Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro has called on Nickolas Guertin, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, and Vice Adm. James Downey, head of Naval Sea Systems Command, to perform a comprehensive review of the service branch’s shipbuilding portfolio and provide an interim report within 45 days.
The analysis should provide an assessment of shipbuilding challenges and its causes and offer recommended measures to strengthen the country’s shipbuilding industrial base in support of warfighters, the Navy said Thursday.
“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,” said Del Toro, a previous Wash100 awardee.
“The American public should know that the Department of the Navy is committed to developing, delivering, and sustaining the finest warfighting capability to our Sailors and Marines,” he added.
In December, the secretary urged industry and academia to participate in efforts to reinstate the U.S. shipbuilding and repair landscape and noted that doing so demands a multipronged approach.