The Navy portion of the House Armed Services Committee’s draft of the fiscal 2021 defense authorization bill approved Tuesday would add two vessels over the Senate version and argued a second attack submarine is needed to maintain the Columbia-class schedule.
The final HASC markup recommends authorizing the first Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, two Arleigh Burke-class DDG-51 destroyers, one FFG(X) frigate, and two Navajo-class T-ATS towing, salvage, and rescue ships as requested by the administration. However, it also adds a second Virginia-class attack submarine and a Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) vessel.
In a unanimous vote shortly before midnight Wednesday, the committee advanced its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to the full House. The Senate is already considering its bill.
The House and Senate both restored some Virginia-class funding cut by the president’s budget request, but the House version includes an overall additional $2.6 billion to fully fund a second attack submarine and continue advanced procurement to keep up the two per year production pace.
In contrast, the Senate’s NDAA supports the administration’s ship number request but only added $472 million over the request in advanced procurement for Virginia-class submarines to preserve the option to procure the full 10 vessels in the multi-year procurement contract (Defense Daily, June 11)
The Trump administration has proposed to eliminate one Virginia-class vessel for the budget year beginning Oct. 1 in order to fund the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) at $20 billion.
SASC Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.) told reporters last month the basic amount of advanced procurement would be $250 million and they put in $472 million instead.
However, a HASC committee aide told reporters that amount does not actually fund a second submarine since the second FY ’21 vessel previously received its advanced procurement approval.
During the full HASC markup, seapower subcommittee Chairman Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) had a committee staffer argue that if the second fiscal 2021 boat is not authorized and appropriated in this budget it could impact the Columbia-class workforce and jeopardize its schedule.
