Overview
- Rear Adm. Pete Small took command of the Naval Sea Systems Command and Rear Adm. Todd Weeks became the interim Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Industrial Operations at a ceremony on Thursday, Aug. 6.
- Weeks now leads the Navy’s single accountable office for depot maintenance, with unified oversight of four public shipyards and seven regional maintenance centers charged with returning ships and submarines to the fleet on schedule.
- The PAE IO post was created in March 2026 to move roughly 70 percent of maintenance functions and personnel from legacy commands into empowered portfolio offices that make end-to-end decisions on cost, schedule, and performance.
- Vice Adm. James Downey, the inaugural PAE IO and outgoing NAVSEA commander, is retiring after 40 years and leaves gains credited to NAVSEA under his tenure, including faster submarine maintenance and fewer work stoppages and improved financial auditability.
- Leaders say the change aims to lock in those gains by driving discipline, transparency, and predictability across depots and shops, a shift that could shorten repair times, reduce unexpected work stoppages, and affect sailors waiting for ships to return to service.