Navy, Marines praise HII-built amphibs

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, attended a hearing March 5 of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower to consider the Navy’s shipbuilding programs. Navy and Marine leaders praised the capabilities of Mississippi-built amphibious ships and suggested a potential for block buys of ships to save on costs, guarantee on-time delivery, and grow the industrial base. Wicker highlighted his trip to Huntington Ingalls’s Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard to tour the Tripoli, an LHA amphibious ship delivered on Friday to the Navy. Huntington Ingalls also builds the smaller LPD amphibious ship at HII-Pascagoula. Wicker asked Lt. Gen. Eric M. Smith, commanding general of the Marine Corps’ Combat Development Command, to describe the importance of amphibs. They are “vital to what we provide to the fleet,” Smith said. “The best expeditionary advanced base is an amphibious warship that moves.” LHAs can host up to 3,000 personnel and support the fifth-generation F-35B Marine fighter. “It is the melding of the kit” of Marines and sailors “that are really able to project power and cause a dilemma for the adversary,” Smith said. James Geurts, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, was asked about potential block buys of future amphibs. “I think there is tremendous potential … to do a block buy of the three LPDs and the LHA,” Geurts replied. “We see that savings … to be in the 8-to-12 percent range, which would be a billion dollars back in taxpayer savings.” Geurts committed to executing up to $350M in funding that was authorized for the purchase of long-lead time materials for the yet unnamed LHA-9. Securing the materials will aid in ensuring on-time delivery of the ship, which is expected to be procured in FY 2023. Geurts praised Wicker’s SHIPS Implementation Act, which was introduced in February. SHIPS gives the Navy “more authorities to do smart procurement (that) will be tremendously beneficial to us.” SHIPS would authorize multiple cost-saving measures, including multi-year or block buy contract authorities, and direct the Navy to accelerate procurement of ships to help reach the nation’s 355-ship goal. (Source: Y’all Politics 03/05/20) https://yallpolitics.com/2020/03/05/navy-leader-praises-sen-wickers-ships-implementation-act/