Lawmakers press nominee on munitions shortfall; nominee outlines chokepoints and production priorities

Senators pressed Admiral Daryl Caudle about munitions production and stockpile levels, citing rapid expenditure rates in recent operations and the need for a strengthened defense industrial base. Senator Fisher said recent operations in the Red Sea demonstrated how quickly munitions can be expended and asked what steps Caudle would take to increase production capacity. Caudle responded that the defense industrial base has too many sole‑source vendors and that component shortages and inefficient assembly flows delay overall deliveries. "It takes me greater than a year to build an SM‑6," he said, contrasting commercial production rates with munitions manufacturing. Caudle told senators he would seek a detailed mapping of munition lines to identify where material shortages, sole‑source components or wasteful handoffs are slowing production. He also emphasized the need to translate R&D successes into producible and sustainable manufacturing lines and to hold suppliers accountable while fostering competition where possible. Committee discussion referenced reconciliation/NDAA munitions funding lines; senators said they expect the nominee to work with the services and industry to convert appropriations into deliverable munitions flows and to identify regulatory or contracting steps that could accelerate production and assembly. No formal outcomes were recorded; senators asked for follow‑up answers for the record and indicated they will monitor plans to increase production capacity and clear bottlenecks.