.

There has been an increase in unsafe and unprofessional intercepts of U.S. and allied forces lawfully operating in international zones throughout the Indo-Pacific region, officials said. 

The U.K. Royal Navy is studying the introduction of aircraft launch and recovery systems onboard its two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers to “open up” the flight deck to a broader range of crewed and uncrewed air systems.

Speaking at the Defence Leaders’ Combined Naval Event 2023 conference in Farnborough on May 24, U.K. Royal Marine Col. Phil Kelly, the head of carrier strike and maritime aviation within the Royal Navy’s Develop Directorate, outlined a plan to retrofit the arresting gear and assisted launch equipment as part of a broader Future Maritime Aviation Force (FMAF) vision. FMAF is a multi-strand program exploring the widespread fielding of uncrewed aviation across the surface fleet, with a specific focus on future carrier aviation.

In its current configuration, the Queen Elizabeth-class flight deck arrangement – with a 12.5 degree ski-ramp fitted forward and a vertical recovery deck offset to port – has been shaped by the operation and support of a single fixed-wing aircraft type: the F-35B Lightning II short takeoff vertical landing Joint Strike Fighter. No assisted launch or arresting machinery is installed.

According to Col Kelly, one strand of FMAF – known as Project Ark Royal – is exploring options for the phased introduction of aircraft launch and recovery equipment to enable the operation of high-performance uncrewed strike and support systems, and potentially fixed-wing crewed aircraft.

“We are looking to move from STOVL to STOL [short takeoff and landing], then to STOBAR [short takeoff but arrested recovery] and then to CATOBAR [catapult-assisted takeoff but arrested recovery]. We are looking at a demonstrable progression that spreads out the financial cost and incrementally improves capability,” Kelly said.

The first step would be to increase the available length for the unassisted launch of uncrewed air systems.

“This November we will [launch] a Mojave [STOL] aircraft off the angle of the flight deck off the U.S. east coast,” said Col Kelly. “This aircraft can take off in 300 feet of runway, so enough for the trial, [but] we have already undertaken design work to add sponsons and make a full run of 700 feet available.”

The next stage would be to introduce a recovery system into the Queen Elizabeth design. The large fixed-wing UAS envisaged under FMAF – a persistent capability known as Vixen – is expected to depend on some form of arrestment for recovery.

A final step would be to add an assisted launch system. “Adding catapults would allow us to operate the heaviest aircraft you can imagine,” Kelly said.

USNI News understands that various assisted launch and recovery system options have already been reviewed under Project Ark Royal. These include the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and Advanced Arresting Gear equipment delivered by General Atomics for the U.S. Navy’s Ford-class aircraft carriers, and the U.K.’s own Electro Magnetic Kinetic Induction Technology demonstrator, developed by GE Power Conversion.

The FMAF plan remains pre-decisional at this stage. The U.K. is continuing to explore capabilities, undertake experimentation and gather evidence in order to inform its next Integrated Review in 2025.

A version of this post originally appeared on Naval News. It’s been republished here with permission.