§8693 Biennial Report on Shipbuilder Training and the Defense Industrial Base

Summary

Require the Secretary of the Navy, working with the Secretary of Labor, to send a report by February 1 of every even-numbered year through 2026 to four congressional committees: the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the House Armed Services Committee, and the House Education and Labor Committee. Each report must explain what training and hiring are needed so the Navy can meet its 30-year shipbuilding plan and keep shipbuilding ready. The report must say how long and how much it takes for new shipbuilders to become skilled in key shipbuilding jobs for the ships and submarines in the 30-year plan; describe the workforce’s ages and years of experience; note problems for firms that lack mid-level experience; give training recommendations for times of changing workforce demographics and changing ship plans (consistent with the Navy’s most recent Integrated Force Structure Assessment); study whether new tools like augmented reality can help training; suggest ways to attract and train young adults; and analyze whether multiyear contracts would help keep the shipbuilding industry stable. To study ages and experience, the two secretaries must ask private shipyards for data and analyze current and projected workforce, labor needs, and readiness to provide the needed skills.