A revised defense spending bill, signed by President Bush, allows the Navy to accelerate plans to double Virginia-class submarine production to two ships a year and help safeguard jobs at Groton-based Electric Boat.
The Navy had opposed moving up its plans for a second sub before 2012, but the defense bill includes $588 million requested from U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., whose district includes the submarine manufacturer. The $588 million allows construction of two ships a year as early as 2010 or 2011.
About 7,600 people work at Electric Boat’s shipyard in Groton, while about 2,000 are employed at the company’s Quonset Point facility in Rhode Island.
Connecticut and Rhode Island officials were concerned that the Navy seemed determined to pull back from submarines in favor of other weaponry.
Such a trend, the state officials said, could endanger national security as the U.S. fleet shrinks and foreign nations such as China press ahead with sub production.
“Having fought for this authorization, it represents a new direction in how we treat our men and women in uniform and our veterans, as well as a brighter future for eastern Connecticut’s defense industry,” Courtney said in a statement.
The bill also includes $21.2 million for military construction at U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton and $13.6 million for a Connecticut National Guard Readiness Center at the Camp Rell in Niantic.
“The signing of this bill is a big victory in our fight to ensure that our nation retains an industrial base capable of designing and building the world’s most sophisticated submarines,” Gov. M. Jodi Rell said. “An increase in submarine production is a shot in the arm for Connecticut’s economy and is important for the nation’s military readiness.”
Bush initially vetoed an earlier version of the bill late last year because concerns over exposing Iraq to costly lawsuits. The president objected to a provision that would have guaranteed that victims of state-sponsored abuse can sue foreign governments in court and collect judgments by seizing its assets inside the United States.
Bush said that would have exposed Iraq to high-dollar lawsuits over abuse during the Saddam Hussein era at a time when the country is struggling to rebuild its infrastructure. Democrats revised the measure to allow Bush to grant immunity to Iraq, so long as he determines that doing so promotes Iraqi reconstruction and that Baghdad remains a “reliable ally” in the war on terror.
