Overview

• The Senate Armed Services Committee gave broad bipartisan backing to Adm. Daryl Caudle’s nomination as Chief of Naval Operations after a two-day hearing.
• Caudle pledged to finish the Navy’s overdue 30-year shipbuilding plan on time and on budget to rebuild fleet size and uphold strategic deterrence.
• He urged transformational improvements to double annual Virginia-class submarine production to fulfill AUKUS requirements of about 2.2–2.3 boats per year.
• He emphasized integrating unmanned robotic systems and directed-energy weapons across surface and undersea forces to maintain a competitive edge.
• Caudle committed to resolving maintenance backlogs—starting with a hard review of the USS Boise—while boosting sailor readiness, recruitment standards and base counter-drone defenses.