Admiral Myers, in your opinion, does the LCS have the capability to adequately meet all expected warfighters' requirements?

In this fiscal environment, the Navy can ill-afford to inflate future shipbuilding requirements by retiring ships earlier than planned.

Congress also provided the Navy an additional $2.4 billion to cover the costs for 2 years of ship modernization, operations, and sustainment.

According to the witnesses' prepared testimony, the introduction of new payload capacity for SSNs is one of four cited rationales used to justify a decrease in the battle force requirement reduction from 313 to 306 ships.

Admiral Myers, does the current strategy include any margin for design or development challenges?

Secretary Stackley, what is the Navy's position on a proposal to authorize and appropriate an additional $825 million in fiscal year 2014 and authorize 2-year incremental funding for a 12th LPD-17-class vessel?

if ships have a certain service life that requires so many days per year at the pier for maintenance, how would rotating crews provide more presence per ship?

The fiscal year 2014 budget fully funded the SSBN(X) development effort. It does not repair the 2-year delay initiated in last year's budget.

Secretary Stackley, how would a delay in the design of the VPM impact the Navy's ability to move forward with production on block V in fiscal year 2019?

how might advance appropriations impact Navy flexibility if sequestration were not averted in fiscal year 2014?

Secretary Stackley, is the Navy currently assessing any plan to accelerate the construction of additional amphibious ships?

the Navy concluded that a fleet of 306 ships would be adequate to meet the range of worldwide requirements

Congress rejected the Navy's proposal last year to early retire seven cruisers.

Secretary Stackley, Congress provided $263 million for advanced procurement in fiscal year 2013 appropriations for a 12th LPD. What is the plan for the use of those funds?

So you are counting on a dramatic increase in shipbuilding request funding in the coming years?

The only problem here is that under intense questioning in past years, I asked whether these problems were envisioned, particularly in a new platform, moving in and out different modules.

some of us do expect those increases to be anticipated rather than just saying we had to add on those costs.

The President's budget for fiscal year 2014 on shipbuilding is a fantasy.