House Armed Services panel backs Biden’s Navy shipbuilding plan

The House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee’s portion of the new defense authorization bill hews closely to the Biden administration’s blueprint for warships and logistics aircraft.

The panel unveiled on Tuesday its portion of the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act and plans to mark it up on Wednesday afternoon. Then, on June 22, the full committee is scheduled to hold its marathon annual markup to wrap up all its subcommittees’ marks into one measure, add the full committee’s changes and then report it to the House.

The Senate Armed Services Committee, meanwhile, plans to mark up its version of the bill next week.

Shipbuilding

The Seapower Subcommittee’s mark would mirror President Joe Biden’s request for eight warships, aides told reporters. Accordingly, it would authorize spending to procure two Virginia-class fast attack submarines, two Arleigh Burke class destroyers, a frigate, an amphibious transport dock ship, an oiler, and a towing, salvage and rescue vessel.   

The aides generally declined to provide dollar amounts but did note that the mark would authorize $250 million in so-called advance procurement money to start buying another amphibious transport dock ship that would be fully funded in fiscal 2024.