HASC

HASC’s Adam Smith Defends Pentagon Push to Retire Legacy Ships, Aircraft

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith is briefed on the capabilities of the F-35A Lightning II during his visit at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., Oct. 10, 2019. The congressman learned about several aspects of the 56th Fighter Wing F-35 pilot training and how the wing works to enhance lethality and readiness. US Air Force Photo

The ranking member of the House Armed Service Committee said retiring legacy guided-missile cruisers, Littoral Combat Ships and older C-130s is the best way to free up money for information...

https://news.usni.org/2023/01/12/hascs-adam-smith-defends-pentagon-push-to-retire-legacy-ships-aircraft

SECNAV: New Virginia Attack Boat Contracts Still Stalled Over Missile Insurance Issue; Lockheed, Northrop Clear SHypersonic Deal with Navy

Rendering of Block V Virginia-class submarine with Virginia Payload Module. General Dynamics Electric Boat Image

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Navy and General Dynamics are still at an impasse over an insurance spat that has resulted in the 11-month delay to contracts for two Virginia-class attack submarines, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro told USNI News on Wednesday.

The service and the submarine builder disagree on the share of responsibility in the event of an accident occurring either during...

https://news.usni.org/2023/01/11/secnav-new-virginia-attack-boat-contracts-still-stalled-over-missile-insurance-issue-lockheed-northrop-clear-shypersonic-deal-with-navy

Virginia Attack Boat Program Stalled Over Tomahawk, Hypersonic Missile Insurance Rift

Rendering of Block V Virginia-class submarine with Virginia Payload Module. General Dynamics Electric Boat Image

THE PENTAGON — Advanced procurement contracts for two of the Navy’s Block V Virginia-class attack submarines have been stalled for 10 months due to an impasse between the service and its lead submarine builder over insurance related to Tomahawk missiles and future hypersonic weapons, USNI News has learned.

General Dynamics and the Navy are split over which organization should be...

https://news.usni.org/2022/12/15/virginia-attack-boat-program-stalled-over-tomahawk-hypersonic-missile-insurance-rift

Defense Primer: U.S. Defense Appropriations Process

The following is the Nov. 17, 2022, Congressional Research Service Defense Primer: Defense Appropriations Process.

From the report

The Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse in Article I, Section 9, which provides that “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” To fulfill this duty, Congress annually considers appropriations measures, which provide funding for numerous activities—such as national defense, education, and homeland...

https://news.usni.org/2022/11/18/defense-primer-u-s-defense-appropriations-process

Rep. Elaine Luria Loses House Seat to Navy Vet Jen Kiggans

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), Virginia State Senator Jen Kiggans

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), a former nuclear-qualified surface warfare officer, lost her House seat on Tuesday to fellow Navy veteran Jen Kiggans.

Luria, the vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee who has been vocal in her criticisms of the Navy’s shipbuilding strategy, lost to her Republican opponent, a former Navy helicopter pilot who has been a Virginia state senator since 2020.

“The peaceful transition of power is a...

https://news.usni.org/2022/11/09/rep-elaine-luria-loses-house-seat-to-navy-vet

Biden Signs Continuing Resolution Keeping Government Running Through Dec. 16

President Joe Biden on Friday signed a stopgap funding bill into law, preventing a government shutdown on the last day of the fiscal year.
The continuing resolution keeps the government funded through Dec. 16, giving lawmakers more time to pass Fiscal Year 2023 funding bills, including the annual defense appropriations legislation.

The House passed the measure on Friday after the Senate passed the CR on Thursday.

Both chambers are in recess until after Election Day, meaning both the FY 2023...

https://news.usni.org/2022/09/30/biden-signs-continuing-resolution-keeping-government-running-through-dec-16

Navy to Add 225 Prevention Workers in Pentagon-Wide Effort to Stem Sexual Assault

Sailors and Marines, assigned to the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44), man the rails as the ship prepares to deploy, March 28, 2022. US Navy Photo

Over the next year, the Navy will hire 82 workers to help provide service commands with resources for addressing military sexual trauma with a goal hiring 225 by the end of Fiscal Year 2024, the under secretary of the Navy told the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday.

The 82 prevention officers will be in place by...

https://news.usni.org/2022/09/22/navy-to-add-225-prevention-workers-in-pentagon-wide-effort-to-stem-sexual-assault

Sailors Bid Farewell to USS Monterey as Navy Prepares to Decommission 3 More Cruisers This Month

Sailors assigned to the USS Monterey (CG-61) depart the ship for the final time during its decommissioning ceremony Sept. 16 in Norfolk, Va. US Navy Photo

The Navy decommissioned the guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG-61) in a ceremony on Friday as the service continues to take Ticonderoga-class cruisers out of inventory.
Monterey, built at the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works shipyard in Maine, was commissioned on June 16, 1990, in Mayport, Fla., The ship served 32 years, according to a...

https://news.usni.org/2022/09/19/sailors-bid-farewell-to-uss-monterey-as-navy-prepares-to-decommission-3-more-cruisers-this-month

Congress Considering New Leave Rules for Sailors, Marines Seeking Abortions

NASA Photo

Congress is considering new legislation that would remove a barrier for sailors and Marines to get time off for abortions.

Currently, the Navy and Marine Corps do not have a leave policy that would allow pregnant service members to get abortions, especially those that require leaving the state. Although Tricare, the military insurance, covers abortions when the mother’s life is at risk or in the case of rape, federal funding cannot be used for abortions, meaning most service members...

https://news.usni.org/2022/07/06/congress-considering-new-leave-rules-for-sailors-marines-seeking-abortions

HASC Adopts Amendment for $37B Boost to Defense Topline, Restores 5 Littoral Combat Ships

The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Sioux City (LCS 11), front, transits the Tyrrhenian Sea alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) on May 16, 2022. US Navy Photo

The House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday approved an amendment that would authorize a $37 billion increase to the annual policy bill’s topline and save five Littoral Combat Ships from decommissioning.

The amendment, proposed by Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Elaine Luria (D-Va.), would...

https://news.usni.org/2022/06/22/hasc-adopts-amendment-for-37b-boost-to-defense-topline-restores-5-littoral-combat-ships

+ More