Megan Eckstein

The U.S. Navy is trying to improve its readiness while reining in the rising costs of maintenance and modernization. While these goals can seem at odds, the service’s first stab at this effort allowed it to boost its fighter jet mission-capable rates.

Carlos Del Toro will release a strategic guidance document this week that outlines how the Navy will maintain maritime dominance, strengthen strategic partnerships and empower sailors to succeed in competition against China.

A new unmanned and artificial intelligence task force in the Middle East will begin using off-the-shelf gear to boost maritime domain awareness in the region, first gaining trust in the systems and then applying them to real missions.

Next year will be a big one for Navy readiness, setting up the fleet for future success through F-35 sustainment, shipyard overhauls and IT transformation.

The task group will have Atlantic fleet destroyers focused on training in theater undersea warfare — and, importantly, able to respond to threats at the drop of a hat.

The Navy reorganized its entire submarine acquisition and sustainment enterprise to address current and potential future issues as the service builds a new class of ballistic missile subs and crawls out of the bottom of an attack sub shortfall.

The Block III configuration of the Super Hornet will bring greater connectivity, computing power and survivability to the Navy’s fourth-generation fighter jet.