CNO briefed on shipyard operations during his command visit to PSNS & IMF

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy John J. Perryman visited Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility, June 3, as part of their visit to the Pacific Northwest region. While at PSNS & IMF, the team discussed several key projects and initiatives including multi-million-dollar infrastructure improvements, investments in emerging technologies and innovations; and they took a tour of Dry Docks 3 and 4.

Capt. JD Crinklaw, commander, PSNS & IMF, greeted Caudle and Perryman upon their arrival outside Building 850, along with Cmdr. Anthony Oxendine, deputy shipyard commander, and Master Chief Shelly Williams, PSNS & IMF command master chief.

“This high-level visit emphasizes the critical nature of our work to support naval operations and strengthen military readiness,” Crinklaw said. “This is a pivotal point in the history of the shipyard. We are experiencing unprecedented growth in our operational tempo, and hosting the CNO and MCPON reinforces the significance of the work we do here, and the importance of investing in our people, programs and processes.”

The afternoon visit included Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program tours of Dry Docks 3 and 4, and stops at Buildings 431, 850 and 857, where the CNO was briefed on the command’s emerging technologies, including Model Lines and artificial intelligence.

In a recent C-NOte, Caudle referred to ‘Excellence Ashore.’

“The Foundry is the bedrock of our naval power,” he wrote. “Our ability to project force, sustain combat operations, and win our Nation’s wars begins not at sea, but ashore—at the pier, on the flightline, in the shipyard, and at the gates of our installations. Our shore enterprise generates the readiness, capacity, and endurance that makes maritime dominance possible. Ships, aircraft, and weapons do not become combat power on their own. They are built, trained, maintained, supplied, and made ready by the Foundry. If we are to fight and win, we must demand excellence not only in the Fleet, but across every installation that generates it.”