The U.S. Navy commissioned USS Tripoli (LHA 7), yesterday, July 15, 2020. Although the Navy canceled the traditional public commissioning ceremony due to public health and safety restrictions on large public gatherings, the Navy commissioned the USS Tripoli administratively and the ship transitioned to normal operations. Meanwhile, the Navy is looking at a future opportunity to commemorate the special event with the USS Tripoli’s sponsor, crew and commissioning committee.

The Philippine Navy today commissioned its first ever guided missile frigate, BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), during a ceremony held at Alava Wharf, Subic Bay, Zambales.

The Philippine Navy’s first-ever guided-missile frigate, BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150), set sails from the Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) shipyard in South Korea today, to join her homeland for the first time.

Despite the COVID-19 crisis, South Korea's defense budget remains mostly unaffected. Budget reductions in the "2020-2024 mid-term defense acquisition plan" will be limited to programs deemed as "non essential" and to a limited number of foreign procurement programs.

South Korea might have been the country, after China, with the most reported cases of Coronavirus earlier this month, the two shipbuilding giants HHI and DSME appear to be unaffected.

The future USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119) successfully completed acceptance trials on March 12, returning to Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), Ingalls Shipbuilding Division after spending two days at sea in the Gulf of Mexico.