WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) on Wednesday spoke at a U.S. Defense Appropriations subcommittee hearing on President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget request for the Department of Defense. In his questions to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Murphy emphasized the moral and strategic importance of reducing civilian casualties in Gaza and preventing further escalation of conflict in the Middle East. Murphy also pressed the Department on the need to maintain the procurement of Virginia-class fast-attack submarines at two per year – in line with longstanding shipbuilding plans critical for U.S. national security and the submarine industrial base. Electric Boat, which serves as the Navy’s primary contractor for the Virginia program, employs over 15,000 people in Groton, New London, and Stonington, Connecticut.

Murphy pointed to the consequences of deteriorating conditions in Gaza and highlighted evidence of growing terrorist activity in the region: “The national intelligence estimate released just earlier this year said this: that the Gaza crisis has galvanized violence by a range of actors around the world, and while it is too early to tell, it is likely that the Gaza conflict will have a generational impact on terrorism. A generational impact on terrorism. Both Al Qaeda and ISIS, inspired by Hamas, have directed supporters to conduct attacks against Israeli and U.S. interests.”

Murphy continued, underscoring the need for a shift in policy to reduce civilian casualties and prevent further escalation of conflict in the region: “Mr. Secretary, you’ve said today that Israel has a right to defend itself and the United States supports Israel's right to defend itself. I agree. But if Israel's strategy is making it more likely, not less likely, that future terrorist attacks will occur, then it is not an effective strategy. It’s all well and good to get angry about a conversation the United States is having with Israel over the right strategy to defeat terrorism, but we have lots of experience in failed strategies…There is a strategic and a moral reason to care about the number of civilian casualties in Gaza. Even if you don't care about the moral consequences of 13,000 children dead, you should care about the strategic consequences of providing continued bulletin board recruiting material to the very organizations we are trying to destroy.”

Murphy expressed concern over reductions in Electric Boat’s Virginia-class submarine program, urging Secretary Austin to establish an immediate pathway for annual procurement of two Virginia-classes: “This budget downgrades our commitment to building Virginia-class submarines from two to one per year. We made a big mistake in the 1990's when we hollowed out the submarine industrial base. We went from having 12,000 employees at Electric Boat down to about 1,500, and it took us a decade or more to scale back up when we realized we really needed these submarines. How can we look at the request for only one Virginia-class submarine in FY25 as anything but a pretty enormous step back for our industrial base? I am really worried about our ability to be able to deliver what we know we need, which is two Virginia-class submarines, and keep the Columbia-class on time. I just worry that you can’t do that if you take this big— even if it’s just a one year— but a big step back in commitment to the Virginia program.”

A full transcript of his remarks can be found below:

MURPHY: “Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Great to see you both. Thank you for your service to the country. It is pretty stunning to me how this country and our allies failed to learn recent history lessons. Those recent history lessons in both Afghanistan and Iraq tell us that there are substantial grave limitations to the ability of military force to eliminate a terrorist threat. In fact, history tells us that the application of overwhelming military force can in fact grow terrorist threats, not shrink them.

“Mr. Secretary, you’ve said today that Israel has a right to defend itself and the United States supports Israel's right to defend itself. I agree. But if Israel's strategy is making it more likely, not less likely, that future terrorist attacks will occur, then it is not an effective strategy. It’s all well and good to get angry about a conversation the United States is having with Israel over the right strategy to defeat terrorism, but we have lots of experience in failed strategies.

“The national intelligence estimate released just earlier this year said this: that the Gaza crisis has galvanized violence by a range of actors around the world, and while it is too early to tell, it is likely that the Gaza conflict will have a generational impact on terrorism. A generational impact on terrorism. Both Al Qaeda and ISIS, inspired by Hamas, have directed supporters to conduct attacks against Israeli and U.S. interests.

“Here's my question: how do we apply the lessons that we have learned in Iraq and Afghanistan as a means of helping Israel understand how to defeat Hamas, and what is your assessment of whether this campaign is in the long run going to decrease the ability of Hamas or following organizations to recruit and retain strength in the ability to hurt Israel and the United States?”

AUSTIN: “Thank you, Senator. We have said all along that Hamas does not equal the Palestinian people. They are not one and the same. And what we learned— to your point, a key lesson there is that you have to protect the people, the civilians in the battle space, otherwise you create more terrorists going forward. So, it is not only a moral imperative, but it is also a strategic imperative that you protect civilians, and the two are not mutually exclusive. You can do both. And we know how to do that.

“In terms of the lessons learned and the kinds of things we would endeavor to pass along, those are the things we continue to have a dialogue on. There have been far too many civilian casualties in this battle space, and I think we should do everything possible to ensure that we are protecting civilians and providing for their welfare with humanitarian assistance.”

MURPHY: “I think you are right that there is a strategic and a moral reason to care about the number of civilian casualties in Gaza. Even if you don't care about the moral consequences of 13,000 children dead, you should care about the strategic consequences of providing continued bulletin board recruiting material to the very organizations we are trying to destroy.

“Mr. Secretary, let me do a hard turn on a subject really important to U.S. national security but also to my state. As you know, this budget downgrades our commitment to building Virginia-class submarines from two to one per year. We made a big mistake in the 1990's when we hollowed out the submarine industrial base. We went from having 12,000 employees at Electric Boat down to about 1,500, and it took us a decade or more to scale back up when we realized we really needed these submarines.

“How can we look at the request for only one Virginia-class submarine in FY25 as anything but a pretty enormous step back for our industrial base? I am really worried about our ability to be able to deliver what we know we need, which is two Virginia-class submarines, and keep the Columbia-class on time. I just worry that you can’t do that if you take this big— even if it’s just a one year— but a big step back in commitment to the Virginia program.”

AUSTIN: “Thanks, Senator. So, the choices are to increase the backlog by putting more demand on the system or invest more in the industrial base. And that’s the approach that we’ve taken. In ’23 and ’24, we asked you for $1.9 billion to invest in the sub-industrial base. For this budget, we are asking for $4 billion. The supplemental gives us $3.3 billion, and the Australians are also investing in our submarine industrial base.

“As I have talked with industry leaders, we have talked about how we go about recruiting more people, increasing strengths in the supply chains. That work is ongoing and needs to be done. But we have to increase the capacity. And I know there are arguments both ways in terms of the demand versus investing in the capacity, but they believe, and I believe, that we will get there. But we just need to do more in terms of capacity.”

MURPHY: “I appreciate that $4 billion investment, it’s significant, but that has to be an immediate pathway to get us back on track to be building those two Virginia-classes a year. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”

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