SULLIVAN: ‘WHERE IS YOUR TITLE X RESPONSIBILITIES ON CLIMATE CHANGE?’ In a combative exchange at yesterday’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearing of the Navy’s 2025 budget, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) grilled Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro over whether he has failed to deliver an adequate shipbuilding plan because he’s too focused on climate change.
At one point, Sullivan suggested that Del Toro resign or be relieved of his position because “he is spending so much time on issues that are not even part of his Title X responsibility.” Title X is the section of the U.S. Code that outlines the roles and missions of the armed forces.
“Where is your Title X responsibilities on climate change?” Sullivan demanded. “They don’t exist.”
“No. They do exist, senator. I disagree,” Del Toro responded. “Climate change, it actually impacts everything. … It impacts manning, equipment, training, sustaining our combat readiness.”
“In your strategic guidance you issued to your department, you mentioned climate change nine times. You don’t address the size of trying to increase the fleet. You got this committee, your Climate Action plan, a year before your shipbuilding plan,” Sullivan said. “Title X has given you the direction to, among other things, oversee the construction of outfitting and repairing of naval ships in an effective and timely manner. One thing that I think has been brought up here is my assessment, respectfully, of your tenure is you haven’t been focused on that.”
“I spent 75% of my time on shipbuilding, so I don’t agree,” Del Toro pushed back. “Actually, a good leader, what they do is they actually take assessment of the conditions that exist when one comes in. And you know well, senator, that the acquisition issues that we’re dealing with go back decades. What I’m trying to do and have been doing from the day that I became secretary, was to be honest, transparent, and deeply committed to turning things around. And that’s exactly what I’ve done.”
THE SHIPBUILDING CRISIS: “The truth is that our naval fleet is too small and too old to meet the demands of our combatant commanders and our National Defense Strategy, particularly in the years going forward,” said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the top Republican on the committee. “We have a quantum leap that we need to make, and we need to do it soon.”
“It’s clear we will not be able to do so with the Navy’s fiscal year 2025 budget request, which contains cuts to naval personnel, shipbuilding, weapons, and military construction,” Wicker said. “President Biden has asked the Navy to take a 3% cut when accounting for inflation. These cuts impact the capacity of our force. The Navy is asking to retire 19 battle-force ships and procure only six. It’s just a fact. This is completely unacceptable.”
“The shipbuilding crisis that we have right now is not just a fiasco. It’s amplified by our main adversary who is building ships at the rapid rate,” Sullivan said. “In 2021, the PLA [China’s People’s Liberation Army] had 341 ships. This year they have 370. And [in] 2025, though, they will have 395. By 2030, they will have 435 ships, 141 more ships than we have.”
A LACK OF CAPACITY AND LOSS OF ‘BLUE-COLLAR’ WORKERS: It’s not just money that’s keeping the United States from ramping up ship production. The industry is facing myriad problems, including a shortage of trained shipbuilders, supply chain issues, constantly changing requirements, and contractors who are more concerned about shareholders than increasing capacity.
“There are a lot of challenges in the shipbuilding industry, and they actually date back to the 1980s, when we gave up on commercial shipbuilding in this country and lost so much of the talent in the shipbuilding industry,” Del Toro said. “That was compounded tremendously by COVID. And the enormous challenges that we have with regards to blue-collar labor in this workforce that actually impacts across all programs because the industry and even the Navy and its public shipyards simply don’t have the people that are necessary to work in our shipyards.”
Del Toro said there has been a “greening” of the workforce, which used to be comprised of blue-collar workers with decades of experience and now is made up of younger workers who have plenty of other job options that often are less arduous and pay better. “We provided $100 million of resources to the shipyard so they can provide $5,000 bonuses to their shipyard workers for the first year if they stay in place and another $5,000 if they stay in place throughout the construction of the ship itself,” Del Toro said.
“So we’re doing everything that we possibly can to actually help industry,” he said. “Industry also needs to do its part.”
“We have too many stock buyback plans that, you know, as we’re investing $14 billion into industry, you know, we’ve got billions of dollars that are going out the other side of the door into stockholders,” he added. “So they’ve got to focus more on the customer than just the stockholders.”
GOP DEFENSE HAWKS CHAFE UNDER BUDGET CAPS THEY IMPOSED ON THEMSELVES
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HAPPENING TODAY: Aid trucks began rolling across a U.S.-built floating pier and causeway into Gaza this morning for the first time since President Joe Biden announced the plan two months ago.
“Today at approximately 9 a.m. (Gaza time), trucks carrying humanitarian assistance began moving ashore via a temporary pier in Gaza,” the U.S. Central Command said in a news release. “No U.S. troops went ashore in Gaza.”
