TESTIMONY
OF
THE HONORABLE JOHN J. YOUNG, JR.
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
(RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND ACQUISITION)
AND
VADM JOHN B. NATHMAN
DEPUTY CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
WARFARE REQUIREMENTS AND PROGRAMS
AND
VADM JAMES C. DAWSON
DEPUTY CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
RESOURCES, REQUIREMENTS AND ASSESSMENTS
AND
LTGEN EDWARD HANLON JR.
DEPUTY COMMANDANT FOR COMBAT DEVELOPMENT
AND
RADM JAY M. COHEN
CHIEF OF NAVAL RESEARCH
BEFORE THE
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
PROJECTION FORCES SUBCOMMITTEE
REGARDING
THE FISCAL YEAR 2005 NATIONAL DEFENSE
AUTHORIZATION BUDGET REQUEST -
NAVY/MARINE CORPS TRANSITION PROGRAMS
March 11, 2004
Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of the Subcommittee, thank you for this opportunity to appear before you to discuss the Department of the Navy's Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 Acquisition and RDT&E programs.
Your Navy and Marine Corps Team's outstanding performance in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) and Operations ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF) and IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF) last year underscored the high return on your investment in our combat readiness, our people, and our unique maritime warfighting capabilities. Your return on investment included the lift for 94 percent of the nation's joint warfighting capability. It demonstrated the latest technology in surveillance, command and control and persistent attack operating from sovereign US territory and exploiting the vast maneuver space provided by the sea.
Your Future Navy
The GWOT, OIF and OEF demonstrated the enormous contributions Naval forces make to the effectiveness of joint and coalition forces. We expect some of the challenges faced in OIF to recur and multiply in the coming years. For example, we expect to encounter and have to overcome political and military area denial strategies. Further, military anti-access technologies, such as missiles and weapons of mass destruction, will proliferate and play a greater role than they have in the past.
Analyses of these conflicts indicate that the joint and naval transformational war fighting concepts, capabilities, technologies and procedures we are pursuing in our Naval Power 21 vision are on the right vector. To this end we have embraced a capabilities-based approach to forming the Navy of tomorrow that, with your help, will enable us.
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To achieve greater operational employability,
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To strike persistently with increased speed, reach, and precise lethality from more distributed formations,
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To provide a multi-dimensional defensive shield buttressed by penetrating surveillance around joint forces, allies, and our homeland,
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To exploit our asymmetric advantage to operate jointly from an independent, mobile, sustainable, secure sea base; and,
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To network fully from seabed to space within the distributed Joint Force.
To achieve these goals transformation must embrace more than new systems. Emerging operational concepts, processes and organizations will help transform the capability of America's 21st century naval services in a way that exploits asymmetric maritime advantages to provide unique and complimentary sea based warfighting capabilities to Joint Force Commanders.
Developing Transformational Joint Seabasing Capabilities
The Naval Power 21 vision defines the capabilities that the 21st Century Navy will deliver. Our overarching transformational operating concept is Seabasing; a national capability, for projecting and sustaining naval power and joint forces that assures joint access by leveraging the operational maneuver of sovereign, distributed, and networked forces operating globally from the sea. Seabasing unites our capabilities for projecting offensive power, defensive power, command and control, mobility and sustainment around the world. It will enable commanders to generate high tempo operational maneuver by making use of the sea as a means of gaining advantage.
Sea Shield is the projection of layered defensive power. It seeks maritime superiority to assure access, and to project defense overland.
Sea Strike is the projection of precise and persistent offensive power. It leverages persistence, precision, stealth, and new force packaging concepts to increase operational tempo and reach. It includes strikes by air, missiles, and by maneuver by Marine Air Ground Task Forces (MAGTF) supported by sea based air and long-range gunfires.
Sea Base is the projection of operational independence. It provides the Joint Force Commander the capability to retain command and control and logistics at mobile, secure locations at sea and enables Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare.
FORCEnet is the operational construct and architectural framework for naval warfare in the joint, information age. It integrates warriors, sensors, networks, command and control, platforms and weapons into a networked, distributed combat system.
As a means of accelerating our investment in Naval Power 21, we employ the Naval Capability Development Process (NCDP) and Expeditionary Force Development System (EFDS). The Naval Capability Development Process and EFDS take a concepts-to-capabilities approach to direct investment to achieve future warfighting wholeness. The NCDP takes a sea-based, offensive approach that provides power projection and access with distributed and networked forces featuring unmanned and off board nodes with penetrating surveillance via pervasive sensing and displaying that rapidly deliver precision effects. The EFDS assesses, analyzes and integrates MAGTF warfighting concepts, and requirements in a Naval and joint context to support the overarching operational concept of Joint Seabasing. Both processes are designed to incorporate innovative products of Service and Joint Concept Development and Experimentation (CD&E) and Science and Technology (S&T) efforts.
