Legislative Report by Will Zimmerman

It is difficult, impossible some would say, to predict how our economy will recover from the current crisis. It is not impossible to predict the status of our naval fleet unless strong measures are taken to correct the declining capabilities of our maritime forces.

We currently have the smallest fleet since 1917! We have been averaging 6 new ships per year for the last decade. It will take at least 10 to 12 new ships per year to achieve the 313 ship fleet described by the Chief of Naval Operations as the long range construction necessary to meet the Navy’s commitments. The GAO predicts that it will require up to 20 billion additional dollars per year to increase ship construction to that level.

Representative Barney Frank has suggested that the 2010 Defense budget be cut by 25%. It’s not hard to see where his priorities are, out with defense and in with entitlements. On the other hand, Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Representative Gene Taylor (D-MS) and Rob Wittman (R-VA) are promoting an annual defense budget that would ensure construction of a minimum of 12 naval ships per year. While such a budget would obviously benefit their ship building states, more importantly, it would create jobs and enhance our national security. That makes more sense to me than propping up entitlement programs with defense dollars.

It has been said that our congress is not the best manager of money. As one cynic asked, if the congress were managing a desert, how long would it take them to run out of sand? Maintaining the ability to defend our country is not an option, even in tough economic times. It is an imperative.