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The House Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee Thursday unanimously approved its portion of the fiscal 2009 defense authorization bill after agreeing to deny the Navy's request for a DDG-1000 Zumwalt class destroyer.

The panel rejected the $2.5 billion request for the third DDG-1000 in fiscal 2009, a move that essentially would put an indefinite hold on one of the Navy's biggest modernization programs.

Instead, lawmakers added $400 million in advanced procurement money that the Navy can use either for DDG-1000 work or to restart production on the older but more affordable DDG-51 Arleigh Burke Class destroyer.

But Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee Chairman Gene Taylor, D-Miss., said he strongly urges the Navy to use the money for the DDG-51 rather than as a down payment on the third of seven planned DDG-1000s.

The decision reflects growing concerns within the subcommittee about the production of the first two DDG-1000s, as well as the Navy's ability to pay for its ambitious 313-ship plan.

"There are too many unknowns in the construction schedule for these two vessels," Taylor said. "Even if all the development required for the ship was complete, a cost overrun for the two lead ships, based strictly on historical averages, could easily be in the range of $1.5 billion to $2 billion." The impact of those cost overruns, Taylor added, would "cripple" the Navy.

Other ship programs fared better Thursday. The subcommittee approved an additional $1.8 billion for an LPD-17 amphibious warfare ship. The Pentagon had not requested funding for the 10th and 11th LPD-17, but the Navy and Marine Corps listed it as a top unfunded priority. The panel approved the Navy's request for two T-AKE auxiliary dry cargo dock carriers in fiscal 2009, but also added money and encouraged the service to use it to buy two more T-AKEs. "These are important changes," Taylor said. "This mark indicates the subcommittee's disagreement with the Navy decision to cancel the construction of the last two ships of the T-AKE class and to not fulfill the validated Marine Corps requirement for 11 LPD-17 class ships."

In other action, the panel approved an amendment from Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., to add $300 million in fiscal 2009 for advanced procurement funding for a second submarine in fiscal 2010. Courtney's district includes General Dynamics' Electric Boat unit, which builds the Navy's Virginia-class submarines. The funding would allow the Navy to build two subs in fiscal 2010 instead of the one planned. The panel backed the Navy's request for two Littoral Combat Ships, but trimmed $80 million from the program because some material had already been procured. The subcommittee inserted language requiring that future classes of amphibious assault vehicles be nuclear powered. The Navy, however, does not have plans for another amphibious assault vehicle.

Earlier Thursday, the House Armed Services Terrorism Subcommittee unanimously approved its portion of the authorization bill, calling for additional funds and higher-level management authority for irregular warfare capabilities, cyber warfare and special-operations forces. Armed Services Terrorism Subcommittee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., said the panel's mark focused resources on meeting the unconventional challenges facing the nation and its military. It added relatively small amounts of funding for items on the Special Operations Command's unfunded priorities list; the irregular warfare support program, the effort to develop "human terrain teams" that help military forces understand the cultural differences in Iraq and Afghanistan; the Chemical-Biological Defense Program; and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. The additional funding for the cultural adviser program was pushed by Terrorism Subcommittee ranking member Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, who said, "We cannot defeat terrorists with bullets alone."

COMMENTS

• The philosophy of modern day and future warfare requirements demand that America and British naval effects the highest and improved technological systems. Destroyers are designed to do that! Russia has recently fired an 'stealth' ICBM which can strike any target within a range of 6500 miles! What is needed is a stealth system that can detect and neutralise the Russian ICBMs. These interceptors need to be nearer the Russian launch pads so as to facilitate early detection! Now that relations between the West and Russia is cooling, even returning to the 'Cold War' era, it is essential to be able to counter any modern day threat. The enemy can strike the heart land of America who some of you propose maintaining outdated land based missile centres which are known to the Ruskis. The submarine and surface ships are always changing locations and in themselves become undetectable or difficult to detect! Always remember that when any country develops a new missile system, there are other systems to prevent detection and are called counter intelligence/detection systems so as to fool those being attacked, those who are attacking; defending against retaliatory measures and counter measures! Eric Griffiths Posted August 29, 2008 10:52 AM
• Toys?? bet you've never seen combat. All branches of the service deserve the best we can provide this isn't a race to the bottom. During the Clinton years you had Madeline Al not Bright providing our latest technology to Chinese. What we have today is obsolete the Chinese already know the vulnerabilities and have prepared for them Dan ketter Posted May 15, 2008 1:03 PM
• What's the problem, there well never be another Navy war like ww2, why is such a need for that much improvement in ships, sounds like there looking for new toys. there is nothing wrong with the Arleigh-Berk ships after working for the Navy for 40 years these a very capable ships. the kids today can't fix most of there ships now as there making operators and watch standers out of them. Jim Posted May 9, 2008 1:58 PM