Letter to the Hon. Kay Granger, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Defense Committee on Appropriations and the Hon. Peter Visclosky, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Defense Committee on Appropriations - Courtney, Wittman, Langevin Lead Bipartisan Coalition Urging Increased Submarine Funding in Final Spending Package

Letter

Dear Chairman Granger and Ranking Member Visclosky,

As you complete negotiations on a final appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2018, we write to encourage you to support increased submarine construction funding to meet the Navy's requirements and match bipartisan investment included in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference report.

Fast-attack submarines remain one of the most effective and sought after tools in our nation's arsenal. The Navy's December 2016 Force Structure Assessment (FSA) supported the testimony of our military commanders in stating that the United States should maintain a force of at least 66 fast attack submarines. This represents an increase from the previous requirement of 48 submarines, and is the largest increase in ship requirements in the new FSA. However, with the retirement of Los Angeles-class submarines at a faster rate than Virginia-class construction, the SSN force will drop to a low of just 41 submarines, more than one-third below the requirement to defend America's national security interests around the globe. Under plans reflected in the 2018 budget request to continue the two-per-year build rate, the attack submarine force will not meet minimum requirements until 2048.

With demand for undersea capabilities growing and the shortfall in the fleet approaching fast, it is clear that Congress must ensure that production meets the needs of our combatant commanders. To this end, the conference report for the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which received overwhelming support in both houses of Congress, included multiyear procurement (MYP) authority to procure up to thirteen submarines in the Block V contract -- three more than requested in the budget for the next "block" contract. The NDAA also authorized $698 million in additional funds for a third submarine in 2020, economic order quantity funding, and authorities to prepare the submarine industrial base for the future construction ramp-up. As you are aware, the House and Senate appropriations bills also endorsed increased submarine construction, with the House bill matching the NDAA's MYP authority for up to thirteen submarines in the Block V contract and the Senate bill including additional funding for the submarine industrial base.

As you complete the final appropriations bill, we strongly encourage you to fund the Virginia-class program in line with NDAA authorized-levels to the maximum extent possible. While the undersea industrial base is preparing to begin work on the new Columbia-class submarine, we believe that there is sufficient capacity to increase production of the Virginia-class submarine to help meet demand for undersea capabilities in the fleet, ramp up an efficient workforce to tackle Columbia, and boost our supplier network. It is vital that Congress send a clear signal of support to our fleet commanders and our industrial base by ensuring that the final funding package provides as robust an investment possible in our undersea fleet.

We additionally request that funding be provided with sufficient flexibility for the Navy and industrial base to allocate funding where it can provide maximum benefit to the construction schedule and the long-term interests of the taxpayer. Supplier development must be funded now due to the lead time necessary to add sustained capacity in the industrial base and to qualify new suppliers to perform complex work. Providing flexibility in how additional funds could be used would help maintain submarine construction schedules and reduce cost, while also helping the Navy maintain its operational submarine requirements.

We firmly believe that the final appropriations bill should follow Congress's clear direction to increase submarine construction while providing sufficient flexibility to the Navy and industry to mitigate the SSN shortfall. Thank you for your attention to this request and your unwavering support of our national defense.

Sincerely,

REP. JOE COURTNEY

REP. ROB WITTMAN

REP. JIM LANGEVIN

REP. BRADLEY BYRNE

REP. ANN MCLANE KUSTER

REP. ELIZABETH H. ESTY

REP. THOMAS R. SUOZZI

REP. BARBARA COMSTOCK

REP. A. DONALD MCEACHIN

REP. RYAN COSTELLO

REP. PETER KING

REP. RICHARD E. NEAL

REP. JACKIE WALORSKI

REP. COLLEEN HANABUSA

REP. JAMES P. MCGOVERN

REP. LLOYD SMUCKER

REP. DWIGHT EVANS

REP. CHRIS COLLINS

REP. BRENDAN F. BOYLE

REP. ROBERT C. "BOBBY" SCOTT

REP. SCOTT PERRY

REP. SUSAN DAVIS

REP. RUBEN GALLEGO

REP. JIM HIMES

REP. JOHN B. LARSON

REP. CAROL SHEA-PORTER

REP. MIKE KELLY

REP. BILL JOHNSON

REP. ROBERT A. BRADY

REP. DAVID N. CICILLINE

REP. PATRICK MEEHAN

REP. LEONARD LANCE

REP. ROSA DELAURO

REP. FRANK A. LOBIONDO

REP. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO

REP. TOM MACARTHUR

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