The amphibious transport dock ships USS San Antonio and USS New York are underway together in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Virginia. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Edwin F. Bryan)
WASHINGTON — More than a dozen lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee today sent a letter to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro admonishing him for failing to respond to their questions about the Navy’s compliance to a new law requiring the service to maintain a 31-amphibious warship fleet.
The letter [PDF], which was first reported by POLITICO, specifically refers to Del Toro’s April 18 appearance before the committee in which he pledged to “come back” to the committee with “a statement on how we can fix this,” referring to the disparity between the Navy’s long-term shipbuilding plan and the amphibious fleet required by law. The senators also took exception with the fact Del Toro had appeared just 24 hours after the committee received the Navy’s plan, leaving members little time to review it.
“The Navy’s current plan not only violates the statutory requirement, but also jeopardizes the future effectiveness of the joint force, especially as we consider national security threats in the Indo-Pacific,” according to the letter, organized by Sen. Sullivan, R-Ala., and signed by 13 Democratic and Republican senators who are also SASC members. Committee Chairman Jack Reed, D-R.I, was not among the signatories, but Ranking Member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., was.
The amphib requirement, the letter said, “is not a suggestion but a requirement based on the assessed needs of the Navy and the Marine Corps.”
During a confirmation hearing today for Gen. Eric Smith to become the Marine Corps commandant, Sullivan briefly mentioned the letter, and entered it in the public record, saying the letter gives a “clear indication” about how the committee feels about the Navy’s “failure” to meet the 31-ship requirement.
The letter gives the Navy secretary a June 19 deadline to respond to the committee’s questions and provide an “updated shipbuilding plan.” A spokesman for Del Toro did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the letter.
Separately, the House Armed Services Committee on Monday took the first steps to adding unrequested funds to the Navy’s budget so that the Marine Corps can begin building the next San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock.
The House panel also included provisions in its draft legislation to shut down the Pentagon’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, which a senior congressional aide linked directly to lawmakers’ dispute with the Defense Department over the need for more amphibious ships.
“Congress made that determination and that is the requirement now for the… Marines. But CAPE is going in and telling members, ‘I don’t know if that’s the right one,'” the aide said. “So, I think members are very confused as to why CAPE thinks they can come back and [decide] they’re not going to listen to Congress.”
