[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 128 (Wednesday, September 14, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 14, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                             ``CENTURION''

  Mr. D'AMATO. Mr. President, the House and Senate Defense 
appropriations marks regarding the Centurion, or new attack submarine 
[NAS], call for the following:


                     house appropriations committee

  Adds $100 million to advanced submarine system development, PE No. 
0603561N, for producibility improvements.
  Directs the incorporation of full modular configurability into the 
Centurion design.
  Deletes $137.322 million for NSSN contract design, Proj. No. F2199/PE 
No. 0604567N, from ship contract design.
  Deletes $62.678 million from New Design SSN, PE No. 0604558N.
  Directs continued ``efforts to find better and cheaper ways to 
produce the propulsion plant.''
  SECDEF certification that the ``follow-ship procurement cost goal of 
$1.2 billion in constant dollars will be met and that the Navy cost 
estimate has been verified by an independent Department of Defense cost 
estimate.''
  SECDEF submission of detailed quarterly reports to the Congress on 
the efforts being undertaken to reduce the cost of the NAS; first 
report due March 31, 1995.


                    senate appropriations committee

  Directs consideration of an alternative to the NAS ``before going 
forward to Milestone III''.
  Fences 50 percent of fiscal year 1995 NAS development funds to 
submission to Congress of report on review of alternatives to the NAS.
  Directs the Navy to compete the submarine combat system.
  Fences all combat system funding to ASN(RDA) report on the 
competitive acquisition strategy; report due December 31, 1994.
  Were it a conference of one, I would meld the best elements of both 
into the following:


                       appropriations conference

  Directs the incorporation of ``full modular configurability'' into 
the Centurion design.
  Directs immediate initiation of development of a new reactor designed 
to be one-half the cost of the S9G in constant fiscal year 1998 dollars 
and ready for introduction not the 5th ship of the Centurion class.
  SECDEF certification that the lead ship procurement cost goal of $1.6 
billion in constant fiscal year 1998 dollars and follow-ship 
procurement cost goal of $1.2 billion in constant fiscal year 1998 
dollars will be met and that the Navy cost estimate has been verified 
by an independent Department of Defense cost estimate.
  SECDEF submission of detailed quarterly reports to the Congress: 
First, updating design to cost data, and second, describing efforts 
being undertaken to reduce the cost of the NAS; first report due March 
31, 1995.
  Directs the Navy to compete the submarine combat system.
  Fences all combat system funding to ASN(RDA) report on the 
competitive acquisition strategy; report due December 31, 1994.
  As it is, there are likely to be as many solutions to the problem of 
Centurion affordability as there are Conferees. The challenge for the 
Navy is to convince conferees that the savings we want are best 
achieved by letting the detailed design process go forward. I am 
skeptical. If, however, the decision is to take the Navy at its word, I 
believe it is absolutely essential that Congress impose strict fiscal 
discipline on the Centurion program by means of cost caps and 
competition requirements that transfer as much development and 
management responsibility as possible to the private sector.

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