The FY 2005 budget request reflects the investments that will most improve our warfighting capability by developing and investing in future sea-based and expeditionary capabilities for the Navy and Marine Corps. We will briefly describe innovative concepts that improve our employability then address transformation of our capability pillars by describing some of the key surface and subsurface enablers. We will then highlight the S&T and CD&E developments that ensure continued transformation now and well into the future.
TRANSFORMATION IN OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS
The Navy has begun to experiment with innovative operational concepts that seek to improve the employability of naval forces - both those deployed and those ready to surge. The Global Concept of Operations (Global CONOPs) nearly doubles the number of deployable strike groups by 'repackaging' existing formations. The Fleet Response Plan (FRP) modifies maintenance and training practices for Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) and increases the percentage of time that they are employable - whether forward deployed or ready to surge when needed. The Flexible Deployment Concept allows units that have attained high readiness to embark on deployments of varied duration in support of specific national priorities instead of solely in predictable, lock step, 6-month deployments. This new construct leverages the gains attained from FRP to allow for peacetime deployments that provide "presence with a purpose" or specific warfighting assignments, when necessary.
TRANSFORMATION IN CAPABILITIES
SEA SHIELD
ARLEIGH BURKE (DDG 51) Class Destroyer
The FY 2005 Budget request includes $3.445 billion for the procurement of the final three ARLEIGH BURKE (DDG 51) Class destroyers. These ships are part of a 10 ship, FY 2002 through FY 2005 Multi Year Procurement (MYP) contract awarded in 2002, which finalized the DDG procurement profile and sustains our industry partners until we transition to DD(X) production.
TICONDEROGA (CG 47) Cruiser Modernization Plan
The FY 2005 Budget request includes $166 million for systems that will add new mission capabilities and extend the combat system service life of the TICONDEROGA (CG 47) Class. The upgrade of these ships will add new, and enhance existing, combat system capabilities to improve compatibility in joint and coalition warfare environments. Furthermore, these improvements will upgrade the quality of life for our Sailors and lower the operating costs for those ships.
Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)
The LCS will be a networked, agile, mission focused, stealthy surface combatant with capabilities optimized for responsiveness to threats in the littorals. LCS will utilize core onboard sensors and weapons combined with reconfigurable mission packages employing manned and unmanned vehicles and modular sensors and weapons to execute assigned tasks and operate as a node in a network centric battle force. Primary missions for the ship will include littoral Mine Warfare, littoral Surface Warfare and littoral Anti Submarine Warfare to ensure access of friendly forces in littoral regions. The LCS program awarded contracts to three industry teams in July 2003. The FY 2005 Budget request includes $352 million of RDT&E funding for LCS platform and mission system development and initial ship procurement. The LCS spiral development acquisition strategy will support construction of multiple flights of focused mission ships and mission packages with progressive capability improvements. Flight 0 is comprised of four ships, with the first ship requested for authorization in FY 2005 using RDT&E, N funds with detail design and construction commencing in FY 2005. Mission modules will deliver in support of the Flight 0 seaframe delivery in FY 2007. Flight 0 will develop and demonstrate several new approaches to Naval warfare including suitability of large-scale modular mission technologies and new operational concepts in the littoral. The industry teams submitted their proposals for final system design and detail design and construction phase in January 2004. The down select to one or two teams for final system design and detail design and construction of Flight 0 is anticipated in late Spring 2004.
VIRGINIA (SSN 774) Class Attack Submarines
With current construction progressing on schedule, the FY 2005 Budget request includes $2.5 billion for the seventh ship, advance procurement for the eight and ninth ships of the VIRGINIA Class, and Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) material procurement for the eighth, ninth, and tenth VIRGINIA Class submarines. There are a total of ten VIRGINIA Class submarines under contract. This year's ship will be the second ship in the five-ship MYP. This MYP contracting approach provides the Navy savings of $80M per ship for a total savings of $400M compared to "block buy" procurement. These ships will continue to be built under the teaming approach adopted by Congress in 1998, which maintains two capable nuclear submarine shipbuilders. In accordance with FY 2004 Congressional direction, procurement of two VIRGINIA Class submarines per year is delayed until FY 2009.
