Establishing the RCO is one in a series of moves the Navy has made this year, alongside the other services, to overhaul acquisition offices and processes as part of a larger revamp being pushed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“I have more ships than our shipyards can handle for the next 10 years, whether it’s a destroyer, whether it’s a tanker, whether it’s an oiler, whether it’s a submarine. So, I am not worried about the demand signal we have,” Navy Secretary John Phelan told House lawmakers.
Knowing when to build on commercial systems and when to develop something new can be the difference between parity and information dominance.
The original plan was spearheaded in 2022 by the Navy's then-senior civilian for energy and installations.
The new secretary promised to bring a "huge focus" to acquisition and procurement strategy, but for now said he's still learning the ropes.
"We're just going along and everybody — it's Kumbaya," Phelan said of the Navy's shipbuilding record. "It's almost as if you're waiting for a crisis to happen to ignite things. And I think in the business of warfare, that's a dangerous place to be."
Given the election year, it's unlikely a new undersecretary will be confirmed prior to November's races being decided.
Balancing security and access to data are critical to providing users with trustworthy, reliable data for real-time decisions.
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro defended the service's plans to pause amphib shipbuilding during last year's budget cycle, despite fierce congressional backlash.
"[I] also want you to know that the Department of the Navy is holding companies accountable for poor performance and misconduct," Secretary Carlos Del Toro said in an unusually pointed keynote speech.
The panel's work has been mostly classified, but was focused on linking useful unmanned tech to real operational issues.
Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said the office will play a role in supporting the Pentagon's new Replicator initiative.
“Tactical operating system” for warfighters has evolved to provide more situational awareness of the battlefield.
The early, poor performance of Russia's ground forces stunned many, but Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro advised caution in assuming Russia's navy, especially its subs, were not formidable.