U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, gave opening remarks this morning at a SASC hearing on the posture of the United States Department of the Navy.

Witnesses included the Honorable Richard V. Spencer, Secretary of the Navy; Admiral John M. Richardson, USN, Chief of Naval Operations; and General Robert B. Neller, USMC, Commandant of the Marine Corps.

As prepared for delivery:

The Committee meets today to receive testimony on the posture of the Department of the Navy and its fiscal year 2020 budget request. 

We welcome the Honorable Richard V. Spencer, Secretary of the Navy; Admiral John M. Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations; and General Robert B. Neller, Commandant of the Marine Corps. Thank you all for your distinguished service.

The National Defense Strategy directs our nation’s military to prepare for the return of great power competition. This means we must be prepared to deter and, if necessary, decisively defeat potential near-peer adversaries like China and Russia. 

In order for the Department of the Navy to achieve that goal, our Navy and Marine Corps must be manned, trained, and equipped appropriately. Significant progress has been made in rebuilding readiness, but there is still much work to be done.

With their alarming speed of modernization of both conventional and nuclear forces, China and Russia now present a credible threat to America and our allies.

It is past time for action. However, we must be smart, not hasty, as we modernize our military. Recent history should be our guide, because without better acquisition performance, we could fall behind or further behind our competitors.

For example, the last eight combatant lead ships cost a total of $8 billion more than the initial budget; delivered at least six months late; with dozens of deficiencies. A most egregious example is 9 of 11 advanced weapons elevators on the USS Gerald R. Ford still have not been accepted by the Navy nearly two years after ship delivery.

While the promise of new technology may be alluring, it is no substitute for demonstrated performance. I am highly skeptical of claims by Department of Defense officials that the early retirement of the USS Harry S. Truman will result in a more modern and lethal force, as well as increase industrial base workload.

The reality is the Ford lacks functional weapons elevators and has significant reliability problems. No combination of unmanned systems has been shown to match the reach and lethality of an aircraft carrier and its air wing. And the Truman proposal will result in reductions, not increases, of highly skilled employees. 

In modernizing the force, the Department must get closer to right the first time, which requires a solid technical foundation prior to embarking on major procurement programs. I look forward to working with the Department in this regard.