Kaine & Colleagues Urge Navy to Adhere to 31 Amphibious Ships Requirement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Seapower, joined Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and a bipartisan group of his colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) in pressing the Navy on how it plans to meet the required 31-minimum fleet of amphibious ships. The Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) requires the Navy to maintain at least 31 amphibious ships, but the 30-year shipbuilding plan released by the Navy in April did not include a plan to meet this minimum. In their letter to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Kaine and his colleagues asked for an updated shipbuilding plan that adheres to this statutory requirement. The senators’ push comes ahead of SASC’s expected mark-up of the Fiscal Year 2024 NDAA next week.

“The Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed into law on December 23, 2022, requires the Navy to maintain not less than 31 amphibious warfare ships, at least 10 of which must be amphibious assault ships (LHAs). The Navy’s FY2024 budget and 30-year shipbuilding plan make it clear the Navy does not have a plan to meet this legal requirement, now or over the next 30 years,” wrote the senators.

“During your April 18, 2023 testimony before the Committee, a bipartisan group of Senators asked you about the Navy’s failure to comply with the statutory requirement to maintain at least 31 amphibious warfare ships. You committed to come back to the Committee with a plan to adhere to the law,” the senators continued. “At this time, you have not yet contacted the Committee to follow through on your commitment.”

“The Navy’s current plan not only violates the statutory requirement, but also jeopardizes the future effectiveness of the Joint Force, especially as we consider national security threats in the Indo-Pacific. We request that you provide the Committee an updated shipbuilding plan no later than June 19, 2023. Alternatively, we request that you submit a plan to adhere to the statutory requirement before that date,” the senators wrote.

Today, in testimony before SASC, General Eric Smith, nominee to be commandant of the Marine Corps, testified that the Corps cannot fulfill its global response mission without the minimum number of amphibious ships.

Kaine has continuously pressed the Navy and defense officials on the 31 amphibious ships requirement, including at today's SASC hearing and an April 18 SASC hearing on Navy Posture.

In addition to Kaine and Sullivan, the letter is signed by Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Joe Manchin (D-WW), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Rick Scott (R-FL), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), and Deb Fischer (R-NE).

Full text of the letter is available here.

Dear Secretary Del Toro:

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed into law on December 23, 2022, requires the Navy to maintain not less than 31 amphibious warfare ships, at least 10 of which must be amphibious assault ships (LHAs). The Navy’s FY2024 budget and 30-year shipbuilding plan make it clear the Navy does not have a plan to meet this legal requirement, now or over the next 30 years. We note that the Senate Armed Services Committee received the most recent 30-year shipbuilding plan nearly four months after the FY2023 NDAA was signed into law, and less than 24-hours before the Department of the Navy’s April 18, 2023 testimony, giving committee members and staff little time to review the plan and ask relevant oversight questions.

During your April 18, 2023 testimony before the Committee, a bipartisan group of Senators asked you about the Navy’s failure to comply with the statutory requirement to maintain at least 31 amphibious warfare ships. You committed to come back to the Committee with a plan to adhere to the law. Specifically, you stated:  

“Senator, you have my commitment that I will come back to you with a statement on how we can fix this.”

At this time, you have not yet contacted the Committee to follow through on your commitment. As we reiterated during the hearing, the statutory requirement for the Navy to maintain 31 amphibious warfare ships is not a suggestion, but a requirement based on the assessed needs of the Navy and Marine Corps. The Navy’s current plan not only violates the statutory requirement, but also jeopardizes the future effectiveness of the Joint Force, especially as we consider national security threats in the Indo-Pacific. 

We request that you provide the Committee an updated shipbuilding plan no later than June 19, 2023. Alternatively, we request that you submit a plan to adhere to the statutory requirement before that date.

Sincerely,

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