Sub funding increase advances, New London Day

Sub funding increase advances

House Defense subcommittee report includes $397.6 million for work on Virginia-class boats

By Jennifer Grogan, New London Day, 31 July 2008

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney made a beeline through the other representatives on the House floor after a vote Wednesday afternoon to reach the chairman of the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.

The subcommittee had just released highlights from its version of the fiscal 2009 defense appropriations bill, which is the legislation that allocates money to the Pentagon, and included on the list $397.6 million for the Virginia-class submarine program.

To U.S. Rep. John Murtha, the influential Pennsylvania Democrat who heads the subcommittee, Courtney said, “on behalf of the people of southeastern Connecticut, thank you for believing in us and remaining committed to a program that is good for Connecticut and good for our country.”

Courtney, a Democrat, represents the 2nd District, which includes submarine manufacturer Electric Boat in Groton.

Murtha said he has been impressed with the talent and skill of the work force at Electric Boat, and he called Courtney an “effective advocate for the submarine industry.”

”I'm convinced that moving towards construction of two submarines per year is in the best interest of both our industrial base and national security,” Murtha said in a statement issued Wednesday.

The $487.7 billion bill is $4 billion below the president's budget request and $28.4 billion above last year's total.

”You've heard me say that we must 'look beyond Iraq,' and to this degree the committee has added and redistributed funds that will prepare our military for future threats and future conflicts,” Murtha said.

Electric Boat and Northrop Grumman Newport News in Virginia jointly produce one $2.5 billion submarine a year, a production schedule that will increase to two a year starting in 2011.

The Navy could use the $397.6 million to start building two submarines a year in 2010 or to start work earlier on the second submarine in 2011.

Both the Secretary of the Navy and the chief of Naval Operations said last month that they do not support increasing production of submarines before 2011 because the service has to address a range of threats.

The Navy's plan called for an increase in production in 2012 before Courtney began his successful push last year to accelerate the schedule by increasing the funding for the submarine program.

This year, Courtney wanted to further hasten construction and helped shift $300 million in the budget authorization for buying Navy ships into the Virginia-class submarine account.

He then worked with the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee to further amend the authorization to add another $422 million, for a total of $722 million for the construction of two submarines in both 2010 and 2011.

The Senate version has significantly less money for new construction on Virginia-class submarines, $79 million. The authorization act establishes the policy for funding that is allocated through the appropriations process.

”We always knew that given where the Senate was at, $722 million was going to be the hitting a home run with the bases loaded kind of figure,” Courtney said. “This figure, in this budget, still is an extra-bases hit any way you slice it. This is an extremely tight year.”

Kevin Devine, a vice president at Electric Boat, called the subcommittee's action “another step toward the stability the program requires to produce capable and affordable submarines.”

The appropriations committee must approve the funding, followed by the full House expected in September. The differences between the House and Senate versions will have to be worked out in conference.