Lawmakers call for clarification after probe reveals faulty welding on US Navy vessels

The US Congress, via the House Armed Services Committee, recently sent a letter to US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro calling for answers regarding reports that faulty welds may have been knowingly made to US Navy ships.

In its letter to Mr Del Toro, the committee said it is deeply concerning to learn that faulty welds may have been knowingly made to US Navy submarines and aircraft carriers.

"The safety of our sailors is our top concern, and we must immediately understand any risks associated with the faulty work," the committee members said.

The committee has also requested the Department of Defense (DOD) to provide answers and a plan for how both the Department of the Navy and Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division will protect US Navy vessels against knowingly faulty work.

This action came in the wake of HII's recent conduct of an internal review, which found that workers at NNS had not been applying the correct welding techniques on the ships being built.

HII told USNI News that it found no evidence that the faulty welds were done with any malicious intent. However, the company assured it will not tolerate any actions that would compromise the quality of the ships it is tasked with delivering to the navy.

The committee members said that while the Department of Justice is reportedly investigating, they want to understand the scope of the problem. The committee has therefore called on the DOD and the Department of the Navy to supply the requested answers no later than October 11, 2024.