The following is a joint statement by Senators Snowe and Collins:
"In numerous public and private discussions with senior Navy and Pentagon officials, we have consistently expressed concern about the DD(X) acquisition strategies. The Navy has admitted that it does need 12 DD(X)s, rather than the five requested in the budget. We remain firm in our belief that long-term plans for the Navy fleet should be based on national security requirements, and must not be put in jeopardy by decisions made because of short-term fiscal constraints. "Our nation needs two major surface combatant shipbuilders. We have been aggressively working with the Navy, the Department of Defense, and the White House to make the case that any course that jeopardizes our surface combatant industrial base is not in our national security interest. We will continue to press the Navy to ensure that any DD(X) acquisition strategy is fair and sensible, and provides a fleet of sufficient size and strength to meet national security requirements."
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