Published Dec. 19, 2001/Tribune & Georgian

Trident conversion funding progressing smoothly
By Jill Helton

Congress is expected to vote this week on the appropriations bill that includes initial funding for the conversion of four Trident submarines.  The defense authorization bill already has been passed and the defense appropriations bill should be on the House and Senate floors for a vote this week.

The expected passage of both bills will be good news for Camden County and the submarine force. Without the conversion, the four subs would have been decommissioned and retired from the fleet.  The submarines to be converted would be the USS Ohio, USS Michigan, USS Georgia and USS Florida, which are currently homeported on the West Coast. When they leave, two Tridents from Kings Bay — USS Pennsylvania and USS Kentucky — will be transferred to the West Coast to replace them, bringing the local contingent of submarines from 10 to eight.  Some of the converted subs, however, may be stationed at Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay.

Sheila McNeill, a local advocate for the conversion plan and a national vice president of the Navy League of the United States, said a combined effort by local citizens, Navy supporters and legislators made this funding possible.

“For all four subs to be in [the authorization/appropriations language] this long, there is every indication that we will get that funding,” McNeill said.

McNeill said that is especially surprising because the Navy’s new destroyer did not get funded this year. At the beginning of the budget process, it looked like the destroyer would receive funding and the conversion plan would not, she said.

Under the conversion plan, the submarines would become “Tactical Trident” cruise missile platforms that would carry special operations personnel.

The nature of the war against terrorism has helped to demonstrate a strong need for this type of military capability, said U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga.

“The process of the defense bills took longer this year because of the war, but that also helped strengthen the case for the conversion,” said Kingston, a member of the Appropriations Committee.  McNeill agreed that the recent use of special forces in Afghanistan “definitely made a difference.”

“I think they see it is a platform that could readily be used in this war,” she said.

The total cost of converting all four boats is $3.36 billion, or $840 million per sub, according to Kingston’s office.  According to various sources, tentative appropriation figures ranged from $137.4 million to $188 million. The exact amount in the appropriations bill, however, was not definite on Tuesday at press time.

Kingston said proponents of the conversion plan must be prepared to lobby for its continued funding. Efforts to do just that are ongoing, according to Carla Carper, president and chief executive officer of the Camden/Kings Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.  According to Carper, business and political leaders from the local community are currently making plans for their annual Washington D.C.  Fly-In, which will be held this year March 13-15. In past years, the group has lobbied hard for the Trident conversion plan and its funding during that annual trip.

After the bills are passed and signed, there will be thank-you letters for congressional representatives available at the chamber that local residents can sign to show their appreciation.  Carper said the individuals who participate in the fly-in will be emphasizing that Kings Bay has lots of land and wharf space. In light of pending base closures, military commands could be transferred here, Carper said.

“We want our [elected officials] to be extremely vigilant ... and constantly be looking for ways to enlarge our base,” she said.  McNeill said she hopes people also will begin lobbying for two converted submarines to be stationed at Kings Bay and that the conversion work be done at Kings Bay.

“We know the work at [Trident Refit Facility] is done cheaper than at many other places,” she said.

In a recent news release, U.S. Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., mentioned the Trident conversion plan funding among the many military programs and interests in Georgia that received funding in the defense bills.  “This bill demonstrates that Georgia’s bases are strong and central to our nation’s defense,” Cleland said.

The conversion plan calls for the nuclear reactor that powers each boat to be refueled and the missile tubes to be reconfigured to fire seven smaller cruise or land-attack missiles. The conversion would remove the long-range nuclear weapons on each sub and replace them with 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and a team of special operations commandos.  “The submarines would also be equipped to carry dozens of commandos, with at least two of the tubes reserved for entry and exit while under water,” said a press release from Kingston’s office. “Some configurations would have more tubes reserved for ordnance or equipment that would be used by special forces soldiers.” The conversion also would require the installation of a new combat suite for operating the new equipment, including the Navy’s newest sonar gear.

The converted submarines would be called SSGNs, a Navy term that means “submarine, guided missile, nuclear-powered.”