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November 30, 2016
Press Release
“As the ranking member for the Seapower subcommittee, I am pleased by the outcome of this year’s conference negotiations,” said Courtney. “This agreement reflects the hard bipartisan work our subcommittee did over the last year to make the key investments in our seapower and projection force capabilities that are needed now and for the future. As we transition to a new administration, this measure makes a solid down payment on growing the fleet and meeting our security challenges on, below, and above the seas. In particular, this report maintains two critical elements that I fought to retain from the House bill passed last May, but were not in the Senate bill: the expansion of the National Sea-based Deterrence Fund to authorize continuous production of components on the Ohio-class Replacement Program, and the restoration of advanced procurement funding for future Virginia-class submarines that will keep the program on track. I have worked closely with Chairman Forbes in advancing these initiatives, and I am proud that this agreement retains our hard work.”
November 18, 2016
Press Release
“For Ohio Replacement, a continuing resolution would have significant impacts, as FY2017 is the first year that procurement funds, about $773 million supporting detailed design and other advanced procurement requirements, appears in the Navy’s budget,” wrote the members. “Without an anomaly to address this issue, the program will face delays in design and production that would have ripple effects throughout its extremely tight timeline, disrupt hiring and material orders throughout the industrial base across several states, and undermine the progress made to date in reducing costs and schedule in this program.
October 25, 2016
Press Release
“The news that the Navy has committed $5.4 million dollars to design a replacement for Pier 32 at SUBASE is just the latest positive news for the base,” said Courtney. “SUBASE New London is a critical asset for the U.S. Navy’s undersea fleet, and this commitment to upgrading the base’s infrastructure is a further demonstration of its value. I am going to work with the Navy and leadership at the SUBASE to ensure that these upgrades are carried out in the most efficient way possible to ensure that they address the changing needs of the submarine force.”
September 21, 2016
Press Release
Thank you Mr. Chairman, and thank you to our witnesses for testifying before this subcommittee today. I look forward to your candid remarks, and we can use this opportunity to take a hard look at the difficult choice our country faces in this critical region of the world.
September 21, 2016
Press Release
“It has been both a pleasure and an honor working with Rear Admiral Trussler during his time as the first commanding officer of the Undersea Warfighting Development Center,” said Courtney. “Admiral Trussler had a huge challenge coming into the role, both in starting up the UWDC and bringing a flag officer back to Submarine Base New London. He succeeded on all accounts, making the UWDC a recognized force throughout the Navy and in further emphasizing the key role that the base plays in meeting our nation’s top national security challenges. I truly appreciate all he has done for us here in eastern Connecticut and the contributions he will continue to make in his new role in Washington."
September 14, 2016
Press Release
“The modernization and recapitalization of our nation’s fighters, bombers, tankers, and airlift platforms has been an ongoing area of interest and concern for this panel. These aircraft perform vital missions essential to national security and support our military’s operations around the globe. However, these legacy aircraft are now more frequently having their lifetimes extended, flying much longer than original designs intended -- and are often older than the crews and pilots who operate and maintain them. Consequently, the Air Force must be prepared to confront a growing number of challenges in ensuring that these platforms remain airborne despite their age."
August 31, 2016
Press Release
NORWICH, CT —Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) announced that he rode aboard the Virginia-class attack submarine USS Minnesota on Monday into Tuesday morning after setting sail from Naval Station Mayport near Jacksonville, Florida. While aboard, Courtney met some of the first female officers serving aboard an attack submarine since the Navy opened submarine service to women.
July 14, 2016
Press Release
"I appreciate the work the Navy is doing to harness the capacity in the submarine industrial base to build additional attacks submarines. Thanks to the in-depth look that the Navy has taken at the industrial base as it prepares to meet the challenge of building attack submarines in addition to the new Ohio Replacement Submarine, we know that there is capacity to add a second submarine in 2021. The addition of this boat alone reduces the attack submarine shortfall by nearly 30 percent, as measured against current requirements. Our subcommittee made clear its firm support of this plan in our mark of the 2017 defense authorization, and we are eager to see this plan put into action."
July 12, 2016
Press Release
“This ruling makes clear what the United States and its allies in the region already know – that China’s excessive maritime claims and reclamation activity in the South China Sea are not only inconsistent with international law but also highly disruptive to stability of the region,” Courtney said. “In reclaiming more than 3,000 acres of land from the seafloor, militarizing the majority of it, and attempting to partner with landlocked states to write a false narrative justifying their actions, it ought to be clear that China’s actions are jeopardizing the international rules-based order. In light of this binding decision today, China and other stakeholders in the region must work cooperatively and constructively to uphold the rights and responsibilities affirmed under international law."
July 8, 2016
Press Release
"I am proud to once again serve as a member of the conference committee tasked with finalizing the annual defense authorization bill. In this capacity, I will continue to build on the strong support I secured for Connecticut’s defense priorities in the House-passed bill -- including full support for robust submarine production, restoration of critical gaps in aircraft production levels, and further modernization of the C-130 aircraft assigned to the 'Flying Yankees' of Connecticut’s Air National Guard. There are many challenging issues on the agenda for these negotiations, but I remain confident that we will continue to find a bipartisan approach to ensuring that our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines have the support they deserve.”