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The Phoenix Council Newsletter
May 2015
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America's Strength - A quick note from the Navy League National President
The Navy-Marine Corps team is facing a crisis. They are overstretched and underfunded, responding to multiple crises around the globe but without the necessary resources. They need you to speak for them. This campaign is our chance to sound the alarm for the Navy and Marine Corps as they face sequestration budget caps and dwindling resources. We need you to be their voice. If you haven't already, please write your elected officials here.
Thank you for all you do on behalf of our sea services!
James H. Offutt
National President
Navy League of the United States
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Thanks for your support of the Navy League and the men and women of the sea services!
Phoenix Council
Navy League of the United States
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Mark Your Calendar ...
Summer 2015 - Day Cruise Aboard a US Navy Ship - San Diego, California - We are hoping to arrange a day at sea on board a naval ship in San Diego. We will notify you via email when the opportunity becomes available.
October 10, 2015 - Navy Birthday Ball - Celebrating 240 years of exceptional history and pride, all members are very welcome to attend this festive event and evening. More information will be provided in future newsletters as the information becomes available.
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Navy League Legislative Update - House Armed Services Committee Passes Full NDAA
On May 2, 2015, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) approved the full National Defense Authorization (NDA) bill. It would authorize $495.9 billion in base Pentagon spending, and $611.8 billion in all when the Overseas Contingency Operations budget, Energy Department and mandatory spending are added in.
OCO funds are $38.3B over the request, and the extra funds are used to sidestep statutory spending caps, would be authorized for operations and maintenance within the Pentagon's base budget. This move allows the committee meet the president's total budget request, but by hiding funding levels above the caps in OCO.
Next steps: the bill is expected to head to the floor when the House returns the week of May 11. Then all rank-and-file members will be able to offer amendments.
Summary of highlights:
- HASC BACKS CRUISER CHANGES: The panel rejected an amendment from Rep. Joe Courtney to repeal a provision in the mark to shorten the timeline for modernizing Navy cruisers. &nsbp;The mark from Seapower Subcommittee Chairman Randy Forbes (R-Va.) proposes speeding up the time allowed to lay up cruisers for modernization to two years, rather than four years. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert opposed the move, but he did not sway the panel.
- Rejects BRAC rounds
- Includes retirement reforms (more of a 401(k) style plan), rejects commissary, pay raise changes
Seapower & Projection Forces Section
Carriers:
- Authorizes continued funding for CVN-79 and first year funding for CVN-80 planning and long lead item procurement.
- Grants economic order quantity (EOQ) authority for the construction of CVN-80 and CVN-81 in order to allow the Department to purchase components in batch form, reducing overall cost of items procured.
- Continues full funding authority for the refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) of CVN-73.
- Provides incremental funding authority for the RCOH of five Nimitz class aircraft carriers: CVN-73, CVN-74, CVN-75, CVN-76, and CVN-77.
- Instructs GAO to study costs and delays to the Navy's two-phase contracting strategy for CVN 79, a plan that is likely to slow CVN-79 construction by 18 months.
Destroyers:
- Provides for the construction of two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers.
- Increases funding authority for Aegis destroyer modernization in FY16, following removal of five destroyer mods from the FYDP.
- Authorizes the Navy to begin Flight III destroyer acquisition including ability to modify existing multiyear destroyer construction authority.
Littoral Combat Ship:
- Authorizes the construction of 3 LCS.
Amphibious Ships:
- Accelerates advance procurement of the new LX(R) amphibious ship by two years.
- Authorizes funding for the completion of LPD-28.
- Authorizes advance procurement for the 5th Afloat Forward Staging Base.
Auxiliary Ships:
- Authorizes procurement of the first TAO(X) auxiliary oiler ship.
- Moves funding for this ship into the National Defense Sealift Account to provide Navy additional flexibility in completing construction.
Virginia Class Submarines:
- Authorizes the construction of two Virginia class submarines, continuing the highly successful block buy.
- Expresses support for incorporating Virginia Payload Module (VPM) into the entire Block V Virginia class buy, as opposed to the Navy's current plan to only equip two-thirds of the Block V Virginia class with VPM in the 2020s.
Ohio Class Replacement:
- Provides $1.39 billion in R&D for SSBN(X), representing the Navy's largest R&D investment.
- Moves this R&D funding into the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund, created in last year's NDAA.
- Reiterates the fact that the ORP acquisition program will "have an extraordinary and detrimental impact to investments in the shipbuilding and construction, Navy, account if traditional funding levels of this account are sustained. The committee also believes that the entirety of the Department of Defense investment capabilities need to be used to recapitalize this strategic asset."
- Expands the authorities of the National Sea-Based Deterrence Fund to include incremental funding authority, Economic Order Quantity authority, and an expanded reprogramming authority from the entire DoD to support SSBN(X) with the goal of preserving stability in the SCN account in future years.
- Calls attention to the "serious resource challenges" inherent to ORP and instructs GAO to assess technology challenges and industrial base implications with the purpose of reducing or preventing cost growth and schedule risk in the program.
Cruiser Modernization/BMD Demand:
- Prohibits the removal of BMD capabilities from any Ticonderoga-class cruiser until SECNAV certifies Navy has obtained BMD capabilities required by the most recent Navy Force Structure Assessment.
- Prohibits the retirement, inactivation, or storage of Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Whidbey Island-class amphibious ships.
