Lawmakers dug into the Navy's shipbuilding efforts on Wednesday, saying that it is “behind” in providing ships to stay apace of global competition, specifically with China.
The criticisms were raised when Department of the Navy leaders, including Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith, met with members of the House Appropriations Committee's defense panel to discuss the Navy's shipbuilding and maintenance shortfalls.
The Navy has admitted that all of its key shipbuilding programs — from the new Columbia-class submarine to the new Constellation-class frigate — are facing yearslong delays, which come amid cases of ships being delayed to deploy because of mounting maintenance issues.
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“I'm concerned that the Navy is falling behind — it is behind,” Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., the chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said Wednesday. “The Navy continues to retire ships faster than it builds them, and I'm troubled by the Navy's request to decommission 10 ships before the end of their service life and build only six.”
While the service pointed to the fact that many of those programs are building first-in-class ships as part of the issue, its top official, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, has also been vocal in faulting shipyards and manufacturers, as well.
“I need you to deliver platforms and capabilities on time and on…
