Trent Kelly Raises Alarm On 'Constant Fluctuation In Our 30 Year Shipbuilding Plans'

3 days ago

During a House Armed Services Committee hearing prior to the congressional recess, Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS) questioned witnesses on needed improvements to streamline the Navy shipbuilding process.

Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:

https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript

Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com

Transcript

00:00I'll recognize myself for five minutes.

00:03Dr. Seidel, I'm worried about the mixed demand signals

00:06that we send to industry with constant fluctuation

00:09in our 30-year shipbuilding plans.

00:11How can we send clear demand signals to industry

00:14so that they are able to invest in their own workforce

00:17and technical capacity?

00:19And also, a separate question,

00:21how is the Department of the Navy

00:23working on GAO's recommendations

00:25as well as improving the culture of procurement?

00:30Thank you, Chairman Kelly.

00:32I appreciate the question and thanks for the time last week,

00:37too.

00:37I've had a chance to get down to your neck of the woods

00:42and visit with Ingalls and see what

00:43they're doing in that arena.

00:45And I think it gets to the first question that

00:48is around how do we ensure that we

00:51keep a constant flow of product through our shipyards.

00:55I do think it's critical, and it's not

00:56lost on me, but I do think it's critical

00:59and it's not lost on me that that organization has

01:01the DDGs and the AMFIBs.

01:04We've done some multi-ship procurements

01:06to make sure that they are staying fed well.

01:09And as a result, there's consistency in approach.

01:12And I think certainly in the AMFIBs,

01:14it's one of the success stories that we have where ships

01:16are being delivered on time and on budget.

01:20So it strikes us to think about how

01:24we handle that holistically for the rest of our shipbuilders

01:29to make sure that that's happening writ large.

01:32I think a part of it is being a little more

01:34directive in that workload.

01:35I think we do understand which yards can do which work,

01:39which platforms are best suited for that.

01:41And we need to be thoughtful in doing

01:43that to keep the whole enterprise fed well

01:46so that they can manage their workforce, their hiring,

01:49and retention issues.

01:51So my commitment to you is to work with our partners

01:55back in the Pentagon to make sure we

01:57try to do that well for you.

01:59To your point about GAO recommendations,

02:03I've had conversations with Ms. Oakley before.

02:07I agree with much of what she has said.

02:11I think there's real opportunity space there.

02:14And quite frankly, I think sometimes we

02:16spend a lot of our time communicating via reports

02:22back and forth to each other as opposed to working closely

02:24together to get after it.

02:25And so my commitment to her and her team

02:28is that we'll lean into that and get

02:30after some of those recommendations

02:32because quite frankly, they resonate with me

02:34on a lot of different fronts.

02:36And just I want to know, we're the greatest maritime nation

02:39in the history of the world.

02:41And we are still that.

02:43And there's no reason we can't continue to be that.

02:45But it takes doing things not the same old way.

02:48But it takes taking a hard look at ourselves

02:50and getting better.

02:51Ms. Oakley, the GAO has identified several opportunities

02:54for the Navy to modernize its practices

02:56to support timely and predictable outcomes

02:58for the Constellation-class frigate

03:00and other future programs.

03:01Which of your recommendations relating

03:03to design and procurement remain outstanding?

03:07We have several recommendations, both specifically

03:10directed at the frigate program and then also

03:12about the broader design approach

03:14that the Navy uses that remain open.

03:17Specifically with regard to the frigate,

03:19we recommended that they take a look

03:21at developing the basic and functional design of the ship

03:26before beginning construction, at least of the second ship

03:30since the first ship is already underway.

03:33That remains open.

03:34And we know that the Navy and the builder

03:36are doing significant work now to really mature that design.

03:39And it's that key that commercial shipbuilders

03:42follow in maturing that design so that they

03:45know when they start bending metal,

03:47they start construction, that they're

03:49going to get what they expect to get when they get it.

03:54And so those are really some of the key recommendations

03:57that we've made to frigate, but also writ large with regard

04:00to their design performance.

04:01The other thing that I would mention

04:03is really leveraging technology to be

04:07able to exercise the design earlier

04:10on to understand the implication of changes, specs,

04:14requirements that creep, and what those implications could

04:18be on the design of the ship so that that's all worked out

04:22before you begin construction of the ship

04:24and then are in the business of doing rework

04:26and having to fix things that you realize can't work.

04:30And as noted, I'm yielding back my time.

04:34And I will hold everyone.

04:35And I will adhere to the five-minute rule today.

Trent Kelly Raises Alarm On 'Constant Fluctuation In Our 30 Year Shipbuilding Plans'

Category

Transcript

Recommended