Letter to the Hon. John McCain, Mac Thornberry, Chairmen of the Congressional Armed Forces Committees - Regarding Three Projects at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Letter

Dear Chairman McCain and Chairman Thornberry,

As you reconcile the differences between the House-passed and Senate-passed versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, I write to urge you to include authorizations in the final bill for three important military construction projects at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard that have been requested by the Navy.

As you know, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard has solidified its reputation as the Navy's center of excellence for fast attack nuclear-powered submarine maintenance, modernization and repair. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard consistently proves this by completing submarine maintenance ahead of schedule and under budget. Last year, Portsmouth executed the fastest engineering overhaul of a Los Angeles-class submarine in history, completing the work on the USS Alexandria two weeks ahead of schedule and $9 million under budget. We have seen similar top-notch performances at Portsmouth with the USS Springfield, California, Topeka and Dallas.

To ensure that Portsmouth Naval Shipyard can continue this outstanding performance that is so important to our sailors and our national security, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard needs modern and efficient infrastructure and facilities. That is why I have consistently advocated for projects at the shipyard and why I respectfully request that you include authorizations in the final NDAA for three important projects there.

* $30.1M Utility Improvement for Nuclear Platforms project (P-371): The shipyard's current utility system is aging and experiences power failures, and this project will improve the utility system's reliability that is so important to submarine maintenance.

* $27.1M Medical/Dental Clinic Replacement (71509): The new clinic is needed because required mental, dental, behavioral, and occupational health services are currently provided in outdated, inefficient, and dispersed facilities.

* $17.8M Unaccompanied Housing Barracks for junior enlisted sailors (P-285). This project will provide safe and healthy mission essential housing for junior enlisted sailors stationed at the shipyard while their submarine undergoes maintenance.

As Chair of the Senate Armed Services Readiness and Management Support Subcommittee, I included authorizations for these projects in my subcommittee's mark. I then worked to ensure these authorizations were supported by the full committee and then the full Senate. I now ask that you include authorizations for these three military construction projects in the final bill as well so that Portsmouth Naval Shipyard can continue to perform world-class maintenance for our Navy and our nation.

Thank you for your leadership and for your consideration of this important issue.

Sincerely,

Kelly A. Ayotte
United States Senator

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