USN får midler til flere subs - Breaking Defense

House OKs More Subs, Pumps $250M More Into Industrial Base

By PAUL MCLEARYon July 26, 2018 at 3:38 PM

The Virginia-class attack submarine USS North Dakota.

CAPITOL HILL: In the drama-free weeks leading up to Thursday’s overwhelming passage of the compromise $716 billion defense policy bill by the House of Representatives, lawmakers sent a pretty clear signal to the White House: we want more submarines.

With concerns rising over the growing prowess of Russian and Chinese undersea capabilities, and standoff air and sea defenses shutting off access to the littoral for large surface ships and many aircraft, both lawmakers and the Navy have said that they’ll need more subs — and more quickly — than previous plans allocated.

By a 359-54 margin, on Thursday the House delivered — and the Senate is expected to follow suit next week.

The conference report authorizes funding for two more Virginia-class submarines than the White House requested, calling for three subs a year in 2022 and 2023 as opposed to two, which would increase the number of new hulls built over the next five years to 12.

The bill also authorizes about $237 million more than the White House requested –$3.2 billion — to continue work on new Columbia-class submarines. It also plumps down an additional $250 million to strengthen the submarine industrial base as it scrambles to replace the current Ohio-class subs.

That extra money for the base is meant to ensure that smaller second- and third-tier suppliers can meet increased production demands for both the Columbia and Virginia class submarine programs.

The report also tacks on a third aircraft carrier to the two requested by the White House, along with two more Littoral Combat Ships, calling for the Navy to build 13 new ships, as opposed to the 10 hulls the White House had requested. It also authorizes advanced procurement for the Navy’s nascent frigate program.

Rep. Joe Courtney, ranking member of the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee, applauded the moves on Thursday. “My committee has heard the relentless drumbeat of anxiety and concern about the looming shortfall in our attack submarine fleet,” he said. “Without timely action by Congress, the Trump administration, and the Navy, the fleet will fall to just 42 submarines within the next decade.”