At a recent hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chair of the Appropriations Committee, questioned Navy officials about key defense projects. The session focused on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request for the Navy and included discussions on the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer contract and the expansion of Dry Dock One at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY).
Senator Collins sought clarity from Secretary of the Navy John Phelan regarding the timeline for awarding a third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. This ship was funded in the FY 2025 funding bill. She emphasized her opposition to relying on reconciliation funding for shipbuilding, especially given China's expanding naval fleet.
During the exchange, Senator Collins stated: "I want to echo the concerns that the Chairman raised about relying on reconciliation for shipbuilding... I would hope that the Administration would take a hard look at increasing the base budget to meet the realities of today's global threats and also inflation."
Secretary Phelan responded by acknowledging Collins' concerns: "We are in the midst of analyzing the entire force posture and our manned-unmanned balance... As it relates to the third DDG, we're in kind of final innings of getting to that." He highlighted changes at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard as informative and potentially applicable to other public shipyards.
The discussion also covered surface warfare's evolving nature. Senator Collins remarked: "There's no doubt that the nature of warfare has changed dramatically... our destroyers have played in shooting down Houthi missiles and keeping shipping lanes open."
In addition, Admiral James Kilby addressed progress on PNSY's Dry Dock One expansion under SIOP, crucial for maintaining Virginia-class submarines. He assured that they are meeting operational availability targets: "Yes, ma'am, I believe we are... it's like pulling into a Jiffy Lube where you're ripping out bays one and three."
Senator Collins has been instrumental in securing $401 million for SIOP projects at PNSY to enhance submarine maintenance capabilities. In April, she visited PNSY with Secretary Phelan during his first visit to a public shipyard since confirmation.
