Ranking Member Courtney’s Opening Remarks For Seapower And Projection Forces Subcommittee Ranking Member Courtney’s Opening Remarks For Seapower And Projection Forces Subcommittee Mark up of HR 1735, FY2016 National Defense Authorization Act

Opening Statement of Representative JoeOpening Statement of Representative Joe Courtney (CT-2)

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is my first mark-up as Ranking Member of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, and I am proud that this measure reflects the bipartisan and in-depth work that our panel has done over the last several months. I want to specifically thank all our staff that worked to put together this mark, particularly Phil MacNaughton on the minority side and David Sienicki on the majority side, as well as John Sullivan who has helped with the aviation related aspects of our mark.

There is a lot of good work in this bill, but wanted to highlight a few important elements of the mark before the committee today.

The measure provides strong support for our shipbuilding priorities, a key focus of our panel and many others on this committee. In addition to strong support for the budget request for nine carriers, ships and submarines, our mark:

• Provides additional tools to improve efficiency and reduce costs on construction of new carriers and overhauls of the existing fleet;

• builds on our efforts last year to enhance our amphibious assault capabilities by authorizing funding to complete LPD-28, as well as advanced procurement for the fifth Afloat Forward Staging Base and accelerating the new LX(R) amphibious ship by two years;

• supports procurement of the first TAO(X) auxiliary oiler ship, but moves this program back into the National Defense Sealift Fund.

Our mark also restores key capabilities such as the Tomahawk and MQ-8 Fire Scout, and provides support for the maximum funding levels that can be spent in 2016 for vital projection forces programs under our oversight, the KC-46A Tanker and the Long Range Strike Bomber.

I am particularly proud to have worked with Chairman Forbes, Mr. Wittman and Mr. Langevin on a number of provisions related to the future of our undersea fleet—an area we have worked closely together on a bipartisan basis on for several years. In addition to fully supporting the ongoing two-a-year construction rate for our Virginia Class Submarines, the mark notes our bipartisan concern about the current plan to outfit only about two-thirds of future attack submarines with the Virginia Payload Module (VPM).

As Navy officials have routinely testified before this subcommittee, the VPM is the only solution available to retain the undersea strike capabilities lost when the SSGNs retire in the 2020s. The current budget plan to outfit only one submarine a year with the VPM starting in 2019, unfortunately, falls short of that important goal. Our committee report notes our support for fully incorporating VPM into boats within Block V and beyond to meet the validated requirements to preserve our undersea strike capability.

This mark also continues our focus on the Ohio Replacement Program. Last year, our subcommittee took the lead on creating the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund to provide the space for this top-priority program for the Defense Department and the Navy to be funded outside the regular shipbuilding account.

The proposal before us today continues to move this important effort forward by:

• directing the $1.4 billion requested for research and development of the ORP in the budget request into the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund;

• expanding the range of tools available for developing and building the submarine, including incremental funding and Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) authorities; and,

• clarifying that reprogramming authority provided in the creation of the fund last year extends to the entire Defense Department, not just the Navy.

Building the Ohio Replacement poses a significant challenge to our Navy and requires creative solutions to the well-known pressure that this program will put on our other shipbuilding programs without top-line relief. It is important to note that our nation has faced the challenge of building and replacing our sea-based deterrence platforms in the past and found the will to get it done. I believe that the same is true today and that with the authorities and support this mark provides, we move closer to the goal of replacing the SSBN fleet while preserving other vital shipbuilding priorities.

Another important but too often overlooked aspect of our subcommittee’s work, the Maritime Administration, receives strong support in this mark as well. MARAD plays a key role in supporting our domestic shipbuilding and repair capabilities, as well as ensuring a strong workforce of trained mariners. To this end, I am pleased that our mark fully authorizes the agency’s request to begin planning the development of a new National Security Multi-Mission Training Vessel to replace the aging fleet of training vessels provided to our six state maritime academies, and provides support of other homeland and national security missions, disasters, and humanitarian needs.

While there are a few issues that will be discussed here today that I think will generate some good, thoughtful debate, I want to close by thanking Chairman Forbes and our colleagues on this bipartisan panel for their hard work and contributions to this mark.

