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Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

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Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress Ronald O'Rourke Specialist in Naval Affairs March 16, 2011 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL34476 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement Summary The Navy’s proposed FY2012 budget requests funding for the procurement of an 11th San Antonio (LPD-17) class amphibious ship. The Navy intends this ship to be the final ship in the class. The ship has received $184.0 million in prior-year advance procurement (AP) funding, and the Navy’s proposed FY2012 budget requests the remaining $1,847.4 million needed to complete the ship’s estimated procurement cost of $2,031.4 million. The Navy plans to begin procuring a new class of amphibious ship called the LSD(X) in FY2017. Some observers have suggested using the LPD-17 design as the basis for the LSD(X). Navy officials do not stress this option and instead appear more interested in developing an all-new design for the LSD(X). If a decision were made to use the LPD-17 design as the basis for the LSD(X), then procuring a 12th LPD-17 in FY2014 or FY2015 would help keep the LPD-17 production line open until the procurement of the first LSD(X) in FY2017, which in turn might help reduce LSD(X) production costs. Issues for Congress include whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy’s proposed funding request for the 11th LPD-17, whether to encourage or direct the Navy to use the LPD-17 design as the basis for the design of the LSD(X), and—particularly if the LPD-17 design is used as the basis for the LSD(X)—whether to fund the procurement of a 12th LPD-17 in FY2014 or FY2015. Congressional Research Service Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................1 Background ................................................................................................................................1 Amphibious Ships in General................................................................................................1 Roles and Missions of Amphibious Ships........................................................................1 Amphibious Lift Goal .....................................................................................................2 Current and Projected Force of Amphibious Ships...........................................................3 LPD-17 Program...................................................................................................................3 Program Origin...............................................................................................................3 Construction Shipyards ...................................................................................................4 Procurement History .......................................................................................................4 Cost Growth, Schedule Delays, and Construction Problems.............................................4 Option of Using LPD-17 Design as Basis for LSD(X).....................................................4 FY2012 Funding Request................................................................................................5 Issues for Congress .....................................................................................................................5 Legislative Activity For FY2012 .................................................................................................6 FY2012 Funding Request......................................................................................................6 Tables Table 1. Projected Number of Amphibious Ships, FY2011-FY2040.............................................3 Table 2. LPD-17 Procurement, FY1996-FY2010.........................................................................4 Table B-1. Amphibious Lift Goals Since 1980...........................................................................12 Table B-2. MEB AE Lift Elements ............................................................................................14 Table B-3. Ships Required for Various Potential Lift Goals........................................................15 Appendixes Appendix A. Legislative Activity for FY2011..............................................................................8 Appendix B. Additional Information on Amphibious Lift Goal..................................................12 Appendix C. LPD-17 Cost Growth and Construction Problems .................................................17 Contacts Author Contact Information ......................................................................................................52 Congressional Research Service Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement Introduction This report provides background information and issues for Congress on the San Antonio (LPD- 17) class amphibious ship program. The Navy’s proposed FY2012 budget requests funding for the procurement of an 11th San Antonio (LPD-17) class amphibious ship. The Navy intends this ship to be the final ship in the class. Issues for Congress include whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy’s proposed funding request for the 11th LPD-17, whether to encourage or direct the Navy to use the LPD-17 design as the basis for the design of the LSD(X) class of amphibious ships that the Navy wants to begin procuring in FY2017, and—particularly if the LPD-17 design is used as the basis for the LSD(X)—whether to fund the procurement of a 12th LPD-17 in FY2014 or FY2015. Congress’s decisions on these issues will affect, among other things, Navy and Marine Corps funding requirements and capabilities, and the shipbuilding industrial base. Background Amphibious Ships in General1 Roles and Missions of Amphibious Ships The primary function of Navy amphibious ships is to lift (i.e., transport) U.S. Marines and their equipment and supplies to distant operating areas, and enable Marines to conduct expeditionary operations ashore in those areas. Although amphibious ships are designed to support Marine landings against opposing military forces, they are also used for operations in permissive or benign situations where there are no opposing forces. Due to their large storage spaces and their ability to use helicopters and landing craft to transfer people, equipment, and supplies from ship to shore without need for port facilities,2 amphibious ships are potentially useful for a range of non-combat and combat operations.3 1 Navy amphibious ships can be divided into two main groups—the so-called “big-deck” amphibious assault ships, designated LHA and LHD, which look like medium-sized aircraft carriers, and the smaller (but still sizeable) amphibious ships designated LSD or LPD, which are sometimes called “small-deck” amphibious ships. U.S. Navy amphibious ships have designations starting with the letter L, as in amphibious landing. LHA can be translated as landing ship, helicopter-capable, assault. LHD can be translated as landing ship, helicopter-capable, well deck. LSD can be translated as landing ship, well deck. LPD can be translated as landing ship, helicopter platform, well deck. Whether noted in the designation or not, all these ships have well decks. The LHAs and LHDs have large flight decks and hangar decks for embarking and operating numerous helicopters and VTOL fixed-wing aircraft, while the LSDs and LPDs have much smaller flight decks and hangar decks for embarking and operating smaller numbers of helicopters. The LHAs and LHDs, as bigger ships, in general can individually embark more Marines and equipment than the LSDs and LPDs. 2 Amphibious ships have berthing spaces for Marines; storage space for their wheeled vehicles, their other combat equipment, and their supplies; flight decks and hangar decks for their helicopters and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing aircraft; and well decks for storing and launching their landing craft. (A well deck is a large, garage-like space in the stern of the ship. It can be flooded with water so that landing craft can leave or return to the ship. Access to the well deck is protected by a large stern gate that is somewhat like a garage door.) 3 Amphibious ships and their embarked Marine forces can be used for launching and conducting humanitarian- assistance and disaster-response (HA/DR) operations; peacetime engagement and partnership-building activities, such (continued...) Congressional Research Service 1 Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement On any given day, some of the Navy’s amphibious ships, like some of the Navy’s other ships, are forward-deployed to various overseas operating areas. Forward-deployed U.S. Navy amphibious ships are often organized into three-ship formations called amphibious ready groups (ARGs).4 On average, two or perhaps three ARGs might be forward-deployed at any given time. Amphibious ships are also sometimes forward-deployed on an individual basis to certain lower-threat operating areas, particularly for conducting peacetime engagement activities with foreign countries or for responding to smaller-scale contingencies. Amphibious Lift Goal Although the Navy’s planned 313-ship fleet, first presented to Congress in February 2006, called for a 31-ship amphibious force that includes 10 LPD-17s, Navy and Marine Corps officials subsequently agreed that a 33-ship amphibious force that includes 11 LPD-17s would
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