[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 190 (Thursday, October 28, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S7493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 3988. Mrs. MURRAY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by her to the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize appropriations for fiscal
year 2022 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for
military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of
Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year,
and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as
follows:
At the end of subtitle C of title I, add the following:
SEC. 138. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR RETIREMENT OF MARK
VI PATROL BOATS.
(a) Prohibition.--None of the funds authorized to be
appropriated by this Act or otherwise made available for
fiscal year 2022 for the Navy may be obligated or expended to
retire, prepare to retire, or place in storage any Mark VI
patrol boat.
(b) Report.--Not later than February 15, 2022, the
Secretary of the Navy, in consultation with the Commandant of
the Marine Corps, shall submit to the congressional defense
committees a report that includes each of the following:
(1) The rationale for the retirement of existing Mark VI
patrol boats, including an operational analysis of the effect
of such retirements on the warfighting requirements of the
combatant commanders.
(2) A review of operating concepts for escorting high value
units without the Mark VI patrol boat.
(3) A description of the manner and concept of operations
in which the Marine Corps could use the Mark VI patrol boat
to support distributed maritime operations, advanced
expeditionary basing operations, and persistent presence near
maritime choke points and strategic littorals in the Indo-
Pacific region.
(4) An assessment of the potential for modification, and
the associated costs, of the Mark VI patrol boat for the
inclusion of loitering munitions or antiship cruise missiles,
such as the Long Range Anti Ship Missile and the Naval Strike
Missile, particularly to support the concept of operations
described in paragraph (3).
(5) A description of resources required for the Marine
Corps to possess, man, train, and maintain the Mark VI patrol
boat in the performance of the concept of operations
described in paragraph (3) and modifications described in
paragraph (4).
(6) At the discretion of the Commandant of the Marine
Corps, a plan for the Marine Corps to take possession of the
Mark VI patrol boat not later than September 30, 2022.
(7) Such other matters as the Secretary determines
appropriate.
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