U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) joined U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Jared Golden (D-ME) in forwarding correspondence to President Joe Biden detailing opposition to the elimination of a DDG-51 Flight III destroyer from the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 budget.
The legislators expressed concerns about the action while advocating for increased procurement of the destroyers.
At a minimum, there were two DDG-51s previously projected under the current multi-year procurement contract between the Navy and two large surface combatant shipyards.
“We are disappointed by the inclusion of only one DDG-51 Flight III destroyer in the President’s budget request for FY 2022,” the legislators wrote. “The DDG-51s are the workhorses of the Navy and play a vital role in our national defense. By reducing procurement for this critical ship, the Administration would be slowing the Navy’s efforts to reach its target fleet size of 355 ships and hindering our ability to confront China’s military aggression and economic misconduct.”
Additionally, the legislators said that the reduction to only one destroyer would be a major deviation from the previously agreed-upon multi-year contract for Naval procurement, destabilizing the nation’s shipyard industrial base, threatening the skilled workforce, and undermining the long-term health of the defense sector.