JULY 25, 2025 – Years of shrinking fleet size, diminished shipbuilding capacity and on-time repair delivery are persistent challenges for the Navy and the nation, said Navy Adm. Daryl L. Caudle, who spoke today at a Senate Armed Services Committee nomination hearing for his reappointment to admiral and to become chief of naval operations.
“As China continues to grow its naval strength and the potential for peer naval conflict grows at a steady pace each passing day, the veil is slowly lifting on the impacts of poor choices made decades ago,” Caudle said.
These poor choices, he continued, “leveraged a perceived myopic peace dividend and now pressurizes and oversubscribes our decision space for the choices we face today.”
The admiral said maritime forces must continue to be lethal, resilient, agile and globally present — capable of deterring conflict and, when called upon, achieving decisive victory — delivering peace through strength derived from the Navy’s credible and persistent combat power.
To achieve this, Caudle said he will “relentlessly” pursue full-spectrum readiness while modernizing the fleet’s capabilities, scaling readiness capacity and aggressively forging resilient and resourceful sailors.
“I also plan to deepen integration across all domains, from sea, air, cyberspace and undersea like never before, massing effects from multiple vectors, platforms and environments, seamlessly integrating these effects with the joint force, along with our allies and partners,” he said.
To outpace adversaries, Caudle said the Navy must harness innovation, expedite processes and rely on the ingenuity, skill and brilliance of the industrial base to build modern, modular and scalable platforms while simultaneously integrating capabilities across all domains.
“My sights are locked in on a Navy that is not only lethal and survivable but also adaptable and sustainable, ready to fight and win for decades to come, securing freedom of navigation and projecting power where and when it matters most,” he said.
By David Vergun, DOD News