Lawmakers push Navy for update on amphib study

Two senior senators continue to express frustration as the Navy has yet to deliver its promised amphibious ship study to Congress.

Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) have sent a letter to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro asking for an update on the status of the service’s amphibious warship study, which is meant to confirm the number of amphibious ships needed for the future battlespace.

During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in May, the senators asked Del Toro about the amphibious study and Del Toro said it would be delivered in the next few weeks.

“It has now been over five months since that hearing, yet the results of the study still have not been provided to either of us,” the letter states.

“The Navy currently plans to decommission over 40 ships in fiscal years 2023 and 2024. As Congress works to fill these gaps and expand our fleet, this study on amphibious ships would provide the committee with critical context as to the Navy and Marine Corps’ needs,” according to the letter released today.

Amphibious ships are crucial in the Indo-Pacific as senior officials have cited 2027 as the date when China could invade Taiwan, the senators write.

“We strongly urge you to provide the unredacted, unedited results of the study without further delay. If the study is still incomplete, please provide a reason as to why it is incomplete, whether you need any additional resources to complete the study, and when you expect it to be completed, as well as the results upon completion,” the letter states.