Submarine Technology Development and Insertion
This program is comprised of Advanced Submarine System Development (ASSD) and VIRGINIA Class Technology Insertion RDT&E and SCN funding lines. ASSD develops and demonstrates the most promising submarine transformational technologies for rapid incorporation into fleet units, including combat systems, payloads and sensors. Its focus is SEA TRIAL and the three warfighting pillars of SEA POWER 21, including capabilities to gain and sustain battle force access, develop and share knowledge, deter conflict, counter weapons of mass destruction and project power with surprise.
Cobra Judy
The Navy successfully contracted with industry to develop and build a replacement for the aging Cobra Judy surveillance platform. Working in partnership with industry and leveraging Missile Defense Agency investments in radar technology, the Navy developed an innovative strategy which accelerated the acquisition of this essential capability while also creating the possibility to leverage the Cobra Judy program to create a competition for the radar for the Navy's future cruiser, CG(X).
Missile Defense
A viable Regional and Terminal sea based ballistic missile defense system is important to ensure the safety of U.S. forces and the flow of U.S. forces through foreign ports and air fields when required. Sea based missile defense can also allow us to assist allies and friends deterring coercion and threats. Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (ABMD) continues its development and testing and will support Initial Defensive Operations beginning in September 2004, with surveillance and track capability in the Command and Control, Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC) and regional missile defense engagement capability in FY 2005. Since November 2002, ABMD had two of three successful intercepts in Flight Mission 4 and Flight Mission 6. The Navy has commenced a process to determine the best long-term solution to meet its sea based terminal requirements.
MDA has approached the Navy to begin a feasibility study to examine intermediate and long-term options for providing a sea based boost phase kinetic energy interceptor.
Advanced Deployable System (ADS)
The ADS utilizes an off board distributed sensor field to detect submarines. Plans are to deploy ADS from LCS as a component of the LCS Littoral Anti Submarine Warfare capability. Current efforts focus on testing ADS array performance and preparation for at-sea testing of LCS deployment and data transmission concepts.
Organic Airborne Mine Countermeasures
The FY 2005 Budget requests funding for a variety of airborne mine countermeasure systems that will be employed by the MH-60S helicopter as an organic capability within the Navy's strike groups. Specific systems are:
- AN/AQS-20A Advanced Mine Hunting Sonar and the Airborne Mine Neutralization System (AMNS) are being developed to counter deeper moored mines and visible bottom mines. The Navy is requesting $4.8 million for the AN/AQS-20A to complete system developmental testing, initiate and complete operational testing and award a contract for six AN/AQS-20A systems. The budget request also includes $15.6M for AMNS to conduct contractor testing, complete system developmental testing and reach Milestone C.
- The AN/AES-1 Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) and the AN/AWS-2 Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System (RAMICS) are being developed to counter near surface and floating mines. The Navy is requesting $3.5 million to complete operational testing and $21.4 million for four ALMDS LRIP units. The Navy also requests $14.1 million to complete contractor testing and commencement of developmental testing of RAMICS.
- The Organic Airborne and Surface Influence Sweep (OASIS) will counter influence mines that may not be found using other mine hunting systems. The Navy is requesting $11.2 million for delivery of three Engineering Development Models (EDM) and the completion of development testing.
Additionally, I have established a Mine Countermeasures Executive Committee comprised of senior Navy leadership. They meet at least semiannually to ensure a focused effort in Acquisition and Technology Development is maintained to enable the concepts of Sea Shield and Sea Strike as part of Sea Power 21 and Marine Corps Strategy 21, but also to provide assured access in the 21st Century for our Joint Forces.
Long-term Mine Reconnaissance System (LMRS)
Consistent with the Navy's current Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) Master Plan, development of the LMRS-- a fully autonomous, UUV utilizing high performance sonar to investigate potentially mined waters continues. The follow-on effort to develop a Mission Reconfigurable Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (MRUUV) will maximize commonality between the two systems. A formal review is underway to update the UUV Master Plan to reflect changes in priorities, requirements, and emerging technologies.
Remote Mine hunting System (RMS)
The RMS is being developed as an unmanned semi-submersible vehicle to deploy from surface combatants and operate remotely over-the-horizon. This provides a new capability for organic mine hunting. Current efforts focus on qualification testing for the system into the DDG-51 Flight IIA ships (Hulls 91 through 96) and technical evaluation. We are also exploring the multi-mission potential of the RMS as one of the systems for our LCS mine countermeasures mission module development.
