US Navy receives final Independence-class Littoral Combat Ship
The delivery acceptance of the future USS Pierre marks the conclusion of the construction phase for the Independence-variant.
The Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Sirius has deployed to Fiji marking the beginning of a six-month programme of official activities throughout the region.
Along with Joint Task Force 637, Sirius will undertake a series of engagements across the Southwest Pacific and Timor-Leste, including visits to Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Samoa and the Micronesia region.
Key events include a Guardian-class patrol boat commissioning in Tonga, hydrographic survey activities, air transport support to Pacific Islands Forum delegates, and mutual training in Papua New Guinea.
The task force will also continue to support unexploded mines in the Solomon Islands, carry out a joint exercise in Vanuatu - Exercise Vanuatu Alliance; and support counter-illegal fishing operations across Micronesia.
The engagements are part of the Australian government’s Pacific Step-Up initiative.
The delivery acceptance of the future USS Pierre marks the conclusion of the construction phase for the Independence-variant.
The new Barracuda version has been engineered to perform enhanced subsea and seabed warfare missions.
The nearly $25 billion investment will cover USCG procurement of cutters, aircraft, helicopters, training simulators and Polar capabilities over the next four years.
After commissioning, FRC Frederick Mann will operate in Alaska and perform multiple missions.
The US Coast Guard (USCG) created new units, including five Programme Executive Offices (PEOs), to facilitate and speed up the procurement of new capabilities.
The US Navy does not have a precise date for the award of the procurement contract for the third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer despite having the funds to advance with the programme in FY2025.