‘IT’S THE LAW’: In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that had more than its share of confrontational exchanges, no moment was more heated than when Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) blew his top over the failure of the Navy’s shipbuilding plan to meet the goals mandated by a provision of the NDAA law that passed the committee unanimously.

In particular, Sullivan grilled Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro about the failure of the Biden budget plan to include funding for a 31st amphibious assault ship, a requirement that Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger testified is absolutely vital to maintaining a forward presence in the Pacific to deter China.