Courtney applauds passage of FY12 National Defense Authorization Act as victory for Connecticut manufacturers

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Joe Courtney and the House of Representatives today passed the FY12 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference report, building on gains in submarine production and bolstering eastern Connecticut's industrial base. The agreement authorizes billions of dollars of investments for Electric Boat and other key defense priorities for eastern Connecticut and the state. The NDAA sets the federal budget for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2012.

The NDAA includes $4.8 billion in funding for the Virginia-class attack submarine program, including $3.2 billion to build two submarines in 2012 and advanced funding to prepare to build two each in 2013 and 2014. The bill marks the second-consecutive year of fully funding doubled submarine production – a goal Courtney worked on for nearly five years, beginning in his first year in Congress.

Congressman Courtney served on the conference committee that worked out differences between the House- and Senate-passed versions of the NDAA.

"We are already seeing that doubled submarine production at Electric Boat has massive economic benefits that ripple across Connecticut," said Congressman Courtney. "Additional manufacturing and design work on the OHIO replacement program has already directly led to EB's expansion into Pfizer's New London complex last June. Those gains are bolstered further by this agreement and affirmations from Defense Sec. Leon Panetta that submarines and maintaining Connecticut's active industrial base are vital components of our national security. In these difficult fiscal times, making every penny in the defense budget count must be a top national security priority. That is what this agreement does."

Below are selected provisions of the bill:

Connecticut Priorities:

Virginia Class Submarines. The agreement fully supports the procurement of the two submarines requested in the President's budget. Of the $4.8 billion provided for the program, $3.2 billion is for the two 2012 submarines and $1.4 billion is for advanced procurement for 2013 and 2014. In 2007 – his first year in Congress – Courtney secured $588 million to acquire the long lead materials needed to beginning building two submarines a year in 2011, a year earlier than the Navy's plan at the time. Courtney's effort came to fruition earlier this year, when construction began on the second submarine – the first time in over 20 years that Electric Boat is producing more than one submarine in a single year – and is solidified with NDAA passage today. General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton builds the Virginia class submarine, along with Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia.

Development of the replacement Ohio-Class SSBN. The agreement fully supports the president's budget request of $1.067 billion for the development of the SSBN(x), which will replace the current fleet of OHIO-class replacement submarines. That total includes $781.6 million for advanced development of the submarine and $285.4 million for development of the submarine's advanced nuclear power systems. General Dynamics Electric Boat is conducting much of its research and development of the SSSBN(x) at its Groton and New London facilities.

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The conference report authorizes $8.5 billion for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter development and procurement for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. The total includes 31 aircraft, one less than the President's request. The agreement also includes language requiring fixed price contracts and requiring the contractor to pay a greater share of cost overrun, as included in the Senate bill -- but implementation of this requirement is delayed one year to lot 6 of the aircraft to avoid immediate disruption to the production line. Connecticut's Pratt & Whitney builds the F135 engine being used on the program.

F-136 Alternate Engine. The agreement authorizes no funding for the development of the F136 alternate engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The House-passed bill included a provision requiring the DOD to preserve the equipment related to the F136 program and make it available to the program's contractors; the final conference report requires DOD to evaluate whether any of the investment or equipment made in the program before it was terminated can be used for other purposes. Last year, Congressman Courtney participated in a bipartisan effort to finally end taxpayer funding for this wasteful and duplicative program.

C-27 Spartan. The agreement authorizes the president's request of $480 million for nine aircraft. The 103rd Airlift Wing of Connecticut's Air National Guard at Bradley Airport is currently planned to receive four C-27 aircraft in 2013.

Helicopters:

• UH-60 Black Hawk — $1.3 billion for 71 Black Hawks for the Army and Guard, equal to the president's request.
• MH-60S Knighthawk — $401 million for 18 Navy Knighthawk helicopters, roughly equal to the president's request. The multi-mission Sikorsky MH-60S is used by the Navy for combat search-and-rescue, special-warfare support and airborne mine countermeasures.
• MH-60R Seahawk — $776 million for 24 Navy Seahawk helicopters, also roughly equal to the president's request. The MH-60R features advanced radar, missiles and low frequency sonar.

Tanker Replacement. The measure authorizes $877 million in requested development funds for the program. The agreement requires the GAO to conduct an annual review of the program and report the results to Congress beginning March 1, 2012.

Other Major Highlights:

Naval Shipbuilding. In total, the agreement authorizes $14.9 billion for Navy shipbuilding, equal to the request. This level funds 10 ships, making 2012 the second year in a row that the Navy will achieve double-digit shipbuilding rates.

Military Pay Raise. The agreement authorizes an across-the-board 1.6% pay increase for military personnel, equal to the president's request. It is the 12th year in a row that military pay increases would exceed those of the private sector. This raise would match the pay raise rate in the private sector as measured by the Employment Cost Index.

Small Business Research. Includes a 6 year reauthorization of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

Level funding for PTAP. The conference report increases the Procurement Technical Assistance Program by $6 million, as requested and secured by Congressman Courtney in the House-passed bill, to provide level funding for the program in 2012 ($30 million). PTAP supports offices across the country that help connect small businesses with contracting opportunities in the federal government. Connecticut's PTAP Center is located in New London, working out of SECTER.

Sexual Assault in the Military. The agreement includes several provisions aimed at preventing sexual assault in the military, as well as improving resources available to victims. These provisions include:

• providing sexual assault training and education for members of the armed forces at each level of professional military education
• Requiring that a full-time sexual assault response coordinator and a full-time sexual assault victim advocate be assigned to each brigade or equivalent unit level of the armed forces.
• Requiring the secretary concerned to expedite the consideration and approval of an application for a permanent change of station or unit transfer submitted by a servicemember who is a victim of sexual assault.

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