Development of industrial base for distributed submarine and surface vessel shipbuilding

(a) Maritime industrial base workforce development (1) In general The Secretary of the Navy, in coordination with the heads of relevant organizations of the Department of Defense and other departments and agencies of the Federal Government, shall develop a plan to expand cooperation and information sharing with State university systems, community college systems, technical college systems, and State educational agencies in order to scale workforce development efforts to support distributed submarine and surface vessel shipbuilding. (2) Plan elements The plan required by paragraph (1) shall include the following: (A) A summary of current and projected critical trade skill requirements of the maritime industrial base of the Navy, including welders, electricians, metal fabricators, machinists, weld engineers, manufacturing engineers, industrial engineers, quality inspectors, test technicians, machine programmers, additive manufacturing professionals, and naval engineers. (B) An analysis of labor markets that face growing demands on the maritime industrial base workforce, including such markets located in landlocked States. (C) A plan to catalogue and annually transmit specific workforce requirements of the maritime industrial base to State university systems, community college systems, technical college systems, and State educational agencies. (3) Report (A) In general Not later than October 1, 2027, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the feasibility and efficacy of establishing a seventh regional talent pipeline as part of the Navy Talent Pipeline Program focused on non-coastal labor markets that are traditionally underutilized by the maritime industrial base. (B) Form The report required by subparagraph (A) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classified annex. (b) Development of industrial base of suppliers and manufacturers for submarines and surface vessels (1) In general The Secretary of the Navy, in coordination with the heads of relevant organizations of the Department of Defense and other departments and agencies of the Federal Government, shall develop a strategy to further modernize the supply chain of the maritime industrial base by optimizing its geographic reach to incorporate capable suppliers and manufacturers for the Nation’s shipbuilding needs. (2) Elements The strategy developed under paragraph (1) shall include the following: (A) A plan to grow the Navy’s industrial base of suppliers and manufacturers for submarines and surface vessels beyond the traditional centers of shipbuilding. (B) Plans to build sourcing and logistics capabilities from disperse geographic United States locations. (C) A plan to develop a single, consolidated online portal for maritime industrial base suppliers to access information about— (i) parts, components, and systems needed by the maritime industrial base; and (ii) pathways to become a qualified supplier. (D) A description of current and projected shortfalls in the supply chains of the maritime industrial base that are negatively impacted by workforce deficits in labor markets that traditionally support the shipbuilding industry. (3) Submittal to Congress Not later than October 1, 2027, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the congressional defense committees a completed version of the strategy developed under paragraph (1).