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This section offers U.S. military news briefs including the naming of the U.S. Ship (USS) Iowa and USS Montana by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus during the first week of September 2015 and the Navy awarding on August 31, 2015 Lockheed Martin a 431 million U.S. dollar contract for F-35 aircraft.

The article reports on the series of tests being conducted by the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) to advance swarming technology for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Topics covered include the launch of small UAVs from tubes, the experimental ship R/V Sea Fighter, and the Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology (LOCUST) program.

The article reports on the commitment made by the defense company BAE Systems to acquire and expand a new dry dock in San Diego, California to serve the future military needs of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Ocean. Topics discussed include a description of the new dry dock and its features and the naval ships that are expected to be serviced in the new dock.

The article reports on the announcement by shipbuilder Austal USA that the Joint High Speed Vessel USNS Trenton (JHSV 5) has completed Acceptance Trials (AT) on March 13, 2015. Topics covered include the tests involved in the trials, the statement of Austal president Craig Perciavalle on the success of the tests, and the features of the vessel.

The article informs that the aerospace firm Lockheed Martin and defense contractor Raytheon Co. would not object the decision of U.S. Navy for the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) Block 3 contract to aerospace company Northrop Grumman Corp. It notes that the contract includes preparation of basic design for the AN/SLQ-32(V), an electronic warfare system that traces and jams threats at sea. It adds that the SEWIP will put on Navy cruisers, warships and aircraft carriers.

The article reports on the spending request of the U.S. Navy to buy ships, aircraft and weapons for fiscal 2016. Data provided show appropriations for shipbuilding, aviation and weapons. Included in the budget proposal are the acquisition of V-22 Ospreys, Small Diameter Bomb II and Tomahawk ship-launched cruise missiles, the refueling and overhaul of the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, procurement of ships and restoration of helicopters.

The article offers information on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program handled by the Small Surface Combatant Task Force in the U.S. Topics covered include the public criticism against the LCS program, how the LCS lacks the survivability and firepower to deal with current threats, and the stronger version of the LCS announced by the U.S. Navy.

The article reports on the U.S. Navy's plan to increase Littoral Combat Ships' (LCS) lethal firepower and survivability and re-designate them as frigates, according to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus. Topics discussed include the original plan of building LCSs in their current configuration then transitioning them to the upgraded version, restoring the traditional custom for ship class designations, and key aspects of modified LCSs such as over-the-horizon missiles and arrays for submarine hunting.

The article reports on U.S. Navy commander for surface warfare Thomas S. Rowden's presentation at the Surface Navy Association's January 2015 symposium in which he discussed the benefits of adding more weapons to all of the Navy's warships. Topics covered include the use of a so-called hunter killer posture to deal with threats in more heavily contested waters, the surface fleet's need to move to a more offensive orientation, and the use of weapons with more long-range strike capability.

The article reports on the U.S. Navy's plan to increase the manpower on land attack destroyers called the Zumwalt-class DDG-1000s. Topics discussed include increasing the number of sailors on destroyers, a re-evaluation of the manning size for the USS Zumwalt ship or DDG-1000 captained by James Kirk, and manpower on other ship classes such as the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Also mentioned are contracts with General Dynamics Bath Iron Works to build Zumwalt ships.

General Dynamics [GD] Electric Boat won a $36.5 million contract modification from the U.S. Navy to develop advanced submarine technologies for current and future undersea… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) announced on December 16, 2014 that software the U.S. Navy employs on submarines to map waterway routes and chart possible hazards during mission planning is being installed on a surface ship, the U.S. Ship (USS) Mobile Bay, for the first time. Topics discussed include the software rapidly merging a variety of data and integrating the information to show to sailors. Also mentioned are Navy incidents in January 2014 and in 2005.

The article informs that the U.S. Navy unveiled a plan on December 11, 2014 to upgrade its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) hulls, and mentions that it will work on an acquisition strategy. Topics include the Navy requiring 52 small surface combatants, with 20 ships featuring key updates to the Lockheed Martin monohaul Freedom variant and Austal USA Independence trimaran version. Also mentioned are key aspects of the upgraded LCS, such as over-the-horizon missiles and multi-function towed array.

The article reports on the decision of the French government to suspend indefinitely its delivery of Mistral warships to Russia due to political conflict in Ukraine.

NORFOLK, Va. -- As the crew of the USS Arlington (LPD-24) has trained since the ship's commissioning in April 2013 and works toward its maiden… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that defense company Raytheon has successfully fired two Navy Standard Missile-6 interceptor missiles and engaged targets using targeting information provided by another vessel. Topics discussed include the participation of the cruiser USS Chancellorsville and the destroyer USS Sampson in the exercise and the supersonic speed demonstrated by the target rocket. The development of "engage on remote" capabilities and missile defense systems are also mentioned.

