Washington Report

Advance Funding Plan for Two Subs Will Attract Scrutiny of Hill Critics

As the Navy’s six-year, $80 billion shipbuilding plan makes its way to Congress in February, the service plans to boost construction of its Virginia-class submarines with advance funding for two more subs — one each in 2007 and 2008. The subs boast a core of staunch advocates on Capitol Hill, but the program encountered rising costs in fiscal year 2004, and lawmakers are expected to give the proposal more scrutiny in the months ahead.

Last year, the Navy sought funding to award defense giants Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics a multiyear contract to build seven Virginia-class subs over a period of several years, as opposed to funding individual subs through the annual appropriations cycle. Both the House and Senate Armed Services committees boast lawmakers from shipbuilding districts in Virginia and Connecticut, home to the submarines’ two prime contractors, and Rep. Robert Simmons, R-Conn., who represents General Dynamics’ Electric Boat facility in Groton, Conn., worked with members of his delegation and other lawmakers to garner support for the multiyear plan. But Senate appropriators, led by Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, balked and the program was ultimately scaled back to fund only five subs.

Although the Navy’s plan for fiscal year 2005 is less aggressive — calling for advance funding for two subs rather than an immediate increase in procurement — there is still a chance the White House could override the Navy’s request and accelerate sub construction to two boats per year beginning in 2007. Otherwise it will be up to Congress to hasten the pace.

In the meantime, lawmakers may consider alternative ways to reduce program costs, such as increased competition for the boat’s subsystems, or even a reassessment of its array of missions.

McCain Keeps An Eye On Navy’s Refueling Needs

Look for Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain to defend the Navy’s air refueling requirements in the coming months under the Air Force’s troubled plan to lease and buy 100 new Boeing 767 aerial refueling tankers. While the Navy’s operational requirements plan calls for the capability to refuel at least two planes simultaneously, the 767 can refuel only one aircraft at a time.

McCain, the No. 2 Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, is a fervent opponent of the hotly contested tanker lease proposal, and is expected to scrutinize the Air Force’s consideration of the Navy’s refueling needs.

Congress Awaits Marines’ V-22 Tiltrotor Report

A Pentagon probe of V-22 contractor Bell Helicopter could draw congressional attention this year. The company allegedly neglected to remove faulty hydraulic parts installed on the tiltrotor aircraft, and the Pentagon’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service is conducting a formal investigation of Bell following allegations made in a civil whistle-blower lawsuit filed last year in Fort Worth, Texas, where the company is based.

The V-22 Osprey has been behind schedule and plagued with design and engineering problems for years, and the tiltrotor’s hydraulics continue to be a problem. The Osprey was grounded for more than a year following two fatal crashes in 2000, one of which was caused by a ruptured hydraulic line.

Warner Cautions On Cost Of Joint Strike Fighter

Another program that will be closely watched on the Hill this year is the tri-service F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). A recent report by JSF contractor Lockheed Martin reveals the aircraft could exceed its projected weight, a problem that, among other things, could boost the price tag by roughly $5 billion.

JSF has been a politically popular program on Capitol Hill, but congressional sources say lawmakers may need to consider new approaches to reining in the aircraft’s mounting costs. One possibility, they said, calls for bringing more B-1 bombers into the force structure.

The B-1 is a larger platform that could carry more weapons than JSF and, while not stealthy, utilizes long-range weapons such as the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile. And there is always the option of slowing the JSF program, filling gaps in the current force structure with F-16s and waiting for JSF technologies to mature and, consequently, come down in cost.

Meanwhile, lawmakers continue to monitor the JSF’s progress. Senate Armed Services Chairman John W. Warner, R-Va., typically a staunch defense advocate, revealed his concern about the fighter’s heft and cost in November when he grilled Michael Wynne, President Bush’s pick for Pentagon acquisition chief, about the airplane during Wynne’s confirmation hearing. “It’s important to reassure us that it will be fixed,” Warner cautioned Wynne, who currently serves as the Pentagon’s acting top civilian acquisition official.

House Lawmakers Seek Navy’s Return to Israeli Port

House lawmakers are urging the Navy to resume port calls to Haifa, Israel, where U.S. ships virtually stopped visiting after the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, despite significant investment in improving Haifa’s capacity and capabilities.

The 2004 defense authorization report calls on the Navy and the defense secretary to consult with Israel on how to improve security for U.S. vessels and personnel in the port, which boasts valuable logistics and communications capabilities. The bill also emphasizes the need for such port calls to show America’s military presence in the volatile region and its political commitment to Israel.

Marine One Competition Could Re-Ignite Trade Debate

The Marine Corps’ plan to replace the president’s helicopter, dubbed Marine One, could rile protectionist lawmakers in the House this year, given recent efforts there to curb the amount of foreign content included in U.S. military weapons systems. Sikorsky’s S-92 is up against the US-101, offered by Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter Textron, and Agusta Westland, an Anglo-Italian helicopter firm.

The US-101 is based on Agusta’s EH-101 helicopter, which has garnered widespread popularity in Europe. Analysts predict the contest could pit protectionist lawmakers, such as House Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., against free-trade proponents such as Sen. John W. McCain, R-Ariz.

Hunter fought ardently last year against his Senate counterparts to include precedent-setting legislation in the 2004 defense authorization bill that would curb U.S. reliance on foreign defense manufacturers. But fierce opposition from McCain, Sen. John W. Warner, R-Va., and other key senators led to a watered-down version of Hunter’s legislation in the final conferenced bill.

Sea Viking is Marines’ Most Ambitious Test Yet

The Marine Corps this year launches one of its most ambitious experimentation projects to date. Called Sea Viking, the effort will encompass a variety of futuristic, over-the-horizon, from-the-sea, and sea-basing warfare concepts that form the foundation of the Marines’ 21st century strategy.

Brig. Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser, vice chief of naval research and commander of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, said the new experiment will look at weapon systems and equipment that will be in service after 2015, and at ways the Marine Corps will utilize those capabilities in its concepts of operations.

Sea Power Correspondent Amy Svitak and Associate Editor Hunter C. Keeter contributed to this report.