Program Executive Office, Ships

Program Executive Office, Ships
Unit name	Program Executive Office, Ships
Caption	A Littoral Combat Ship underway
Dates	1996–present
Country	United States
Branch	Department of the Navy
Type	Program executive office
Garrison	Washington Navy Yard
Commander	Program Executive Officer

Program Executive Office, Ships Program Executive Office, Ships is the principal acquisition organization responsible for lifecycle management of surface ship and combat systems for the United States Navy. It oversees design, procurement, modernization, and sustainment programs that link platforms such as Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, Zumwalt-class destroyer, Independence-class littoral combat ship, and San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock to combat systems like AN/SPY-1, Aegis Combat System, and Mk 41 Vertical Launching System. The office interfaces with organizations including Naval Sea Systems Command, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Congressional Armed Services Committees, and prime contractors such as General Dynamics, Huntington Ingalls Industries, and Lockheed Martin.

Overview and Mission

The mission emphasizes acquisition oversight, cost control, schedule adherence, and technical performance for surface combatants, amphibious ships, and associated mission systems, coordinating with Chief of Naval Operations priorities, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, and the Defense Acquisition University for workforce competency. Activities align with strategic documents like the National Defense Strategy and the Navy Force Structure Assessment, while supporting operational forces including U.S. Fleet Forces Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and U.S. Naval Surface Forces Atlantic.

Organizational Structure

The office reports to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) and integrates program managers responsible for program offices covering surface ships, combat systems, and auxiliary platforms. It collaborates with systems commands such as Naval Air Systems Command, Naval Sea Systems Command, and Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command and liaises with testing organizations including Naval Surface Warfare Center and Operational Test and Evaluation authorities. Support elements include contracting offices, engineering directorates, financial management branches, and legal counsel that work with Defense Contract Management Agency and Government Accountability Office oversight.

Major Programs and Acquisitions

Major acquisition portfolios managed include surface combatant construction and modernization programs for classes like Ticonderoga-class cruiser, Freedom-class littoral combat ship, Littoral Combat Ship program, amphibious ship classes including Wasp-class amphibious assault ship upgrades, and shipboard combat system integrations such as Aegis Modernization efforts. Weapon system acquisitions and integration programs involve the Tomahawk (missile), Standard Missile (SM-6), Rolling Airframe Missile, and electronic warfare suites tied to programs managed with industry partners including Raytheon Technologies, Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems.

Budget and Funding

Funding is executed through the Department of the Navy budget submission to the Office of Management and Budget and approved by United States Congress appropriations and authorization processes, with attention to Procurement, Defense-Wide and Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy accounts. Program budgeting coordinates with Program Objective Memorandum cycles, cost estimates from the Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, and audit expectations from the Government Accountability Office. Long-range shipbuilding plans incorporate guidance from the Congressional Budget Office and the Chief of Naval Operations' Navigation Plan.

Partnerships and Industry Engagement

The office maintains partnerships with prime shipbuilders like Huntington Ingalls Industries, General Dynamics NASSCO, and international collaborators such as Babcock International and Navantia for technology exchange, plus systems vendors including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman. It engages with research institutions and laboratories like Naval Research Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory to advance ship design, autonomy, and propulsion technologies. Cooperative programs and international collaboration occur under frameworks such as the NATO interoperability initiatives and foreign military sales managed by Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

Notable Projects and Achievements

Notable achievements include delivery and fielding of modernized Aegis-capable destroyers and cruisers, implementation of integrated power systems on Zumwalt-class destroyer, incorporation of modular mission packages on Littoral Combat Ship program, and sustainment improvements extending service life of legacy classes like Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate. Milestones involved coordination with major industry milestones at yards like Ingalls Shipbuilding and Bath Iron Works, testing at ranges such as Pacific Missile Range Facility, and certification through Naval Sea Systems Command assessments.

Challenges and Future Priorities

Challenges include managing cost growth, schedule delays, technical integration risks with advanced sensors and weapons, and industrial base capacity constraints involving shipyards and suppliers during periods of increased demand highlighted by analyses from the Government Accountability Office and Congressional Research Service. Future priorities emphasize accelerated delivery of multi-mission surface combatants, integration of directed energy weapons and hypersonic defense measures, increased use of unmanned surface vessels with autonomy standards developed in coordination with Office of Naval Research and DARPA, and resilience of supply chains in coordination with Department of Defense Office of Supply Chain Risk Management.

Category:United States Navy