Chairman Gene Taylor Opening Statement

Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee

 Mark-up of H.R. 5136, the FY11 NDAA

“Today the subcommittee meets in open session to mark-up and report the Seapower and Expeditionary Forces subcommittee jurisdictional inputs for consideration by the full committee next week in the mark-up of H.R. 5136, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011. 

“The mark before the Members today continues a tradition of strong bipartisan support for our men and women in the sea-services.  I would like to thank the Members of this subcommittee for working with me and the Ranking Member over the last few months offering suggestions and recommendations to improve the mark.  Your input is appreciated and helped shape the final product.

“The mark today supports the procurement of ships, airplanes, and ground and support equipment necessary for the naval warfighter.  The mark also funds essential development programs to maintain the Navy and Marine Corps as the most dominant power on the world’s oceans in the years to come. 

“In all, the mark before the Members this morning would authorize $43 billion in Navy and Marine Corps procurement accounts, $17 billion in Navy and Marine Corps research and development accounts, $935 million in the National Defense Sealift Fund, $3.7 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations, and $359 million for the National Defense Sealift responsibilities of the Maritime Administration of the Department of Transportation.

I will highlight a few of the major items contained in the Chairman’s mark and, after the remarks of my teammate, the gentleman from Missouri, Mr. Akin, I will open the floor to discussion and any amendments to the mark a Member may wish to offer.

The mark authorizes $15.7 billion in shipbuilding procurement and $380 million in the National Defense Sealift Fund for the construction of 9 new battle force vessels and an auxiliary oceanographic vessel, including:  the second America class LHA amphibious helicopter assault ship, 2 DDG 51 class destroyers, 2 Littoral Combat Ships, the first of the new class of Maritime Landing Platform ships, a Joint High Speed vessel, and finally, after years of strong support from both sides of the aisle, particularly Mr. Courtney, Mr. Forbes, Mr. Langevin, Mr. Nye, and Mr. Wittman, 2 Virginia class submarines. 

“The groundwork for this day began with the fiscal year 2008 authorization when this subcommittee added funding above the budget request for long lead procurement necessary to build 2 ships a year.  I congratulate the Members who worked so hard to make this day a reality.

The mark would authorize the incremental funding of large surface vessels such as aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships over a period of years not to exceed three quarters of the number of years of the planned construction of the vessel. 

“This provision would allow for extremely large expenditures in ship construction to be more evenly spread out over the years of actual obligation of the funds and would prevent the need for the Navy to repeatedly come back to the Congress and request separate authorization for incremental funding for each large vessel.

“The mark would clarify the intent of the Congress in authorizing a multi-year procurement authority for F/A 18 aircraft due to the Navy being unable to meet the guidance in last year’s Defense authorization and appropriations Acts.  The mark contains technical corrections that would allow the Department of the Navy to proceed with a multi-year contract award authorized in fiscal year 2010. 

“Additionally, the mark would direct the Secretary of Defense to use the fiscal savings garnered from the multi-year procurement contract to procure the maximum quantity of additional F/A 18 E/F aircraft that the excess funding would enable.

The mark would change the requirements for submission of the long range plan for the construction of naval vessels, commonly referred to as the ‘30 year shipbuilding plan’.  This proposed change in requirement would link the 30 year plan to the every 4 year submission of the Quadrennial Defense Review, but would require stability in the plan during the intervening years.  The proposed change would also direct that the construction schedule for aircraft carriers conform to current law which requires maintaining 11 operational aircraft carries and that the schedule should be planned to minimize the procurement costs of the ships.

The mark would also convey a Sense of the Congress that sea-based strategic deterrence has been essential to the national security of the United States since the first patrol of USS George Washington (SSBN 598) in 1960 and continues to this day with the 14 ships of the Ohio-class ballistic missile force. However, the mark expresses reservations on the current structure of the program to replace the Ohio-class force. 

“It is important for the Congress to fully understand the balance the Department considered in the assessing the capability of a new platform and the cost of the platform.  Therefore, this mark would authorize the budget request for this development program but restrict obligation to no more than 50 percent of the authorized amount until the Secretary of Defense reports to the committee the guidance which shaped the results of the analysis of alternatives, the time needed to develop and deploy each alternative capability, and the rationale associated with construction of a new class of submarines capable of carrying the current weapon vice development of a smaller missile to fit an existing submarine.

The mark would authorize $18.5 billion for aviation program with an additional $547 million above the budget request for unfunded requirements in aviation programs submitted by the Chief of Naval Operations and the Commandant of the Marine Corps. 

“The mark would fully authorize the budget request for all Navy and Marine Corps aviation programs, a total of 206 aircraft. For aviation research and development programs, the mark would authorize the continued development of the F-35 competitive engine, without a reduction to the budget request for aircraft. 

“The mark reaffirms the subcommittee’s commitment to the alternate engine program as the best insurance against spiraling development costs and contractor responsiveness for the primary engine.  Notwithstanding the recent comments from the Secretary of Defense, the alternate engine program, at worst, is investment neutral over the life cycle of the program, and at best, will saves tens of millions of dollars by lowered procurement costs in a competitive environment.

“The mark fully authorizes the budget request for Marine Corps procurement and recommends an additional $126 million for unfunded requirements transmitted to the committee by the Commandant of the Marine Corps.  These unfunded requirements will help protect Marine lives in combat operations. 

“Specifically, the mark would authorize an additional $33.0 million for 7 Assault Breacher Vehicles, which are instrumental in mine field clearance, an additional $55 million for 24 M88A2 recovery vehicles, and an additional $38.0 million to procure 221 mine roller systems which operate in front of vehicles and trigger pressure sensitive IED’s prior to their ability to harm our troops.

“Finally the mark would support programs associated with the Maritime Administration of the Department of Transportation.  The mark would authorize a total of $359 million for MARAD including: $100 million for operational expenses at the Merchant Marine Academy, of which $31 million would be for infrastructure and capital improvements; $174 million for the Maritime Security Program; $15 million to support the state maritime academies; $10 million to dispose of obsolete vessels; and $60 million for the Title XI guaranteed loan program.  Additionally the mark would extend the authorization of funding for the Maritime Security Program from 2015 to 2025.        

“I believe this mark is a balanced authorization of programs under this subcommittee’s jurisdiction and meets the needs of our Sailors and Marines as they attempt to fulfill the tasks the nation sets for them.  We must never forget the young Sailor or Marine as we contemplate our responsibilities to ‘provide and maintain a navy’.  I believe this mark stays true to that promise.

“I now recognize the gentleman from Missouri who, along with his very competent staff, has added significantly to building the mark currently before the subcommittee.  I turn now to the Gentleman from Missouri, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee for any remarks he may wish to make.”

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