Wicker, Collins lead bipartisan, bicameral group in calling for robust shipbuilding budget

As the U.S. Secretary of the Navy works to finalize the Navy’s fiscal year 2023 budget, U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Susan Collins (R-ME) led a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers in support of a hefty shipbuilding budget that would help address rising foreign threats.

“These issues are imperative to maintaining our National Defense Strategy and advantage in the maritime commons, and sustaining our military-industrial base,” the lawmakers wrote in a Feb. 17 letter sent to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro.

The budget should include the procurement of three Arleigh Burke-class Destroyers, as well as multi-year procurement authority for Flight III Arleigh Burke-class Destroyers, and an acquisition strategy that addresses the department’s plans for the Large Surface Combatant, known as DDG(X), according to their letter, which was signed by six other members, including U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME).

“We urge the Navy to develop a multi-year procurement program of 15 destroyers, which maximizes the procured number of ships under the contract, with the understanding that if adequately funded, the industrial base can support at least three ships per year,” they wrote.

The Arleigh Burke-class ships are currently built in the home states of Sen. Wicker and Sen. Collins at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi and Bath Iron Works in Maine.

Likewise, the acquisition plan for the DDG(X) would help address the growing threat of China, which is increasing its fleet size, and against Russia, they wrote.

“A strategy closely tied to the industrial base and with extensive oversight will help prevent the issues of cost increases, program delays, and end-product reliability issues seen in other ship classes,” wrote the lawmakers.