Courtney Earns Backing From House Armed Services Committee for Billions in Key CT Defense Programs

Press Release

Congressman Joe Courtney and the House Armed Services Committee completed work late last night on the Fiscal Year 2011 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The bill authorizes billions of dollars of investments for Electric Boat and other key defense priorities for eastern Connecticut and the state. The NDAA sets the federal budget for the Department of Defense for the next fiscal year beginning on October 1, 2010.

The NDAA includes $5.4 billion in funding for the Virginia-class attack submarine program, including $3.4 billion to build two submarines in 2011, including $3.4 billion to build two submarines in 2011 and advanced funding to prepare to build two each in 2012 and 2013. The bill fulfills Courtney's nearly-four-year effort to double submarine production, and marks the first time since the 1980s that Groton's Electric Boat will build more than one submarine a year.

"The defense authorization makes a critical and long-awaited investment in the future of our submarine force and the thousands of men and women in eastern Connecticut, and across the nation, who support it," Courtney said. "We have come so far since those first days when I came to Washington and saw an uncertain future for our region's skilled submarine workforce. With this bill we will not only achieve the historic milestone of building two submarines a year in 2011, but we will also continue to make investments in the development of the next submarine, which has already resulted in the hiring of new engineers and designers at Electric Boat."

In speaking about the investment in submarine procurement included in the NDAA, Rep. Gene Taylor (D-MS), chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee, stated that the bill marked "the first time in decades that this committee has authorized two submarines in one year, and I'd like to commend Mr. Courtney and others for making that possible." In his opening statement at in the Seapower subcommittee last week, Taylor added: "The groundwork for this day began with the fiscal year 2008 authorization when this subcommittee added funding above the budget request for long lead procurement necessary to build 2 ships a year."

Despite the critical investments made by the NDAA in eastern Connecticut's defense industry, Congressman Courtney also expressed serious reservation with the decision to authorize the alternate extra engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. That engine, known as the F136, has been called both unnecessary and wasteful by former-President Bush, President Obama and military leaders. It is expected to cost taxpayers nearly $3 billion over the next several years. The primary F-35 engine, the F135 built by Pratt and Whitney, has completed over 13,000 test hours and more than 160 test flights, while the F136 has completed less than 200 test hours and will not be complete for years.

"With the long list of real military needs and priorities that have been identified by our military leaders, I believe that continuing to fund the alternate engine for the Joint Strike Fighter is simply the wrong thing to do," Courtney said. "From all indications, the military is confident in the performance of the engine they already have -- the F135 -- and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to finally end this wasteful and unnecessary program."

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