The comptroller of the Navy Department this week said the service has already been sending clear signs to industry that should incentivize it to ramp up production capabilities.
“Our partnership with industry is a strategic partnership. It is absolutely a give and take. We are – for many years we were told by industry ‘Hey, we need clear headlights.’ Well, hey, it’s been two, two, two, two, two for a long time: two submarines, two destroyers. What more headlights do you need? We just signed a multi-year contract on the destroyers. That better be headlights,” Russell Rumbaugh, assistant secretary of the Navy for Financial Management and Comptroller, said during a Stimson Center event on October 16.
Rumbaugh said Mike McCord, udersecretary of defense for Comptroller, had a favorite line from the Biden administration’s fiscal year 2024 budget request rollout press conference: that the Pentagon wishes it could buy three destroyers and three submarines every year.
“That sounds like an opportunity – the more you know, basically every dollar that we save in subs will go back into the undersea. This is why the partnership is so important, why we all need to be working together – why we, the Department of Navy, are making direct investments into the private shipyards into taking care of both our people and the shipyards. That partnership is incredibly important. And I can’t wait to see the outcome as we push through these times,” Rumbaugh said.
In January, former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. (Ret.) Mike Gilday said the submarine industrial base was short of the two attack submarine (SSN) per year build they wanted, at only 1.2 SSNs per year (Defense Daily, Jan. 11, 2023).
Then by March, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro told a House panel submarine production had already improved to 1.4 boats per year (Defense Daily, March 30).
Rumbaugh also underscored the Navy is clearly saying it needs more munitions without necessarily seeking big cost reductions.
“We are going big on saying we need more munitions. We’re trying to let multi-year contracts – and not even trying as hard to get the cost savings, which of course makes me a little nervous as a budgeteer.”
He said he is okay with not seeking big cost savings with multi-year munitions contracts but he does want more out of bigger programs like ships
“On the other ones, I want more out of that. We believe we have delivered those clear headlights.”
He said there while there is a legitimate debate on how to best fund the Navy Department, “it doesn’t sound like you should be slacking off and deciding ‘Oh, now’s not the time to bet on the U.S. Navy buying steel.’”
In January, Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces Command, said he is not as forgiving as others of the U.S. defense industrial base performance when they claim COVID-19 and supply chain issues have caused limitations (Defense Daily, Jan. 13).
“I’m not as forgiving of the defense industrial base. I’m just not. I am not forgiving of the fact we’re not delivering the ordnance we need. I’m just not. All this stuff about COVID this, parts, supply chain this – I just don’t really care…I mean, we all have tough jobs,” Caudle said during the Surface Navy Association’s annual symposium.
“If you want to take me in a room and show me your sob story, I’ll be happy to hear it. But at the end of the day, I want the magazines filled,. Okay, I want the ships’ tubes filled. I don’t want to have to bring a strike group back so I can rob Peter to pay Paul so the next one can go,” he added.