We will be momentarily joined by senator cain and other members. We are, as you know, in the midst of voting. I would like to welcome our witnesses to the hearing this afternoon. Mr. Frederick stefany, principal civilian Deputy Assistant secretary. That is a mouthful. Welcome, mr. Secretary. Assistant secretary of the navy for research, development, and acquisition. Vice admiral william godliness, commander of the seasons command. Admiral gerard mcclelland, Program Executive officer for Industrial Infrastructure, and miss diana maurer, director of defense capabilities and management for the government accounting office. Thank you for your service to the nation and for the truly professional services of the men and women under your command. I also want to recognize our Ranking Member, senator kramer, i also want to recognize senator cain and senator sullivan. And i appreciate my colleagues willingness to hold this joint readily readiness hearing on this very important subject. We stand at a crossroads today, the nations shipyards are in dire need of modernization to ensure we can maintain the Current Fleet and the fleet of the future. I am encouraged that the navy has, finally gotten serious about investing in this Critical Infrastructure that has been neglected for too long. In hawaii, we are all proud of Pearl Harbor Naval shipyards. Contributions to our fleets readiness, and i want to be sure that the yard receives the resources it needs to keep our fleet in fighting shape. I look forward to hearing from you this afternoon, about how the fiscal year 2023 budget supports this plan. The navy has begun a once in a Generation Program to modernize its shipyards, under the Shipyard Infrastructure optimization program, or siop op. This 20year program to improve the Infrastructure Project has been neglected for many years and hasse we have to get it right. We are relying on the digital twin modeling and simulation effort to develop the most efficient, and productive layout for operations at the for Public Shipyards. And last year, for example, we had to add 250 million, to fund the dry dock at the Portsmouth Naval shipyard due to unexpected ballooning of the estimated cost. We need to understand, what steps the navy has taken to ensure we have better cost estimates of the projects we are undertaking. And this will be important as the navy turns to the dry dock replacement, at Pearl Harbor Naval shipyard, which is the next dry dock to be constructed and will require significant dredging and filling, to extend the existing jot act. We also need to understand how the navy is structuring the sign up effort to improve the efficiency of the shipyards to deal with the maintenance challenge that is facing the navy today. But siop is not just the shipyards, but it is also it is showing to misaligned configurations. And this is why im so focused on the water deck facility at pearl harbor. This product is important to the work there, and i want to ensure the but maybe convey remains committed to. It we want to maintain the fleet we have if we are ever to reach the fleet size the navy has identified as required to respond to future threats. Cites raw response is critical that. Goal we want to help and asked the navy how that program could be accelerated without impacting availabilities. I look forward to hearing today how we can Work Together to make sure diet is fully successful a fully successful effort. And i turn to senator kramer for his remarks. Thank you chairwoman hirono, as well as senator crane, and Ranking Member sullivan for greene to hold this hearing jointly to discuss a range of important Naval Shipyard issues the cross our subcommittee jurisdictions. Lets face it, its not just the issue of the day, it is the issue of the day with regards to the future of the navy. As i think about our Naval Shipyards, it is striking to me how intertwined they are with our nations history. In other words, they are really old even before our independence, for example, norfolk Naval Shipyard near and dear to senator cains heart of course was sources stab list in 1767 as goff port six. Seaport ensues that during the revolutionary war. There isnt a senator that old anymore. In the 17 90s the u. S. Asked chesapeake one of the shipyards built there. The first dry docked in the western hemisphere first opening in 1833 known as dry dock one and is in Historic National landmark, is still in use today. Think about it. But it is 189 years old, and so used to maintain naval vessels. Suffice to say are for public should shipyards all have histories in our infrastructure. Each is 120 years old and showing its. Aged four condition of the shipyards is having a serious effect on shipping guards today, and the bill has come to. This is not a future problem it is here now and one that we must Work Together to solve. So while there is a lot to discuss, and i appreciate the chairwoman her own as opening comments in much of what she had to say, i plan to focus my question on how congress can help in terms of authorities Workforce Development and funding. On the last point, i am hopeful that the Bipartisan Group of senators working on the shipyard act many of whom are in the room today will be able to get it done. We thank you. Now i would like to turn to senator cain, the chair of the readiness subcommittee. Senator cain thank you chair hirono. Readiness subcommittee meetings are fun, see power subcommittee meetings are funded, but this is really exciting. This joint meeting. And i want to thank the