Navy Secretary John Phelan told House lawmakers that he didn’t have good news to share about the state of America’s shipbuilding industry.

He testified Wednesday before the House Armed Services Committee on the Navy’s 2026 budget request alongside Adm. James Kilby, the acting chief of naval operations, and Gen. Eric Smith, commandant of the Marine Corps.

“All of our [shipbuilding] programs are a mess, to be honest,” Mr. Phelan said. “We are behind schedule and over budget.”

The best program is six months late and spending 50% more than planned. The Navy secretary said he’s meeting with officials from U.S. shipyards to get them moving, especially for critical weapons systems like the Columbia- and Virginia-class submarines. He’s exploring whether foreign shipyards can fill the gap in the short term.

“I’ve got to get hulls in the water, and so that means all options are open,” Mr. Phelan said. The long-term answer means reinvigorating the nation’s domestic maritime industrial base, he said.

“We have to probably expand shipyards. We probably need to open new shipyards as well,” Mr. Phelan said.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.