GAO: the Navy's shipyard overhaul will top $200 billion and 50 years, yet it isn't regularly evaluated for cost, risk or performance.

Friends, Proverbs tells us to know well the condition of our flocks and give attention to our herds. A new Government Accountability Office report says the Navy is not doing that with one of the largest construction efforts in its history. Military Times reports that the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, launched in 2018 to fix poor conditions and capability gaps at the four public shipyards in Norfolk, Virginia; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Kittery, Maine; and Puget Sound, Washington, will exceed $200 billion and take more than 50 years to execute, yet it is not regularly evaluated for its costs, risks and performance. Those four yards keep the Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines in service, so nobody can afford to lose track of this one. The GAO warned the gap could lead Congress to make consequential decisions "based on incomplete information, thus risking billions in taxpayer dollars." The Navy provides reports and briefings, but nothing requires consolidated, standardized information on full program costs and risks, even though major defense acquisitions must file annual status reports with total costs, timelines and risks. The GAO recommended that Congress consider requiring annual, standardized SIOP status reports for the life of the program. It also made three recommendations to the Navy, including periodic reviews of the program's requirements and annual reviews of its readiness, affordability and sustainability. The Navy agreed with all three and outlined steps to carry them out. That is welcome, and it is still a promise, not a result. A program that will outlast many Congresses and administrations of both parties belongs to no party, so nobody gets to point across the aisle. Friends, ask your representative to require the annual reports the GAO recommends, and then to actually read them.