The following is an April 28 letter from Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert to House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) regarding cruiser modernizations. Read More
Tag Archives: House Armed Services Committee
House Armed Services Subcommittee Roundups: Week 1 Summary
The House Armed Services Committee released portions of its annual defense bill this week in preparation for the full committee markup on April 29.
Several important policy changes and oversight issues have already been raised, with plenty more to come next week. Here are some of the highlights from the subcommittees: Read More
HASC Bill Would Speed Up Cruiser Modernization Plan, But Not All Members Agree
USS Antietam (CG-54) is underway off the coast of Japan near Mt. Fuji. US Navy Photo
The Navy’s cruiser modernization effort will once again be a hot topic of debate, as some House Armed Services Committee (HASC) members push for a tighter timeline for the maintenance and combat system upgrades. Read More
HASC Expands Ohio Replacement Funding Source, Hopes to Bump LX(R) Start to 2018
Essex ARG consists of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD-2), the San Antonio-class transport dock ship USS Anchorage (LPD-23), and the Whidbey Island-class amphibious landing dock ship USS Rushmore (LSD-47) on Feb. 28, 2015. US Navy Photo
The House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee wants changes allowing two upcoming ship classes to get off to a smoother start – allowing for more funding opportunities for the Ohio Replacement Program (ORP) and accelerating the start of the LX(R) amphibious dock landing ship replacement program. Read More
HASC Pushing for Virginia Payload Module on All Block V Attack Boats
USS Minnesota (SSN-783) under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding in 2012. US Navy Photo
The House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee would have the Navy put the Virginia Payload Module (VPM) on all its Block V Virginia-class attack submarines (SSN-774), rather than only two-thirds of the fleet as the Navy is currently budgeting for. Read More
HASC Subcommittee Recommends Additional F-35Bs, F-18s in FY 2016 Defense Bill
F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to the Tomcatters of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 31, launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) on July 31, 2014. US Navy Photo
The House Armed Services tactical air and land subcommittee supports filling the Navy’s and Marine Corps’ unfunded requirements for additional Boeing F-18E/F Super Hornets and Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters (JSF), committee aids told reporters on Wednesday. Read More
Gen. Paxton: Some Marine Units Operating at Less Than 1:2 Deployment-to-Dwell Ratio
U.S. Marines with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa board an MV-22 Osprey during an alert force drill on Moron Air Base, Spain, March 13, 2015. US Marine Corps photo.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As much as the Marine Corps wants to increase its deployment-to-dwell ratio from the current 1:2 to the more sustainable 1:3, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. John Paxton said that some high-demand units are operating on an even tighter schedule. Read More
Vice Chiefs: House Plan to Avoid Sequester With Higher OCO Funding Presents Readiness Challenges
Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michelle Howard and Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. John Paxton testified at the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, March 25 and the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday, March 26 to discuss the readiness of the force. US Navy photo.
The House of Representatives may attempt to fund military at the Defense Department’s requested overall level but shift about $20.5 billion to the Overseas Contingency Operations account to get around sequestration-level spending caps – a move that the four service vice chiefs say will not help them improve readiness. Read More
Thornberry Announces Acquisition Reform Legislation
House Armed Services Committee chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas)
House Armed Services Committee (HASC) chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) will file a bill on Wednesday with a slew of proposals meant to smooth out the acquisition process – from helping put the right personnel in place, to simplifying the chain of decision-making, to thinning out regulations and reporting requirements. Read More
Navy Officials: Current BMD Strategy ‘Unsustainable’; Greenert Asked Hagel for Review
A Standard Missile-3 Block 1B interceptor launches from USS Lake Erie in this photo from the record-setting test on Sept. 18, 2013. (Missile Defense Agency photo)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As demand for regional ballistic missile defense (BMD) capabilities sharply increases, the BMD forces’ operational tempo is trying to keep pace while funding is not – leading defense officials to question if a new BMD strategy is needed. Read More
