Surface Warfare Enhancement Act of 2018

Surface Warfare Enhancement Act of 2018

This bill directs the Department of the Navy to:

• conduct a comprehensive review of its operational and administrative chains-of-command and functions;
• implement a training and readiness matrix for Navy surface ships;
• conduct a comprehensive assessment of the Navy standard workweek;
• require that watchstanders on Navy surface ships shall maintain a career record of watchstanding hours and specific operational evolutions;
• establish minimum at-sea and simulator time and evolution requirements for qualified Navy officers in certain positions;
• provide for the use of not fewer than six Navy Yard Patrol craft in total at the Surface Warfare Officer School Basic Division Officer Course in San Diego, California, and Norfolk, Virginia; and
• maintain manning fit and manning fill for ships assigned to the Forward Deployed Naval Forces at levels not less than the levels established for each ship class or type of unit deploying from the United States.

Vessels listed in the Naval Vessel Register may not be homeported in a location other than in the United States or Guam for a period of more than 10 consecutive years.

The bill imposes certain limitations on transition of enlisted training to Ready Relevant Learning block learning, modernized delivery, or similar approaches, and grants authority to treat military units as unavailable for deployment due to a significant readiness deficiency.