In Search of a Shipbuilding Plan

Dated March 21, 2024

Dear Secretary Panetta:

As you are aware, Chapter 9, Section 231 of Title 10 United States Code, requires the Secretary of Defense to submit with the President's Budget each year a long-range plan for the construction, delivery, and decommissioning of naval vessels. As of this dated letter, we have not yet received this report and the committee has been told that it is uncertain as to the date we will actually receive it.

I bring this to your attention for a few reasons. First, this report is crucial to our subcommittee as it related to the oversight of naval shipbuilding programs and our understanding of how the Department plans to develop sufficient force structure to meet geographical combatant commander warfighting requirements, as well as, our understanding related to any force structure capability gaps or shortfalls that may exist in meeting the National Military Strategy. Second, the subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces has a hearing scheduled for March 29, 2012, to discuss with requirements and acquisition officials from the Department of the Navy regarding many aspects of the information that is contained within the long-range shipbuilding report. Without having this report in hand prior to our hearing date, our oversight is hampered because many of the topics discussed in our hearing stem from information contained in this report. Third, and just as concerning, this is the fourth consecutive year that this report has been submitted late to the congressional defense committees.

I respectfully request your support in addressing my concerns at your earliest convenience and, if at all possible, make arrangements for the subcommittee to have access to the report prior to our scheduled hearing date next week. As always, thank you for your service to the Department of Defense and I look forward to working with you to resolve this matter.

Sincerely,

Todd Akin
Chairman, Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee

It really doesn't make any sense that the Navy cannot simply submit the last plan, and when they are ready (whenever that might be), simply change it. It has become an accurate statement to claim the Navy doesn't have a shipbuilding plan for the future because they actually don't have a plan, much less one that is consistent year to year, and when they finally come up with one it is never delivered on time as per statute.

How is it possible that an organization like the Department of the Navy that is constantly making plans can't produce a shipbuilding plan? The Navy undermines their own maritime strategy better than anyone else possibly could because they cannot formulate a plan that includes the resources necessary to execute their own strategy.

The responsibility falls squarely on top uniformed and civilian leadership in the Navy, but it is in fact Congress that does not enforce their own laws, so hard to place all the fault on the Navy when Congress tolerates this type of behavior every year.