- Requires the modernization of two cruisers using previously authorized and appropriated SMOSF funds.
- Limits the term of cruiser modernization availabilities to 2 years, preventing unnecessary layup of these assets and reducing the likelihood that they may be inactivated at a later date.
Tomahawk Block IV:
- Increases Tomahawk procurement to a minimum sustaining production rate of 198 missiles.
MQ-8 Fire Scout:
- Increases procurement to minimum sustainment rate of 5 air vehicles.
Tom Harper
Vice President, Legislative Affairs
Phoenix Council
Navy League of the United States
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America's Strength ~ PUSHED TO THE BRINK: U.S. NAVY-MARINE CORPS AVIATION
PUSHED TO THE BRINK:
U.S. NAVY-MARINE CORPS AVIATION
Wednesday, June 3, 2015 | 8:30 - 11:00 AM
Cannon Caucus Room | Cannon House Office Building | Washington, D.C.
Please join us for a Congressional forum examining the value and importance of U.S. Navy-Marine Corps aviation to the nation and the threats to its continued success.
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:
Representative Randy Forbes (R-VA-04)
Chairman, House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee
RADM Mike Manazir (USN)
Director, Air Warfare (OPNAV N98)
RSVP:
http://americas-strength.com/aviationforum.asp
ADD TO OUTLOOK CALENDAR:
Click here
CONTACT:
Lesley Fulop
[email protected]
Contact: Greg McCarthy
[email protected]
More information: http://americas-strength.com/advertising.asp
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National Navy League, Important Membership Information
National Navy League is currently updating its Membership Database and as a result, updates have slowed during this period. Further, the online membership database which allows Council officers to keep track of new and renewing local Navy League Members has been delayed.
We haven't been able to update our data on national membership renewals for a while now, and have heard that some members have not received membership renewal notices from National. If you think your national membership may be nearing renewal, please check your membership card for your expiration date. You can renew your National Navy League membership here:
Join or Renew Your Membership
Questions about the status of your national membership can be directed to Membership at 800-356-5760. Questions about the status of your local membership can be directed to our VP for Membership to [email protected].
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Navy & Marine Corps JROTC News ~ End of School Year Awards
The Phoenix Council of the Navy League has been busy with presentations of awards to the local Navy & Marine Corps Junior ROTC high school programs. It was a combined effort to ensure we had representation for all the awards ceremonies. Thanks to Bill Stevenson, Ron Fried, Steven Cain and Denice Tomlinson for assisting in the presentation of awards.
The following cadets were the recipients of this year's Navy League award:
- Cadet John Cobian - Apache Junction High School NJROTC, Apache Junction, AZ
- Cadet Kevin Le - Apollo High School NJROTC, Glendale, AZ
- Cadet John Edwards - Casa Grande High School MCJROTC, Casa Grande, AZ
- Cadet Madison Rawls - Cienega High School NJROTC, Vail, AZ
- Cadet Brooke Hanna - Coolidge High School MCJROTC, Coolidge, AZ
- Cadet Edgar Vasquez Lopez - Cortez High School NJROTC, Phoenix, AZ
- Cadet Francisco Perez - Glendale High School NJROTC, Glendale, AZ
- Cadet Patti Nguyen - Greenway High School NJROTC, Phoenix, AZ
- Cadet Andrew Fisher - Independence High School NJROTC, Glendale, AZ
- Cadet Diego Mussi - Moon Valley High School NJROTC, Phoenix, AZ
- Cadet Noah Stuart - Ray High School MCJROTC, Kearny, AZ
- Cadet Jacqueline Fonseca - Sahuarita High School NJROTC, Sahuarita, AZ
- Cadet Alex Clarino - Thunderbird High School NJROTC, Phoenix, AZ
- Cadet Alexis Molina - Tolleson High School MCJROTC, Tolleson, AZ
- Cadet Tyler Ryle - Vista Grande High School MCJROTC, Casa Grande, AZ
- Cadet Saul Bacio - Westview High School MCJROTC, Avondale, AZ
They were each awarded the Theodore Roosevelt Youth Medal. The award consists of a certificate, medal, ribbon, and pamphlet on President Theodore Roosevelt as quoted below:
?The principles for which we stand are the principles of fair play and a square deal for every man and every woman in the United States.?
These words were spoken by Theodore ?Teddy? Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States. A man of tremendous energy and high spirits. A born competitor, he was considered the pacesetter in his endeavors. At 23 he was elected to the New York State Legislature, at 39, he was appointed Assistant Sec of the Navy and at 40 he organized and fought with the "Rough Riders" in the Spanish American War in Cuba. The same year he was elected governor of New York. Two years later, in 1900, he became the Vice President of the United State and the next year, President, just before his 43rd birthday, after the assassination of President McKinley. Roosevelt believed that a strong military presence insured peace. He doubled the size of the Navy and sent a fleet of 16 battleships on a cruise around the world to show America's strength. In 1905 he brought about a peace conference between Japan and Russia. For this he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize-a portion of which is donated to further the development of the Navy League of the United States, founded in 1902. The primary purpose of the Navy League remains today.... "to enlighten the people on naval matters.... and the necessity of maintaining this nation's strong Sea Service presence.
This Navy League Youth Medal was established to honor those who best exemplify Roosevelt's values of energy, spirit, competition and fair play.
Congratulations to all the cadet recipients that earned this award for the 2014-2015 school year.
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