§ 8693 — Biennial Report On Shipbuilder Training And The Defense Industrial Base

(a) Not later than February 1 of each even-numbered year until 2026, the Secretary of the Navy, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives a report on shipbuilder training and hiring requirements necessary to achieve the Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan and to maintain the shipbuilding readiness of the defense industrial base. Each such report shall include each of the following: (1) An analysis and estimate of the time and investment required for new shipbuilders to gain proficiency in particular shipbuilding occupational specialties, including detailed information about the occupational specialty requirements necessary for construction of naval surface ship and submarine classes to be included in the Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan. (2) An analysis of the age demographics and occupational experience level (measured in years of experience) of the shipbuilding defense industrial workforce. (3) An analysis of the potential time and investment challenges associated with developing and retaining shipbuilding skills in organizations that lack intermediate levels of shipbuilding experience. (4) Recommendations concerning how to address shipbuilder training during periods of demographic transition and evolving naval fleet architecture consistent with the Navy’s most recent Integrated Force Structure Assessment. (5) An analysis of whether emerging technologies, such as augmented reality, may aid in new shipbuilder training. (6) Recommendations concerning how to encourage young adults to enter the defense shipbuilding industry and to develop the skills necessary to support the shipbuilding defense industrial base. (7) An analysis of the potential benefits of multi-year procurement contracting for the stability of the shipbuilding defense industrial base. (b) In order to carry out subsection (a)(2), the Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of Labor shall— (1) solicit information regarding the age demographics and occupational experience level from the private shipyards of the shipbuilding defense industrial base; and (2) analyze such information for findings relevant to carrying out subsection (a)(2), including findings related to the current and projected defense shipbuilding workforce, current and projected labor needs, and the readiness of the current and projected workforce to supply the proficiencies analyzed in subsection (a)(1).