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Shipbuilding funds added to budget

The House Armed Services Committee took several steps Wednesday to improve Navy capabilities, adding an extra amphibious ship, making down payments on two Virginia-class attack submarines and creating the possibility of buying more F/A-18 Super Hornet jets to fill the so-called “fighter gap.”

The committee also opened the door for the Navy to buy more Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, even as the ship class nears the end of its run, by pushing back funding for a third DDG 1000-class destroyer.

Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, the former chairman and now ranking Republican member of the committee, was the chief sponsor of an amendment to the 2009 defense authorization bill that put in more money for attack submarines, something he said was needed because of complaints that there were more missions than subs.

“The number of attack boats will be less than 40 unless we do something,” Hunter said, noting Navy officials have warned that, at times, as many as 40 percent of attack submarine missions aren’t being done.

Hunter’s amendment, adopted by voice vote, puts advanced procurement funding for two Virginia-class attack submarines into the budget. One would be built in 2010 and the second in 2011. The budget request sent to Congress earlier this year included funding for only one Virginia.

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett of Maryland, ranking Republican on the seapower and expeditionary forces subcommittee, described this as a rate of one sub every six months. “Accelerating procurement of attack submarines is a critical need to maintain America’s blue-water Navy superiority and capabilities to meet future challenges, such as those posed by a rising China and a re-emergent Russia,” Bartlett said.

An amendment regarding F/A-18 Super Hornet procurement also was adopted by voice vote at the urging of Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., who warned the Navy won’t have enough fighters as planes age.

“Aircraft carriers are nice things to have and float around, but without airplanes they are not very good,” Akin said.

The gap results from older Hornets wearing out before the expected replacement, the Joint Strike Fighter, enters the fleet. Akin described the JSFs as “just not ready yet.”

The Akin amendment does not specifically order new production but instead asks the Defense Department to report by next March about how many F/A-18E/F models and EA-18G models should be built between 2010 and 2015, including the cost of procurement and how much less expensive it would be if they were purchased through a multi-year contract.

Other service officials have voiced concern over the Navy’s plans to buy more Super Hornets, saying the Navy is merely taking a step toward pulling out of the multi-service JSF program altogether. Navy officials have said they remain committed to the JSF program.

The bill also includes full funding for a 10th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, destroyer funding for either continuing the Zumwalt-class DDG 1000 program or returning to the Arleigh Burke class, and money for the two final ships of the T-AKE class of ammunition ships.

Rep. Gene Taylor, the seapower subcommittee chairman, said the combination puts the Navy on a “reasonable path” to having 313 ships.

DISCUSS: Is this enough?