Courtney Presses For More Sub Funds

As published in the New London Day, February 13, 2007:

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, is stepping up his campaign for increased funding for the Virginia-class submarine, saying current production rates for the sleek sub threaten both national security and the submarine industrial base.

“The building schedule that the Navy is wedded to — at least at this point — will definitely result in a deterioration of the size of our submarine fleet,” Courtney said. “It's just simple math.”

Courtney over the past week has strongly questioned defense officials during hearings, and is enlisting the support of others in Congress, including other members of the freshmen class, to support the production of two Virginia-class submarines a year, a doubling of the current schedule endorsed by the U.S. Navy.

The $2.5 billion submarine is made in a joint arrangement between Groton-based Electric Boat and the Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard in Virginia. The Navy advocates building two submarines a year starting in fiscal year 2012.

Courtney and other submarine advocates maintain stepped-up production should start sooner to prevent a deterioration in the size of the sub fleet in the ensuing years. The Navy's shipbuilding budget in the coming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, is roughly $14.7 billion. It includes seven new ships, including one Virginia-class sub.

Courtney has sent a letter to Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., who heads the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, calling for additional appropriations in the 2008 budget for two subs.

“I am deeply concerned that continuing to delay the procurement of a second Virginia class ... could do serious and longstanding harm to the submarine industrial base,” Courtney told Murtha. He said the Groton-based submarine builder has made “great strides” to lower cost and boost productivity, adding that greater economies of scale would result from the building of two subs a year.

Some congressional insiders believe support is growing for an increase in the size of the Navy's fleet, including more submarines. U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, a Democrat from Missouri who heads the Armed Services Seapower subcommittee, has said he spoke with Murtha about the possibility of adding more surface ships and another submarine to the Navy's budget for the coming fiscal year.

In addition, Taylor has told congressional staffers that he plans to discuss a ramping-up of the Navy's shipbuilding program with U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton, a Democrat from Missouri, who is the chairman of the influential House Armed Services Committee.

During congressional hearings this past week, Courtney questioned Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about the Navy's construction budget and urged him to increase submarine production.

Courtney told Pace he is concerned about the submarine fleet buildup by China, which he said is currently producing about two-and-a-half subs annually. While conceding that most of the fleet includes diesel-powered submarines, Courtney said the Chinese navy is moving ahead with construction of more advanced, nuclear-powered boats as well.

Pace said he recognized the Chinese buildup of submarines and said defense officials were monitoring the situation. “Thanks to the great folks in Groton ... that's why we're able to have great comfort in our quality over other people's numbers,” Pace told Courtney.

Courtney said the continuing decline in workers at Electric Boat is worrisome because such skilled labor is hard to find. “Assuming that we're looking at the current projections (by the Navy), there will be more reductions” if production doesn't ramp up soon, Courtney said.

Electric Boat has forecast a work force this year of about 8,500, saying that it plans to implement furloughs rather than layoffs to adjust to work force levels.

“When you're talking about draftsmen and engineers and skilled trades, these are not the employment that you can reproduce quickly if our strategic position in the world changes,” Courtney said.