The Senate Appropriations Defense subcommittee (SAC-D) yesterday added $130 million to President Barack Obama’s budget for industrial-base initiatives while reducing his proposed level of Pentagon funding by $100 million.
During yesterday’s markup session for the fiscal year 2013 defense appropriations bill, the subcommittee proposed adding $30 million to the Industrial Base Innovation Fund authorized by the Senate Armed Services Committee as well as $100 million in Defense Production Act funding to build production capacity for critical defense-related initiatives.
The bill funded all but $100 million of the $604.6 billion Obama also requested in his budget, which contains $93.3 billion for Defense Department Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), or war-time funding.
The bill funds the requested number of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets and adds money for Army UH-60 Black Hawk, CH-47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache helicopters. It also provides the requested amounts for Navy P-8A Poseidon and F/A-18 fighter jets and adds funds for advance procurement for EA-18G Growlers. It also replaces a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey lost in overseas operations.
The bill provides an additional $180 million for production of Air Force C-130 cargo aircraft and provides $21.5 million to accelerate backup oxygen systems for the F-22 Raptor fighter jet.
The bill also adds $1 billion in the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account and supports or increases funds for a number of aircraft initiatives.
The bill funds a number of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance initiatives, including fully funding procurement of the Air Force’s MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and the Navy’s MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned autonomous helicopter. The bill also provides for two MQ-9 combat loss replacements. The bill increases funds to complete development of the Army’s Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance Surveillance System (EMARSS) and adds $142 million for high-definition video sensors requested by the commander of U.S. Special Operations (SOCOM).
The bill recommends an additional $260 million for Air National Guard weapons systems sustainment. The bill adds $194 million for additional Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles, increases funds for M1 Abrams tank long-lead materials and accelerates additional M88A2 Hercules tank recovery vehicle protection.
The bill also fully funds major shipbuilding programs, as requested, and adds advance procurement for an additional Virginia-class submarine and an amphibious ship. The bill fully funds an additional DDG-51 destroyer and the conversion of a Mobile Landing Platform to an Afloat Forward Staging Base. The bill also provides $150 million to start repairs of the USS Miami (SSN-755) due to fire damage.
The bill adds money for a number of missile defense programs. Appropriators added more than $500 million to the Missile Defense Agency, including $168.9 million for numerous Israeli Cooperative Programs and $211 million for the Iron Dome program, as authorized. The bill also adds $190 million for additional SM-3 Block IB interceptors and provides an additional AN/TPY-2 radar.
Appropriators added money for next-generation weapon systems. The bill fully funds advanced systems, including development of the Air Force’s next generation bomber and the Prompt Global Strike program. It also fully funds the Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle and Joint Air to Ground Missile (JAGM) and adds funds for the Army’s Network Integration Evaluation to transition next-generation communication systems to the battlefield.
The bill also supports the budget request for the Ohio-class submarine replacement program, development of the CH-53K helicopter and the BAMS MQ-4C UAV.
Appropriators also restored a number of defense programs proposed for reduction or termination in the Pentagon’s budget request. The bill directs the use of existing funds for procurements of the Air Force’s C-27 Spartan and RQ-4 Global Hawk Block 30 and adds more than $800 million to sustain current force structure, including equipment, personnel and operations. The subcommittee also endorses a one-year strategic pause for Air Force force structure adjustments.
The bill also reverses the Navy’s proposal to prematurely retire seven cruisers and two amphibious ships while providing $2.4 billion to man, operate, sustain, modernize and equip these ships through fiscal year 2014. The bill adds funds for long lead items to support domestic tank production and increases production for the M88A2 Hercules tank recovery vehicle.
The bill restores funding for a number of space programs as well, restoring $100 million for the Optionally Responsive Space (ORS-1) program and $35 million for the Space Test program. The bill also reverses cuts to development funds for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) and the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellites.
Appropriators also made a number of cuts to comply with defense spending reductions directed in the Budget Control Act of 2011 and proposed 475 reductions to programs requested in the budget. Major reductions include reducing the request for the Army’s Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T) due to a six-month delay in ramping up production, resulting in a funding carryover and excess growth in development. Appropriators also reduce $190 million in procurement funds for the Army’s Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS) due to contracting delays and concurrency in testing and production.
The bill also sustains more than $200 million on contract savings negotiated in 2012 for the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) infrastructure contract and limits the start of a new Navy Virginia Payload Module program until requirements and cost estimates are validated. Appropriators also slow production of the Army’s MQ-1C Grey Eagle UAV to 15 and slows upgrades to RQ-7 Shadow systems due to excessive funding carryover. The bill also reduces the OH-58 Kiowa Warrior helicopter modifications request by $109 million due to a two-year production delay and cuts $108 million from the request for Excalibur artillery shells due to schedule delays and concurrency in the production and testing schedules.
The bill reduces $3.8 billion in prior year funds that are excess to defense needs due to program terminations, schedule delays or contract savings.
The full Senate Appropriations Committee will meet Thursday to markup the final version of the FY ’13 defense appropriations bill.