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1 (2008)

handle is hein.cbhear/fdsysafqh0001 and id is 1 raw text is: AUT-ENTICATED US. GOVERNMENT INFORMATION GP DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2007 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met at 10:28 a.m., in room SD-192, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Daniel K. Inouye (chairman) pre- siding. Present: Senators Inouye, Stevens, and Cochran. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY STATEMENT OF HON. DONALD C. WINTER, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY STATEMENT OF SENATOR DANIEL K. INOUYE Senator INOUYE. This morning the subcommittee meets to receive testimony on the fiscal year 2008 budget request for the Navy and Marine Corps. And, on behalf of the subcommittee, I welcome to- day's witnesses, the Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Donald Winter, the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Mullen, and the Commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Conway. The 2008 budget request for the Navy and Marine Corps includes $139.8 billion in baseline funds, which is an increase of 10 percent over this year's budget, and an additional $19.7 billion in emer- gency funding for the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite this proposed increase in the baseline budget, the Navy and Marine Corps each face key challenges in fighting the war on terrorism and preparing for the threats that are expected to face our country in the future. The Navy's well underway on a number of programs to mod- ernize its fleets of ships and aircraft, while programs such as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and the littoral combat ship have key roles in preparing the Navy for new and emerging threats. Critics have raised many questions about whether this complex program is proceeding on track. I'm certain our witnesses today will be able to inform the subcommittee about the status of the efforts on each of these programs. In the case of the Marine Corps, the President has proposed an increased end strength in the Marine Corps by 27,000 over the (1)