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For Immediate Release
September 26, 2006
FINAL DEFENSE BILL ADDS NAVY OVERHAUL FUNDS,
MORE C-17s AND F/A-18G ELECTRONIC AIRCRAFT
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A House and Senate conference committee has agreed on the final version of next year's defense spending bill, boosting the Navy's depot maintenance account by $100 million and, according to U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, assuring that Puget Sound Naval Shipyard will have sufficient funds to repair the USS San Francisco, the submarine damaged in January 2005 when it hit an underwater mountain.
In June, the congressman inserted language that specifically directed the Navy to accomplish the San Francisco overhaul, in addition to a carrier at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. The agreement reached today adds the funding for the overhauls to the Pentagon budget, improving workload stability for the PSNS workforce while also enhancing Navy fleet readiness Rep. Dicks stated.
The conference panel also added funds for 10 more Boeing C-17 airlifters, reversing the Pentagon's decision to end the program at 180 aircraft. It also included funding -- deferred earlier by the House -- for eight F/A 18-G electronic attack aircraft that will ultimately replace the EA-6Bs at Whidbey Island NAS.
The final version of the bill also provides funds to continue the Navy's participation in the research effort to address the alarmingly-low level of dissolved oxygen in Hood Canal along with funds to develop a system for the Navy that will allow sensors to collect of a wide variety of data on water characteristics and collect the data over a wireless network, the congressman noted.
A total of $70 million was included in the bill for the aerial refueling tanker replacement program as the Air Force on Monday officially launched the competition for what is expected to be a $20 billion effort to replace the country's aging fleet of tankers, said Rep. Dicks, a leading advocate for purchasing new tankers based on Boeing's 767 airframe.
Other Boeing programs funded in the bill include $1.13 billion for the further development of the P-8A “Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft,” a surveillance plane utilizing the Boeing 737 airframe that will replace the P-3 Orion submarine hunter aircraft. The Navy plans to purchase 108 of these aircraft, extending the 737 production line in Renton, Rep. Dicks said. In addition to the P-8A production, the following Boeing programs are included in the final version of the defense bill that will be approved by the House today:
C-17 Cargo/Transport Aircraft
This final version of the defense bill appropriates $4.4 billion for the purchase of 22 additional C-17 airlifters – 10 more than were requested in the Bush Administration’s budget.
F/A-22 Aircraft
The agreement includes a total of $2.9 billion to fully fund the procurement of 20 F/A-22 fighter aircraft, with an additional $477 million for advance procurement in future years. The plane is the nation’s next-generation air superiority fighter characterized by a low-observable, highly maneuverable airframe.
F/A-18/E/F Aircraft
Another $2.5 billion was included for 34 next-generation F/A-18 E/Fs, the Navy's upgrade of the current F/A-18 C/D aircraft.
V-22 Osprey
$1.3 billion was included in the bill to fully fund the Marine Corps’ V-22 tiltrotor aircraft program.
Army “Future Combat System” (Boeing Co. is lead systems integrator)
$3 billion was included for the Army’s major research and development program entitled “Future Combat System.” The program integrates the Army's next generation of combat vehicles and weapons systems.
The defense bill also includes funding for several smaller programs that operate at Washington State military bases or are in development by northwest technology firms, Rep. Dicks said. Among them is $145.7 million appropriated for torpedo developmental and production work, much of which is accomplished by Navy and Raytheon employees at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center at Keyport.
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