“The U.S. military is merely providing the logistical support to enable humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza from the sea,” deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said at the Pentagon. “For weeks, we have been working side by side with the USAID team, the Cypriots, the Israelis, and the United Nations to increase the flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.”
“Today, we have hundreds of tons of aid ready for delivery and thousands of tons of aid in the pipeline,” she said. U.S. military officials say as many as 150 truckloads a day could soon be delivering aid from the sea.
Israel recently seized the key Rafah border crossing, cutting off the main land entry point for aid into the Gaza Strip.
US COMPLETES GAZA PIER, AID TO START ARRIVING IN DAYS
ZELENSKY: ‘WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE KHARKIV’: In an interview conducted in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told ABC News Foreign Correspondent James Longman that Ukraine desperately needs two additional Patriot missile batteries to prevent the city falling to Russian forces.
“All we need are two Patriot systems. Russia will not be able to occupy Kharkiv if we have those,” Zelensky said. “The situation is very serious. … We cannot afford to lose Kharkiv.”
“Sufficient air defense coverage in the Kharkiv City area would allow Ukrainian forces to constrain Russian aviation operations, but only if Western countries permitted Ukraine to use the systems to intercept Russian aircraft in Russian airspace, since Russian aircraft can strike Kharkiv City without ever leaving Russian airspace,” the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest assessment. “Russian fixed-wing aircraft have increasingly targeted Kharkiv City and its environs with glide bombs and various missile strikes in recent weeks to degrade Ukrainian defenses and prompt residents to flee the city.”
“Ukrainian defenders are doing their best to maintain defensive boundaries and positions, inflict significant losses to the occupiers, increase initiative where possible,” the Ukrainian General Staff said on its Facebook page. “In general, the situation on the frontline is controlled by [Ukrainian] Defense Forces.”
Longman asked Zelensky if he thought the loss of lives and territory and the shift of battlefield movement in favor of the Russians was America’s fault for delaying crucial aid.
“It’s the world’s fault,” Zelensky replied. “They gave the opportunity for Putin to occupy. But now the world can help.”
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that Russian troops have no orders to capture Kharkiv. Speaking to reporters in China, Putin said the offensive in the Kharkiv region is aimed at creating a buffer zone and is in response to the Ukrainian shelling of Russia’s Belgorod region.
“I have said publicly that if it continues, we will be forced to create a security zone, a sanitary zone,” Putin said.
LESSONS FROM THE BATTLE OF THE BLACK SEA
UKRAINE STRIKES BACK: While Ukraine is suffering from a shortage of electricity due to relentless Russian attacks on its power generating stations and electrical grid, Ukraine knocked the lights out in the city of Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Ukraine launched a massive drone attack overnight, which Russian authorities said damaged both combat aircraft and a fuel depot and set a refinery ablaze.
According to a post on X, 13 Russian troops were killed and other losses included two MiG-31s, three Su-27s, one S-400 air defense radar, two S-400 air defense launchers, and two warehouses.
‘BLACKOUTS IN KYIV’: RUSSIA BATTERS UKRAINE’S POWER GRID AMID AIR DEFENSE SHORTAGE
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner: ‘Blackouts in Kyiv’: Russia batters Ukraine’s power grid amid air defense shortage
Washington Examiner: Lessons from the battle of the Black Sea
Washington Examiner: House formally condemns Biden’s pause on weapons transfers to Israel
Washington Examiner: South Africa pushes international court to stop Israel invasion of Rafah
Washington Examiner: US completes Gaza pier, aid to start arriving in days
Washington Examiner: Five IDF soldiers killed in friendly fire accident in northern Gaza
Washington Examiner: Senate Democrats attempt to revive bipartisan border deal as Lankford rejects ‘nonserious’ effort
Washington Examiner: Veterans outraged after investigation finds VA gave $10.8 million in bonuses to senior executives
Washington Examiner: Bob Menendez trial: Lawyers for co-defendants say gifts were ‘not criminal’
Washington Examiner: Opinion: Zelensky’s ego is cashing checks Ukraine can’t afford
Washington Examiner: Xi and Putin’s wake-up call to the world
Financial Times: U.S. Defence Chief Lloyd Austin To Meet Chinese Counterpart This Month
Reuters: Tracking China’s ‘Grey Zone’ Balloon Flights Over Taiwan
Defense News: US Announces $2 Billion to Help Ukraine Make Its Own Weapons
New York Times: As Russia Advances, NATO Considers Sending Trainers into Ukraine
Wall Street Journal: Russia Launched Research Spacecraft for Antisatellite Nuclear Weapon Two Years Ago, US Officials Say
Defense One: Navy Secretary Vows More Money For Anti-Drone Lasers
