Ranking Member Courtney's Statement On The 2017 NDAA Passing In The House
WASHINGTON, D.C. —Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02), the ranking member of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, released the following statement after voting for the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act which passed the House by a wide bipartisan margin:
“As the ranking member for the Seapower subcommittee, I am pleased and encouraged by the outcome of this year’s conference negotiations and glad that the agreement was easily passed in the House,” said Courtney. “The agreement reflects the hard bipartisan work that our subcommittee did over the last year to make key investments in the capabilities of our seapower and projection forces, responding to persistent requests from commanders around the world. As we begin transitioning 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, by sustaining our path to a 308 ship fleet by 2021. I hope that the Senate will now quickly pass the conference report and send it to the President for his signature.
“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.
“Finally, this agreement backs many top priorities for Connecticut that I am proud to have worked on over the course of the year. This measure continues the strong support for the Connecticut Air National’s Guard continued post-BRAC transformation to a C-130H flying mission, and ensures that the Flying Yankees have the support they need to modernize their aircraft and their facilities at Bradley. And, while the conference report retains the lower levels of investment in other priorities like the F-35 and Blackhawks that were in the senate version of the bill, I look forward to continuing to doing all I can to get these programs back to the levels that were in the House bill over the coming months.”
Submarine Development and Construction
Virginia Class Submarines – Authorizes two Virginia class submarines for 2017, and advanced procurement for sustaining the two a year build rate in 2018 and 2019. That includes $85 million more than the budget request, reflecting funding Courtney secured in the House version of the bill to ensure that the industrial base can properly plan for and support the incorporation of the Virginia Payload Module in Block V submarines.
Ohio Replacement Submarine – fully supports the $1.9 billion requested for the development and design of the Ohio Replacement submarine, ensuring that we continue to make steady progress on this foundational component of our nation’s security and a significant driver of economic recovery in eastern Connecticut. Congressman Courtney also recently led the effort to ensure that this authorization would not go unfunded due to a protracted continuing resolution.
- National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund (NSBDF) – The report fully authorizes the $1.9 billion budget request for the Ohio Replacement, and retains a provision included in the House version by Courtney and Forbes to expand the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund to allow for the continuous production of components related to the missile compartment on the new submarines. Navy estimates have found that continuous production would save 25 percent of the cost of procuring missile tubes alone by buying them in a cost efficient and level loaded approach. Courtney is a lead author and advocate of the NSBDF to ensure that the Navy can produce the new fleet while also meeting other critical shipbuilding priorities.
Connecticut’s Submarine Century – the conference report retains the text of a resolution that Congressman Courtney inserted into the House version of the bill commending “Connecticut’s Submarine Century” marking the 100 years of support the state, its citizens and the hard-working men and women at Electric Boat have provided to our submarine force.
Connecticut National Guard
The “Flying Yankees” of the 103rd Airlift Wing of the Connecticut Air National Guard are in the final stages of completing transition to their new C-130H flying mission. That mission, which resulted from a plan that Congressman Courtney helped secure in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, assigns eight C-130H aircraft to Connecticut and ends years of uncertainty after the loss of its last flying mission, the A-10, in the 2005 base closing process.
- C-130H Modernization – the measure continues Congressman Courtney’s efforts to accelerate the modernization of the C-130H cargo aircraft fleet. In the 2016 NDAA, Congressman Courtney worked to provide the Air Force with the authority to move forward on its two-phase Avionics Modernization Plan (AMP) –increment one, to provide near term avionics upgrades needed to meet the looming domestic and international airspace restrictions to begin in 2020, and increment two focused on longer term upgrades to other systems to ensure the longevity of the aircraft well in to the future. The agreement fully supports this program and invests in additional propulsion and propeller upgrades to further enhance the capabilities of the fleet by adding $72.5 million to the President’s request.
- Small Air Terminal at Bradley – The conference report authorizes the $6.3 million request in the President’s budget proposal for a military construction project to build a new Small Air Terminal at the Connecticut Air National Guard base at Bradley International Airport. The project is the last major infrastructure investment needed to finish the conversion to the new mission. Congressman Courtney and Congressman John Larson (CT-1) have urged the House Appropriations Committee to provide full funding for the project in the 2017 military construction and veterans affairs appropriations bill, which was signed into law in September.
Aircraft & Helicopter Development and Procurement
- F-35 Joint Strike Fighter –authorizes 63 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, sustaining the previous year’s production rate as it continues to prepare for entry into full rate production.
- B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber – fully supports the continued development of the B-21 Long Range Strike Bomber, which will be powered by Pratt & Whitney engines.
- Blackhawks – authorizes 36 UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, equal to the President’s request.
- Combat Rescue Helicopter – fully supports the budget request for continued deployment of the new HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopter, being built by Sikorsky, as well as five demonstration aircraft.
- CH-53K – supports continued development of the new Marine heavy lift helicopter, as well as the procurement of the first two Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) aircraft.
- VH-92A Presidential Helicopter – supports continued engineering and system integration efforts on the new presidential helicopter, as well as the acquisition of the remaining two System Demonstration Test Article (SDTA) aircraft.
- KC-46A Tanker – continues the third year of Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) for new KC-46A tankers by procuring 15 aircraft in 2017. The conference report also supports the ongoing developmental and operational testing of the new tanker.
- Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) – the measure continues investment in the ITEP, which will develop new more efficient engines for the existing Army helicopter fleet. Sikorsky is participating in the development effort.
Other Notable Provisions
National Security Mulit-Mission Vessel (NMSV) - Authorizes $36 million for the construction of a National Security Multi-Mission Vessel to replace the aging fleet of training ships for the nation’s State Maritime Academies, and requires that a design be completed on the new vessel in 2018. Courtney has prioritized replacement of these training assets in order to ensure that our nation continues to meet future maritime workforce needs.
Denies New BRAC round -- the agreement denies the administration’s request to authorize a new base closing round in 2019. This marks the fifth year that the committee has rejected a new BRAC request.
Military Pay Raise – authorizes a military pay raise of 2.1%, an increase of half a percent above the budget request.
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