Pentagon budget request funds 11 ships in FY 2012

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates today unveiled the president’s fiscal year 2012 budget request for the Department of Defense. It includes a base budget request of $553 billion, and an overseas contingency operations request for $117.8 billion.

“These budget decisions took place in the context of the nearly two-year effort by this department to reduce overhead, cull troubled programs, and rein in personnel and contractor costs, all for the purpose of preserving the fighting strength of America’s military at a time of fiscal stress,” said Secretary Gates.

The FY 2012 budget request includes $24.6 billion to support what the Pentagon characterizes as “a realistic, executable shipbuilding portfolio.” That total includes new ship research and development, construction, refueling, and overhaul.

The budget requests $19.9 billion in Procurement funding and $4.7 billion in RDT&E funding. The budget supports procurement of 11 ships in FY 2012, and 56 ships for FY 2012 – FY 2016, averaging 11 ships per year over five years (excluding oceanographic ships).

As part of the FY 2012 total, the Army will procure one Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) in FY 2012, which is the last of 5 Army JHSVs.

The FY 2012 budget would allow the Department to:

• Build one DDG 51 destroyer, two Virginia class submarines, four of the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), the last LPD-17 Amphibious Transport Dock ship, two JHSVs (one Army funded and one Navy funded), and one Mobile Landing Platform (MLP)
• Fund Advance Procurement for the CVN 79 aircraft carrier, Virginia class submarines, and the FY 2013 DDG 51 class destroyer.

February 14, 2011