,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #cbeh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #e1 #bjbj,mr4 ,wicker introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services ,a ,,bill ,to foster the implementation of the policy of the ,united ,states to achieve #cee battle force ships as soon as practicable4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,securing the ,homeland by ,increasing our ,power on the ,seas ,implementation ,act or ,,ships ,implementation ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,the #bjaf ,navy ,force ,structure ,assessment 7,,fsa7 started with a request to the combatant commanders to provide their unconstrained desire for ,navy forces in their respective theaters consistent with meeting the demands of the ,defense ,planning ,scenarios4 ,to fully resource these platform-specific demands with very little risk in any theater while supporting enduring missions1 ongoing two operations and setting the theater for prompt warfighting response1 the ,navy would require a #fec-ship force4 7#b7 ,the #bjaf ,navy ,,fsa further determined that a #cee-ship battle force is the level that balances an acceptable level of warfighting risk to ,navy equipment and personnel against available resources and achieves a force size that can reasonably achieve success4 7#c7 ,on ,march #bg1 #bjai1 before the ,committee on ,armed ,services of the ,senate1 ,vice ,admiral ,william ,merz testified1 ,i certainly do not expect the #cee-ship requirement to go any lower4 ,i would not be surprised if it goes up in several categories44 7#d7 ,the ,navy battle force currently consists of #bic ships4 7#e7 ,the ,navy projects having #cac battle force ships in #bjbe4 7#f7 ,the ,navy assesses the size of the ,people's ,liberation ,army ,navy as having surpassed that of the ,united ,states ,navy and predicts that it will reach #djj ships in #bjbe4 7#g7 ,section #ajbe of the ,national ,defense ,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjah 7,public ,law #aae-ia2 #aj ,u4,s4,c4 #giba note7 established the policy of the ,united ,states to have available1 as soon as practicable1 not fewer than #cee battle force ships1 with funding subject to the availability of appropriations or other funds4 7#h7 ,the ,department of ,defense has been able to achieve program efficiencies and cost savings by using multiyear and block buy contracting with many weapons programs4 ,these contracting strategies are currently being utilized to procure ,ford-class aircraft carriers1 ,arleigh ,burke-class destroyers1 ,virginia-class submarines1 and ,john ,lewis-class fleet oilers4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress on implementation of the ,securing the ,homeland by ,increasing our ,power on the ,seas ,implementation ,act ,it is the sense of ,congress that to achieve the national policy of the ,united ,states to have available1 as soon as practicable1 not fewer than #cee battle force ships-- 7#a7 the ,navy must be adequately resourced to increase the size of the ,navy in accordance with the national policy1 which includes the associated ships1 aircraft1 personnel1 sustainment1 and munitions2 7#b7 across fiscal years #bjba through #bjbe1 the ,navy should start construction on not fewer than-- 7,a7 #ab ,arleigh ,burke-class destroyers2 7,b7 #aj ,virginia-class submarines2 7,c7 #b ,columbia-class submarines2 7,d7 #c ,san ,antonio-class amphibious ships2 7,e7 #a ,,lha-class amphibious ship2 7,f7 #f ,john ,lewis-class fleet oilers2 and 7,g7 #e guided missile frigates2 7#c7 new guided missile frigate construction should increase to a rate of between two and four ships per year once design maturity and construction readiness permit2 7#d7 the ,columbia-class submarine program should be funded using the ,national ,sea ,based ,deterrence ,fund with funds that are in addition to the ,navy budget in recognition of the critical single national mission that these vessels will perform2 7#e7 stable shipbuilding rates of construction should be maintained for each vessel class1 utilizing multi-year or block buy contract authorities when appropriate1 until a deliberate transition plan is identified2 and 7#f7 prototyping of potential new shipboard subsystems should be accelerated to build knowledge systematically1 and1 to the maximum extent practicable1 shipbuilding prototyping should occur at the subsystem-level in advance of ship design4 #d4 ,procurement authorities for certain shipbuilding programs 7a7 ,contract authority 7#a7 ,procurement authorized ,in fiscal year #bjba1 the ,secretary of the ,navy may enter into one or more contracts for the procurement of any or all of the following groups of vessels3 7,a7 ,three ,san ,antonio-class amphibious ships and one ,america-class amphibious ship4 7,b7 ,two ,columbia-class submarines4 7,c7 ,six ,john ,lewis-class fleet oilers4 7#b7 ,procurement in conjunction with existing contracts ,the ships authorized to be procured under paragraph 7#a7 may be procured as additions to existing contracts covering such programs4 7b7 ,certification required ,a contract may not be entered into under subsection 7a7 unless the ,secretary of the ,navy certifies to the congressional defense committees1 in writing1 not later than #cj days before entry into the contract1 each of the following1 which shall be prepared by the milestone decision authority for such programs3 7#a7 ,the use of such a contract will result in significant savings compared to the total anticipated costs of carrying out the program through annual contracts4 ,in certifying cost savings under the preceding sentence1 the ,secretary shall include a written explanation of-- 7,a7 the estimated end cost and appropriated funds by fiscal year1 by hull1 without the authority provided in subsection 7a72 7,b7 the estimated end cost and appropriated funds by fiscal year1 by hull1 with the authority provided in subsection 7a72 7,c7 the estimated cost savings or increase by fiscal year1 by hull1 with the authority provided in subsection 7a72 7,d7 the discrete actions that will accomplish such cost savings or avoidance2 and 7,e7 the contractual actions that will ensure the estimated cost savings are realized4 7#b7 ,there is a reasonable expectation that throughout the contemplated contract period the ,secretary of the ,navy will request funding for the contract at the level required to avoid contract cancellation4 7#c7 ,there is a stable design for the property to be acquired and the technical risks associated with such property are not excessive4 7#d7 ,the estimates of both the cost of the contract and the anticipated cost avoidance through the use of a contract authorized under subsection 7a7 are realistic4 7#e7 ,the use of such a contract will promote the national security of the ,united ,states4 7#f7 ,during the fiscal year in which such contract is to be awarded1 sufficient funds will be available to perform the contract in such fiscal year1 and the future-years defense program 7as defined under section #bba of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code7 for such fiscal year will include the funding required to execute the program without cancellation4 7c7 ,use of incremental funding ,with respect to a contract or contracts entered into pursuant to subsection 7a77#a77;,b71 the ,secretary of the ,navy may use incremental funding to make payments under the contract with funds appropriated to the ,shipbuilding and ,conversion1 ,navy or ,national ,sea ,based ,deterrence ,fund accounts through fiscal year #bjbe4 7d7 ,authority for advance procurement ,the ,secretary of the ,navy may enter into one or more contracts for advance procurement associated with a vessel or vessels for which authorization to enter into a multiyear procurement contract is provided under subsection 7a71 and for systems and subsystems associated with such vessels in economic order quantities when cost savings are achievable4 7e7 ,condition for out-,year contract payments ,a contract entered into under subsection 7a7 shall provide that any obligation of the ,united ,states to make a payment under the contract for a fiscal year is subject to the availability of appropriations for that purpose for such fiscal year4 7f7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,congressional defense committees ,the term congressional defense committees has the meaning given the term in section #aja7;a77#af7 of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,milestone decision authority ,the term milestone decision authority has the meaning given the term in section #bcff;a7d7 of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code4