National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024

Floor Speech

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Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the bipartisan efforts of Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith to pass this year's NDAA. The base bill before us today represents a strong bipartisan accomplishment that was crafted and passed out of committee with a 58-1 vote. I commend Mr. Rogers and Mr. Smith for their skillful, balanced approach, ensuring a bipartisan outcome from committee markup.

Today, that is the clear path forward for this bill, and I urge my colleagues to focus on germane amendments that expand our national defense capabilities and readiness, not divisive, partisan poison pills that distract from the mission of the NDAA, which is to provide a common defense.

Mr. Chairman, Article I Section 8 of the Constitution mandates that Congress shall provide and maintain a Navy. The Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee's work clearly meets that mandate. Our mark makes clear that our maritime nation will maintain its role as the most formidable sea power in the world.

It authorizes procurement of 10 battle force ships, building on the steady investment in shipbuilding that this subcommittee has consistently authorized in prior years and places a strong emphasis on maintaining superiority of our undersea fleet. Specifically, our mark authorizes $16.5 billion for submarine procurement, fully funding the Columbia- and Virginia-class submarine programs, with an additional $743 million investment in the workforce and supply chain of our national submarine industrial base which, by the way, is growing day by day, picking up the pace of production since the depths of COVID.

We also included multiyear procurement authority for the next block of Virginia-class submarines, totaling 13 submarines in the next 5-year contract. This sends a clear signal to U.S. industry to increase our production cadence above two submarines per year to bolster our Navy's inventory, as well as supporting the trilateral AUKUS agreement. That historic centerpiece calls for the U.S. to assist the recapitalization of Australia's undersea fleet with conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines, including the sale of three Virginia-class submarines in the 2030s.

Adopting this measure is a healthy, serious signal of commitment to AUKUS as other committees in Congress begin their work to act on the legislative framework necessary to execute that program.

This bill also requires the Navy to complete the design for a new- build sealift vessel program of 10 ships which will be modeled after a cost-effective commercial practice now happening in real time at the Philly Shipyard to boost domestic shipbuilding right here in the United States.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleagues on the subcommittee, particularly Chairman Trent Kelly, who has been an outstanding leader of this panel and a great friend. I commend him for his bipartisan approach in his first year as chair that all members have appreciated.

I also thank the outstanding staff--Phil MacNaughton, Ian Bennitt, Kyle Noyes, Kelly Goggin, and Ethan Pelissier--who have all worked so hard on this bill and getting us here today.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to join me in working to keep this bill true to the bipartisan spirit that the House Armed Services Committee showed in passing a strong defense authorization bill and reject extreme amendments that will threaten its passage.

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