chair and the witnesses for being here today and for your dedicated service today. Youve got some Friendly Faces when it comes to support for a Navy Shipyards, but at the same time the navy has some significant challenges on its hands, regarding the implementation of sigh of. Especially the ability or inability to be on time on budget. There is no doubt these are necessarily necessary in investments. Given the age of the shipyard as indicated by senator kramer, do you require a lot of resources and support. We have to do our part here in congress, when we look at how the navy has executed tsiat programs today, i see some positives and i also see some concerns. How do we ensure that the navy can even program the billions of dollars per year over the next two years. The dry dock replacement at portsmouth, thats portsmouth may not virginia, was originally estimated by the navy to cost 200 and 50 million. Then the cost doubled, and then it increase another 250 million as a result of a sole source contract. So today, my particular interest in hearing from you, is how we then implemented the Lessons Learned from that portsmouth for the rest of the society portfolio. It isnt all bad news that the navy has invested well over the statutory 6 Capital InvestmentProgram Since 2011. That is a real positive. The work of the g. A. O. s has never been more important than it is to say, so im glad to have this more here to testify again before the committee. I look forward to hearing her insights and how the navy can better execute construction process projects, modernizes capital commitment, another of why is optimize shipyard operation. So madam chair, thank you for leading the charge in this hearing to discuss our shipyards in detail. I dont know if you are thank you madam chair and anna thank you and senator cain and all my colleagues for conducting this hearing. It is a very important hearing. And to senator kramers discussion of history, i actually was just talking to senator hirono as we walked down to the vote. The latest movie on midway, i dont know if anyone has seen that but it is a good movie. And it has a scene where the shipyard, i believe it was in hawaii, did a miraculous job of bringing the carrier, the yorktown back online to go fight in the battle midway. And it was decisive. So the Shipyard Point about what senator kramer was talking about history, really made history in that critical battle that was one of the most important in world war ii. One of the most important battles in our nations history, so that is how important this topic of discussion is. As has already been noted, the average age of Naval Shipyard facilities is over six years old. And the average dry dock age is approaching 100 years old. And we have seen the readiness of shipyards we can as decisions were made to prioritize shipbuilding overshoot me tenants. When initially developed, the Shipyard InfrastructureOptimization Plan had a villa 21 billion over 20 years. That number has already increased in the last few years, and that is the topic i hope we can discuss in detail today. Additionally, according to the g. A. O. , the navy cannot currently complete all required maintenance for Aircraft Carriers and submarines with our existing dry dock capabilities. So how can we balance these necessary Capital Investments with the existing Maintenance Requirements . I think we find ourselves in a challenging situation, as it relates to operational demands, ship maintenance, and the conditions of the fleet. Not to mention the challenges in the indopacom, theater, and a look at where china is with regard to its shipbuilding and maintenance capabilities. Another issue that i think impacts the joint force, is maintenance on conventionally powered ships. Delayed, overhauls of surface combatants, that escort Nuclear Aircraft carriers also impact readiness. And i believe one one option in that regard is to conduct lower Level Maintenance at smaller, private shipyards to free more space for more complex maintenance overhauls at our large private ship calls. I hosted the secretary of the navy a couple of years ago to a shipyard in ketchikan, alaska which has enormous capabilities and is looking to do a lot of work for the u. S. Coast guard. We have another ship mint it just completed almost 11 million worth of work on the u. S. And s grasp, a navy rescue and salvage vessel. The work was delivered on time, on budget, and received outstanding feet back. So, this is an all hands on deck need and i think there are shipyards across america, including in my state, that can participate and help out with regard to the challenges. Thank you, i look forward to hearing our witnesses. Thank you senator, i look forward i thank you for suggesting that you go see the new midway movie because it highlights the importance of our Public Shipyards. We will start hearing by hearing from stephanie first. Please proceed. Yes maam, thank you. I will be reading a statement from the navy. Chairman, chairman cain, Ranking Members, kramer, sullivan, distinguished members of the subcommittee, on behalf of myself, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the department navies shipyard instruction optimization program. Modernized and ready, shipyards our generators of fleet readiness and are the strength of our National Security. We appreciate the strong support this committee, and particularly the subcommittees, have shown for infrastructure optimization efforts to date. We are committed to maintaining transparency throughout the