The U.S. Navy authenticated the keel of its first John Lewis-class fleet oiler, marking the beginning of the ship’s construction. USNS John Lewis underwent its keel-laying ceremony Monday at General Dynamics NASSCO’s facility in San Diego, Naval Sea Systems Command said Monday.

“These ships are steadfast, reliable and allow our warships to defend our freedoms for which Representative Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting,” said Mike Kosar, program manager for support ships, boats and craft at Program Executive Office, Ships.

Ships under the new class build on commercial design standards and will function as part of the service’s combat logistics force.

The U.S. Navy plans to prioritize integration of special operations forces, unmanned systems and new undersea weapons into its new Block VI Virginia-class attack submarines, USNI News reported Monday. Capt. Chris Hanson, manager of Navy’s Virginia-class attack submarine program, said his office hasn’t finalized the design of the new submarine but the focus areas will be part of the ship. 

“We’re currently in the phase of looking at various concepts and capabilities and determining their feasibility for the rest of this year,” Hanson said at the Navy League’s annual Sea-Air-Space conference.

He said his office is analyzing potential payloads and other equipment to support the Block VI Virginia-class submarines’ power, heating, cooling and communications and other areas. Hanson added that the final decisions may come in 2020. The Navy aims to begin initial production of the submarines in fiscal year 2024.

Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received the Eisenhower Award from the National Defense Industrial Association for his leadership of the unit in national security efforts, the Department of Defense said Sunday. The award recognizes U.S. citizens that demonstrate strategic impact and leadership in national security and industrial base issues.

Previously, Dunford supported efforts to address global conflicts in Venezuela, Iran, North Korea and Afghanistan as the U.S. continues to compete with China and Russia in technological advancement. In order to maintain the nation’s edge, Dunford said that U.S. companies must support government development programs and be mindful of doing business with countries that don’t prioritize democratic values.

“When I talk about competitive advantage, I mean being able to project power when and where necessary to advance our national interests and being able to operate freely across all domains,” he added. NDIA recognized Dunford’s leadership as the organization celebrates its centennial anniversary this year.

Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) launched a new commission that would implement a strategy for cyber space by pursuing three strategic options: deterrence, international agreement and persistent engagement, Breaking Defense reported Monday.

“One of the motivations of this is that, right now, the cyber responsibility is scattered throughout the federal government,” King said of the new 14-member commission. “There’s no central leadership and there’s no policy that our adversaries — or our allies for that matter — can discern about what we’re going to do in a particular situation…. until we clarify that, we’re going to keep getting hit.”

King and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin) will co-chair the cyber strategy panel, which is based on the Eisenhower administration’s Solarium initiative in 1953.

Members of the Cyber Solarium Commission include:

• Christopher Wray, director of the FBI
• David Norquist, acting deputy defense secretary and 2019 Wash100 Award winner
• David Pekoske, acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
• Rep. Jim Langevin (D-Rhode Island)
• Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska)
• Susan Gordon, deputy director of national intelligence and fellow 2019 Wash100 Award winner
• Tom Fanning, CEO of Southern Co.

The commission plans to develop a final report by December.

Ellen Lord, under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment and 2019 Wash100 Award winner, announced the Air Force plans to award a new contract in June or July to procure additional F-35 fighter jets, Breaking Defense reported Friday. The service would enter into a Lot 12 deal to buy F-35A aircraft worth $89 million each. But Lord noted the price may go down for the next Low Rate of Initial Production lot. 

In September, the Air Force released $11.5 billion for Lot 11 acquisition of 141 aircraft. However, service officials expect to see some challenges in the upcoming aircraft deal as Turkey may leave the F-35 program due to conflicts with other participating nations. 

“We see a potential slowing down of some deliveries over the next two years,” Lord said. “Some potential cost impacts, but right now we believe we can minimize both of those and are working on refining them.”

Ankara houses an F-35 industrial base and the country planned to buy 100 F-35A aircraft. If the country leaves the program, the Air Force expects costs of the aircraft to increase for other countries. The U.S. F-35 program currently involves 14 buying countries.