The House Armed Services seapower subcommittee cut one of the two requested DDG-1000 vessels in the Navy's fiscal year 2009 budget request in its mark-up of the FY-09 defense authorization bill, leaving the sea service the option to build a single DDG-1000 or two DDG-51 guided-missile destroyers. "The mark recommends advance procurement funding for surface combatants at $400 million and gives the secretary of the Navy and chief of naval operations the flexibility to use those funds for the continuation...