Some of the US Navy’s leading contractors need to speed their deliveries of crucial munitions, including torpedoes and the service’s top air-defense missile, to be ready for a potential conflict with China, according to the service’s chief for fleet readiness.
(Bloomberg) — Some of the US Navy’s leading contractors need to speed their deliveries of crucial munitions, including torpedoes and the service’s top air-defense missile, to be ready for a potential conflict with China, according to the service’s chief for fleet readiness.
“The supply chain must continue to flow uninterrupted so our sailors are able to defend themselves” and their ships, Admiral Daryl Caudle, head of the Fleet Forces Command, said in a statement to Bloomberg News.
“Corporations that have multibillion-dollar contracts must be held accountable for the goods and services they’ve been paid to deliver. Failure to do so is something that should be unacceptable to not only Navy leadership but the American taxpayer.”
Caudle met Feb.
15 with representatives of six companies — including Raytheon Technologies Corp., Lockheed Martin Corp. and Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc. — “to identify issues impacting the timely production and delivery of much-needed ordnance,” Captain Dave Hecht, a spokesman for the command, said in a statement.
The munitions shortage is “being felt across the Navy, and while the issue doesn’t currently prevent the service from executing its mission, the problem if not resolved, could have major readiness impacts to our long-term national security,” Hecht said.
The admiral’s comments add to the litany of concerns about the Navy, which would probably be at the forefront of a potential conflict with China.
Virtual wargames conducted last year by the Center for Strategic and International Studies showed the Navy would sustain heavy losses of vessels and personnel in repelling a possible future invasion of Taiwan by China.
The Navy’s concerns reflect broader worries about the limited capability of the US defense industry to surge production when needed, as is already occurring with land-based systems being provided to Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s year-old invasion.
Caudle previously voiced frustration at an industry event over delivery delays of Lockheed’s MK-48 torpedo and the widely deployed Raytheon SM-6 air defense and anti-ship missile, which is powered by systems from Aerojet Rocketdyne.
“I need SM-6 delivered on time. I need MK-48 torpedoes delivered on time,” he said in his statement. “This also extends to shipyard maintenance and new construction delays, which I consider the most significant problem the Navy faces.”
The Government Accountability Office reported last month that US warships have seen fewer days at sea since 2011 because vessels are breaking down more frequently than expected and taking longer to repair.
Caudle’s comments add to doubts about the Navy achieving a goal of a 350-vessel fleet, as desired by many lawmakers, when it’s having major difficulties with its current force of 293.
China’s Navy is now the world’s largest with a battle force of about 340 vessels, according to the Pentagon’s annual China Military Power report.
Ramping up production of precision munitions “takes time, skilled people, facilities and money,” said Diana Maurer, the GAO director who managed the Navy analysis.
“Reading between the lines of the admiral’s statement, it seems the private sector has been understandably reluctant to make those investments without a clear and consistent demand signal,” she said.
Until recently, “ordnance hasn’t been a top priority within the Navy’s and DoD’s internal budget battles.”
Global supply-chain issues, shortages of skill workers and Covid-related slowdowns within the industrial base “along with the fragility of the solid rocket-motor industrial base have impacted” SM-6 deliveries, said Lieutenant Commander Javan Rasnake, a Navy acquisition spokesman.
The service continues to work with industry on supply-chain improvements so “SM-6 production is expected to trend upward in 2023,” he said.
Lockheed spokeswoman Maureen Schumann said “we understand the urgency and are working diligently to get capability” to the Navy.
Aerojet Rocketdyne said in a statement that the meeting with Caudle “was an excellent opportunity to continue our ongoing collaboration” for “rapidly providing our customers with the critical capabilities they require.” Raytheon spokesman Chris Johnson said his company had no comment.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
©2023 Bloomberg L.P.
