Hung Cao taps civilian to stand up Navy industrial base office

Within the Defense Department’s ongoing efforts to revitalize the industrial supply chain across the military branches, the U.S. Navy announced it is standing up a new defense industrial base office to “expand the domestic manufacturing ecosystem, mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities, and integrate dual-use commercial technologies to enhance the lethality of the Navy-Marine Corps team,” according to a Monday release.

Andrew Magliochetti, who previously served as the director of the Navy’s Office of Small Business Programs, was tapped by Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao to become the first deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for the defense industrial base.

As the principal civilian advisor to William F. Mahan, the assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, Magliochetti is “charged with driving the revitalization of the maritime industrial base, fostering supply chain resilience, and accelerating the transition of innovative technologies from the private sector to the Fleet,” according to the release.

Magliochetti is tasked with expanding the at times sluggish shipbuilding and U.S. manufacturing and mitigating “supply chain vulnerabilities” that have plagued the Navy in recent decades.

Last March, the Government Accountability Office released a report detailing nearly two decades of lackluster progress in U.S. shipbuilding. According to the GAO, not enough ships have been built, newly constructed ships are failing to function as expected and ships are being delivered up to three years later than ordered.

Overall, the service aims to increase its number of ships dramatically, according to President Donald Trump’s $1.5 trillion fiscal 2027 defense budget.

The document states that the Navy currently has over 290 battle force ships, though Navy requirements by law call for 355. The service intends to have 395 vessels in fiscal 2027 and 450 vessels by the end of fiscal 2031.

“I am deeply honored to serve as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for the Defense Industrial Base,” said Magliochetti. “An agile, secure industrial base is the cornerstone of our combat readiness. I am committed to accelerating the delivery of resilient supply chains and cutting-edge, dual-use technologies directly into the hands of our warfighters to ensure our sailors and Marines are ready for any high-end fight.”