WASHINGTON — You can’t always get what you want.
Every year the services put together a list of items it really want but couldn’t fit into its budget request. For fiscal 2021, the Navy said it was stiffed to the tune of $5.42 billion, with an additional $582 million missing from the perennially shorted military construction account.
So here’s an (almost) comprehensive list of what the Navy said it wanted but didn’t fit into its FY21 ask:
- One Block V Virginia-class submarine: $2.77 billion
- Five carrier-variant F-35 aircraft: $525.5 million
- Two E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft: $357 million
- Two CMV-22B Osprey helicopters and spares: $211.4
- A small logistics ship proof of concept: $12 million
- Three next-generation jammers: $115.4 million
- 20 Naval Strike Missiles: $41.4 million
- Two littoral combat ship surface mission modules: $42.8 million
- 100 additional AIM-9X missiles: $42.8 million
- A technology refresh for the Ford-class dual-band radar: $113 million
- An unspecified number of sonobuoys
- An additional high-energy laser with optical sensor (HELIOS): $88.3 million
- Three CANES Windows 10 modernizations: $11.9 million
- Emergency repairs to sealift ships discovered this year by U.S. Transportation Command: $57 million
- Advanced communications gear for Military Sealift Command ships: $11.9 million
- F/A-18 E/F fighter jet spares: $21.9 million
- Flying hours to make up for shortfalls caused by unavailable T-45 Goshawk trainers: $132.8 million
- Cooperative engagement capability testing: $22 million
- Depot-level repairs to support the 80 percent aircraft mission-capable rate goal: $236.8 million
- Upgrades to hospital ship Mercy’s treatment facilities: $11.6 million
- A counter-unmanned aerial system program: $63.5 million
Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., said in a statement he is pleased to see the second Virginia-class submarine on the list, which was cut in last-minute budget wrangling.
“It should be no surprise that restoring the second 2021 Virginia-class submarine ranks as the highest unfunded need for the Navy,” said Courtney, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee’s sea power subcommittee. “Congress has consistently heard from Navy leaders, combatant commanders, and experts about the growing demand for submarine capabilities as countries like China and Russia step up their undersea activity.
“Congress has demonstrated its strong and bipartisan commitment to this second 2021 submarine, having already provided more than $1.1 billion in advanced funding to support it. I welcome and appreciate the Navy’s clear request to Congress to support restoration of this submarine as we begin deliberations on the 2021 defense budget next week.”
David B. Larter was the naval warfare reporter for Defense News.
