Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I think you certainly hear loud and clear, from the entire committee, that this kind of report is more than troublesome. This isn't a 6.9 or anything; absolutely no satisfactory performance has been made.
My real concern, as it goes back to 1983, is that the cultural change you mentioned is an endemic problem. I guess the overall question...and maybe I'll save that as the last question I have you answer.
We really need to know what is different today when this department has repeatedly come back, report after report, and said they were going to make it happen. The last year an action plan was actually submitted was 2002. What's going to be the difference today, over all the rest of those times, so that progress is really going to be made?
Before you answer that, as maybe a closing statement for my round, on pages 10 and 11 there's the sad tale of some seriously flawed maintenance. It not only cost millions and millions of dollars, but it also risked the lives of crew on these vessels. Is the maintenance scheduling--I'm hoping, actually, you're going to tell me that the manuals are in place—a key priority? Is making sure these vessels are kept up to date, not only mechanically but safety-wise out of concern for the crew, one of the key priorities in your plan going forward?