SE Connecticut News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On June 21, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, delivered the following statement at the Full Committee Markup of the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act.

“Thank you, Chairman Rodgers. I want to begin my remarks by congratulating Chairman Kelly for your outstanding leadership of this subcommittee, which has such a long history of bipartisanship and cooperation. In fact, it was the Committee on Naval Affairs from 1817 until 1946. We graciously agreed to go under the rubric of the House Armed Services Committee, but we know who’s really running the show in our jurisdiction. I want to thank also the Members of this panel for their constructive input in getting us to today’s mark which builds on the steady increased investment which this subcommittee, over the last decade, in shipbuilding, sealift, and airlift, has plussed up.

“Our mark recommends the authorization of 10 battle force ships with a strong emphasis on recapitalizing our undersea fleet. The shipbuilding account is $32.8 billion, which is $300 million higher than last year’s Fiscal Year 2023 level, which was the highest shipbuilding topline in US history.

“Again, to respond to the contested maritime domain in the Indo-Pacific and the high north, it authorizes a total of $16.5 billion in submarine procurement – continuing the two per year procurement cadence of the Virginia-class program and the first tranche of incremental funding for the second boat in the Columbia-class ballistic submarine program – the USS Wisconsin.

“Our mark, as usual, exercised independent judgement in the request for these programs.

“First, the bill authorizes new multiyear procurement authority for the Virginia program, supporting 13 Block VI Virginia-class submarines for the next five year contract. Again, this will take us up above the two-per-year construction in procurement rate.  This proposal, coupled with unprecedented submarine industrial base investments made by Congress and President Biden, sends a definitive message about our commitment to bolstering our undersea capabilities while supporting the trilateral AUKUS security agreement to help Australia recapitalize its submarine fleet with nuclear powered subs.

“We also took bipartisan action to fulfil clearly stated amphibious warship requirements.  Our mark authorizes the restoration of LPD-33, expressing clear congressional intent in support the statutory requirement of 31 amphibious warfare ships.

“Finally, I want to end by saying that I as well as other Members on Seapower, remain frustrated with the Navy and Maritime Administration’s prioritization of used vessel acquisition to meet sealift requirements in a time of increased uncertainty of availability on the commercial market. I, along with others, am increasingly concerned that the used market is insufficient to meet our needs, which is why our mark requires the Department of Transportation to provide an assessment on the availability of used commercial vessels over the next 5 years to provide this subcommittee with accurate data to assess the Navy’s request.

“Next week, the Philly Shipyard will christen the EMPIRE STATE, the first ship of the National Security Mutli-Mission Vessel program. It was this panel that first authorized this program on a bipartisan basis to not just meet the needs of martime training, but to invest in our domestic shipyard capacity.

“At a time when many are rightly focused on the need to restore domestic manufacturing and shipbuilding, here’s an example of where Congress has acted to do something about it – as a result, MARAD and the Philly Shipyard will deliver five US-built ships on time and on budget. We can use this contracting model and architecture to basically boost our sealift program without relying on the vagaries of the foreign market. Again, I know Chairman Kelly and I have worked together on this issue and it’s really important not just for our shipbuilding industrial base but for our sealift program to have a steady, reliable source of U.S. built sealift.

“This mark today could not happen without the tireless work of our subcommittee staff. I want to thank Phil MacNaughton, our minority lead, Ian Bennitt, native of Connecticut, as majority lead, as well as Kelly Goggin, Kyle Noyes, and Ethan Pelissier for their hard work.

“Thank you, and with that I yield back.”

Original source can be found here.