House Armed Services subcommittee on readiness Archives

Marine Corps IG Removed, ‘Counseled’ for Failures as 1st MARDIV CO Following Fatal AAV Sinking Investigation

9 June 2021

Maj. Gen. Robert Castellvi

The Marine Corps inspector general – who last month was suspended from the role as the service’s watchdog – won’t be returning to the job after Gen. David Berger last week formally “counseled” him for his “failure” to properly train and evaluate a platoon whose amphibious assault vehicle sank during a training exercise off southern California last summer.

Maj. Gen. Robert Castellvi was in command of the 22,000-member 1st Marine Division when the 26-ton AAV sank July 30,...

https://news.usni.org/2021/06/09/marine-corps-ig-removed-counseled-for-failures-as-1st-mardiv-co-following-fatal-aav-sinking-investigation

Marine Corps Suspends General Over Deadly AAV Accident, Lawmaker Wants Answers on Navy’s Role in Incident

3 May 2021

Maj. Gen. Robert Castellvi

The Marine Corps recently suspended a two-star general as it continues an investigation into last year’s fatal Amphibious Assault Vehicle accident that left eight Marines and one sailor dead.

During a hearing in front of the House Armed Services readiness subcommittee today, Marine Corps assistant commandant Lt. Gen. Gary Thomas told lawmakers that Maj. Gen. Robert Castellvi, who recently became the service’s inspector general, had been suspended. Castellvi led the 1st...

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/03/marine-corps-suspends-general-over-deadly-aav-accident-lawmaker-wants-answers-on-navys-role-in-incident

House Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Save Navy’s INSURV Reports

16 April 2021

Chief Warrant Officer Glen Spitnale, an inspector from the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV), speaks to Operations Specialist 2nd Class Garland Sebastian aboard USS Cole (DDG-67) on Dec. 5, 2017. US Navy Photo

Two House lawmakers on Friday introduced legislation that, if passed, would keep the long-standing independent report on Navy ships going in perpetuity.

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) – the vice ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee and ranking member of the HASC seapower and...

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/16/house-lawmakers-introduce-bill-to-save-navys-insurv-reports

Navy Considers Reversing Course on Arleigh Burke-Class Life Extension

12 March 2020

Guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) transits the Atlantic Ocean. Aug. 30, 2018 US Navy Photo

The search for future budget savings to apply to shipbuilding has the Navy considering scrapping a plan to extend the life of the fleet’s oldest Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, the service’s top systems buyer told lawmakers Thursday.

Members of the House Armed Services subcommittee on readiness wanted a recently formulated plan to possibly retire 27 Flight I and Flight II...

https://news.usni.org/2020/03/12/navy-considers-reversing-course-on-arleigh-burke-class-life-extension

Lawmakers Cooling on F-35 Multi-Year Production Contracts

13 November 2019

Cpl. Kendal Parish and Sgt. Arben Kupa, both Airframe Mechanics from Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, reinstall a panel of an F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter after maintenance aboard the USS Wasp, May 24, 2015.

CAPITOL HILL – Lawmakers said Wednesday they’re unlikely to authorize the Pentagon to award a coveted multi-year contract to build F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters unless the program solves such problems as chronic shortages of spare parts that often wear out...

https://news.usni.org/2019/11/13/lawmakers-cooling-on-f-35-multi-year-production-contracts

Lawmakers Want Navy to Take New Look at Destroyer Hybrid Electric Drive

5 June 2019

The guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG 103) departs Naval Station Norfolk for a scheduled deployment. US Navy Photo

Pushing the military to become more energy efficient is an emerging theme of the House Armed Services Committee Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. For the Navy, this means taking a second look at installing hybrid electric drive systems on Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers.

Wednesday morning, the House Armed Services subcommittee on readiness...

https://news.usni.org/2019/06/05/lawmakers-want-navy-to-take-new-look-destroyer-hybrid-electric-drive-program