Ranking Member Courtney’s Opening Remarks for Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee Hearing on Department of The Navy FY 2019 Budget Request for Seapower and Projection Forces

"Thank you Mr. Chairman and thank you to our witnesses for testifying today. I want to especially thanking Assistant Secretary of the Navy James Geurts for coming to Southeastern Connecticut a few weeks ago to see both SUBASE New London and Electric Boat. [Vice Admiral Merz we would be happy to host you any time you want to come back to the Second District.]

In December 2016, the Department of the Navy produced a new Force Structure Assessment which reviewed and validated military requirements and determined that the Navy our nation needs is a 355-ship navy. Listening to this clear demand signal, and responding to a 2018 budget request that fell far short of this goal, this subcommittee ultimately authorized nearly double the number of battle force and non-battle force ships in the defense authorization signed into law late last year.

Compared to the budget we started with last year, the President's FY19 budget request for seapower represents a move in the right direction. This budget proposes to procure 10 battle force ships in FY19, 8 non-battle force ships, and 54 battle force ships over the next five years—eleven more than was planned in the FY2018 budget. In addition, the budget proposes a series of service life extensions for ships and submarines to add to our force structure and get the most use out of our existing platforms.

However, this is still not a plan to achieve is 355-ship Navy. It is a plan to achieve a 335-ship Navy in 2048. As the 30 year shipbuilding plan clearly shows, this budget does not achieve the minimum Navy force size the Navy says it needs until the 2050s. Looking closely at the budget and the shipbuilding plan, it is clear that there is still substantial "meat on the bone" where industrial base capacity may exist to add further ships and capabilities to the fleet.

One glaring example of this opportunity is in the undersea fleet. While the budget reflects a sustained two a year construction rate for Virginia class submarines, at this rate the force would not achieve the 66-boat level until 2048 – thirty years from now. The 30-year shipbuilding plan identifies specific opportunities in 2022 and 2023 where there is industrial base capacity to a third submarine in each of those years, within the next-five year block contract being negotiations between the Navy and industry.

Led by this panel on a bipartisan basis, Congress has already demonstrated it strong support for expanding the attack submarine production line. Specifically, we provided the authority needed to go beyond two submarines a year in the next five year block contract. I urge the Navy to take advantage of this opportunity, and others like it that provide finite opportunity in the years ahead to add to the plan presented to us here today.

Achieving a larger fleet will take more than any one budget year, and it will take more than just building new ships. We need to take a comprehensive approach that includes new construction, extension and modernization of existing ships, repairing our ships on time and without delay, and incorporating new capabilities into current and future ships wherever possible. I look forward to discussing how the 2019 budget achieves these goals, and where we can work on this panel on a bipartisan basis to improve and expand on it."