00:00Senator Fischer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Secretary, Admiral, General, welcome.
00:07Thank you for being here today and thank you for your service to our country.
00:12I am deeply concerned with the health of our munitions stockpiles, including those affected by recent operations in the Red Sea.
00:22Large numbers of missiles, such as the Tomahawk land attack missile, were expended during these operations.
00:29We are expending missiles far faster than we are producing them.
00:34We have a real opportunity to make progress on this through reconciliation,
00:39but the Navy's future-based budgets must also account for increased production rates.
00:47Mr. Secretary, at your confirmation hearing, you talked about working to incentivize companies
00:52and reviewing Navy munition contracts.
00:56What have you discovered in your review of these munitions production contracts?
01:04Senator, thank you for the question.
01:07I have yet to review munitions contracts.
01:11I have been dealing with shipbuilding and contracts for the most part.
01:15Munitions is next.
01:16But what I would say is that fully funding our munitions industrial base is critical and very important.
01:23And I have visited two other companies at this stage that are 3D printing different types of munitions
01:31that I think have a lot of potential.
01:33And so I think we need to make sure that we are looking at both existing and new ways of making munitions.
01:41So that will be critical to us in the future.
01:44But this is a very important thing.
01:46It's something that Admiral Kilby and the Commandant and I talk about weekly when we go through our meetings.
01:52So it is critical.
01:53And munitions is next up on the list.
01:57We'll have to talk when you get an update on that, please.
02:00And Admiral Lloyd, there are any specific actions that you think need to be taken to increase that production capacity for the munitions for the Navy?
02:13Senator, thanks for that question.
02:14I agree with Secretary Phelan.
02:16I think we have to, me, expand my view of what is potential solutions for us to include vendors that aren't traditionally in this space.
02:25We do need to double down on traditional munitions like SM-6, SM-2, LORASM, conventional prompt strike when it delivers, maritime strike, tomahawk, all critical in this fight.
02:39And as you point out, we're using them at a rate we hadn't anticipated because of the Red Sea.
02:44Are you concerned that too many of our programs rely on sole sources and that diminishes, obviously, than competition?
02:53I don't know if – I am concerned about the lack of competition in the industrial base for munitions.
03:00I think we must do better there.
03:02Even if it is producing a missile that isn't quite as effective as the SM-6, that's better than zero missile in your magazine.
03:10So I think we've got work to do there, and I'm committed to do that work with Secretary Phelan.
03:15Great. Thank you.
03:16Mr. Secretary, I'm also deeply concerned about the delays in the Columbia-class production timeline.
03:25Since taking office, what have you discovered regarding the pervasive delays in the Columbia-class program?
03:33Thank you, Senator, for the question.
03:36As you know, Columbia is a priority for us and for you, obviously, in the committee.
03:43I think there are a number of different issues we've come across.
03:47One is you mentioned the topic of single-source builders.
03:52We also have that in supplies, which is potentially a problem.
03:57So we do need to expand out the industrial base.
04:00I think some of it has been – I've visited both Quonset and Groton and have gone there.
04:11I think that there is issues that can be done to increase productivity much faster.
04:18And I've spoken with the CEOs of both of those companies about my visit there and what I learned.
04:25I believe that we will start to see an increase.
04:29We are trying to shift the schedule left, and there are a few different things we are trying right now.
04:34In addition, we have, at the direction of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, we have sent in a group to try to help them analyze workflow processes and those sorts of things as well.
04:49Admiral, I wanted to ask you, because of the delays we're seeing on the Columbia-class, I know the Navy's been working to extend the hulls of some of the existing Ohio-class.
05:02How's that going?
05:03I think we're in good shape.
05:05That's a good insurance policy.
05:07Obviously, we want to get Columbia out there because it has a capability beyond our Ohio's.
05:11But we have the ability to extend seven of those through an availability called a PYRA,
05:17which I believe will make sure that we have – maintain our strategic component from the Navy.
05:25Great.
05:26I will have some questions for follow-up for all three of you gentlemen.
