The Harry S. Truman carrier strike group wound up a brief stay in Virginia last month and soon will join the largest NATO exercise in two decades. The shortened deployment cycle for the group reflects the Navy's concerted emphasis on agility and unpredictability.

Russia staged a huge exercise of its nuclear forces last week, launching multiple ballistic missiles from nuclear submarines. The exercise allowed officials to gauge the strength of their entire chain of command.

Mindful of the growing ballistic missile threat from North Korea, the South Korean military has opted to acquire ship-based SM-3 interceptors. The anti-ballistic missiles are intended to take down low-flying missiles in the terminal phase.

Researchers from Swinburne University of Technology are leading a study of corrosion-resistant coatings on the Royal Australian Navy's HMAS Canberra. "If the coating can double the length of time a ship can be at sea or available to be deployed, before it needs to be docked and cleaned, it could save costs and also increase operational readiness," said government researcher Richard Piola.

New Zealand-based Sealegs has introduced a rigid-hulled, inflatable boat known as the Electric E4 with three retractable wheels that allow it to move in and out of water independently. The boat's motors are powered by a central 48-volt, 7-kilowatt-hour lithium battery pack supplemented by a regenerative braking system and, optionally, by a solar panel.

Rolls-Royce is looking to build on its Intelligent Awareness system for ships that gathers data from sensors around the vessel and to move toward autonomous ships monitored from land. "Tugs, ferries, and short-sea transport, these are all classes of vessels that we believe would be suitable for completely autonomous operations," said Kevin Daffey, Rolls-Royce's director of marine engineering and technology.

The Navy's 29th littoral combat ship, a Freedom variant, will be named the USS Beloit for the Wisconsin city and will be built by Lockheed Martin and Marinette Marine. The Navy's 32nd littoral combat ship, an Independence variant, will be named the USS Santa Barbara and will be built by Austal USA.

Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding division will use powdered metal and lasers to produce the first 3D-printed part, a prototype piping assembly, for a US nuclear aircraft carrier. Charles Southall, the division's vice president of engineering and design, called the development a "watershed moment" and "a significant step forward in naval and marine engineering."

Capt. Jesse Zimbauer, in command of the nuclear-powered submarine USS Indiana since February 2015, was relieved last week by Cmdr. David Grogan. At the ceremony in Norfolk, Va., Zimbauer was lauded for his expertise, professionalism and leadership.

ASNE was founded 130 years ago to facilitate technical discussion for the betterment of naval engineering and the US Navy. Fleet Maintenance and Modernization Symposium 2018 Technical Program Chair Guy Zanti is an excellent embodiment of that ideal, and as such is our September Member of the Month!

The Intelligent Ships Symposium is a biennial naval engineering conference that offers technical presentations, expert panels, and networking opportunities to our community of professionals. The emphasis of the symposium, taking place April 9-10, 2019, at the University of Pennsylvania, will be on recent advances in Intelligent Systems and the challenges that lie ahead for the next generation of Intelligent ships. Get on the agenda by submitting to the call for abstracts by Nov. 9.