Standard Missile
The FY 2005 President's Budget requests $49.2M for Standard Missile upgrades. The Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM), tentatively designated SM-6, will add an extended range, overland cruise missile defense capability. The Navy's recommended strategy, based on a market analysis, is to pursue a sole-source acquisition through Raytheon Missile Systems. This low-risk approach relying on Non-Developmental Items will support an FY 2010 IOC. This approach will utilize the existing production active seeker from AMRAAM Phase III, utilize the existing production airframe from the Standard Missile-2 Block IV, leverage multi-service investments in future technology growth path, and leverage existing production infrastructures and workforces.
Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS)
The SDTS is a ship that can be unmanned and remotely operated for intercept testing inside safety limitations that prevent testing against manned civilian or Fleet assets. The SDTS provides combat testing in an at-sea environment on a ship against representative targets. Since becoming operational in October 1994, the ex-USS DECATUR has tested systems such as Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) Block 1, Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) Block 1A and 1B, Ship Self Defense System (SSDS), NATO SEASPARROW Missile System, and the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM). The savings of commissioned warship time and manpower has been substantial. Recently, the DECATUR has been replaced by the ex-USS PAUL F. FOSTER. The FOSTER is currently being converted to a test ship and will be operational in FY 2005. The FY 2005 President's Budget requests $11.0M to support the SDTS and continue testing aboard.
Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS)
The FY 2005 President's Budget requests $45.2M to continue SSDS development. The SSDS is designed to expedite the detect-through-engage process on amphibious ships and aircraft carriers against anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs). SSDS consists of software and commercial off-the-shelf hardware and is intended to integrate sensor systems with engagement systems. Activity during FY 2003 focused on further definition of the overall Mk2 test and evaluation program, work on a Test and Evaluation Master Plan (TEMP) for Mk 2, and engineering and development testing of the Mod 1 version at the Ship Combat Systems Center, Wallops Island, VA and on board USS REAGAN.
Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM)
The RAM program provides surface ships with a low-cost, lightweight, self-defense system to defeat anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs). The United States and the Federal Republic of Germany jointly developed and support RAM. Combined Developmental Test/Operational Test (DT/OT) started in June 2003, and extended into FY 2004, using the existing SDTS to ensure operationally realistic tests for determining that RAM with the new Helicopter-Air-Surface (HAS) software retained capability against ASCMs and to carry out follow-on testing from the FY 1999 operational evaluation. The FY 2005 President's Budget requests $47.4M to procure 90 Block 1 missiles.
Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM)
The ESSM is a kinematic upgrade to the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missile which provides self protection for surface ships against current and future Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM) threats. It was developed to balance total system effectiveness against the low-altitude and supersonic ASCM threat. ESSM is an international cooperative development and production effort that includes 12 participating governments. OPEVAL was successfully completed April 2003 in USS SHOUP, an Aegis equipped destroyer. All of the testing was conducted at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division sea range at Point Mugu, CA. COMOPTEVFOR has assessed ESSM as operationally suitable and effective against representatives ASCM threats and recommended ESSM for fleet introduction. The ESSM program was approved for full rate production in January 2004. The FY 2005 President's Budget requested $80.3M, which supports the Full Rate Production contract award of 71 missiles.
SEA
STRIKE
DD(X) Destroyer
The FY 2005 Budget request includes $1,432 million in RDT&E funds for DD(X) with $221 million for lead ship detail design and construction. The Navy is two years into the competitively awarded DD(X) design and technology development effort. The winning contractor has organized a National Team of industry experts to achieve the most innovative and cost-effective solutions for development of the DD(X) through spiral development of technologies and engineering, with promising systems being employed on existing platforms and other future ship classes. DD(X) will dramatically improve naval surface fire support capabilities available for MAGTF, joint and coalition forces. Planned technologies, such as integrated power system and total ship computing environment in an open architecture, will provide more affordable future ship classes in terms of both construction and operation. In a noteworthy partnership with industry, the Navy shifted the DD(X) volume search radar to S-band, providing increased capability and the future potential to support missile defense operations.
SSGN
The FY 2005 Budget requests $517 million of procurement funding for the conversion of the third OHIO Class submarine, and the Engineered Refueling Overhaul of the fourth and final submarine to be converted to SSGN. When completed, these submarines will provide transformational warfighting capability carrying up to 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and support deployed special operating forces. The four SSGN conversions will be executed utilizing a public-private partnership conducting the work in Naval Shipyards, and are scheduled for delivery in FY 2007.
