18 janvier 2019 | International, Naval
By: Ben Werner
ARLINGTON, Va. – Balancing the desire to build the Navy the nation needs with the ability to fight with the fleet the nation has is at the core of the mission of U.S. Fleet Forces Command mission, its commander said on Thursday.
The Navy's high-end warfare plan – dubbed Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) – relies on fleet commanders considering future technologies, integrating new capabilities into existing systems and provided the right level of manning.
In the meantime, commanders need to fight with the equipment and manning they currently have, a task complicated by uneven funding levels Fleet Forces commander Adm. Christopher Grady said at the Surface Navy Association Symposium.
“Seventy five percent of the fighting force today will be what we fight with in 2030,” Grady said.
“We must sustain what we have now to defend our interests in the future.”
Grady said the demand for maintenance capability is outpacing the industrial base's growth rate. At risk, he said, is the industrial base's ability to build new ships while keeping current ships in operations.
“Right now, the industrial base is optimized for cost efficiency,” Grady said.
In an era of renewed great power competition the Navy and industrial base needs to rethink how to work some flexibility into how quickly shipbuilders and maintainers can adjust their operations, Grady said.
“At issue is how do we grow our capacity for both maintenance and modernization,” Grady said. “This is challenging.”
As an example, many of the critical parts the Navy relies on are from sole-source suppliers, Grady said. Then there are the firms that could bid on Navy projects but don't because of various barriers making it difficult or impossible to submit competitive bids.
Since 2000 the entire defense industrial base lost more than 20,500 contractors, according to a Pentagon report released in September. The shipbuilding industry took a particularly hard hit and growing that sector is key to building the 355-ship fleet, the report said.
“Expanding the number of companies involved in Navy shipbuilding is important to maintaining a healthy industrial base that can fulfill the 355-ship fleet and support the Navy's long-range shipbuilding plan,” the report said.
Changing how the industrial base and Navy interact is a critical part of solving the building and maintenance capacity issues, Grady said. He wants the Navy's interaction with industry to seen as a partnership.
One example he proposed was buying portable dry docks that could be moved and leased to shipyards. More shipyards could bid on work by removing what Grady said is a significant barrier to entry into the marketplace – the significant capital investment required to handle Navy maintenance work.
“The ideal would be to come to the table and share notes,” Grady said. “What can we do for each other that's good for the nation.”
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1 avril 2020 | International, Naval
Germantown, Md.; March 26, 2020 – Amentum, a leading contractor to U.S. federal and allied governments, has been awarded a new contract by Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division worth up to $87 million. Under the contract, Amentum will provide systems engineering support to naval weapons systems, weapon control systems, and warfare systems for ballistic missile and guided missile submarines and surface ships, including Aegis, Ship Self-Defense System, DDG-1000 Guided Missile Destroyers, Guided Missile Frigates, and U.S. Coast Guard cutters. The cost-plus-fixed-fee contract has one base year and four one-year option periods. “We have been a strategic partner to the Navy for more than 40 years providing systems engineering support at Dahlgren,” said John Vollmer, Chief Executive Officer of Amentum. “Many of our people there have decades of engineering and operational experience in the Strategic Systems Program Office and on Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile programs. Our unique experience combined with our engineering and software tools allows us to offer real-world solutions to complex and ever-changing combat system and fleet challenges.” Work under the contract will primarily be performed at Dahlgren, Va.; Dam Neck, Va.; Washington Navy Yard; and Pittsfield, Mass. ### About Amentum Amentum is a premier global technical and engineering services partner supporting critical programs of national significance across defense, security, intelligence, energy, and environment. We draw from a century-old heritage of operational excellence, mission focus, and successful execution underpinned by a strong culture of safety and ethics. Headquartered in Germantown, Md., we employ more than 20,000 people in 48 states and 28 foreign countries and territories. Visit us at amentum.com to explore how we deliver excellence for our customers' most vital missions. Contacts: For Amentum: Christine Fuentes +1 (540) 219-5636 christine.fuentes@amentum.com Follow @Amentum_corp on Twitter View source version on Amentum: https://www.amentum.com/2020/03/26/amentum-awarded-87-million-navy-contract-for-systems-engineering-support/