planning and execution of the departments psyop investments. As mentioned, psyop is a onceinacentury opportunity to revitalize our nations for Public Shipyards, ensuring that these Critical National security facilities are properly positioned to meet current and future needs of the navy. It is about modernizing aging facilities, equipment, and dry docks that have served our fleet for generations. Doing that modernization without disrupting our current maintenance that supports the readiness of todays fleet. We also need to upgrade these facilities to support new classes of ships, such as the ford Aircraft Carriers, and the virginia block five submarines. At the same time, making the shipments more efficient and more effective at maintaining all of our ships. We need to bring them up to modern standards and ensure that they are resilience to climate change. All of this will take years of consistent funding, construction, and leadership at all levels. The fiscal year 23 budget includes our strongest sign up funding since the program was established. Includes 1. 7 billion dollars for the program fy 23. With a sustained commitment of four, sorry, 8. 3 billion dollars. Fy 23, the requests will support modernization of capital equipment, and will enable advanced planning activities and required environmental assessments. 23 funds will also enable critical malcolm projects such as the start of the replacement of dry dock three and pearl harbor in hawaii. And the continuation of multi emission dry dock one, and dry dock eight, salt Water Systems in portsmouth, virginia. As well as the planning for the multi emission dry dock in washington. Multiple maybe commands play key roles inside planning and execution. For example, the Navy Facilities engineering systems command, or navfac, builds and maintains the shipyards. The naval sea systems commands operate shipyards. The commander of the naval installations command hosts all of those activities. To ensure displayed oversight while maintaining an interrupted support of the fleet, the navy is treating psyop f if it is a major acquisition program. We have established a programming executive officer for Industrial Infrastructure late last year. We are developing and overall sign up acquisitions reggie. We are developing individual master plans with cost schedule and Performance Measurement baselines for each of the shipyards, to measure our progress as we go. We understand that force up to succeed we must properly plan and execute sigh of work without impacting the shipyards ability to execute their mission. Balancing synapse needs with that of the fleet and the shipyards is, and will continue to be, critical involving all stakeholders. We are committed to working as a team to ensure the program is ruthlessly executed to avoid impacting Flight Operations or ship maintenance periods. Conversely, shipments availabilities do not impact downstream psyop projects. We believe improve science governance combined with consistent funding will focus and accelerate this critical long term initiative. It will enable the navy to sustain Nuclear Powered warships we have now and the ones that we are building for the future fleet. Strengthening maritime dominance and the defense of our nation. With that, we look forward to your questions, thank you. Thank you, i would like to hear from miss moore. Thank you very much, good afternoon chairwoman her mono, Ranking Members kramer and sullivan. It is good to be back before both subcommittees today. Over the past five years we have issued a series of reports about the Poor Condition of infrastructure at the Navy Shipyards. Eight 37,000 skilled artisans who overhaul and repair carriers and submarines often perform network in facilities that are in Poor Condition using equipment that is well past its expected service life. As was mentioned, the shipyards were built well over a century ago to repair wind and Steam Powered ships. Their layout is far from efficient to maintain Nuclear Powered vessels. Moving the people, equipment, and parts necessary to repair a submarine is like trying to drive a century old streets of boston. Perhaps, most significantly, the navy is not have enough dry dock capacity to meet the feature magnets needs of the fleet. In 2017, we found that the navy lack the comprehensive plan for addressing these significant problems. The navy, to its credit, developed the psyop, created a program of his to manage it, and kept Navy Leadership informed of its progress. In late 2019, we took an indepth look at the psyop, we found it is a decent first step. Essentially, a series of plans to improve each of the shipyards. At that time, the navy estimated that it would take 20 years and spent about 21 billion dollars to influence its plan of improvements. We found that initial cost estimate was unrealistically low. Among other things, that 21 billion dollar price tag did not factor in inflation, and did not include the cost to improve underlying utilities. We recommended the navy improve its cost estimates to help manage the program and provide congress the information that you need to make funding decisions. Those recommendations are still open. Fast forward to today, the navy has refined its plan, identified resource needs, and enhanced leadership engagement. This provides a reasonable framework for eventually improving Shipyard Infrastructure. But the reality is they have not significantly, changed since our 2019 report. But in a report that we issued yesterday, we found that overall facilit