USS WAYNE E. MEYER ( DDG 108)

09/03/2026

FORGING FUTURE WARFIGHTERS: INVESTING IN OUR NEXT GENERATION OF SURFACE LEADERS!

On the USS Wayne E. Meyer, our greatest weapon system is our people. While the Father of Aegis laid the foundation for technical dominance, true surface superiority requires cultivating bold, capable, and forward-thinking leaders ready to command the fleet of tomorrow.

Our Junior Officers (JOs) continue to set the standard for operational excellence. Two of our high-performing Surface Warfare Officers (SWOs) traveled to Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CNSP) this week for the Junior Officer Symposium.

During the symposium, our JOs engaged directly with senior surface warfare leadership, learning about Casualty Reports, AI and unmanned systems integration, new technologies and programs being introduced into the fleet, and career paths available to SWOs. They also had the opportunity for Q&As with the SWOBOSS and JOs from the USS Pickney who had recently returned from a 5th fleet deployment. Our JOs return to Pearl Harbor ready to brief the entire Wardroom, sharing valuable insights across the team to sharpen our edge and elevate our collective warfighting readiness.

From left to right: ENS Elizabeth Schwend, LTJG Alexandra Midgette.

BZ to our hard-charging JOs for leading from the front, investing in their shipmates, and continuing to raise the bar!

09/02/2026

08/28/2026

FUEL FOR THE FIGHT: ELEVATING CREW READINESS ONE BITE AT A TIME!

On the USS Wayne E. Meyer, we take immense pride in our food service team, whose hard work and dedication earned the prestigious Edward F. Ney Award last year. But the Father of Aegis never rested on his laurels, and neither do we. True warfighting readiness means constantly looking to innovate, push boundaries, and perfect our craft; elevating crew readiness one bite at a time!

Peak performance on deployment demands top-tier habitability, and that starts directly with how we fuel our crew. Recognizing that high-quality food is a direct force multiplier for stamina and morale, we recently sent four of our Culinary Specialists to the world-renowned The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley for an intensive, hands-on training program.

Our CSs returned to the ship equipped with advanced culinary techniques, fresh menu concepts, and elevated preparation skills. By investing in our team's craft, we are proving that excellence is a daily standard and ensuring our Sailors get the top-tier fuel they need to keep the ship in the fight.

From left to right: CS3 Tristan Foster, CS3 Emma Goldsmith, CS2 Daniel Gratton, and CS3 Abimbola Oguntoyinbo

Huge thanks to the team at CIA Greystone for hosting our Sailors, and BZ to our Culinary Specialists for constantly raising the bar!

08/14/2026

MASSIVE WIN FOR CREW QUALITY OF LIFE!

Innovating for the Fleet: Solving Chronic VCHT Challenges

In the Surface Force, maintaining habitability and operational readiness requires constant problem-solving and thinking outside the box. Recently, our team worked to tackle a long-standing issue that is common across many platforms: Vacuum Collection, Holding, and Transfer (VCHT) piping calcification.

Traditionally, clearing heavily calcified VCHT lines requires an extensive acid flush; a process that can take 4–6 weeks in port, incurs significant costs, and involves hazardous chemical handling.

Unwilling to accept long delays or degraded quality of life for our Sailors, our engineering department partnered directly with the In-Service Engineering Agent (ISEA) Philadelphia to pilot an experimental, mechanical descaling capability.

The results exceeded expectations: reducing a multi-week maintenance burden down to just 5–7 days, clearing hundreds of feet of piping and removing severe obstructions without chemical flushing, increasing our ship’s overall readiness and maximized our on-station stay times, and demonstrating a cost-effective, rapidly deployable solution that Regional Maintenance Centers (RMCs) could leverage fleet-wide.

Huge thanks to the technical experts at ISEA Philadelphia for their support and out-of-the-box engineering, and to our ship’s engineering team for driving the initiative. Lightweight, mechanical descaling has the potential to give precious operational time back to ship commanders while directly improving Sailor quality of life.

08/07/2026

08/06/2026

The USS WAYNE E. MEYER has been hard at work! During this RIMPAC underway, we ran a General Quarters/Mass Casualty drill with the Expeditionary Resuscitative Surgical System (ERSS), while ship’s force conducted Damage Control (DC) fire-fighting. This team of medical professionals converted one of the hangar bays into an operating room to test the potential of embarking a team onboard deployed ships and MEDEVAC-ing patients.

1. En-Route Care System (ERCS) nurse and Corpsman take a mannequin on a stretcher onto the MH-60 S helicopter LOOSEFOOT to be MEDEVAC to the USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

2. Sailors perform Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) on a mannequin during the Mass Casualty drill.

3. Members of ERSS conduct Damage Control Resuscitation (DCR) on a mannequin, and prepare patient for transport.

4. The surgical team of ERSS perform open-abdominal Damage Control Surgery (DCS) on a mannequin.

5. LOOSEFOOT lands on the flight deck, guided by the Flight Deck Officer, after dropping patients off.

6. Sailors in fire-fighting ensemble prepare to enter a space with a simulated casualty.

07/17/2026

06/28/2026

WAIHIWA, HI— USS WAYNE E MEYER sailors had the honor of volunteering at the Oahu SCPA Veterinary Clinic and Animal Shelter in Waihiwa, HI. They supported the organization by assisting in cleaning the living spaces, feeding, and bathing the animals.

05/22/2026

Lieutenant Junior Grade Smith (left) conducts MH-60R flight quarters as Helicopter Control Officer (HCO) with Midshipman 2nd Class Carey (right) from University of Colorado Boulder aboard USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108), May 11, 2026. 🚁

Midshipman 2nd Class Maynard (left) from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill conducts a live gun-fire exercise under the supervision of Gunner’s Mate 1st Class Class Sterling (right) aboard Wayne E. Meyer while underway in the Hawai’i operating area, May 12, 2026. 🌺 Midshipmen participate in professional training cruises each summer, working directly with Sailors and junior officers to gain firsthand experience necessary to lead with confidence upon commissioning. 🚢
One Powerful Legacy! 🏹

📸: MIDN 2/C Klemz