The article reports on the 2015-2019 Navigation Plan for the U.S. Navy released by Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Jonathan Greenert in August 2014. Topics covered include the contents of the CNO's plan, such as strengthening the U.S. Navy's 14-ship Ohio--class SSBN fleet, undersea advantage by boosting its Virginia-class attack submarine fleet, and multimission capabilities of the carrier air wing, and the views of Navy spokesman Captain Danny Hernandez on the plan.

The article focuses on the delivery of the second composite deckhouse for the U.S. Navy's new fleet of Zumwalt-class (DDG-1000) destroyers by shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries, and the closure of a facility that built it in Gulfport, Mississippi due to the reduction in the construction of the Zumwalt-class (DDG-1000) ship and the decision of the service to use steel on the Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG-1002) destroyer. It mentions the layoff of 352 employees at the Gulfport facility.

The article reports that the U.S. Navy is reviewing the initial results from a task force created in 2014 to inform the requirements for the next small surface combatant (SSC) that will replace the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) but has not yet disclosed details about initial findings. Issues covered include the reduction of the LCS program from 52 to 32 ships and the Navy reviewing alternatives to fill the 20-ship gap for the SSC requirement in 2016.

The article discusses a report by Frank Kendall, acquisition chief of the U.S. Department of Defense, that the U.S. Marines will employ an off-the-shelf strategy in procuring the first addition of Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACV) that is projected to generate savings but requires revision to the program thus incurring additional time and cost. It also discusses modification requirements which include communications suites, and armaments.

The article reports that General Electric (GE) was selected by British defense company BAE Systems for the design, develop and assess (DDA) deal to create electric propulsion systems for Type 26 Global Combat Ships of the British Royal Navy. Topics covered include the Type 26 ships being successors to the existing Type 23 Frigates and the role of the hybrid propulsion technology in enhancing efficiency of Type 26 frigates.

This section offers world news briefs on the defense industry as of June 9, 2014. A Strategic Capability Plan has released by the U.S. Transportation Security Agency's Office of Security Capabilities. The final contract trials consisting of post-delivery ship testing has been completed by the Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado. The British Ministry of Defense has responded to a Freedom of Information request on the unit cost per year for maintaining a Royal marine Commando.

The article reports that the U.S. Navy has announced that the US Ship (USS) Coronado (LCS-4) has completed the test firing of 30-millimeter (mm) guns that are part of the surface warfare package for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), aimed at gauging the LCS's structural ability to absorb the blast.

The article reports that the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and the US Ship (USS) Boxer Amphibious Ready Group returned to the U.S. from the Middle East on April 24, 2014 after an eight-month deployment. Topics discussed include the replacement of communications trucks by mobile commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) systems with inflatable antennas. Also mentioned is the U.S. Marine's use of a ground-to-air transmit and receive (GATR) inflatable satellite antenna (ISA) on March 7, 2014.

The article reports on the move of the U.S. House of Representatives to roll back the U.S. Navy's revision to the way it counts ship in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2015. Topics discussed include the proposal's aim to deprive the Navy from including certain types of vessels in quantifying the overall size of the fleet, the Navy's annual and congressionally required 30-year shipbuilding plan, and the Navy's move to include some of the ships to be excluded in the legislation.

The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) is weighing whether to require the Navy to take a second look at buying more Joint High Speed Vessels… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface warfare mission module for the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) has undergone initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) aboard a Freedom variant of the… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following several demonstrations of a small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) aboard two National Security Cutters (NSC) and from shore, the Coast Guard on Tuesday said… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the General Dynamics (GD) Electric Boat paperless technology being introduced by the aerospace and defense company General Dynamics Corp. to the U.S. Navy in April 2014. Topics discussed include the views of Electric Boat vice president of engineering and business programs Will Lennon and the emergence of electronic deliverables in the aerospace industry. Also mentioned are the plans of the U.S. Navy to purchase several SSBN(X) submarines.

The article reports on the statement issued by the U.S. Navy defending its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) as sufficiently survivable after it took heat from House appropriators in March 2014. Topics covered include the Navy's plans to reassess if it will keep the ship as is or change its requirements for a small surface combatant. Also mentioned is the ship's successful deployment to Singapore in 2013.

A second airframe of the newest version of the unmanned Fire Scout MQ-8C helicopter has entered testing at the Navy's Point Mugu base in California,… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on U.S. Rear Admiral Brian Antonio, the U.S. Navy's program executive officer for the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), who highlighted the positive growth in the overall attitude toward the vessels over 2013 as the program continues to overcome hurdles. Antonio attributed the diminished trepidation to the program's viability and operational concept. An Independence variant of the LCS is not expected to go on a long overseas deployment until at least 2015, Antonio adds.

The article reports that Littoral Combat Ships USS Freedom (LCS-1) participated in real operations during its first major overseas deployment in 2013. According to Vice Admiral Tom Copeman, commander of the surface forces of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, the Freedom participated in patrol operations for the 7th Fleet in the South China Sea.

