Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro in mid-January ordered Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development & Acquisition Nickolas Guertin and Commander Naval Sea Systems Command Vice Adm. James Downey to conduct an analysis of the Navy’s shipbuilding portfolio.
The intent is to provide an interim progress review to Secretary Del Toro within 45 days of the edict, which would be Feb. 25, according to the Navy.
The purpose of the review, Del Toro said, is to provide an assessment of national and local causes of shipbuilding challenges, as well as recommended actions for achieving a healthier U.S. shipbuilding industrial base that provides combat capabilities that U.S. warfighters need on a relevant schedule.
“I remain concerned with the lingering effects of post-pandemic conditions on our shipbuilders and their suppliers that continue to affect our shipbuilding programs, particularly our Columbia Class Ballistic Missile Submarines and Constellation Class Frigate,” Del Toro said in a statement ordering the review.
“The Department of the Navy has a strategic imperative requiring a whole-of-government effort to rebuild our nation’s comprehensive maritime power—a new Maritime Statecraft in which the Navy plays a vital role,” the statement continued.
The American public, he added, should know that the Navy is “committed to developing, delivering, and sustaining the finest warfighting capability to our sailors and Marines.”
“We will continue to work with industry and all other stakeholders to strengthen our national shipbuilding capacity, both naval and commercial,”
he said.