Tactical Tomahawk
The FY 2005 Budget requests $256.2M for 293 missiles, an increase of $64 million and 75 missiles over the amount projected for FY 2005 in the FY 2004 budget. Tactical Tomahawk represents a tremendous improvement over the successful Block III Tomahawk cruise missile. The state-of-the-art components allow reduced response time, multiple pre-planned outcomes, and improved lethality and navigation improvements through innovations in manufacturing and production techniques. We have committed to replenish our precision-guided munitions inventories and we will utilize a multi-year acquisition strategy to maximize the quantity of Tomahawk missiles procured. The Full Rate Production decision is on track for June 2004. Additionally, we are in the final stages of our second remanufacture program; converting all available older Tomahawk airframes to the latest Block III configuration. This effort will be complete in May of this year and will yield an additional 456 missiles.
Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV)
The EFV will join the MV-22 and the LCAC as an integral component of the amphibious triad required for executing Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare. The EFV remains the Marine Corps' number one ground acquisition priority. The Department intends to procure 1,013 vehicles with IOC planned for FY 2008. The EFV is currently proceeding in the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase with nine second-generation prototypes being assembled. Additionally, developmental testing continues on earlier produced program definition and risk reduction prototypes as well as the SDD vehicles. The FY 2005 RDT&E Budget requests $236.9 million for a robust developmental test program for the nine vehicles.
Lightweight LW-155 Howitzer (M 777)
The M 777 is a Joint USMC/Army 155mm towed artillery system that will replace the current M198. The Marine Corps intends to procure a total of 380 howitzers with IOC in FY 2005. The M 777 is currently in its second year of Low Rate Initial Production for the Marine Corps and the FY 2005 budget request includes $175.4 million to procure 97 guns, while the Army's budget request includes $37 million for its initial 18 production guns. The FY 2005 Budget request includes a request for MYP authority.
Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR)
The seven-ton class MTVR offers a dramatic increase in both on- and off-road payload capacity. The Marine Corps intends to procure 6,393 trucks with full rate production ongoing. Dump and wrecker variants will be bought out in full rate production through 2005. The Seabees will also buy a fleet of MTVR variants through an innovative use of the Marine Corps' existing contract.
SEA BASE
CVN 21 Class
NIMITZ Class
Refueling and Complex Overhauls (RCOH) provide a bridge between maintaining current readiness requirements and preparing the platform for future readiness initiatives in support of Sea Power 21 by leveraging developing technologies from other programs and platforms that support RCOH planning and production schedules for advantageous insertion during this major recapitalization effort.
The Navy negotiated a modification to the RCOH contract for USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) in December 2003. The renegotiated contract provides incentives for Northrop Grumman Newport News (NGNN) and the Navy team to work together to manage the completion of this complex availability. The Navy and NGNN created a better incentive contract structure to contain cost risk and maintain schedule. It is expected that this improved acquisition model will be used in future contracts for aircraft carrier construction and overhaul. USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER overhaul is scheduled to complete by November 2004.
The USS CARL VINSON (CVN 70) RCOH start was delayed one year to November 2005. USS CARL VINSON will remain available for operations until Summer 2005. This added availability enables the Navy to maintain a flexible defense posture and, at the same time, bring increased capability to project credible, persistent Naval combat power globally. Other advantages for the move included maintaining a balanced and stabilized industrial base for Navy ship maintenance in both public and private yards and providing additional near-term funding for ongoing recapitalization efforts. The FY 2005 Budget request includes $333 million in advance procurement funding for the USS CARL VINSON overhaul.
Lastly, the Navy commissioned USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN 76) in July 2003, and laid the keel for GEORGE H. W. BUSH (CVN 77) in September 2003.
MPF(F)
Most prominent in highlighting the value and power of the nation's naval expeditionary capability was the Marine Corps' participation in OIF. Success in this operation was due to our naval dominance, our expeditionary nature, and our flexibility and adaptability to defeat the challenges posed by enemy threats. Among other naval assets, eleven strategically located Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF) ships were unloaded in 16 days to provide the equipment and sustainment required for two Marine Expeditionary Brigades. Exploiting the operational speed, reach, and inherent flexibility of sea power, the Navy-Marine Corps team achieved a rapid buildup of sustained warfighting power that was combat ready to support US Central Command.
We continue to revolutionize this invaluable capability. We are currently in the process of analyzing potential platform replacements. The Analysis of Alternatives for MPF(F) is complete. Current guidance requires MPF(F) to provide the combatant commander highly flexible operational and logistics support for missions projecting power ashore from a sea base, or during independent operations. Unlike current pre-positioning ships, MPF(F) will greatly improve our forces' flexibility by allowing sea based assembly, projection and sustainment operations that are fully interoperable with amphibious ships and other Naval and joint forces. MPF(F) represents the link between forward deployed forces and their reach-back bases both in CONUS and overseas, and will be a crucial element to Enhanced Networked Seabasing both for Naval and joint forces. Unlike any other prepositioning ship, the MPF(F) will not be reliant on a port facility, greatly reducing our dependence on international support. The ability to rapidly close , employ, and sustain a large force dramatically increase the flexibility and utility of the seabased force and present the Combatant Commander with more response options than ever before. A formal report of the results is expected in Spring 2004.
Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC)
Our fleet LCACs saw dramatically increased operational tempo supporting worldwide operations during the past year, underscoring the need for the LCAC Service Life Extension Program (SLEP). The program, designed to extend the service life of LCACs to 30 years, had several notable accomplishments during the past year: LCAC 25 delivered on time in November 2003, and LCAC 2 delivered on time in February 2004. We awarded a contract to Textron Marine and Land Systems New Orleans for the FY 2002 and 2003 SLEPs (six craft total) in December 2002 and all craft are currently on schedule. The award of the FY 2004 contract for four craft is anticipated in the second quarter of FY 2004. The FY 2005 Budget request includes $90 million for SLEP of five craft. We are continuing with our revised acquisition strategy to refurbish vice replace the buoyancy boxes and will competitively select the FY 2005 SLEP work. The revised acquisition strategy will deliver the required LCAC capability and service life while providing a cost savings of $104 million through the FYDP for the program.
LPD 17
The SAN ANTONIO (LPD 17) Class of amphibious transport dock ships represents a critical element of the Navy and Marine Corps future in expeditionary warfare. The FY 2005 Budget request includes $966 million to fully fund the construction of the seventh ship. Four additional LPD 17s are included in the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP), with the final ship of the 12-ship Class planned beyond the FYDP. The FY 2005 Budget request reflects rephasing of one ship from FY 2006 to FY 2005 that will result in a more efficient workload profile as well as a total FYDP savings of approximately $40M. Lead ship detail design is complete, lead ship fabrication is approximately 85% complete, and the lead ship was launched and christened in July 2003. Current efforts are focused on managing schedule and cost. LPD 18 construction began in February 2002. LPD 19/20 construction commenced in July 2001 and October 2002, respectively. We awarded the contract for LPD 21 in November 2003, named NEW YORK to honor the victims of the World Trade Center attack, and plan to award the contract for LPD 22 in 3Q FY 2004.
LHD 8
In accordance with Congressional direction to incrementally fund LHD 8, the FY 2005 Budget requests $236M for continued construction. LHD 8 will be the first big deck amphibious ship that will be powered by gas turbine propulsion, and all of its auxiliary systems will rely on electrical power rather than steam. This change is expected to realize significant lifecycle cost savings. The ship, recently named MAKIN ISLAND, had its keel laying ceremony on February 14, 2004.
LHA(R)
The FY 2005 Budget requests $44.2 million in R&D for LHA(R). LHA(R) concept designs are being evaluated within the context of Joint Seabasing and power projection. Lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan suggest we should maximize the air capability of this ship while leveraging the design requirements made to LHD-8. These lessons are consistent with efforts over the past year on Joint Forcible Entry Operations capabilities and will be part of future joint sea basing efforts. This ship will be the centerpiece of the Expeditionary Strike Group, a contributor to the Expeditionary Strike Force, and will carry expeditionary warfare through the middle of this century. The ship will leverage the future Sea Based environment and greatly enhance command and control capabilities and at sea training for embarked forces. The resulting design is planned to provide a transformational capability that is interoperable with future amphibious and Maritime Prepositioning Force ships, high-speed vessels, and advanced rotorcraft like the MV-22 and CH-53X, and the Joint Strike Fighter. This funding supports design development leading to a planned ship construction award in FY 2008.
Auxiliary Dry Cargo Ammunition Ship (T-AKE)
The FY 2005 Budget request includes $768 million for the seventh and eighth ships. The first four ships have been authorized and appropriated and are under contract with NASSCO for construction. Exercise of the option for the fifth and sixth ships occurred in January 2004. Lead ship construction commenced in September 2003, with a projected delivery date of October 2005. The second ship is projected to deliver in FY 2006, while the third and fourth ship deliveries are projected for FY 2007.
