By Emelie Rutherford
Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) is prodding the Pentagon to obligate money Congress approved this fiscal year for a 10th LPD-17 amphibious transport dock ship. The Navy, meanwhile, said the vessel’s plans are proceeding and a solicitation will debut “shortly.”
Lawmakers included roughly half of the procurement funding for the Northrop Grumman [NOC] ship–$933 million–in the fiscal year 2009 defense appropriations act and directed the Navy to budget for the remaining monies in FY ’10. The Navy, since FY ’09 began in October, has contracted for $9.95 million worth of long-lead materials for the 10th LPD-17.
Taylor, the chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower and Expeditionary Forces subcommittee, asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday why the Navy is not contracting for more of the ship while steel, aluminum, and copper prices are low. The congressman previsouly sought to buy the entire LPD-17 ship this fiscal year.
“We have a nation where steel mills are shutting down,” Taylor said to Gates. “We all know that the price of steel has really tanked in the past few months….I would ask you to encourage your acquisition folks to take advantage of these low prices.”
Taylor added: “I realize there’s some reluctance within the Navy to say, “Well, you know, you haven’t funded the whole ship.'” He said Congress has made “one heck of a down payment and heck of a statement…saying that we’re going to build this ship,” and that “it really is frustrating” the Navy isn’t taking advantage of low commodity prices and moving forward with the ship.
A Navy spokeswoman said yesterday that the service is committed to building the 10th LPD-17, and noted the long-lead material is already contracted.
“The Navy is working closely with [Northrop Grumman] to determine when additional material can be bought in support of the ship construction schedule in order to best leverage the LPD-17 class vendor base and ship’s material requirements,” spokeswoman Kathleen Roberts said. “A full Request for Proposals for the design and construction of LPD-26 is being drafted and will be issued shortly.”
Asked why more money has not been put under contract, Roberts replied: “Funding provided so far is all that is required at this time based upon the notional construction schedule of LPD-26.”
Gates, for his part, told Taylor he would look into the ship matter and wasn’t aware of the specifics. Yet the defense secretary noted how, in a somewhat similar situation, the Pentagon bought titanium in advance for the F-22 program; even though it is not known if more of the fighter jets will be bought, the metal could be used for other aircraft, he said.
The Pentagon did not request the 10th LPD-17 and sought to close the production line in its FY ’09 budget request. The Navy, though, included the ship in its unfunded priorities list.
Some Navy shipbuilding observers said there could be concern in Congress about the Navy contracting for the 10th LPD-17 in FY ’10 instead of in FY ’09, thus possibly delaying any potential push for an 11th LPD-17.
Gates told the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) that he could not share the shipbuilding rundown in the forthcoming FY ’10 Pentagon budget request, because he did not know the top-line number for the defense budget. The detailed proposal won’t be send to Congress until around the end of March, he said.
A total of 61 House and Senate lawmakers–including Taylor and his Senate counterpart, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.)–recently called on President Obama to boost shipbuilding funding and budget 12 Navy vessels per year to help the Navy boost its fleet to 313 ships (Defense Daily, Jan. 7).
HASC Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) told Gates Tuesday that the increased “specter of…piracy in different parts of the world, particularly along the Horn of Africa” strengthens the case for increasing the buy of Navy ships.
While Gates offered lawmakers few specifics about defense programs on Tuesday, he lauded the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) while testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC).
“I think the LCS or LCS-like ship is really needed for us,” Gates told SASC Seapower subcommittee Ranking Member Mel Martinez (R-Fla.). “In the kinds of conflicts, as I look around the world, that we’re likely to face–as I look at the Persian Gulf, as I look at various other places–I think it is a capability that we need.
Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) and Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), meanwhile, highlighted Navy ship and aircraft shortfalls to Gates while arguing Tuesday against the Navy’s decision to spend money to locate a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in Mayport, Fla., instead of Norfolk, Va. Martinez applauded the carrier decision.
Gates said the Mayport matter will be further reviewed. Yet he acknowledged: “I do worry about everything being concentrated in one (location, in Norfolk) on the East Coast, which does receive a lot of hurricanes.”