Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee pressed Admiral Daryl Caudle on modernization priorities including autonomous systems, directed energy weapons, spectrum access and the use of artificial intelligence in shipbuilding.
On doctrinal guidance, senators referenced Navigation Plan 24 and asked whether its priorities — autonomous systems integration, 80% surge readiness, virtual training and strengthened maritime operations centers — required revision. Caudle said the plan identified critical capabilities and that he would emphasize sailor quality of life and infrastructure (piers, housing, hangars) in addition to the plan's capability focus.
Senator King encouraged outreach and presence operations to support recruiting; Caudle agreed, noting ships visiting local communities help recruitment. On directed energy, Caudle recounted his postgraduate work in high‑powered lasers and said the Navy has not yet done enough to translate research into shipboard use; "We have the one instantiation on Preble. It's not enough," he said, and committed to prioritize fielding directed energy if confirmed.
Spectrum access was raised as a critical operational concern. Senator Rounds warned that moving Navy systems out of the 3.1–3.45 GHz band would have significant negative consequences for warfighting capabilities. Caudle told the committee that “all of my critical weapon systems, electronic warfare systems, communication systems, everything that I do pretty much to conduct high end warfare, operates in these bands,” and urged caution about reallocation proposals.
Committee members also asked how AI and autonomy could be applied to accelerate shipbuilding and production. Caudle told senators that large language models and AI could help process thousands of technical documents, identify bottlenecks and optimize production and robotic welding systems; he said AI would shift the skill mix rather than eliminate jobs.
Finally, senators praised Task Force 59 and experimentation with persistent unmanned systems in theater while asking how to accelerate concepts of operations and sustainment for these systems. Caudle supported a hybrid fleet of manned and unmanned systems and committed to improving sustainment, command‑and‑control and concepts of operations if confirmed.
No formal decisions were made; senators requested follow‑up on specific testbeds and acquisition authorities to speed fielding.