Navy, Marine leaders support 2 more LPD 17s

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Navy, Marine leaders support 2 more LPD 17s
By Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Mar 6, 2008 13:13:12 EST

The top leaders of the Navy and Marine Corps are united behind the idea of building two more San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks than originally planned, they told a Senate panel Wednesday. But they didn’t ask for the money for the ships because they didn’t think they’d be funded.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway and Navy Secretary Donald Winter appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee defense subcommittee, which reviewed the Department of the Navy’s fiscal 2009 budget request.

Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., pointed out that the Navy had moved $1.6 billion out of its budget request this year — money he said could have been used to pay for a 10th LPD 17. Why, he asked, hadn’t the service requested the money for the new ship?

“When we put together the plan for our shipbuilding plan for the future, balancing all other requirements that the Navy is doing and other future needs we have, the decision to submit the plan as it’s currently constructed — with the seven ships in there — and hold off on the 10th LPD, I believe was the best way forward to apportion the resources we have and still fulfill the needs of building the fleet for tomorrow,” Roughead said.

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., pointed out that Conway had said his ideal number of ships was 11 and asked why the Navy wasn’t accommodating that number, given that the Marine Corps is growing its end strength by more than 22,000 Marines, and Conway has said he wants to recapture its “expeditionary flavor.”


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/03/navy_morelpds_030608w/