CAPITO QUESTIONS NAVY, MARINE LEADERS ON BUDGET, U.S. MANUFACTURING AND STOCKPILES

Press Release

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today questioned the Secretary of the U.S. Navy Carlos Del Toro, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday, and Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps General David Berger on the Navy and Marine Corps budget request for FY2024.

During the hearing, Senator Capito asked about the importance of solid rocket motors that are manufactured in West Virginia, the state of American munitions stockpiles, and the devastating impact of fentanyl on members of the U.S. military.

HIGHLIGHTS:

IMPORTANCE OF WEST VIRGINIA MANUFACTURING: "Over the past year, you and other defense leaders have spoken about the urgent need to increase production, particularly in munitions to replenish our stockpiles and be ready for future contingencies. In particular, solid rocket motors are a critical component in our precision guided munitions, and we need to increase our capacity. I'm proud that some of these solid rocket motors, for many of our critical munitions, are made from a Navy owned facility in the state of West Virginia…Mr. Secretary, how important is the production of the solid rocket motors to our national security objectives and readiness?"

U.S. STOCKPILES: "Let me ask you this -- is the impact of this anything to do with the munitions that we've sent to Ukraine? Are we stockpiling enough there, or is it just hard to keep up with the production? Which one of those would be true? Could you speak to this, the importance of stockpiles and where you see that right now?"

FENTANYL CRISIS: "Let me ask you a question on fentanyl use in the Navy and Marine Corps. It's a national problem. It's reflected in your force. I understand between the years 2017 to 2021, 332 of our men and women in uniform succumbed to an overdose. Are you all focusing on this in the Marine Corps?"

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