{"id":47996,"date":"2025-03-28T14:52:39","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T14:52:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2025\/03\/28\/us-shipbuilding-in-a-perpetual-state-of-triage-watchdog-says\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:55:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:55:30","slug":"us-shipbuilding-in-a-perpetual-state-of-triage-watchdog-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2025\/03\/28\/us-shipbuilding-in-a-perpetual-state-of-triage-watchdog-says\/","title":{"rendered":"US shipbuilding in a \u2018perpetual state of triage,\u2019 watchdog says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. Navy is hoping to nearly double the amount of battle force ships<\/a> in oceans around the world within the next three decades \u2014 a jump from 296 ships, including submarines, aircraft carriers and destroyers, to 381.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current state of American shipbuilding, however, is sorely in need of a complete overhaul if that plan is to be achieved, according to recent testimony and a new government watchdog report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is way past time that we get after it,\u201d Dr. Brett A. Seidle, acting assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSimply put, we need more ships delivered on time and on budget and we are challenged in both of these arenas. Costs are rising faster than inflation and schedules on multiple programs are delayed one to three years late.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same day as Seidle\u2019s testimony, the Government Accountability Office released a report detailing 20 years\u2019 of lackluster progress in U.S. shipbuilding. Not enough ships are being built, newly constructed ships are failing to function as expected and ships are being delivered up to three years later than ordered, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Navy nearly doubled its shipbuilding budget<\/a> during the last two decades, it failed to reach its planned ship count, according to GAO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seidle offered ideas for solutions during his testimony Tuesday, including \u201cincreased modernization, infrastructure investment, better workforce hiring and retention, and improved supply chain performance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee, Shelby S. Oakley, a director at GAO, said that unrealistic expectations of costs and timing has diverted resources and introduced delays in shipbuilding, with the result that Navy programs and shipbuilders have been \u201ceffectively made to operate in a perpetual state of triage.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe found that Navy ships cost billions more and take years longer to build than planned while often falling short of quality and performance expectations,\u201d Oakley said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2015, GAO has made 90 recommendations to the Navy to improve shipbuilding. Only 30 of those have been partially or fully addressed<\/a> to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\t