Closed hearings to examine harnessing artificial intelligence cyber capabilities; to be immediately followed by an open hearing at 3:30 p.m. in SR-232A.
Senate Subcommittee on Cybersecurity
2025-03-25
Summary
The Sea Power Subcommittee held a hearing on the U.S. Navy's deteriorating conventional shipbuilding performance, where witnesses detailed severe delays, cost overruns, and systemic failures across programs like the Constellation-class frigate and Zumwalt-class destroyers. Dr. Brett Seidel, Vice Admiral James Downey, and GAO’s Shelby Oakley highlighted that the Navy has delivered only 9.7% of ships on time and on budget over the past five years, with critical design changes, ineffective business cases, and workforce shortages undermining progress. Witnesses emphasized that the shipbuilding enterprise is falling behind China, which now has over 150 major surface combatants, while U.S. programs face growing budget and schedule gaps. The panel concluded that transformative reforms—such as finalizing designs before construction, improving workforce conditions, adopting modularity, and reducing change orders—are urgently needed to restore credibility and capabilities. The hearing called for bold, sustained action to modernize the industrial base and ensure the Navy can meet emerging global security challenges.
Participants
Transcript
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