The Senate Armed Services Committee on July 24 considered the nomination of Admiral Daryl Caudle to serve as Chief of Naval Operations, hearing his opening statement and taking questions from senators on readiness, shipbuilding, industrial capacity and personnel issues.
Admiral Caudle, introduced by Chairman Wicker and praised by Ranking Member Reid, said the nomination is a “solemn opportunity” and promised to pursue “full spectrum readiness.” "I view this nomination as a solemn opportunity to ensure our nation's maritime dominance is never surpassed by competitors or adversaries," Caudle said in his opening remarks.
The committee pressed Caudle on standard confirmation items and on whether he would follow congressional oversight requests; he answered yes to questions about complying with laws on conflicts of interest, providing testimony and documents when requested, and protecting witnesses from reprisal. When asked if he would “commit to follow the Congress's spending recommendations in defense reconciliation unequivocally,” Caudle answered, "Yes."
Senators used their time to press him on several standing challenges: rebuilding shipbuilding and maintenance capacity; addressing munitions shortfalls; sustaining undersea deterrence; integrating unmanned systems and directed energy into fleet operations; and quality‑of‑life concerns for sailors. Caudle repeatedly tied operational capability to personnel readiness and infrastructure, saying sailors and their families are “the Navy's most enduring competitive advantage.”
Several senators sought concrete commitments. Caudle pledged to work with the secretary of the Navy and the committee to deliver a 30‑year shipbuilding plan tied to the president's budget request and to advocate for timely execution of resources provided in the defense reconciliation measures. He also committed to travel to Hawaii to personally engage on the Pearl Harbor dry dock project and to work with senators on the Red Hill remediation effort.
The nominee answered a battery of required yes/no questions administered by the chair and reiterated that he would appear and provide documents to the committee when requested. He also pledged to support service policies that maintain recruiting standards and to expand recruitment pipelines, including junior ROTC.
If confirmed, Caudle said he would prioritize modernizing fleet capability, scaling readiness capacity, and improving sailors' living and working environments. He emphasized integrating capabilities across sea, air, cyber and undersea domains and collaborating with allies and industry to increase production capacity and readiness.
The hearing proceeded to topical questioning from members of both parties; members were told to submit further questions for the record by noon on July 25.