FORCEnet
Surface
Combatant Combat System Open Architecture
(OA)
The FY 2005
President's Budget request includes $146.5M
for Surface Combatant Combat System Open
Architecture. The OA effort is an enterprise
wide initiative to reduce cost and increase
interoperability. Today's Fleet computing
architectures are performance limited and
expensive to upgrade, and cannot
support emerging Sea Power 21
requirements. Implementation of
modular warfighting software functions,
built once and used in multiple systems,
using standards based solutions, will enable
common, interoperable capabilities to be
fielded faster at reduced cost. This
approach is a fundamental enabler in
achieving the precepts behind FORCEnet
capability and are the key to affordable
21st Century Joint combat capability
Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC)
The FY 2005 President's Budget requests $103.5M for continued development of the Navy's Cooperative Engagement Capability. CEC provides a significant step forward in transforming our situational awareness of the battlespace. CEC's successful completion of OPEVAL allows implementation of this capability within the fleet and is a major step in developing a network-centric force. The CEC program is being restructured to achieve alignment with the Navy's OA plans as well as to meet forthcoming requirements from the Joint Single Integrated Air Picture Systems Engineering Organization (JSSEO). It is anticipated that a revised acquisition strategy for this will be approved mid-year. Considering this, the prospective offerors to the CEC Block 2 competition have been notified that this specific competition will not occur, but that future related competitive opportunities will be announced once the new strategy is approved. Future plans include the development of a single-track management solution set for Navy systems that are compliant with the joint architecture provided by JSSEO to all the Services. This will maximize the potential for Joint interoperability across the battlespace.
Distributed Common Ground System - Navy (DCGS-N)
A further step forward in network-centric warfare and one of the Navy's transformational initiatives is DCGS-N. In January 2004, the Navy combined the Joint Service Imagery Processing System - Navy with the Joint Fires Network into DCGS-N. These programs were combined organizationally, programmatically, and technically. In FY 2005, the President's Budget request includes $12.2 million for continued DCGS-N development. This capability merges ISR, targeting, and command and control systems into a coherent architecture to improve situational awareness, fires, and time-sensitive targeting. It serves as a building block for the Navy's more extensive FORCEnet concept.
TRANSITIONING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TO ENABLE TRANSFORMATION
The Department of the Navy (DON) must continually examine and question how we operate in various strategic environments and what the future might entail; in essence, creating an organizational culture in which transformation can thrive. Joint Concept Development and Experimentation (CD&E) and Science and Technology (S&T) are the primary focusing mechanisms that we use to innovate.
Identifying and developing future capabilities for Naval forces will require robust experimentation involving systems, platforms, organizations, and tactics. The Sea Trial and Marine experimentation elements of our Naval Power 21 strategy give the Fleet a strong voice in evaluating the potential of new technologies and warfighting concepts. Extensive use of simulations, modeling, joint test facilities, and actual forces is necessary to maintain our technical advantage and continual command of the seas.
Technology will never substitute for presence; rather it should always address a mission requirement of making Naval Forces more effective. Our S&T portfolio is focused on providing the best scientific research and technology in the shortest time to maximize the benefit to our Sailors and Marines. Twenty-first century technology offers enormous opportunities to enhance our warfighting abilities. Emerging technologies must be embraced, both to mitigate risk and to take advantage of new possibilities. We plan to do so. We are committed to seizing these opportunities at a reasonable cost, although doing so requires efficient organizational alignment, resolution of difficult interoperability and integration problems, systematic innovation using improved business practices, and the steady pursuit of promising scientific and technological initiatives. The Open Architecture initiative is one example of an integration plan that will provide a solid foundation to rapidly field cost effective solutions to the war fighter's needs. Other initiatives are:
Electric Power for Ships
The DON will fund development and at-sea demonstrations of: innovative super conducting and permanent magnet motor technologies for podded propulsors; advanced prime power, including high speed super conducting generators and fuel cells; and electrical auxiliaries such as EMALS for CVN 21. We are also continuing development of the Electromagnetic Rail Gun, which has great potential for future electric ships.
X-craft
The Navy and Marine Corps will continue to research advanced hull forms, cutting edge propulsion, and material and modular payload technologies for use in projecting joint capabilities from sea bases. Demonstration efforts are underway on several different vessels, predominantly catamaran designs. The X-craft is under construction and planned for delivery in the fall of 2004. The DON will use this work and look at additional hull designs in order to support our future decisions on LCS and High Speed Connectors (HSC).
Autonomous Vehicles
The use of the High Speed Vessel X1 (JOINT VENTURE), Navy patrol craft and six unmanned, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) directly from our science and technology (S&T) program for special and mine clearance operations in the Iraqi littoral gave us important insights into our both future littoral and mine warfare concepts and capabilities. The DON will enhance unmanned vehicle development through intelligent navigators, remote docking stations, and collaborative behavior research.
Revolution in Training
In addition, the Department will develop compact, reconfigurable, and deployable training systems to significantly improve the effectiveness of simulation-based training and command and control architecture.