With that, I urge the committee’s support for the measure and yield back my time.

Courtney (CT-2)

Ranking Member, Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee

at the

House Armed Services Committee

Mark up of HR 1735, FY2016 National Defense Authorization Act

*As prepared for delivery*

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is my first mark-up as Ranking Member of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, and I am proud that this measure reflects the bipartisan and in-depth work that our panel has done over the last several months. I want to specifically thank all our staff that worked to put together this mark, particularly Phil MacNaughton on the minority side and David Sienicki on the majority side, as well as John Sullivan who has helped with the aviation related aspects of our mark.

“There is a lot of good work in this bill, but wanted to highlight a few important elements of the mark before the committee today.

The measure provides strong support for our shipbuilding priorities, a key focus of our panel and many others on this committee. In addition to strong support for the budget request for nine carriers, ships and submarines, our mark:

• Provides additional tools to improve efficiency and reduce costs on construction of new carriers and overhauls of the existing fleet;

• builds on our efforts last year to enhance our amphibious assault capabilities by authorizing funding to complete LPD-28, as well as advanced procurement for the fifth Afloat Forward Staging Base and accelerating the new LX(R) amphibious ship by two years;

• supports procurement of the first TAO(X) auxiliary oiler ship, but moves this program back into the National Defense Sealift Fund.

“Our mark also restores key capabilities such as the Tomahawk and MQ-8 Fire Scout, and provides support for the maximum funding levels that can be spent in 2016 for vital projection forces programs under our oversight, the KC-46A Tanker and the Long Range Strike Bomber.

“I am particularly proud to have worked with Chairman Forbes, Mr. Wittman and Mr. Langevin on a number of provisions related to the future of our undersea fleet—an area we have worked closely together on a bipartisan basis on for several years. In addition to fully supporting the ongoing two-a-year construction rate for our Virginia Class Submarines, the mark notes our bipartisan concern about the current plan to outfit only about two-thirds of future attack submarines with the Virginia Payload Module (VPM).

“As Navy officials have routinely testified before this subcommittee, the VPM is the only solution available to retain the undersea strike capabilities lost when the SSGNs retire in the 2020s. The current budget plan to outfit only one submarine a year with the VPM starting in 2019, unfortunately, falls short of that important goal. Our committee report notes our support for fully incorporating VPM into boats within Block V and beyond to meet the validated requirements to preserve our undersea strike capability.

“This mark also continues our focus on the Ohio Replacement Program. Last year, our subcommittee took the lead on creating the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund to provide the space for this top-priority program for the Defense Department and the Navy to be funded outside the regular shipbuilding account.

“The proposal before us today continues to move this important effort forward by:

• directing the $1.4 billion requested for research and development of the ORP in the budget request into the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund;

• expanding the range of tools available for developing and building the submarine, including incremental funding and Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) authorities; and,

• clarifying that reprogramming authority provided in the creation of the fund last year extends to the entire Defense Department, not just the Navy.

“Building the Ohio Replacement poses a significant challenge to our Navy and requires creative solutions to the well-known pressure that this program will put on our other shipbuilding programs without top-line relief. It is important to note that our nation has faced the challenge of building and replacing our sea-based deterrence platforms in the past and found the will to get it done. I believe that the same is true today and that with the authorities and support this mark provides, we move closer to the goal of replacing the SSBN fleet while preserving other vital shipbuilding priorities.

“Another important but too often overlooked aspect of our subcommittee’s work, the Maritime Administration, receives strong support in this mark as well. MARAD plays a key role in supporting our domestic shipbuilding and repair capabilities, as well as ensuring a strong workforce of trained mariners. To this end, I am pleased that our mark fully authorizes the agency’s request to begin planning the development of a new National Security Multi-Mission Training Vessel to replace the aging fleet of training vessels provided to our six state maritime academies, and provides support of other homeland and national security missions, disasters, and humanitarian needs.

“While there are a few issues that will be discussed here today that I think will generate some good, thoughtful debate, I want to close by thanking Chairman Forbes and our colleagues on this bipartisan panel for their hard work and contributions to this mark.

“With that, I urge the committee’s support for the measure and yield back my time.”

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