HASC

SECDEF Esper Faced Bipartisan Criticism Over ‘Anemic’ Shipbuilding Plan

Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper is briefed on USS Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) advanced weapons elevators (AWE) by Capt. John J. Cummings, Ford’s commanding officer. Navy photo

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper faced sustained bipartisan criticism from the House Armed Services Committee over the Pentagon’s proposed shipbuilding plan during a Wednesday hearing on the Fiscal Year 2021 Pentagon budget.

Republican and Democratic committee members asked Esper how his request to buy eight ships in...

https://news.usni.org/2020/02/26/secdef-esper-faced-bipartisan-criticism-over-anemic-shipbuilding-plan

Nuclear Reactor Builder Warns of Loss if Navy Buys Single Virginia Attack Boat in FY ’21

USS Minnesota (SSN-783) under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding in 2012. U.S. Navy Photo

A critical nuclear submarine supplier could take financial hits for years if the Navy sticks to buying just one Virginia-class fast-attack submarine in Fiscal Year 2021.

BWX Technologies – U.S. Navy’s only manufacturer of nuclear reactors – would start feeling the hit to its bottom line by the end of 2020 if the Navy only buys one Virginia-class boat, said Rex Geveden, chief executive of BWX...

https://news.usni.org/2020/02/25/nuclear-reactor-builder-warns-of-loss-if-navy-buys-single-virgina-attack-boat-in-fy-21

Pentagon Confirms Low-Yield Nuclear Warhead on Ballistic Missile Sub

Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Tennessee (SSBN-734) gold crew returns to its homeport at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, following a strategic deterrence patrol on Jan. 11, 2020. US Navy Photo

The Pentagon acknowledged Tuesday it had deployed at least one low-yield nuclear warhead on a U.S. Navy nuclear ballistic missile submarine.

Last week, The Federation of American Scientists published a report detailing their belief Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS Tennessee...

https://news.usni.org/2020/02/04/pentagon-confirms-low-yield-nuclear-warhead-on-ballistic-missile-sub

House, Senate Defense Bill Signs Off on New Shipbuilding Programs, Restricts Others

Leaders from the House and Senate armed services committees agreed to a $738 billion Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which approves funding for several Navy programs but also imposes limits on a few high-profile ship programs.

Both chambers of Congress are expected to vote on the FY 2020 NDAA later this week. The compromise closed some of the gap separating the House and Senate version of the bill passed earlier this year. The House version authorized $733 billion. The...

https://news.usni.org/2019/12/10/house-senate-defense-bill-signs-off-on-new-shipbuilding-programs-restricts-others

Defense Committees Start Conference on FY20 Authorization Bill

NASA Photo

CAPITOL HILL – With 11 days to go until Fiscal Year 2019 ends, lawmakers from the House and Senate held their first armed services conference committee meeting to iron out differences between each chamber’s version of next year’s National Defense Authorization Act.

When the fiscal year ends, so does funding. To avoid a government shutdown, the House Thursday afternoon passed a continuing resolution, a short-term spending bill called authorizing defense spending to continue in FY 2020...

https://news.usni.org/2019/09/19/defense-committee-start-conference-on-fy20-authorization-bill

Report to Congress on Defense Spending Under Continuing Resolution

The following is the Aug. 15, 2019 Congressional Research Service report, Defense Spending Under an Interim Continuing Resolution: In Brief.

From the report

This report provides a basic overview of interim continuing resolutions (CRs) and highlights some specific issues pertaining to operations of the Department of Defense (DOD) under a CR.

DOD has started the fiscal year under a CR for 13 of the past 18 years (FY2002-FY2019) and every year since FY2010 excluding FY2019. The amount of time DOD has...

https://news.usni.org/2019/08/16/report-to-congress-on-defense-spending-under-continuing-resolution

House Passes Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act on Party Lines

The full House of Representatives passed its version of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act on a strict party-line vote.

The policy bill, which provides lawmakers a means for detailing their defense-related priorities, provides funding and regulatory guidance to the Pentagon. The bill passed on a 220-197 vote, with no Republicans supporting the measure.

“For the previous 58years, the NDAA process exemplified the bipartisan tradition and collaboration envisioned by the...

https://news.usni.org/2019/07/12/house-passes-fiscal-year-2020-national-defense-authorization-act-on-party-lines

House, Senate Defense Bills Tough on Littoral Combat Ship Programs

Freedom-class LCS St. Louis (LCS-19), left, in Marinette, Wisc., on Dec. 15, 2018, as Billings (LCS-15) is under construction and preparing for commissioning. US Navy Photo

The Navy is ready to sunset littoral combat ship production and three of four congressional defense committees appear happy to oblige through restrictive policies and funding authorizations.

Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) members included language prohibiting the use of funds to extend the LCS program except in a...

https://news.usni.org/2019/06/13/house-senate-defense-bills-tough-on-littoral-combat-ship-programs

House Committee Votes to Prohibit Low-Yield Nuclear Weapons on Submarines

The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Michigan (SSGN-727) arrives in Busan for a regularly scheduled port visit while conducting routine patrols throughout the Western Pacific. US Navy Photo

The House Armed Services Committee added several provisions to its annual defense authorization bill, but the among most contentious was if the Pentagon should develop a low-yield nuclear weapon to deploy on nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs).

Support for and arguments against the strategic...

https://news.usni.org/2019/06/13/house-committee-votes-to-prohibit-low-yield-nuclear-weapons-on-submarines

Pacific Commander Davidson Asks Congress to Fund ‘Regain the Advantage’ Plan Aimed at China

Adm. Phil Davidson participates in an honors ceremony at the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in New Zealand in 2018. US Navy Photo

The head of U.S. forces in the Pacific has asked Congress to support several new initiatives to increase American military power in the region beyond what has been set aside in the Fiscal Year 2020 budget request, according to a March 22 letter obtained by USNI News.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command commander Adm. Phil Davidson asked for support for new capabilities that...

https://news.usni.org/2019/04/18/pacific-commander-davidson-asks-congress-to-fund-regain-the-advantage-plan-aimed-at-china

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