Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee on May 12 that the Navy expects industry to hit a production rate of two Virginia-class attack submarines (SSNs) per year by 2032 “based on the things we’ve done in place and the things we have now, we should be at the two per year in the early 2030s, real early 2030s.”
This is in line with the Navy’s justification of its $6.2 billion submarine industrial base spending pushing to production of two SSNs and one Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine per year in the long-term shipbuilding plan released on May 11. Over the past years Navy officials have described the SSN production rate as hovering around the 1.3 per year rate.
Caudle also said he is optimistic about the progress of AUKUS and reaching to establishment of Submarine Rotational Force-West as the next big step, although he said there are “a couple of things they’re behind on I’m frustrated with with that are part of the support system there, like some of the skiff work and that kind of thing, but all the production work there on the pier and all that, they’re making their mark.” Integration of Australian sailors, officers and maintenance personnel with U.S. Navy and industry groups are proceeding well, “so this is working, and we want to support them, and it is going to turn out really great, when we get it delivered,” he added.
Sen. Bill Cassady (R-La.), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and one of the few remaining Republicans in Congress who once voted to impeach President Donald Trump, has lost a GOP primary race in Louisiana.
Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, and state Treasurer John Fleming both finished ahead of Cassidy in the Louisiana GOP primary, news outlets reported over the weekend.
The top two Republican candidates will face each other in a June GOP runoff. Likewise, the top two Democrats, Jamie Davis and Gary Crockett will face each other in a June 27 runoff election. Cassidy said he would not contest the primary results. When you lose an election, “you don’t pout, you don’t whine, you don’t claim an election was stolen.”
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) the House of Representatives incumbent whose district includes the Department of Energy’s Paducah Site, easily won a Republican primary Tuesday night in Kentucky.
Comer, a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, won 88% of the vote in the GOP primary for Kentucky’s first congressional district, according to results posted by WLKY. The November general election will pit Comer against Democrat Megan Wingfield, who won her party’s primary with 51% of the vote, finishing ahead of two other Democrats.
Comer fared better than another Kentucky congressional incumbent, Rep. Thomas Massie (R), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, best known for his opening of the Jeffrey Epstein files and his recent opposition to several measures by President Donald Trump. Massie lost 55% to 45% to Ed Gallrein, a former Navy Seal endorsed by Trump.
The wildfire-prone New Mexico county where the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory is located has entered “stage 1 fire restrictions,” according to a recent post from the Los Alamos County Department of Public Utilities.
“Fire Marshal Colorado Cordova of the Los Alamos Fire Department (LAFD) has enacted fire restrictions to Stage 1, effective April 28, within the boundaries of Los Alamos County to safeguard public health and safety, as well as protect lands, structures, natural and historical artifacts,” according to an online notice.
The stage 1 restrictions prohibits or limits use of outdoor fires in most situations. Violations of fire restrictions laid out in the order can result in a written citation and potential criminal penalties, according to the notice. The area around the DOE lab has seen its share of wildfires through the years with one of the most recent being the Cerro Pelado wildfire four years ago that burned thousands of acres.
Exchange Monitor offices will be closed on Monday May 25 in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. We will be back on the job Tuesday. wbarber@acccessintel.com.