Northrop Grumman’s Post

Brilliant to have attended the International Maritime Organization hosting the 50th Anniversary Conference and Summer Celebration of WISTA UK with the Royal Navy and Nautilus International. Discussions included: - Nurturing Diverse Voices in Maritime Media - ESG, to be or not to be? - Decarbonisation - State of the Insustry - Navigating Alternative Fuel Options for Decarbonisation Risks and Hazards - What’s the Fuel? ESG rightly remained the focus of many of the discussions had during the day. This included the importance of the wellbeing and diversity of seafarers, current and future ESG regulations, upcoming ESG reporting deadlines, how to provide contractually for parties to share in the responsibility and cost of compliance with ESG requirements, and the very real risks and considerations around alternative fuels for vessels. Great to pull a lot of the information into one place and to hear views from across the industry. #TradeandShipping #IMO #ESG

Pratt & Whitney chose #NorthCarolina over #Connecticut for their new $650 million high-tech jet engine airfoil plant in 2020, just after expiration of their obligation to remain in the State thanks to a $400 million tax credit to their then-parent United Technologies. It was a tough blow to #Connecticut’s #AerospaceAlley and the #advancedmanufacturing supply chain ecosystem that relies on P&W contracts. While I’m very disappointed with their decision, I can understand the motivation to take this impactful decision. #NorthCarolina has just released a new Economic Development Partnership website that incudes a COMPARISON tool to see how other States measure up to North Carolina’s workforce, business climate, and more. The comparisons with #Connecticut are difficult to view, and they soeak to the need for a dramatic shift in economic development for the Nutmeg State. https://lnkd.in/edxuG9is

Thales’ commitment to building a more #sustainable future is at the heart of our Environmental, Social and Governance (#ESG) commitments— guiding us internally and with our customers as we work to reduce our impact on the environment. In our operations around the world, this commitment has informed a comprehensive approach to environmental protection that considers sustainable product development, Earth monitoring, resource management, biodiversity and more. For example, Thales was recently recognized at an Association of British Columbia Marine Industries (ABCMI) conference for our work as part of the Royal Canadian Navy | Marine royale canadienne’s Minor Warships and Auxiliary Vessels (#MWAV) contract. As part of the program, our team sought ways to reduce paper waste by digitizing processes — saving time and helping to increase efficiency and speed. These changes amounted to saving an estimated 65,000 sheets of paper per year, which equates directly to eliminating 2700kg of CO2 emissions, 27,000L of water, 176kg. of solid waste, and enabling various cost reductions for ink, storage, shredding and more. It has also informed localized efforts to support cleaner and greener communities. For example, this year - amongst other initiatives at our offices across Canada - our Halifax employees organized an #EarthDay2024 clean-up. Local initiatives like this highlight the shared role that we all must play in reducing our impact on the environment and creating a safer and greener tomorrow, together.

RIMPAC, the largest maritime warfare exercise in the world, is happening currently around Hawai'i. What the impact of those war games are on the climate, is a real unknown. Together with Neta Crawford, professor of international relations at Oxford University, I'm trying to get an understanding of the order of magnitude of emissions of this and other war games. Listen here to an interview with Neta Crawford for Hawai'i Public Radio: https://lnkd.in/dscdX2rr

“Emission reductions and military operational effectiveness are not always mutually exclusive” Absolutely agreed - there are tactical, operational, strategic and geopolitical benefits to striving for low-carbon warfare where appropriate. It can lead to increased self-sufficiency, freedom of manoeuvre and freedom to access. As long as it doesn’t jeopardise the moral component and cede advantage to others this could underwrite a military’s licence to operate in a more environmentally-conscious future.

🌊🚢 NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration breaks ground on its new #Marine Operations Center in #Newport, #RhodeIsland. 📌 The $146.8 million facility is scheduled for completion in 2027, and is designed to support #NOAA's #Atlantic operations - with hopes it will also contribute to the local #blueeconomy. https://lnkd.in/dtpSpDUg

As we dive into the new fiscal year, MILCON for FY25 is more crucial than ever. With more demands in national security, the focus is not just on infrastructure but on building facilities that drive mission-readiness, technological innovation, and environmental resilience. FY25 MILCON projects will prioritize: 1️⃣ Readiness and Adaptability: Flexible, modular designs to support diverse operations. 2️⃣ Sustainable Building: Emphasis on energy-efficient structures and eco-friendly materials to meet DoD’s sustainability goals. 3️⃣ Advanced Training Environments: Enhanced training ranges and simulation facilities that prepare our forces for the demands of modern warfare. Excited to see how these projects will unfold to keep our nation ready and resilient!

If icebreakers are indeed built — whether they will be sufficient to revitalise US shipbuilding is another subject of discussion. For example, how will they be operated, and how will their services be rendered? Will they be employed to open up lanes or escort vessels from friendly nations? Will there be separate icebreaker fleets for different geopolitical blocs? And how might affiliation be determined: by ownership or management of the vessel, the vessel’s flag, its crew, or the origin and destination of its cargo? These are difficult questions to answer. Dionysios Tsilioris, Member, Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers and URSA Shipbrokers

SBIR season is upon us once more. If you're new to SBIR/STTR, and are considering how to incorporate non-dilutive federal funding into your technology business strategy, Airship Consulting can help. #sbir #sttr #technology #strategy #businessplan

As populations rise and resources dwindle, #ClimateChange has the potential to negatively impact national security. In this recent McKinsey & Company interview, Tom Middendorp, former chief of defense for the Royal Netherlands Armed Forces and author of "The Climate General," sits down with Hugues Lavandier, a senior partner at McKinsey's Aerospace & Defense Practice, to discuss the critical role the defense industry can play in collaboration with public and private sectors to address the security implications of climate change: https://lnkd.in/dgPwhnD3