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Statement of Chairman Gene Taylor Seapower Subcommittee Mark-Up H.R. 5658, National Defense Authorization Act for FY2009

May 8, 2008

"The subcommittee will come to order. Today we meet to mark-up the Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee input to H.R. 5658, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009. I would like to thank my friend the Ranking Member, Roscoe Bartlett from Maryland, for his invaluable help and the help of his staff in putting this mark together. I would also like to thank all the Members of the subcommittee for their inputs and recommendations. I believe we have before us today a strong bipartisan proposal which will support our sailors and marines.

"It has always been the goal of this subcommittee to ensure that the Navy and Marine Corps have the right equipment in the right quantities to allow them to fulfill the tasks the nation demands of them. I am honored to be the Chairman of what is arguably the most bipartisan subcommittee in the Congress.

"This subcommittee has tried to work closely with the Navy leadership over the years to develop a workable strategy to restore the size of our fleet. Unfortunately, the Department of Defense has not budgeted the required funds for Navy shipbuilding and continues to submit budget requests which reduce, not grow, the size of the fleet. The solution offered, every year, is that the solution will be delayed to future years.

"I do not believe the plan to achieve a 313 ship fleet is achievable in its current form. I am convinced that the only path to a 313 ship fleet is to build ships of a proven design and build them in sufficient numbers to realize shipyard efficiency. Today's mark is the first step toward that goal. The mark redirects Navy efforts for fiscal year 2009 and lays the framework for continued shipbuilding efforts in following years.

"The mark would pause the continued procurement of follow-on ships of the DDG 1000 class. I believe this is a prudent course of action for a number of reasons:

  • technology development for the combat systems of these ships is not completed;
  • detail design for the vessel, while greater than previous ship classes, will not be completed before the start of construction;
  • the current authorized funding for the lead ships has no margin for cost overruns; and
  • the budget request for follow-on ships is contingent on achieving lead ship costs.

    • "In short, there are too many unknowns in the construction schedule for these two vessels. Even if all the development required for the ship was complete, a cost overrun for the two lead ships, based strictly on historical averages could easily be in the range of $1.5-$2.0 billion dollars. I worry that with the risks associated with continued technology development concurrent with construction, the cost overruns will exceed even those figures. The impact of those cost overruns will cripple the Navy shipbuilding account and drastically impact fleet size and capability.

    "Therefore, the Chairman's mark recommends a reallocation of the funding programmed for the third ship of the DDG 1000 class.

  • The mark recommends funding for the 10th vessel of the San Antonio LPD-17 class at $1.8 billion dollars. This vessel is consistently at the top of the CNO's unfunded priority list and is the Marine Corps number one unfunded requirement.
  • The mark recommends advance procurement funding for surface combatants at $400 million and gives the Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations the flexibility to use those funds for the continuation of the DDG 1000 class or for re-starting the procurement of DDG 51 class destroyers. However, the subcommittee strongly urges the Navy to re-start DDG 51 procurement.
  • The mark recommends sufficient funding in the National Defense Sealift Fund to exercise the contract options to build the remaining two vessels of the Lewis and Clark Dry-Cargo Ammunition Ship (T-AKE) class. These vessels are also on the CNO's unfunded priority list.

    • "These are important changes. This mark indicates the subcommittee's disagreement with the Navy decision to cancel the construction of the last two ships of the T-AKE class and to not fulfill the validated Marine Corps requirement for 11 LPD 17 class ships.

    "I think it important to note that this subcommittee is committed to maintaining the shipbuilding industrial base. This subcommittee is committed to building ships in quantities that make sense and deliver the capability the Navy needs.

    "In addition, the mark recommends the budget request for building:

  • 1 Virginia Class Submarine
  • 2 Littoral Combat ships (although the budget request is reduced by $80 million due to the availability of material already procured for LCS 3 and LCS 4 which were cancelled by the Secretary of the Navy)
  • 1 Joint High Speed Vessel
  • 2 T-AKEs

    • "Other significant actions in this mark include:

  • A requirement to construct the next generation of amphibious warfare ships with nuclear power systems.
  • Along with the subcommittee on Air and Land Forces, authorization of an additional $2.6 billion to field Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAP) to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • Authorization for $448 million to accomplish emergent repairs to the wing struts of the P3C Orion Anti-Submarine/Reconnaissance airplanes. (These last two items under the subcommittee's jurisdiction will be addressed in full committee mark-up next week as part of the Title 15 emergency supplemental spending.)
  • Authorization of $247 million for development of the Alternate Engine program for the Joint Strike Fighter.
  • Modification to the cost cap for the Littoral Combat Ship program to adjust for economic inflation.
  • Authorization to commence the complex refueling overhaul of the USS Theodore Roosevelt in fiscal year 2009.
  • Authorization of the budget request quantity for aircraft and helicopters.
  • Authorization of funding required for the Maritime Guaranteed Loan Program to support a strong domestic shipbuilding industrial base and preserve a U.S. flagged merchant fleet.

    • "The subcommittee remains concerned with the progress on improving underbody blast protection for the Marine Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), and recommends reducing the budget request by $40 million. This budget reduction is taken without prejudice and the subcommittee leaves open the possibility of re-examining this issue in conference with the Senate. The Marine Corps has one chance to get this right as these vehicles will last 30 years.

    "We all understand the battlefield is not a safe place, but we owe it to our Marines to build the EFV with the maximum protection possible. Ranking Member Bartlett has been particularly engaged with the Marine Corps on this issue and he may wish to comment on this program in his remarks.

    "This mark supports our sailors and marines in procuring the ships, airplanes, vehicles, and all supporting equipment for our men and women in the sea service. I believe this mark reflects the priorities of the committee and I submit the recommendation to the Members of the subcommittee for their approval."



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