Defense & National Security

"Any suggestion that there is a substitute for the F-35 is total non-starter. This is a program that has been vetted ad nauseum by the Pentagon, the Congress and independent experts. There is simply no aircraft in production today that can compare with the F-35’s advanced avionics, networked capabilities and integrated stealth," said the members.

“The Navy’s new assessment is confirmation of the clear reality that a larger fleet is both necessary and vital to the nation’s security,” said Courtney. “I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in the House to achieve this important bipartisan goal."

"The decision to name new ballistic missile submarine after our Nation’s Capital is the highest compliment that the Navy can bestow on this critical program. The USS Columbia and the rest of the submarines in the class will patrol the seas until the 2080s in silent but critical service to our nation’s defense, and will carry with it the history of the shipyard that launched the ‘Forty-One For Freedom’ original class of ballistic submarines starting in 1957,” said Courtney. “Designation of the first submarine is another milestone that affirms the hard work of thousands of workers in southeastern Connecticut to replace the aging Ohio-class submarines. Hardworking men and women at Electric Boat and the hundreds of suppliers across our state have already been hard at work for years to support this program, and remain committed to ensuring its success. Southeastern Connecticut is ready to take on this task which the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral John Richardson has called ‘foundational to Americas national security’."

“This is great news for eastern Connecticut and great news for the U.S. Navy,” said Courtney. “The Columbia­-class program would face critical delays and ballooning costs without this needed adjustment to the CR. I was encouraged by the bipartisan cooperation that ensured the inclusion of this provision, and will continue to do all I can to support the design and construction of these submarines that are vital to the United States’ strategic deterrence capabilities.”

“As the ranking member for the Seapower subcommittee, I am pleased and encouraged by the outcome of this year’s conference negotiations and glad that the agreement was easily passed in the House,” said Courtney. “The agreement reflects the hard bipartisan work that our subcommittee did over the last year to make key investments in the capabilities of our seapower and projection forces, responding to persistent requests from commanders around the world. As we begin transitioning to a new administration, this measure makes a solid down payment on growing the fleet and meeting our security challenges on, below, and above the seas, by sustaining our path to a 308 ship fleet by 2021. I hope that the Senate will now quickly pass the conference report and send it to the President for his signature."

“As the ranking member for the Seapower subcommittee, I am pleased by the outcome of this year’s conference negotiations,” said Courtney. “This agreement reflects the hard bipartisan work our subcommittee did over the last year to make the key investments in our seapower and projection force capabilities that are needed now and for the future. As we transition to a new administration, this measure makes a solid down payment on growing the fleet and meeting our security challenges on, below, and above the seas. In particular, this report maintains two critical elements that I fought to retain from the House bill passed last May, but were not in the Senate bill: the expansion of the National Sea-based Deterrence Fund to authorize continuous production of components on the Ohio-class Replacement Program, and the restoration of advanced procurement funding for future Virginia-class submarines that will keep the program on track. I have worked closely with Chairman Forbes in advancing these initiatives, and I am proud that this agreement retains our hard work.”

“For Ohio Replacement, a continuing resolution would have significant impacts, as FY2017 is the first year that procurement funds, about $773 million supporting detailed design and other advanced procurement requirements, appears in the Navy’s budget,” wrote the members. “Without an anomaly to address this issue, the program will face delays in design and production that would have ripple effects throughout its extremely tight timeline, disrupt hiring and material orders throughout the industrial base across several states, and undermine the progress made to date in reducing costs and schedule in this program.

“The news that the Navy has committed $5.4 million dollars to design a replacement for Pier 32 at SUBASE is just the latest positive news for the base,” said Courtney. “SUBASE New London is a critical asset for the U.S. Navy’s undersea fleet, and this commitment to upgrading the base’s infrastructure is a further demonstration of its value. I am going to work with the Navy and leadership at the SUBASE to ensure that these upgrades are carried out in the most efficient way possible to ensure that they address the changing needs of the submarine force.”