Two Republicans leaders in the House Armed Services Committee pushed the Defense Department to buy amphibious ships in multi-year procurements in a letter to the Office of Cost Estimate and Program Evaluation (CAPE).
“As the cost assessment arm of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, CAPE should recognize the value of the cost savings generated by multiyear procurement of America-class and
San Antonio-class amphibious ships,” Reps. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) and Trent Kelly (R-Miss) wrote in the letter.
Wittman is currently both the vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee and chairman of the subcommittee of tactical air and land forces. He previously served as both chairman and ranking member of the seapower and projection forces subcommittee. Kelly is the current chairman of the seapower subcommittee.
The lawmakers requested CAPE answer several questions about multiyear procurement of amphibious ships.
They specifically asked if CAPE assessments agree multiyear procurement of amphibious ships would achieve “substantial savings” and if the office supports the use of such multi-year authorities to procure enough amphibious ships to reach the 2022 congressionally mandated level of 31 amphibious ships.
The letter underscored the FY ‘23 defense authorization act allows the Navy to procure up to five San Antonio amphibious transport dock ships (LPDs) and America-class amphibious assault ships (LHAs) in a multiyear order.
The lawmakers said they were concerned because while the Navy’s 2022 Battle Force Ship Assessment and Requirement and Chief of Naval Operations Navigation Plan aimed to maintain at least 31 amphibious ships, the Navy FY ‘24 budget request only planned for one more LHA over the following five years and no additional LPDs.
The 2023 30-year shipbuilding plan also did not plan for more LPDs, meaning the Navy would have under 30 amphibious ships through 2029, with even lower levels after 2035.
However, those reviews and numbers came amid directions from the Office of the Secretary of Defense to freeze LPD procurement while it conducted another amphibious ship review focused on lowering costs. Navy and Marine Corps officials have repeatedly agreed on multiyear procurements being one sure way to lower overall costs.
Wittman and Kelly argued the Navy had to “now play catch-up” going forward so that multiyear procurements “must be enacted swiftly and efficiently.”
They cited support from former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday and former Assistant Secretary of the Navy James Geurts that said these programs would generate savings of eight to 12 percent.
“That is one billion dollars in savings for the taxpayer.”
Last year, the chairman’s draft of the FY ‘24 HASC defense authorization bill threatened to close CAPE over disagreements on amphibious ships (Defense Daily, June 14, 2023).
At the time, a senior Republican committee aide told reporters that members found CAPE “to both slow down the acquisition process and keep adding money to programs or requirements to programs that Congress has already authorized and funded at certain levels. So I think there’s just a frustration among members that CAPE has gone further than its remit.”
The aide noted CAPE was specifically studying whether the 31 minimum amphibious ship number was the right number.
“Congress made that determination, and that is the requirement now for the Marines. But CAPE is going in and telling members: I don’t know if that’s the right one, and you know, we may not let them do that. But statutorily, we have put in 31 amphibs. So, I think members are very confused as why CAPE thinks they can come back and determine…they’re not going to listen to Congress,” the aide said at the time.
However, Wittman and Kelly’s letter indicates relations have been smoothed over since that threat, which was dropped from the final bill.
“We appreciated your engagement last summer on these topics, and you affirming your support for both the 31 L-class amphibious force structure and your support for an amphibious ship LHA/LPD multiyear procurement.”
This letter comes amid several signs the Navy’s FY ‘25 budget request will include LPDs again, possibly via multi-year procurement.
In August, a Navy notice said it intended to issue a solicitation for long-lead time material and detail design and construction for LPDs 33-35 as additional Flight II variants of the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships (Defense Daily, Aug. 9, 2023).
Then, in January, CEO of HII [HII] Chris Kastner expressed confidence the company would keep building LPD-type ships for the Navy going forward, without any specific briefings on the amphibious study or foreknowledge of the FY ‘25 budget request (Defense Daily, Jan. 10).
HII is the Navy’s sole builder of the LPDs and LHAs.