Liz Power
July 11, 2018
On Friday, July 6, Congressman Joe Courtney was the guest speaker at a luncheon hosted by the Naval Submarine League at the Groton SubVets Hall. Electric Boat is a member of the League, and regularly supports the organization’s local and national events.
“Two Sub Joe” Courtney gave an informal talk on what’s happening in Washington, with a focus on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees work to finalize the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act. He took questions from the audience of about 60 people, including a contingent of 15 from EB.
The Congressman spent some time talking about the amendment proposed by he and House Seapower Subcommittee Chairman Rob Wittman (R-Va.) which would have added $1 billion to fund long-lead materials to build three Virginia-class submarines per year starting in 2022. The amendment did not pass a floor vote in the House two weeks ago.
However, the Senate version of the bill included an additional $250 million in advanced procurement funding that could be used for the addition of a third submarine in both 2022 and 2023 or to expand the submarine industrial base to support a planned uptick in production. Courtney is hopeful that since lawmakers have authorized additional submarines to be built, contract negotiators will add extra boats without appropriated funds.
The Naval Submarine League is a professional organization for submariners and submarine advocates. It’s a national, non-profit organization committed to supporting, protecting and advancing the submarine force through awareness, public relations, and building a community of submarine advocates and enthusiasts.
The Nautilus Chapter is run by a group of volunteers serving the Northeastern United States and currently has over 400 members within its operating area.
