DOD requests authorities for sealift surge force procurement in FY-19 defense policy bill

The Defense Department has asked Congress to grant it necessary authorities to recapitalize Military Sealift Command's surge fleet force in the fiscal year 2019 defense authorization bill, according to documents viewed by Inside the Navy.

The legislative proposal asks Congress "to increase the number of used vessels the [defense secretary] may purchase as part of a program to recapitalize the surge sealift capability in the Ready Reserve Force component of the National Defense Reserve Fleet and the Military Sealift Command's surge fleet from two to 24," according to a March 16 legislative proposal signed by Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs Robert Hood.

The proposal would also limit the time period during which such vessels could be purchased from FY-19 through FY-30.

A report sent to Congress last month by Navy Secretary Richard Spencer outlined the service's plan to recapitalize the surge sealift force. In that report, the Navy projected it would need to procure 24 vessels in future years to maintain the surge sealift requirement. The FY-18 National Defense Authorization Act granted the Navy authority to procure two vessels in the early 2020s.

"Considering the material condition of the current fleet, expected service life, and the new build acquisition time line, the estimated total number of used vessels required is 26 to maintain the sealift that the nation needs," Spencer's report stated.