Surface ship sustainment and readiness

(a) In general In accordance with this section, the Secretary of the Navy shall implement processes to improve the materiel condition and combat readiness of Navy surface ships maintained and repaired at private shipyards by ensuring a stable and responsive industrial base capable of meeting operational and combat surge demands. (b) Requirements and authorities (1) Type commander leadership (A) Designation The Secretary of the Navy shall designate type commanders as the primary authorities for surface ship maintenance. (B) Responsibilities Type commanders designated under subparagraph (A) shall— (i) lead the sustainment of surface ships; (ii) oversee all maintenance and repair activities at private shipyards; and (iii) be responsible for setting priorities, approving contracts, and ensuring fleet readiness. (C) Regional maintenance centers The Secretary of the Navy shall ensure that regional maintenance centers act in a supporting role under the direction of type commanders. (2) Decision-making by key personnel (A) In general For each ship undergoing maintenance at a private shipyard, the project manager, the port engineer, and the ship commanding officer— (i) may jointly decide what work is done during the maintenance period, including the ability to adjust priorities within agreed budgets and schedules; and (ii) shall report directly to the type commander concerned. (B) Contracting officers Contracting officers shall support the decisions described in subparagraph (A)(i) by managing funds and contracts. (3) Stable workforce and infrastructure The Secretary of the Navy shall provide a stable, predictable workload to private shipyards and other critical suppliers through a multi-year, multi-ship contract by ship class— (A) to allow the shipyard and other critical suppliers to maintain a stable workforce; (B) to promote investment in the necessary facilities; and (C) to prevent layoffs and rehiring cycles that reduce efficiency. (4) Ship-specific assignments The Secretary of the Navy shall ensure that specific shipyards shall have multi-year contracts for specified ships for repeated maintenance work to improve knowledge of ship condition and accelerate repairs, with excusable deviations such as homeport changes. (5) Collaborative planning The Secretary of the Navy shall ensure that shipyards, alterations installation teams (when assigned), and Navy teams, including project managers and port engineers, work together in continuous maintenance activities to plan maintenance and ensure realistic schedules and priorities. (6) Roles for large and small shipyards The Secretary of the Navy shall ensure that— (A) criteria for multi-year awards place heavy emphasis on strong teaming between large and small shipyard businesses; (B) large and small shipyards establish multi-year teaming relationships and work in both the planning and execution phases of scheduled availabilities and emergency repairs; and (C) small shipyards have guaranteed work percentages and planning responsibilities. (7) Parts availability The Secretary of the Navy shall establish rotatable pools and procure spare parts ahead of time to create a pool of parts that can be quickly used for repairs. (8) Training The Secretary of the Navy shall train program managers and port engineers for specific ship classes prior to assigning such individuals to complex maintenance availabilities. (9) Funding for workforce and facilities The Secretary of the Navy may allocate funds annually to private shipyards to sustain a minimum workforce and maintain repair facilities, in such amounts and under such conditions as the Secretary determines appropriate. (10) Small business requirements The Secretary of the Navy shall issue guidance to address set-aside requirements for small businesses that enables the roles for large and small shipyards described in paragraph (6). (c) Implementation flexibility In carrying out this section, the Secretary of the Navy may— (1) determine specific methods, contract types, funding levels, and operational details consistent with the requirements and authorities under this section; and (2) adapt existing processes or develop new approaches to carry out such requirements and authorities. (d) Report required Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report detailing the following: (1) How the Navy will implement the requirements of this section, including with respect to the roles of type commanders, regional maintenance centers, project managers, port engineers, ship commanding officers, and contracting officers. (2) The planned funding approach for workforce stability, shipyard assignments, and spare parts procurement. (3) A timeline for initial implementation, including any pilot programs, and full deployment across all regional maintenance centers. (4) Metrics to measure success, such as on-time completion of maintenance, cost control, and readiness improvements. (e) Definitions In this section: (1) Port engineer The term port engineer means the technical expert on a ship’s condition who advises on repairs and standards. (2) Project manager The term project manager means the individual responsible for overseeing a ship’s maintenance period. (3) Regional maintenance center The term regional maintenance center means an organization of the Navy that supports ship maintenance in a specific region, such as in Norfolk, Virginia, San Diego, California, Mayport, Florida, Everett, Washington, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (4) Ship commanding officer The term ship commanding officer means the commanding officer of a Navy surface ship undergoing maintenance. (5) Type commander The term type commander means the flag officer in charge of a surface force, such as Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, and Commander, Naval Surface Force, Pacific Fleet. (f) Sunset This section shall terminate on January 1, 2031.

