Lawmakers are expected to seek restrictions on the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program during multiple defense debates in Congress this week.
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Recent congressional concerns about the program to build a new shore-hugging vessel–with different version under contract with a Lockheed Martin [LMT]-Marinette Marine team and Austal USA–stem from a draft report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The auditors recommend lawmakers restrict LCS funding until the Navy completes studies examining the appropriateness of the designs of the ships under contract. A final report is expected this summer.
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), a House Armed Services Committee (HASC) member, plans to offer an LCS amendment to the fiscal year 2014 defense authorization bill up for debate in the House this week. Her measure would adopt the draft GAO report’s recommendation to delay procurement of additional ships until operational and developmental testing is complete, according to a congressional aide.
House members have until Tuesday morning to submit such proposed amendments to the massive Pentagon policy bill, which the chamber is expected to debate later in the week. The House Rules Committee plans to meet Wednesday afternoon to decide which amendments will be considered on the House floor.
The HASC approved an amendment to the defense authorization bill last week that adds report language expressing concern about the LCS program and requires another GAO report to be conducted and delivered to Congress before April 2014. That amendment, approved during the HASC’s markup of the bill, came from Seapower and Projection Forces subcommittee Chairman Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.).
The report language he added notes the Navy’s acquisition strategy for the LCS seaframes has changed several times and continues to evolve as the service approaches its next major contract award, planned for FY ’16. The service has 16 ships under contract, and authorization is pending for eight more.
“The Navy has indicated that 10 of the 64 planned mission modules will be procured before the seaframe Milestone B and that this milestone continues to be delayed due to lack of an approved test plan and acquisition program baseline,” the report language added during the HASC markup states. “The Navy expects to procure more than half of the Surface Warfare and Mine Counter Measure modules before it demonstrates they meet minimum requirements.”
It adds: “The committee has significant concerns regarding the levels of concurrency associated with the mission modules and the expected delivery of the Littoral Combat Ship seaframes. This dichotomy in capability development appears excessive and the committee believes it should be better aligned to ensure future success of this program.”
Forbes is not expected to offer any LCS amendments during House floor debate this week. He told reporters last week he wanted to reserve judgment on the shipbuilding program until the final GAO report is released, likely in July. Still, he said he expects to hold hearing on LCS and said he could support restricting funding in a later iteration of the FY ’14 defense authorization bill, which will need to be reconciled with a Senate version later this year.
The Navy garnered support to buy the four LCSs it wants in FY ’14 in both the HASC’s defense authorization bill and the FY ’14 defense appropriations legislation the House Appropriations Defense subcommittee (HAC-D) approved in closed session last week. The full House Appropriations Committee is slated to debate that defense bill in open session on Wednesday.
The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), meanwhile, is slated to mark up its version of the FY ’14 authorization bill by the end of the week. Aides said they expect the Senate panel to call for increased oversight of the LCS program in its bill. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has been a frequent critic of the LCS effort.
The SASC’s Seaspower subcommittee, chaired by Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), will mark up its version of the policy legislation behind closed doors on Wednesday morning. The full committee will also craft the bill in closed session, with the goal of unveiling the final product to reporters on Thursday or Friday.