Lawmakers say they want answers from the Navy over reports that faulty welding may have occurred intentionally on submarines and aircraft carriers under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding.
Top Republicans and Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee released a statement Friday saying it was “deeply concerning” to learn that faulty welds discovered on some of the U.S. military’s most critical combat vessels.
“The House Armed Services Committee is investigating how this occurred. The safety of our sailors is our top concern, and we need to immediately understand any risks associated with the faulty work,” committee Chairman Mike Rogers, Alabama Republican, and Washington state Rep. Adam Smith, the panel’s ranking Democrat, said in a statement.
Also signing on to the letter were Rep. Trent Kelly, Mississippi Republican, and Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat from Connecticut, the chairman and ranking member of Armed Services Committee subcommittee on seapower and projection forces.
They demanded that the Pentagon provide Congress with answers and a plan for how they will protect U.S. Navy vessels against tampering.
“These vessels are critical to U.S. defense in the Indo-Pacific,” the lawmakers wrote. “We must ensure that these vessels are protected against any bad actors seeking to put U.S. national security or our service members at risk.”
U.S. Naval Institute News first reported news of the faulty welding on the submarines and aircraft carriers. According to a statement provided to USNI News by the shipbuilder, the problems were discovered during internal quality-assurance systems checks. Some of the welding errors appeared to be intentional, USNI news reported.
“Newport News Shipbuilding is committed to building the highest-quality aircraft carriers and submarines for the U.S. Navy. We do not tolerate any conduct that compromises our company’s values and our mission of delivering ships that safeguard our nation and its sailors,” the company said in the statement.
The shipbuilder reported the discovery of the faulty welding to the Justice Department.
Navy officials said they are aware of the reports of faulty welding on submarines and aircraft carriers. They are evaluating the issue to determine the scope of the problem and determine what steps should be taken in the future.
In a statement to The Washington Times, officials at Huntington Ingalls Industries, the parent company of Newport News Shipbuilding, said they discovered through internal reporting that some welders “knowingly circumvented” certain welding procedures. However, there didn’t appear to be any indication of malicious intent, the company said.
“Upon this discovery, we took action to communicate with our customers and regulators, investigate, determine root causes, bound the issue, and put in place immediate corrective actions as we work through longer-term solutions,” the company said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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