By Jen DiMascio
Just before the Senate passed its version of the FY ’08 Defense Authorization Bill, the chamber agreed to an amendment that would make clear how funding for the Navy’s Virginia-class submarine should be spent.
The concern, according to congressional and industry sources, is that because of differing marks on the bill, it would be difficult to get an agreement on a final number.
This amendment makes clear that if the final amount allocated to the program is $470 million, $400 million should fund a second ship set of nuclear reactor components. The remaining $70 million would fund advance purchase of the long-lead metals to support a reduced construction span for the boats.
House appropriators want to provide $588 million, which would include another $115 million for a spare propulsion system.
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) sponsored the amendment with support from Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I/D-Conn.) and Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.).