Washington, DC – Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today joined with Senators from Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Alabama, Virginia, Rhode Island, and Connecticut in sending a letter to President Bush asking that he preserve two surface combatant shipyards for the construction of DD(X) destroyers for the naval fleet. The Department of Defense is reportedly considering revising its acquisition strategy for the DD(X) to conduct a winner-take-all competition in 2005, which would mean only one of the two shipyards would be awarded a Navy contract to design and construct the ships.
"We believe that any decision to pursue a winner-take-all strategy for DD(X) is ill-advised," wrote Senators Snowe and Collins, along with a group of 11 other Senators. They pointed out that the President's Fiscal Year 2006 budget request maintains an acquisition strategy to build the destroyers in two shipyards, Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, and Northrop Grumman Ingalls of Pascagoula, Mississippi. "We ask that the DD(X) program be executed as contemplated by your 2006 budget request, maintaining the current split of work between both shipyards with regard to design and construction."
In addition to Senators Snowe and Collins, the letter was signed by Senators Trent Lott and Thad Cochran of Mississippi, John Warner of Virginia, Christopher "Kit" Bond and Jim Talent of Missouri, Mary Landrieu and David Vitter of Louisiana, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Richard Shelby of Alabama, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, Dianne Feinstein of California, John Cornyn of Texas, Bill Nelson of Florida, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
The full text of the letter is as follows:
Dear Mr. President: We have become aware that the Department of Defense is considering whether to significantly alter the construction strategy for the Navy's next generation destroyer, the "DDX." The present strategy contemplated by your 2006 budget request is to build the vessels in two shipyards, Northrop Grumman Ingalls of Pascagoula, Mississippi, and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works of Bath, Maine. The revised strategy being explored by the Department of Defense is to conduct a winner-take-all competition in 2005 between the two shipyards. The practical effect of a winner-take-all competition is twofold. First, the program would likely be delayed to accomplish the competition, possibly resulting in the layoff of several thousand highly skilled employees and significantly increasing the cost of ongoing programs at both facilities. The U.S. shipbuilding industrial base has already endured a 75% reduction in employment during the past 15 years due to low rate production. Instability in the DDX program at this time could further exacerbate the permanent exodus of skilled men and women from the last remaining shipyards that produce our naval fleet. Secondly, the losing offeror would likely exit the surface combatant market, forever limiting the ability of this Nation to construct destroyers and cruisers at any significant rate. With regard to Navy force structure, construction of surface combatants at single shipyard would impact the Navy's ability to maintain the quantity of warships stipulated by your fiscal year 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review. Further, it would also limit the number of warships that could be produced to support the force structure that will be defined by the ongoing Quadrennial Defense Review. We believe that any decision to pursue a winner-take-all strategy for DDX is ill-advised until the Department of Defense has completed the ongoing Quadrennial Defense Review and submitted its findings to the Congress. Consequently, we ask that the DDX program be executed as contemplated by your 2006 budget request, maintaining the current split of work between both shipyards with regard to design and construction. With kind regards, we remain,
###