OPERATION RESPONSE
In support of the I Marine Expeditionary Force's (I MEF) return to Iraq scheduled to begin March 2004, and in support of deployed Marines in Afghanistan, the Secretary of the Navy directed the establishment of a formalized process and action team, "OPERATION RESPONSE", to rapidly respond to technological and materiel requirements generated from deployed Marines. A senior Navy-Marine Corps team co-chaired by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisition) and the Deputy Commandant for Combat Development will review and coordinate technical and materiel requirements for deployed units and utilize the technical and engineering expertise throughout the Department of the Navy and industry to expedite the best solutions available to counter rapidly evolving threats. This process will leverage and expand the current roles and capabilities of our established requirements generation and materiel development and acquisition commands in order to better respond to innovative enemy threats.
Counter Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) Technology
As the lead DoD executive agent for counter IED technology and training requirements, we have taken the initiative to fund several promising counter-IED technologies/efforts in support of I MEF's deployment back into Iraq; Commander, Joint Task Force (CJTF) SEVEN operations, and CJTF-180 operations in Afghanistan. In February 2004, the Navy reprogrammed $6.3 million to enable Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal and exploitation teams to continue forward-deployed coalition and CONUS-based joint operations to counter IEDs. An additional $7.8 million was reprogrammed to deploy and support a promising classified counter-IED system. A single system is planned for a June 2004 deployment to be utilized by the Marine Corps.
Vehicle Hardening/Armor initiatives
Responding to I MEF's request for material solutions to ballistic protection for both personnel and vehicles against Improvised Explosive Devices, Rocket-Propelled Grenades, mines and small arms, the Marine Corps is buying a mix of interim and long-term armor solutions to better protect our Marines and Sailors. We are procuring steel armor, blast resistant glass, and ballistic blankets for HMMWV's and other tactical vehicles. The Seabees are investigating various armor solutions for their fleet of construction equipment, and buying the Marine Corps kits to harden their Medium Tactical Vehicle.
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) and the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory have also partnered to rapidly test an explosive resistant coating (ERC), which may provide promising ballistic protection when applied to vehicles. Testing and analysis is currently underway and the OSD Technical Support Working Group is in the process of expanding the testing with ONR. Initial testing of the ERC has demonstrated that some level of protection can be attained when the coating is applied and can possibly be installed in the field. Further testing is needed, but the Department of the Navy is committed to fully exploring this option.
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)
The Marine Corps will be rapidly fielding a number of systems to provide enhanced ISR capabilities in the theater of operations. These systems include Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), such as Dragon Eye and an ONR developed vehicle, Silver Fox. A recent demonstration of the Scan Eagle UAV went very well and I MEF is preparing an Urgent Needs Statement for the system. The Marines also plan to employ aerostat balloons and possibly smaller, Army Rapid Equipping Force-derived platforms to provide persistent ISR coverage.
Aircraft Survivability Equipment (ASE)
The Navy and Marine Corps aviation has partnered with industry to expedite the application of ASE on the Marine Corps rotary and fixed wing aircraft deploying to the CENTCOM area as part of the MEF's Aviation Combat Element (ACE). Rotary wing aircraft will have the requisite ASE installed by industry teams prior to their departure, enroute on ships, upon arrival in-theater, or shortly after their arrival in-theater. KC-130 aircraft, which were not planned to receive ASE upgrades, will now receive some ASE upgrades initially shortly after they arrive in-theater and additional design work is being completed for full upgrades to be applied while in-theater.
SUMMARY
Our Naval forces are unique in their contribution to the Nation's defense. Versatile Naval expeditionary forces are frequently the nation's first responders, relied upon to establish the tempo of action, control the early phases of hostilities, and set conditions for decisive resolution. America's ability to protect its homeland, assure our friends and allies, deter potential adversaries, and project decisive combat power depends on maritime superiority. The transformation of Naval forces is dedicated to greatly expanding the sovereign options available worldwide to the President across the full spectrum of warfare by exploiting one of our Nation's asymmetric advantages - control of the sea. The transformation of our Naval forces through innovative operational concepts and the application of appropriate technologies leverages enduring capabilities for projecting sustainable, immediately employable joint combat power by facilitating the accelerated deployment and flexible employment of additional joint capabilities through a family of systems and assets afloat. Our FY 2005 Budget request seeks to accelerate our investment in Naval Power 21 to transform our force and its ability to operate as a fully interoperable and interdependent component of the joint war fighting team. Congressional support of this plan is central to achieving this vision - I thank you for your consideration.
2120 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
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