The article reports on the acceptance trials for the fourth Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the future USS Coronado, for the U.S. Navy in September 2013. Topics include deficiencies found by the U.S. Board of Inspection and Survey, improvements over the ship the Independence, and other ships commissioned by the Navy from the contractor Lockheed Martin.

The article reports that the lawmakers might face restrictions on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program from the U.S. Navy. It mentions that the program is focused on developing a shore-hugging vessel, under the contract with Lockheed Martin. It mentions that the Jackie Speier, the U.S. Representative plans to amend the LCS in 2014.

The article offers news briefs related to defense industry in the U.S. It reports the visit of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to the Middle East to address arms deals with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. It provides information on the fiscal year 2014 budget hearings to be hosted by the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee. It relates the arrival of the first Littoral Combat Ship in Singapore on its first major overseas stationing.

The article reports that the successful test of the U.S. Navy's Cobra Judy Replacement (CJR) program geared toward gathering data about worldwide ballistic missile demonstrates that the system is on track, according to Denis Donohue, an executive of Raytheon Co. It notes that the CJR is designed to monitor the ballistic missile activities of other nations and is not a part of the missile defense system. It mentions that the CJR boarded the U.S. Naval Ship Howard O. Lorenzen (T-AGM-25).

The article reports on the confidence of Lockheed Martin (LMT) to U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), which is generating an international interest that could lead to an amount of foreign sales, according to LMT executive Doug Laurendeau. LMT believes that the stability of the LCS program attracts foreign interest with its ability to be outfitted for a variety of missions. Laurendeau adds that many countries are interested in using the LCS for many missions.

The article reports on the approval of the United Nations General Assembly to a global arms trade treaty that is anticipated to regulate the international trade in conventional arms. The regulations set by the treaty in eight conventional arms categories including warships, missiles, and combat aircraft are highlighted. According to the U.N. Office for Disarmament Affairs, the treaty will not interfere with domestic arms commerce.

The article reports on the $57-million military contract given by the U.S. Navy to Lockheed Martin (LMT) to upgrade the Army's electronic warfare defenses against anti-ship missiles. It notes that LMT is responsible to advance the AN/SLQ-32(V)2 electronic warfare system deployed on aircraft carriers, destroyers, and cruisers. It notes that the contract covers low-rate production for the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program (SEWIP) block 2 upgrade.

The article reports on the completion of the U.S. Navy and defense contractor Lockheed Martin to install the Aegis combat system that fuses air theater defense and ballistic missile defense capabilities. According to the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command, the installation of Aegis baseline 9 was completed aboard a Ticonderoga -class cruiser, USS Chancellorsville (CG-62). The cruiser program manager Ted Zobel adds that the USS Chancellorsville will be one of the most powerful warships.

The article reports that the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has said that the costs involved in the U.S. Navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program are expected to rise in 2013. The GAO examined the LCS program in a report on the Pentagon's largest acquisition programs, including the mine countermeasures (MCM), surface warfare (SUW), and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) mission modules for the ships.

The article reports on the inability of the U.S. Navy to supply the U.S. Pacific Command with enough number of ships to meet the mission's requirements due to high global demand on the fleet, according to Admiral Samuel Locklear. He states that there are not adequate ships to carry out the missions in the Pacific region because of the demand for the ships in the Middle East. Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert adds that sequestration causea the Navy to limit the number of ships.

The article reports that the mid-life refueling and overhaul of the aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), has been delayed by the U.S. Navy. The Navy says that it doesn't have adequate funds to begin work this fiscal year because U.S. Congress has not approved a budget. Until Congress passes an appropriations bill for fiscal, the aircraft carrier will stay in Norfolk, Virginia.

The article reports that Republican Representative Duncan Hunter from California warned that cutting the size of the U.S. Navy's fleet of combat ships will negatively affect the service's long-term ability. The House Armed Services Committee member said that the situation would worsen if Congress cannot resolve the budget standoff.

The article reports on that Virginia-class attack submarine, the USS Delaware, honored and named the nation's first state and set to deliver in 2018. It states that coming USS Delaware (SSN-791) would be 19th in Virginia class and final of the Block 3 version of the warship. U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus states that she chose the name Delaware for the long-standing relationship between the Navy and our nation's first state.

The article reports on the launch of the first ship of the U.S. Navy of its new Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) class less than two years after the start of fabrication.

The article reports that second Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV-2) built by Austal USA was launched at a program designed to transport soldiers or equipment in theater. Captain Henry Stevens the Navy theater sealift program manager says that as only the second ship of the Spearhead class, JHSV 2's launch represents an important early success for the entire program.

The article offers information on an agreement signed between General Dynamics Corp. and the U.S. Navy for repairing the Los Angeles -class (SSN-688) attack submarine, USS Miami (SSN-755). Under the contract, Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. is allowed to help General Dynamics Corp. in Miami's restoration.