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Senators press nominee Phelan on shipbuilding delays, workforce and industrial base
Summary
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee pressed John Phelan on persistent shipbuilding delays, workforce shortages, and proposals to reinvigorate the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base, including use of incentives, the SHIPS Act and public‑private investments.
Senators told John Phelan at his confirmation hearing that stabilizing shipbuilding and the industrial base is his top priority if confirmed as secretary of the Navy. Committee members cited delayed programs, cost overruns and workforce shortages as structural obstacles to growing the fleet.
Chairman Wicker said the Navy remains "woefully short" of the statutory requirement of 355 ships and noted that plans showing growth to 315 ships by 2025 had not materialized; the hearing record cited 287 ships in 2025. Senators named specific programs that are behind schedule: Ford‑class carriers,…
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