00:00to actually improve production.
00:01Well, I'm glad Senator Cain raised this.
00:05It was obvious that it needed to be raised,
00:07but I'm glad we were able to nail that down in this hearing.
00:12So thank you, Senator Cain.
00:14Senator Budd.
00:15Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:16Admiral, it's great to see you.
00:17I enjoyed our conversation a week or so ago.
00:20It's great to see a North Carolinian here, even so much.
00:23We've got a great hundred counties,
00:25but I think we even share roots in Forsyth County.
00:28So it's great to see you, and congrats on your nomination.
00:30Glad to see your family and supporters here as well.
00:35You've said, Admiral, that many other Navy leaders
00:38have talked about rebuilding and boosting production
00:41of our Navy fleet.
00:42You know, it's a decade-plus endeavor.
00:44My concern is that our adversaries,
00:46they're not going to wait for that decade.
00:49They're going to try to outpace us.
00:52And I'm also concerned that the next conflict
00:55is not going to look like what we're building towards.
00:57It might include it, but it's also more than that.
01:00So, Admiral, what steps will you take
01:02to invest in unmanned systems,
01:04whether that's aerial, surface, underwater,
01:07and how do you see them used for projecting power?
01:10Well, Senator, thanks.
01:12And it's great to have a North Carolinian here with me.
01:16And I appreciate the time we got to spend
01:18in our office call.
01:19There is no question that unmanned robotic autonomous systems
01:22will be part of any modern warfare going forward.
01:25You know, the learning that we've had
01:26from the Russia-Ukraine, we see it in spades.
01:29We see it from the Israel conflicts.
01:32We're all learning from this.
01:33Everyone is, including our adversaries.
01:35So we have to pace that.
01:37So there has to be robust investments
01:39in robotic autonomous unmanned systems.
01:42There has to be good, clean command and control.
01:45There has to be good concepts of operations.
01:47There has to be good ideas on how we're going
01:49to deliver those capabilities.
01:50So they're not just PowerPoint deep.
01:53There's got to be good sustainment.
01:55And if we're going to make things actually,
01:56call them a treadable, they really need to be a treadable.
01:59It's not in our nature in the Navy
02:01to really treat things a treadable.
02:03And so we can spend money that maybe is not necessary
02:05to, in that area, where we need to just be able
02:08to get a paradigm shift on how we treat those.
02:11But I completely agree with you.
02:13And if confirmed, you have my commitment
02:15that this idea of a hybrid fleet will be part of my vision
02:19for the future of the Navy.
02:21Thank you, Admiral.
02:23You know, that was a question about how we play offense.
02:25But let's talk about how we play defense as well.
02:28So what would you do to protect our naval installations
02:31and assets from unmanned threats?
02:33And how would you work across the federal agencies
02:36to make sure that we don't have a modern-day Pearl Harbor
02:39with drone swarm or any other types of modern attacks?
02:42Well, Senator, as my current position at Fleet Forces,
02:46I'm also the Naval Component Commander to NORTHCOM.
02:48So it's my responsibility for force protection
02:51of all CONUS bases.
02:53And so this idea of having good counter-unmanned aerial systems
02:57at our installations is extremely important to me.
02:59It's something I've worked very closely with General Guillaume,
03:02the NORTHCOM commander on.
03:04You know, it really got highlighted with the UAVs
03:07that were seen around Langley and around Earl, New Jersey,
03:11kind of put this on the map.
03:13But it's something we've been watching for several years,
03:15understanding we're not well-equipped at all of our bases
03:18to handle that threat.
03:20So this ties to, you know, Section 130I authorities
03:24for covering bases and assets
03:26to make sure all bases have those authorities.
03:29These are best-of-breed practices as joint solutions.
03:33Some of my sister services have better solutions than the Navy.
03:37I need to learn from that and field some of those capabilities.
03:40But at the heart of that, sir, is good common operational picture
03:44so the base commander can see the environment
03:46and a range of ways to actually approach countering attacks
03:50that they may encounter from UAVs.
03:54And that has to be non-lethal and lethal effects.
03:58So if confirmed, Admiral,
03:59how would you direct the Navy's acquisition system?
04:02If it's buying systems like you just talked about
04:04or anything else you have in mind or that we need,
04:07how would you do that to cut red tape,
04:09streamline contracting,
04:10and speed up delivery of these critical systems?
04:12I know we've talked about that,
04:13but drill down, if you would, to the first 90 days
04:16how you'd want to get after this.
04:17Well, I need to get smarter on the impediments
04:20that currently exist in law.
04:23You know, as an operational commander for most of my career,
04:27I've been, I'll call it, somewhat of a victim of it
04:29and not necessarily a person that's, you know,
04:31been able to, you know, take charge on it.
04:33But now I find myself, if confirmed,
04:35being in a position to do that.
04:37I know there's a lot of red tape.
04:39I know there's a lot of antiquated laws.
04:41I know there's a lot of acquisition process
04:43that needs to be streamlined.
04:45I know there's authorities
04:46that need to be pushed down with better delegation,
04:49commercial solution offerings,
04:51and agreements that we need to leverage
04:52to actually get these capabilities faster
04:54and more effectively to our warfighters.
04:56And then a quick ability to actually test, field, experiment,
05:00and get this out in the actual deployment cycle
05:03so we're actually getting the entire Navy's hands-on approach
05:08to actually operating these systems more effectively.
05:11Any thoughts on working with international partners
05:13for maintenance and repair for our Navy fleet?
05:16Senator, I think this is the state of our maintenance
05:19and shipbuilding and other areas of the like
05:23is a 100% all-hands-on-deck.
05:26So I would be remiss if I didn't consider partners
05:29that want to help me
05:30until I get my ship industrial base in the United States
05:34along with the Department of Defense
05:36and the interagency.
05:37This is a whole-of-government approach up on step.
05:40So I do agree that allies and partners can be crucial
05:44in helping us in this interim time
05:46while we're working to get our industrial capacity
05:48in the United States to the place it needs to be.
05:51Thank you, Admiral.
05:52Admiral, as you drill down on...
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