Photo caption: Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) returns to Naval Station Norfolk, July 14, 2024, concluding a nine-month deployment to the Atlantic. Eisenhower, the flagship of the Ike Carrier Strike Group, was built at HII”s Newport News Shipbuilding division and commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 1977. The ship returned to NNS for its refueling and complex overhaul and returned to service in 2005. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Hunter Day)
July 19, 2024
HII’s Weekly News Digest is compiled every Friday by the Corporate Communications team to summarize and highlight news stories of significance to the company.
Navy Taps Deloitte To Help Modernize, Expand Submarine Industrial Base: Washington Technology reported on Tuesday that Deloitte Consulting has won a potential five-year, $2.4 billion contract to work with the Navy and Defense Department on their efforts to modernize and expand the submarine industrial base. Inside Defense reported on Wednesday that Deloitte will have three primary objectives as the enterprise industry partner: enlarging the submarine industrial workforce by creating and growing regional workforce development initiatives and eliminating skill gaps; increasing manufacturing capacity and technology adoption by submarine industrial base suppliers; and modernizing the shipbuilding component supply chain. Awarded on Monday, the contract has an initial one-year base period and up to four option years. The General Services Administration managed the procurement for the Navy and DOD. Meanwhile, Inside Defense reported on Tuesday that two Connecticut House members have launched a new “maritime workforce campaign” in conjunction with the Navy and industry that aims to attract workers to the shipbuilding industry and improve submarine output. The initiative, titled “Hire Hartford,” is a collaborative effort between House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee Ranking Member Joe Courtney, fellow House Democrat John Larson, the Navy, Connecticut-based shipbuilder General Dynamics Electric Boat and other workforce partners and suppliers.
New Quality Of Life Building Announced At NNS: USNI News reported on Tuesday that the U.S. Navy has issued HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding a $78 million contract modification for quality-of-life improvements that includes building a facility for sailors and shipbuilders who are working on aircraft carriers undergoing their mid-life refueling overhaul. The building will provide approximately 80,000 square feet of dedicated space near ships undergoing RCOH that will include office spaces for sailors and shipbuilders, as well as a fitness center, counseling offices, and other areas sailors can utilize while executing RCOH, according to Naval Sea Systems Command. The news to establish a dedicated work center for RCOH sailors follows last month’s announcement that a new parking garage with more than 2,000 new parking spaces will be constructed in Newport News to help alleviate parking challenges. 13NewsNow reported on Tuesday that the process for selecting a contractor is currently underway. Construction is set to be complete by June of 2026.
Navy Seeks Industry Help Developing DDG(X) Propulsion System: Defense Daily reported Tuesday that the U.S. Navy has issued a request for information seeking interested parties to help it design and develop the next-generation destroyer power and propulsion system. The request notes that the Navy intends to use non-development technologies for power and propulsion to reduce risk. The service is also reevaluating potential power and propulsion architectures after it made changes to the DDG(X) top level requirements. After collecting information from previous requests for information, the service identified a fully electric Integrated Power System (IPS) or mechanically boosted IPS as having the trade pace for power and propulsion architectures that will meet DDG(X) requirements. Responses, including partial, are sought by Aug. 15, although the Navy said it will accept later responses.
Social Media Highlight Of The Week 
Posted Thursday on HII’s Facebook page: “HII’s #MissionTechnologies took part in a table-top exercise organized by the Hudson Institute and the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) the week of July 1. Pictured is HII’s Unmanned Systems’ third generation MUUV, the REMUS R620, conducting sea trials this past year. ‘The exercise focused on the JMSDF’s incorporation of unmanned systems,’ said Gary Rogeness, senior director of business development in Mission Technologies’ Unmanned Systems business group and a retired submarine officer. ‘This event provided an excellent opportunity to showcase Mission Technologies’ wide array of REMUS autonomous undersea vehicles in various scenarios. It also allowed us to offer our close ally valuable expertise in developing future concepts of operations. Special thanks to Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, for leading the crucial discussions and ensuring industry representation at this significant event.’” |
Pentagon Seeks Industry Help With CJADC2 Development: Defense News reported on Tuesday that the Defense Department is identifying capabilities to address operators’ most urgent problems and vetting them through a regular command-and-control (C2) exercise series known as Global Information Dominance Experiments, or GIDE. An initial round of GIDE exercises created an operational version of the Pentagon’s all-service, artificial intelligence-enhanced command-and-control system, known as CJADC2. Now, DOD Chief Data and AI Officer Radha Plumb wants to target more of the department’s needs by developing a process through which more companies can propose solutions that the DOD can evaluate through GIDE. Breaking Defense reported on Tuesday that Plumb’s office will use its acquisition hub, called Tradewinds, to communicate its requirements to industry, solicit capabilities and select the most promising to participate in experimentation events. The crucial nuance is that a product that gets picked via Tradewinds counts as “competitively selected” in terms of government acquisition regulations, Plumb explained to a recent CSIS webcast. That makes the product eligible for a procurement contract without further rounds of competition.
HII’s Weekly News Digest is produced by HII’s Corporate Communications team and posted to Homeport every Friday.
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