FY15 DEFENSE BILL STRENGTHENS U.S. DOD PROCUREMENT
WASHINGTON - An FY15 omnibus appropriations bill released by Congress this week provides $490.2 in base discretionary funding for the Pentagon, plus another $64 billion for overseas contingency operations. The latter includes an additional $5 billion requested by the administration in November to cover the cost of fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. "Instead of indiscriminate across-the-board sequestration cuts, the bill proposes 832 specific cuts to programs and redirects some of those funds to higher priorities," according to a Senate Appropriations Committee summary of the legislation. Lawmakers have used this strategy to bolster DoD acquisition spending, particularly in the procurement account.
The conference bill includes $93.8 billion for procurement programs, an increase of $4.2 billion compared to the request. The Navy receives an additional $2.9 billion, split largely between aircraft and warship programs. The increase includes $1.5 billion for an additional EA-18G Growlers. The request did not include any EA-18Gs, though the Navy listed 22 aircraft in its list of unfunded priorities. House and Senate appropriators originally recommended adding 12 aircraft earlier this year, so it appears that additional offsets were found elsewhere in the budget to further boost Growler procurement in FY15.
The bill includes $848.5 million for work on the aircraft carrier CVN 73 to keep the ship in service beyond its half-life. Another $1 billion in incremental funding is added for a 12th LDP 17 class amphibious transport dock, more than the $800 million recommended in the conference authorization bill. The legislation funds three Littoral Combat Ships, despite efforts in the House to cut one ship from the request earlier this year. The program also receives an additional $80 million for long lead time materials for a fourth ship next year, at this year's pricing. The bill also adds $200 million for an additional Joint High Speed Vessel. Tomahawk missile production is bolstered with the addition of $81.7 million for 96 missiles. The Navy originally proposed ending Tomahawk production after FY15, though the decision was universally rejected by congressional defense committees.
The Air Force's A-10 will remain in the fleet for now thanks to the addition of $337.1 million. The service may also not take any action to divest the U-2 fleet until authorized by Congress. The bill also contains $90.5 million to continue operating the full fleet of 31 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. The Air Force had proposed retiring seven aircraft. The legislation also adds $224 million for two F-35As and $255 million for two F-35Cs, matching the House markup. The Air Force's Combat Rescue Helicopter receives an additional $100 million to help pay for a shortfall identified in FY16 and FY17. Another $102 million is provided for an additional MC-130J aircraft. The legislation also adds $125 million for an additional competitive space launch, as well as $220 million to fund development of a new rocket engine.
It comes as no surprise that the bill favors Army vehicle production, as lawmakers continue to express concern about the heavy vehicle industrial base. The legislation adds $120 million for Abrams tank upgrades, $79 million for Stryker vehicles, $72 million for M88A2 Improved Recovery Vehicles, and $28.5 million for Bradley vehicles. The bill also adds $341 million to modernize up to 12 Apache helicopters and nine Black Hawk helicopters. A provision in the bill would limit the transfer of Apache helicopters out of the National Guard in 2015 until enactment of the defense authorization bill. The authorization bill includes its own provision limiting the transfer of Apaches in 2015, though would allow the transfer of 48 helicopters in FY16.
The bill provides a total of $63.7 billion for Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, an increase of $179.3 million. The legislation fully funds the Army's Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle, and sets aside $4 million to analyze whether Stryker or other vehicles could compete in a follow-on to the current AMPV effort. The existing program focuses on replacing M113 vehicles in Brigade Combat Teams, though lawmakers want to know what options are available for replacing Echelons-Above-Brigade (EAB) formations, which operate approximately 2,000 M113s. General Dynamics dropped out of the AMPV competition, leaving BAE Systems as the lone bidder with a variation of the Bradley.
The Ground-Based Midcourse Defense program receives an additional $50 million for system reliability and maintainability, while another $31 million is added for DARPA basic research programs. Lawmakers have also added $225 million for the Defense Rapid Innovation Fund. The bill fully funds the Long-Range Strike Bomber, KC-46, the SSBN(X) ballistic missile submarine, and development of the Navy's Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) system. Lawmakers still have concerns about the Navy proceeding with UCLASS development prior to formally establishing stable requirements, however. The Joint Staff has told Congress that the Joint Requirements Oversight Council will approve the program's capability development document prior to Milestone B. The bill therefore directs Navy to confirm JROC validation of key performance parameters before issuing a request for proposals for the development program.
Elsewhere, the legislation rescinds $1.2 billion in prior year funding, including $347 million for the CH-47 Chinook, $117 million for the OH-58 Kiowa, and $764.4 million for the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund.
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