May 2010 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 11.
SECRETARY OF THE NAVY MEETS WITH SHIPBUILDING CAUCUS
Waterfront News
On March 18th, the Congressional Ship- building Caucus, co-chaired by Representa- tives Gene Taylor (MS) and Rob Wittman (VA), hosted a meeting with Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus to discuss the Navy’s fiscal year 2011 budget request and ship- building plan. Other Members of Congress attending the meeting included Representa- tives Roscoe Bartlett (MD), Travis Childers (MS), Joe Courtney (CT), Susan Davis (D- CA), Gregg Harper (R-MS), and Steve Scalise (LA). Distinguished guests included Com- mandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen; Lieutenant General George J. Flynn, Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps for Combat Development and Integration; Brigadier General Timothy C. Hanifen, Deputy Commanding General, Marine Corps Combat Development Command; and Briga- dier General Richard L. Simcock, Legislative Assistant to the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
In his opening remarks, Secretary Mabus characterized the Navy’s shipbuild- ing plan as “realistic,” with the future years defense plan balancing how much ships will
cost, how much Congress could appropriate for new ships, and the need to recapitalize major platforms such as the ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) in the future years. The Secretary stated that with the procurement of an average of ten ships a year in the next five years, the fleet will be on a path of growth up until the mid 2020s. However, once procure- ment of the SSBN starts, it will place pressure on the rest of the shipbuilding budget and reduce the amount available for the procure- ment of other ship classes until that program is complete. “We need to look at the next five to ten years to have an impact,” said Mabus. “Past 2020 the plan becomes notional since circumstances will cause the fleet numbers to change. We need to balance the future years in terms of missions, budgets, and the indus- trial base. We need to put in [the budget] what the Navy thinks it can afford and what we need to do our job.”
Secretary Mabus stated the need for the U.S. to maintain a “global fleet” capable of reaching every part of the world. He praised the U.S. Navy’s capability to engage in con- ventional and irregular warfare, partner with
Report: Progress Being Made to Rebuild and Sustain Fisheries
A new NOAA report shows that the last decade has been a period of progress in rebuilding depleted fish stocks, sustaining many fisheries populations, and gaining a better understanding of the complex relation- ships between marine species and their habi- tats.
The report cites the Alaskan groundfish fisheries—walleye pollock, Pacific cod, rock- fishes and Atka mackerel—as a prime ex- ample of how managers and fishermen are working together to keep fish harvest rates at sustainable levels while reducing risks to other species in the ecosystem, including marine mammals, juvenile fish and other fish species not being targeted.
These findings are one of a number of highlights from the nation’s coastal commu- nities that are described in the newly released NOAA report Our Living Oceans: Report on the Status of U.S. Living Marine Resources. The report also describes how closed areas and other management of fishing ar- eas—called place-based management—are helping to restore ecosystems. By closing
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several areas in the Northeast off New En- gland, depleted groundfish stocks are being rebuilt while allowing some sustainable fish- ing for rebuilt populations of sea scallops. The West Coast is in the forefront of using place-based management through a network of marine conservation areas that have been established to protect habitat and assist in the rebuilding of depleted groundfish popu- lations.
“Our Living Oceans describes the suc- cesses in rebuilding some depleted fish stocks and restoring and protecting our ocean ecosystems,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA adminis- trator. “It also outlines the challenges we face and measures we are taking to end overfish- ing and restore the healthy and resilient eco- systems that sustain the lives and liveli- hoods of people in the nation’s coastal com- munities.”
The report describes the increasing use
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the navies of other countries to build coop- erative relationships, and provide humanitar- ian assistance and disaster relief. The Secre- tary applauded the Navy and Marine Corps response to the recent earthquake in Haiti . With the port destroyed and the airport con- gested, U.S. Marines were able to get ashore and begin delivering aid to the Haitians and airlifting quake victims. The arrival of the USS Bataan Amphibious Ready Group provided a critical platform in the days immediately fol- lowing the earthquake, and the Ready Group remains on station in the waters off Haiti providing continued humanitarian relief and support. The Secretary stressed that America must continue to have the ability to “project force, discourage peer competitors, and build relation- ships with other countries to deter ag- gression. America cannot do without its Navy.”
Regarding the shipbuilding indus- trial base, Secretary Mabus praised the businesses and the highly skilled men and women who build the nation’s fleet. The Secretary noted that if the industrial base is not protected, the unique and special- ized skills will be lost and would be “diffi- cult to get back, if ever.” He described the Navy and ship- building industry’s relationship as a part-
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nership, and said that while the industry has the responsibility to invest in its facilities and train its workers, the Navy has the responsi- bility to provide certainty as to the type of ships it wants and when the Navy wants them.
Established in January 2005, the Con- gressional Shipbuilding Caucus seeks to educate lawmakers about the U.S. shipbuild- ing industry, and it works for the enactment of budgets and policies to rebuild America’s sea services and shipbuilding industrial base. The Caucus currently numbers 114 members of the House of Representatives. It is one of the largest and most proactive caucuses in the House. [Sea Power Ambas-
sador]
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