Defense spending bill stands to bring millions to Maine co's

Passage of the 2013 National Defense Authorization bill could bring millions in federal dollars to the state, according to a press release from Sen. Susan Collins.

The bill includes continued funding for shipbuilding at Bath Iron Works, submarine repair at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, operations at the Defense Financial Accounting Service (DFAS) office and Maine Military Authority in Limestone, operations of the 101st Air Refueling Wing in Bangor, and other defense projects at Pratt & Whitney in North Berwick, General Dynamics in Saco, and several other Maine companies.

The bill also includes a provision requested by Collins that provides multi-year procurement authority for up to 10 DDG-51 destroyers, one more than the President's budget request, which would contribute significantly to the workload at BIW through 2017. Funding for a second Virginia-Class Submarine to be built in was also approved as part of the bill.

The bill will now be sent to the White House for the President's signature into law. Provisions related to Maine businesses include:

• $3 billion for the Navy's DDG-51 program and $669 million for the DDG-1000 program, both built at Bath Iron Works.

• $6.5 billion for Navy ship repairs, which includes the overhaul, refueling, and maintenance of nuclear-powered submarines at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

• $56.7 million for procurement of the Common Remotely Operated Weapons System (CROWS). Vingtech in Biddeford, Maine Machine Products in South Paris, and Arundel Machine in Arundel produce components for the CROWS.

• $40 million for M2 .50 caliber machine gun modifications performed at Saco.

• Full funding for the procurement of 29 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft; components for the F-35 are built at Pratt & Whitney in North Berwick and at General Dynamics' facility at Saco Defense.

• $606 million in funding for research and development for the CH-53K marine helicopter. Hunting Dearborn in Fryeburg manufactures the rotor shaft for this helicopter.

• $412 million for depot maintenance at National Guard repair sites, including Maine Military Authority in Limestone.

• $232 million for research and development of aerospace propulsion systems. The University of Maine conducts research on new propulsion and power technologies.

• $200 million in Rapid Innovation Program funding to increase investment in small businesses and developing technologies that benefit DoD. The bill also requires the Secretary to develop a national security strategy for the industrial base and eliminates obstacles to small business competition for Defense Department initiatives.