• Bipartisan lawmakers underscored provisions in the 2024 National Defense Bill, which a subcommittee approved this week to raise prices, to strengthen the U.S. defense against the ever-growing threat from China.
• Members of the House Armed Services Committee worried that China could surpass the United States in technological and naval power.
• “If Chairman Rogers were king for a day, we would get a lot more numbers,” a senior congressional aide told reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss the details of the bill, which will reach $886 billion in revenue. Mentioned.

The House Armed Services Committee has set a tough target on so-called China in a bill authorizing $886 billion in funding for the Pentagon in 2024.

House Republicans and Democrats focused resources on “countering China” at their annual rate hike meeting starting Tuesday, even as they nodded at the need to deal with Russia’s aggression in Europe. In statements preceding the subcommittee’s vote on the parts authorization bill, lawmakers said they were concerned that China was ahead of the United States in technology and naval power. The purpose is to be able to anticipate and defend against possible Chinese attacks in the United States. in Taiwan or elsewhere.

Republican Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, chair of the Preparatory Subcommittee, said, “We can’t handicap ourselves any longer as threats like China pick up the pace.” . Said in a statement. (Related: China’s war game simulating massive US losses is more than just propaganda, experts say)

Brent Sadler, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that the most important provisions aimed at countering China concern submarines and related weapons.

“HASC’s markup signals a focus on improving the Navy’s shipbuilding and industrial base to include the workforce, something that has been long overdue,” Sadler said. Stated.

The commission approved $16.5 billion for up to 13 attack submarines, more than the Navy’s 10 request, and an amphibious warship for the Marine Corps, which the Navy never wanted. But the government gave in to a long-running battle between Congress and the Navy to retire two of the much-maligned Littoral Combat Ships.

Lawmakers stepped up pressure on the Navy to establish a better response to its fleet maintenance needs and increased capacity, and to submit a fleet plan that meets the ship count standards required by Congress.

Experts and government watchdogs have repeatedly accused the Navy and shipbuilding and maintenance contractors of failing to build ships on time, at cost, and failing to properly maintain their fleet.

“You’re not going to get there [the congressionally mandated 355-ship fleet size] If you want to decommission the ship early,” said Virginia Republican Rep. Rob Whitman. Said defense news. “And when you look at some of these situations, what’s happening is that the Navy isn’t very strict with their maintenance schedules and commitments. , the ship wears out faster.”

Connecticut Democrat Rep. Joe Courtney said in an emailed press release that the proposed shipbuilding accounting would be $300 million higher than the one enacted in 2023, equivalent to the highest shipbuilding revenue in U.S. history. .

To incentivize contractors and keep costs down, the House approved a form of contracting authority that would allow the Department of Defense to guarantee continued payments without depending on the approval of the following year’s defense spending bill. The procurement authority will apply to submarines, securing $351.6 million for 550 MK-48 torpedoes, Defense Daily reported. report.

Courtney touted a multi-year procurement clause that has saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars since the program was first piloted in 2015.

The bill would extend the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI), which was enacted in 2021, and would specifically prioritize projects that would best strengthen deterrence against China as a $9.7 billion “pacing agenda.” A senior congressional aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the program was an automated program. He detailed the bill to reporters on Monday ahead of the price hike hearing.Biden administration I was demanded to The PDI fell to $9.1 billion, less than half of $1 billion.

But the House had to make trade-offs with other programs to fund Indo-Pacific-related priorities, the aide explained.

“We see that in our legislation, especially the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, by selling some of our older legacy platforms that cannot survive against highly capable adversaries in the Indo-Pacific. “We’re facing the Army of the Century, so we’re seriously considering and making tough choices about what we don’t think we need anymore,” he said.

Investing in military systems and planning is critical to sustaining suppression capability and deterrence in the face of Chinese aggression.

The 2024 NDAA focuses on improving deterrence, strengthening defenses, and preventing CCP espionage. pic.twitter.com/Ylg1E0Z3h3

— Military Republicans (@HASCRepublicans) June 15, 2023

According to Chairman Mark’s funding table, the bill would halt the Air Force’s troubled ARRW hypersonic missile program. But Colorado Republican Rep. Doug Lambourn said: emphasized As one of his “top priorities,” he called for continued funding of $43.4 million for the Army for hypersonic research and development and $401.5 million for the Air Force’s hypersonic attack cruise missiles. rice field.

“The mark will accelerate the development of offensive and defensive hypersonic capabilities, one area where the United States lags far behind China and Russia,” Lambourn said.

House approvers said they wanted to strengthen the Army and Air Force’s capabilities to meet the unique demands of Indo-Pacific operations.

“The Army needs a new strategy focused on looking beyond potential European conflict and fully delivering the capabilities necessary to meet the Indo-Pacific challenges of distance and depth.” Whitman said. explained. He added that the Army has a role to play in long-range strike capabilities, missile defense, logistics and communications to support other military branches.

Sections focused on preparation include clauses such as: commission Reports on “Fuel Supply, Refueling Capability,” “Sustainability of Ships,” came after reports of logistics shortages that could prove doom for the U.S. Navy if forced to participate in a Pacific conflict. rice field. It also calls for a review of the Pentagon’s ability to commit reserves to potential combat in the Pacific and a review of how it can pre-deploy weapons and supplies to the Indo-Pacific region for immediate readiness.

Other budget items support moves within the Pentagon to focus intelligence on China and the Pacific region. according to It is addressed to Michigan Republican Rep. Jack Bergman, chairman of the Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee. Signaling a deepening shift to China, the military is asking for a review of personnel and organizational needs with a view to focusing its special operations forces more on China-related missions.

Another clause asks the Pentagon to identify concerns that Beijing is seeking to co-opt strategic shipping hubs necessary to conduct military operations through its One Belt, One Road initiative and documents. show.

Another category of authorization, according to the bill, would be reliance on China for raw materials used in defense technology, such as the direction of the report on the Department of Defense Strategy for Establishing Stable Domestic Sources of Critical Minerals and Metals. intended to reduce the

The members thought, “I want to see it in any situation.” [Chinese Communist Party] They were trying to influence, become aggressors or overtake our allies and partners,” the aide said.

Authorization bills often direct the department to define the terms and limits of spending, complete research, and provide reports and updates on agency programs.

If enacted, the bill would prevent private schools owned by individuals or companies affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party from operating JROTC programs. The text of the bill also identifies Chinese overseas cultural institutions that have direct or indirect economic ties with the CCP as Confucius Institutes (Chinese organizations that seek to take advantage of the CCP). there is show.

The Biden-McCarthy debt-restriction deal limited the amount of defense spending that House committees could approve to just 3.3%. gain That’s above 2023 levels and below what many lawmakers had hoped, he said.

“If Chairman Rogers was king for just one day, we would have gotten a lot more,” said the congressional aide.

Rogers suggested in early June that the commission could sidestep McCarthy’s debt deal with additional spending bills to further address threats from China, Defense News report.

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