Billions More For Subs: Courtney Votes To Advance Bipartisan Annual Defense Bill
(THE DAY 26 JUN 23) ... Brian Hallenbeck
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, helped vote the national defense spending bill for the 2023-24 fiscal year out of the House Armed Services Committee last week, endorsing funding for further submarine construction at Electric Boat in Groton and investment in eastern Connecticut's submarine industrial base.
The bill, passed Thursday in a 58-1 vote, includes a Courtney-authored amendment that extends health care coverage for National Guard members, Army Reservists and their families, aligning their survivor's benefits with those of active-duty personnel.
"The committee-passed NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) is the result of a careful, months-long assessment of our national security needs and the increasingly challenging global security environment," Courtney said in a statement. "We worked together as a committee to build on the president's budget request and advance a bill which delivers results for America's service members.
"... As ranking member on the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, I helped secure historic investments in shipbuilding and the submarine industrial base," Courtney continued. "This funding is critical to meeting Navy fleet requirements and clearing the pathway to help fulfill the trilateral AUKUS agreement."
AUKUS, a pact among Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, calls for the delivery of U.S.-built submarines to Australia, starting in the 2030s.
The NDAA would authorize a total of $18.2 billion for submarine procurement, repair, and research and development priorities, including:
• Columbia-class submarine ― Authorizes $2.5 billion for the first increment for the second boat in the program and $3.4 billion in advanced procurement of materials to maintain the delivery schedule.
• Virginia-class submarine ― Authorizes $10 billion to sustain the two-per-year build of new Virginia-class submarines with $7.1 billion for two submarines in 2024 and $2.9 billion to support future construction of submarines in 2025 and 2026. The bill also includes a Courtney-authored provision to authorize 13 Block VI Virginia-class submarines for the next contract to increase the procurement rate above two-per-year in support of AUKUS.
• Submarine Industrial Base ― This builds on the investment in the submarine industrial base in the fiscal 2023 budget and authorizes $735 million to stabilize and bolster the industrial base, including $488 million for submarine supplier development, shipyard infrastructure and strategic outsourcing, as well as $247 million for workforce development initiatives.
"For eastern Connecticut, the FY24 NDAA bill will help maintain our region's role as the submarine capital of the world and strengthen our entire defense industrial base," Courtney said. "It authorizes full funding for both the Virginia-class and Columbia-class programs ― and provides the Navy with the authority to exceed the two-per-year build rate for Virginia-class submarines. That's coupled with continued, steady investments in submarine suppliers, shipyard infrastructure, and workforce development initiatives ― including eastern Connecticut's Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative."
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