The establishment of the first DRPM-MIB reinforces the Department of the Navy’s commitment to work with industry and all other stakeholders to strengthen our national shipbuilding capacity.

“America has been a leading shipping and shipbuilding nation before, and the Navy is focused on restoring this vital strategic industry,” said Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, Nickolas Guertin.

The DRPM for MIB will play an instrumental role in realizing Secretary Del Toro’s vision to engage in a whole-of-government effort to rebuild the Nation’s comprehensive maritime power and position the Navy and industry to build the expanded surface and submarine fleet that is required to achieve our National Defense Strategy. Maritime statecraft encompasses not only naval diplomacy, but a national, whole-of-government effort to build comprehensive U.S. and allied maritime power – commercial and naval.

Building on the progress and achievements of the Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) and Surface Combatant Industrial Base (SCIB) programs, DPRM-MIB creates a cohesive organization focused on the health of the maritime industrial base centered on construction and sustainment.

The Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition assigned Frederick “Jay” Stefany to stand-up this organization, the first DRPM-MIB.

“Both as the Principal Civilian Deputy and as the longest-serving Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research Development and Acquisition, Jay Stefany has been at the forefront of developing the strategy and securing over $40B in industrial base investment to meet our submarine and ship building imperatives,” said Guertin. “He is exactly the right person to expand on those great efforts for the largest shipbuilding industry mobilization in the Department of Defense since World War II.”

DRPMs report directly to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition and develop a unified approach to the most critical strategic acquisition and sustainment initiatives within the Department while seeking innovations and unity to deliver integrated capability at speed and scale.

Dr. Brett Seidle will replace Jay Stefany as the Principal Civilian Deputy.

“I am very excited to have Brett in the role of Principal Civilian Deputy. He brings great positive energy to everything he does and has an extraordinary background in executive leadership of organizations, both in government and industry,” said Guertin.