Rep. Joe Courtney

Second Virginia Attack Boat Tops Navy’s Fiscal Year 2021 Unfunded Priorities List

Virginia-class submarine Washington (SSN-787) under construction in 2016 at Newport News Shipbuilding, Va. HII Photo

Money to buy a second Virginia-class submarine is number one on the Navy’s $5.4 billion Fiscal Year 2021 Unfunded Priorities List, USNI News has learned.

The $2.7 billion for the nuclear attack boat accounts for more than half of the request that also includes about 30 items ranging from additional aircraft, military construction projects, weapons and software upgrades.

The ask for...

https://news.usni.org/2020/02/20/second-virginia-attack-boat-tops-navys-fiscal-year-2021-unfunded-priorities-list

Thornberry Uneasy With Pentagon Shipbuilding Plan, Supports Fully Funding Nuclear Triad

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R=Texas), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), center, speaks with Rear Adm. Michael E. Boyle, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea (CNFK) in 2018. US Navy Photo

The House Armed Services Committee’s top Republican has “heartburn” over the proposed shipbuilding budget for Fiscal Year 2021 but is also committed to fully funding the modernization of the nuclear triad and is acutely aware of a congressionally imposed topline for defense spending next year.

Rep....

https://news.usni.org/2020/02/12/thornberry-uneasy-with-pentagon-shipbuilding-plan-supports-fully-funding-nuclear-triad

UPDATED: Navy’s New Shipbuilding Plan ‘Dead on Arrival,’ Lawmakers Say

Tripoli (LHA-7) is launched at Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. on March 1, 2017. US Navy Photo

This post has been updated to include information from a Feb. 10 budget briefing with Rear Adm. Randy Crites, the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for budget.

The proposed Navy shipbuilding plan that cuts a Virginia-class submarine, a frigate and an oiler that were previously planned for FY 2021 received immediate bipartisan pushback from the House and the...

https://news.usni.org/2020/02/10/navys-new-shipbuilding-plan-dead-on-arrival-lawmakers-say

Congress Mulls Provision to Secure Coast Guard Pay During Government Shutdowns

Families of crewmembers aboard USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10) watch as the vessel transits Elliott Bay en route to Antarctica, Nov. 26, 2019. The Polar Star, homported in Seattle, Washington, is the United States’ only heavy icebreaker. Coast Guard photo

As USCGC Polar Star (WAGB-10), the nation’s only heavy ice breaker departed Tuesday on its annual months-long mission to lead a supply convoy to the U.S. logistics hub in Antarctica, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) renewed the effort to ensure members...

https://news.usni.org/2019/11/27/congress-mulls-provision-to-secure-coast-guard-pay-during-government-shutdowns

Block V Virginia-Class Deal Meets Muted Response in Congress

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

The Navy and General Dynamics Electric Boat appear to have reached an agreement to build nine Block V Virginia-class submarines with an option for a tenth, but the pending deal is getting tepid applause from lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

The chair and ranking member of the House Armed Services seapower and projection of forces subcommittee released statements applauding a long-awaited...

https://news.usni.org/2019/11/04/block-v-virginia-class-deal-meets-muted-response-in-congress

General Dynamics Taps New Leader for Electric Boat

The Virginia-class attack submarine North Dakota (SSN-784) is rolled out of an indoor shipyard facility at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Conn. US Navy Photo

General Dynamics announced a change in leadership at its Electric Boat subsidiary, just as the company ramps-ups its production to build Virginia-class and Columbia-class nuclear submarines.

Kevin Graney, currently president of General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego, was named as the next president of Electric Boat, according to a...

https://news.usni.org/2019/09/13/general-dynamics-taps-new-leader-for-electric-boat

Lawmakers, White House Have Questions About United Technologies Purchase of Raytheon

United Technologies Corp.’s planned purchase of Raytheon Company, announced over the weekend, is spurring lawmakers and the White House to ask questions on how the merger would limit competition in the defense industry.

Over the weekend, United Technologies (UTC) announced its plan, pending regulatory and shareholder approval, to purchase Raytheon in an all-stock deal. The new firm will be known as Raytheon Technologies and focus on government contracts, especially drawing on each company’s...

https://news.usni.org/2019/06/10/lawmakers-white-house-have-questions-about-united-technologies-purchase-of-raytheon

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

Indo-Pacom Commander Says Only Half Of Sub Requests Are Met

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Murray Joe Tynch III, the commander of Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 (COMLOG WESTPAC/CTF73), left, briefs U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Adm. Phil Davidson, center, at COMLOG WESTPAC/CTF73 headquarters in Singapore, March 6, 2019. US Navy Photo

CAPITOL HILL – The U.S. Navy only has half the submarines it needs in the Pacific, the commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command told the House Armed Services Committee.

At the same time China and Russia continue bulking up...

https://news.usni.org/2019/03/27/42212

HASC Leaders Unconvinced by Pentagon’s Plan to Cut Aircraft Carrier

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) on Sept 22, 2018. US Navy Photo

The Defense Department’s first crack at convincing the House Armed Services Committee to retire an aircraft carrier early to support the development of future weapons systems and unmanned platforms was not well received.

Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford reiterated their pitch for not refueling USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) today – it will fund the...

https://news.usni.org/2019/03/26/hasc-leaders-remain-unconvinced-of-pentagons-need-to-plan-for-carrier-retirement-in-2020-budget

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