(a) In general In accordance with this section, the Secretary of the Navy shall implement processes to improve the materiel condition and combat readiness of Navy surface ships maintained and repaired at private shipyards by ensuring a stable and responsive industrial base capable of meeting operational and combat surge demands. (b) Requirements and authorities (1) Type commander leadership (A) Designation The Secretary of the Navy shall designate type commanders as the primary authorities for surface ship maintenance. (B) Responsibilities Type commanders designated under subparagraph (A) shall— (i) lead the sustainment of surface ships; (ii) oversee all maintenance and repair activities at private shipyards; and (iii) be responsible for setting priorities, approving contracts, and ensuring fleet readiness. (C) Regional maintenance centers The Secretary of the Navy shall ensure that regional maintenance centers act in a supporting role under the direction of type commanders. (2) Decision-making by key personnel (A) In general For each ship undergoing maintenance at a private shipyard, the project manager, the port engineer, and the ship commanding officer— (i) may jointly decide what work is done during the maintenance period, including the ability to adjust priorities within agreed budgets and schedules; and (ii) shall report directly to the type commander concerned. (B) Contracting officers Contracting officers shall support the decisions described in subparagraph (A)(i) by managing funds and contracts. (3) Stable workforce and infrastructure The Secretary of the Navy shall provide a stable, predictable workload to private shipyards and other critical suppliers through a multi-year, multi-ship contract by ship class— (A) to allow the shipyard and other critical suppliers to maintain a stable workforce; (B) to promote investment in the necessary facilities; and (C) to prevent layoffs and rehiring cycles that reduce efficiency. (4) Ship-specific assignments The Secretary of the Navy shall ensure that specific shipyards shall have multi-year contracts for specified ships for repeated maintenance work to improve knowledge of ship condition and accelerate repairs, with excusable deviations such as homeport changes. (5) Collaborative planning The Secretary of the Navy shall ensure that shipyards, alterations installation teams (when assigned), and Navy teams, including project managers and port engineers, work together in continuous maintenance activities to plan maintenance and ensure realistic schedules and priorities. (6) Roles for large and small shipyards The Secretary of the Navy shall ensure that— (A) criteria for multi-year awards place heavy emphasis on strong teaming between large and small shipyard businesses; (B) large and small shipyards establish multi-year teaming relationships and work in both the planning and execution phases of scheduled availabilities and emergency repairs; and (C) small shipyards have guaranteed work percentages and planning responsibilities. (7) Parts availability The Secretary of the Navy shall establish rotatable pools and procure spare parts ahead of time to create a pool of parts that can be quickly used for repairs. (8) Training The Secretary of the Navy shall train program managers and port engineers for specific ship classes prior to assigning such individuals to complex maintenance availabilities. (9) Funding for workforce and facilities The Secretary of the Navy may allocate funds annually to private shipyards to sustain a minimum workforce and maintain repair facilities, in such amounts and under such conditions as the Secretary determines appropriate. (10) Small business requirements The Secretary of the Navy shall issue guidance to address set-aside requirements for small businesses that enables the roles for large and small shipyards described in paragraph (6). (c) Implementation flexibility In carrying out this section, the Secretary of the Navy may— (1) determine specific methods, contract types, funding levels, and operational details consistent with the requirements and authorities under this section; and (2) adapt existing processes or develop new approaches to carry out such requirements and authorities. (d) Report required Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report detailing the following: (1) How the Navy will implement the requirements of this section, including with respect to the roles of type commanders, regional maintenance centers, project managers, port engineers, ship commanding officers, and contracting officers. (2) The planned funding approach for workforce stability, shipyard assignments, and spare parts procurement. (3) A timeline for initial implementation, including any pilot programs, and full deployment across all regional maintenance centers. (4) Metrics to measure success, such as on-time completion of maintenance, cost control, and readiness improvements. (e) Definitions In this section: (1) Port engineer The term port engineer means the technical expert on a ship’s condition who advises on repairs and standards. (2) Project manager The term project manager means the individual responsible for overseeing a ship’s maintenance period. (3) Regional maintenance center The term regional maintenance center means an organization of the Navy that supports ship maintenance in a specific region, such as in Norfolk, Virginia, San Diego, California, Mayport, Florida, Everett, Washington, and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. (4) Ship commanding officer The term ship commanding officer means the commanding officer of a Navy surface ship undergoing maintenance. (5) Type commander The term type commander means the flag officer in charge of a surface force, such as Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, and Commander, Naval Surface Force, Pacific Fleet. (f) Sunset This section shall terminate on January 1, 2031.