U.S. Navy: Four Out of 10 Major Yard Periods Completed On Time

 

After issuing a scathing critique of the U.S. naval industrial base last month, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro called in executives from American ship repair yards for a round table to discuss shared challenges.

"This is what 'maritime statecraft' is all about,” said the secretary. “We’re all going to walk out of this room better informed and better able to make the strategic decisions required of each of us.”

The conversation covered maintenance delay days, contract award timelines, repair yard efficiency, training programs, and budget pressures. Performance metrics have improved slightly this year, according to Del Toro's office. About 41 percent of scheduled maintenance availabilities were completed on time in FY2023, up from 37 percent the year before. Maintenance delay days are also down year over year. 

Del Toro has had tough words for American defense contractors this year. At the annual West conference in February, he took unnamed suppliers to task for decisions that "seem to prioritize stock prices" and executive compensation rather than investments in the industrial base. Del Toro also warned contractors that the Navy is doing a "deep dive" into "chronic poor performance and misconduct," not only at the company level, but at the level of specific personnel.