AP: Israel will respond to genocide charges at UN court after South Africa urgently requests cease-fire
New York Times: Israel Sending More Troops To Rafah Amid Warnings Of Famine In Gaza
Bloomberg: Hezbollah Fires Missile Barrage At Israel After Death Of Commander
Bloomberg: Lockheed F-35 Won’t Get Its Delayed Upgrade Until 2025, Congress’s Agency Says
Defense One: F-35s Are Piling Up on Lockheed Tarmacs, Presenting ‘Unique’ Risks to the Pentagon
Air & Space Forces Magazine: F-22s Practice Dogfights over the Korean Peninsula with ROK F-35s
Breaking Defense: A 7th-Gen Fighter? BAE Has Thoughts on What That Could Look Like
Air & Space Forces Magazine: New Report: Electrical Issue, Poor Weather Led to Fiery F-16 Crash in S. Korea Last Year
AP: USS Ronald Reagan leaves its Japan home port after nearly 9 years
Defense One: House Bill: Time to Put Air Force’s ‘Flying Car’ Concept into Action
Air & Space Forces Magazine: Services Eye One Terminal for All SATCOM, But Lawmakers Fear Lack of Coordination
SpaceNews: Inversion Space Targets Military Market with ‘Warehouses in Space’
Air & Space Forces Magazine: What Will USAF Do With the Money It Saves from Retiring a B-2?
AP: Texas governor pardons ex-Army sergeant convicted of killing Black Lives Matter protester
AP: Lawyer for family of slain US Air Force airman says video and calls show deputy went to wrong home
Air & Space Forces Magazine: In Grassroots Effort, Airmen Worldwide Come Together to Grieve SrA Roger Fortson
The Cipher Brief: Taiwan’s New President Faces China’s Threats and Military Buildup
The Cipher Brief: How a ‘Russian Law’ Brought Georgia to the Brink
The Cipher Brief: Opinion: Understanding Erdogan’s ‘Non-Visit’ to Washington
THE CALENDAR:
FRIDAY | MAY 17
10 a.m. — Center for a New American Security virtual discussion: “Developing Drone and Counter-Drone Capabilities,” with Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo org/events/virtual-event-developing-drone-and-counter-drone-capabilities
10 a.m. — Atlantic Council virtual discussion: “The upcoming 2024 NATO Summit and allied strategies to counter renewed Russian retaliation amid Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine and efforts to modernize the alliance’s capabilities,” with Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, commander of the U.S. European Command and supreme NATO commander; Michael Andersson, head of strategic affairs and international affairs at Saab and board director, Atlantic Council; former Supreme NATO Commander retired Marine Corps Gen. James Jones, executive chairman emeritus of the Atlantic Council; and Andrew Michta, director and senior fellow of the Atlantic Council Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Scowcroft Security Initiative https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/road-to-washington-general-christopher-cavoli
12 p.m. 555 13th St. NW — Washington Space Business Roundtable discussion: “Integrating the growing U.S. commercial space sector into our national security space architecture,” with Col. Richard Kniseley, senior material leader, Space Systems Command Commercial Space Office https://www.wsbr.org/events/wsbr-may-luncheon-with-colonel-richard-kniseley
TUESDAY | MAY 21
6:30 a.m Arlington, Virginia — Association of the U.S. Army “Coffee Series,” in-person event with Lt. Gen. Karl Gingrich, deputy Army chief of staff for resources and plans
WEDNESDAY | MAY 22
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies in-person and virtual discussion: “The Next Generation of National Security Leaders: A Conversation with Major General Arnold Punaro,” with retired Marine Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro, former staff director, Senate Armed Service Committee; former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn, former Senate Armed Services Committee chairman and chairman emeritus of the Board, CSIS; former Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss, former Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; retired Gen. Jim Jones, former Marine Corps Commandant, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and national security adviser; and moderator Jennifer Griffin, chief national security correspondent, Fox News https://www.csis.org/events/next-generation-national-security-leaders
4:45 p.m. 222 Russell — Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing: “The Department of Energy’s Atomic Energy Defense Activities and Department of Defense Nuclear Weapons Programs in Review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2025 and the Future Years Defense Program,” with testimony from National Nuclear Security Administration Administrator Jill Hruby; William White, Energy Department senior adviser for environmental management; Navy Adm. William Houston, deputy administrator for the Office of Naval Reactors, National Nuclear Security Administration; Marvin Adams, deputy administrator for defense programs, National Nuclear Security Administration; Air Force Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command; and Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe, director for strategic systems programs in the Department of the Navy http://www.armed-services.senate.gov