CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM U.S. Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England addressed about 150 local business leaders and members of the local Navy League at the Pearl Harbor submarine base this morning. Shown from left, Mildred Courtney, who received a meritorious service award; England; Admiral Thomas Fargo; and Dr. Chuck Kelley, owner of Outrigger Hotels.

Navy chief vows
full funding of Navy

He says the Navy can start procuring ships
and planes with the higher defense budget

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By Gregg K. Kakesako
gkakesako@starbulletin.com

Shortly after he took office last May, Navy Secretary Gordon R. England says the Navy didn't have enough funds to steam its ships or fly its airplanes.

But with the Bush Administration's proposals to raise the U.S. defense budget by $18 billion this year, "all the buckets across our Navy service" will be funded, he said, during a breakfast meeting this morning at Pearl Harbor's sub base.

England was applauded by a partisan audience of Navy supporters and officers when he reported that the Navy leadership made a "deliberate decision this year that we were going to fully fund what we have. That is, we would fully fund our 0&M (operation and maintenance) accounts. We would fund our munitions. We would make our naval service completely whole in every single category."

England, who left Hawaii today after spending a week vacationing, had breakfast this morning with 150 local business leaders, members of the local Navy League chapter and local Marine Corps and Navy commanders at the Pearl Harbor's sub base.

The Navy "is still short in terms of new procurement of ships and airplanes, but now because we are funding everything, we can begin to accelerate procuring more ships and airplanes," he said. "I am confident that we will be able to do that because we won't have to take that money to fund things we didn't have to fund in the past."

Later, meeting with reporters, England said there are no immediate plans to berth more than three nuclear submarines in Guam, but the war on terrorism could change that decision.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) last week reported that the U.S. would be better served if the Navy would base more ships in foreign ports closer to trouble spots. In particular, the report says that if seven nuclear attack subs from today's fleet of 55 were permanently based in Guam, the fleet would be able to handle missions equivalent to a force of 68 boats.

The Navy plans to shift three submarines to Guam and is considering moving some destroyers there as well. There are 18 Los Angeles-class attack submarines berthed at Pearl Harbor. The three slated for Guam are expected to be assigned from mainland ports.

The CBO report says that although "the U.S. Navy's fleet currently numbers a little over 300 ships, the Navy is not funding its shipbuilding budget at a level needed to sustain a 300-ship fleet over the long run. The largest shortfall by far is the construction of attack submarines (SSNs)."

There are 55 Los Angeles-class SSNs in the fleet today, but at the current level, the reports adds, the attack submarine force will eventually fall to 30 as the older subs are retired faster than they can be replaced.

England said because of congressional intervention, the Pentagon will not bring up the issue of shutting down military bases until 2005 although defense department officials had wanted the issue studied next year.

This was England's first visit to the islands since he was appointed by President Bush last year. He spent the weekend touring ships berthed at Pearl Harbor, including the USS Lake Erie and USS Missouri, as well as visiting Navy housing and the construction of a new Navy shopping complex.