Both the House and Senate defense authorization bills, approved by their respective armed services committees, directed reports and briefings on the Columbia-class submarine program due to schedule and cost concerns.
The House Armed Services Committee’s 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), approved by the Committee on Thursday, includes an amendment from Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) directing a classified briefing on funding requirements for inadequately funding strategic weapons on ballistic missile submarines.
The House NDAA focuses more on potential issues in Columbia strategic weapons than on the submarine itself. The bill says that if critical programs in the Trident II (D5) nuclear weapon system are delayed further, Columbia may be without a critical subsystems or cyber requirements.
The bill says that if cuts are made to “critical and necessary programs” such as Increment 8 navigator upgrades systems, the Increment 15 required network cross-domain solutions capability for cyber requirements, and Life Extension 2 funding, the Navy’s ability to field the weapon on the Columbia boats is “at significant risk.”
Meanwhile, the Senate Armed Services Committee’s NDAA, approved in May, would require the Secretary of Navy deliver a report to Congress by December on Columbia’s schedule, and the impact of potential lead ship delays.
The Senate committee’s prescribed report requires: a description of the current schedule margin and paths for the lead ship to meet its planned delivery and deployment dates; possible risks to the lead vessel’s schedule and the potential schedule impact for each risk; potential operational and shipbuilding impacts as well as mitigation options if the lead ship delivery is delayed by six months to three years; and recommendations for DoD or congressional action to reduce the liklihood or mitigate the impact of schedule delays.
The Senate could begin debating its version of the 2020 NDAA this week. The House had not scheduled floor debate for the lower chamber’s 2020 NDAA at deadline Monday.
