PRIORITIZATION OF FUNDS WITHIN NAVY MISSION OPERATIONS, SHIP MAINTENANCE, COMBAT SUPPORT FORCES, AND WEAPONS SYSTEM SUPPORT.

SEC. 361. PRIORITIZATION OF FUNDS WITHIN NAVY MISSION OPERATIONS, SHIP MAINTENANCE, COMBAT SUPPORT FORCES, AND WEAPONS SYSTEM SUPPORT.(a) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that—(1) the President’s budget for fiscal year 2007 failed to fund the required number of ship steaming days per quarter for Navy ship operations as well as deferring projected depot maintenance for Navy ships and aircraft; and(2) the Secretary of Defense should ensure that sufficient financial resources are provided for each fiscal year to support the critical training and depot maintenance accounts of the Navy in order to enable the Navy to maintain the current readiness levels required to support the national military strategy without putting future readiness at risk by underfunding investment in modernization, including ship construction programs.(b) Certification.—The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a written certification, at the same time the President submits the budget for each of fiscal years 2008, 2009, and 2010, that the Navy has budgeted and 120 STAT. 2166 programmed funding to fully meet the requirements for that fiscal year for each of the following:(1) Ship steaming days per quarter for deployed and non-deployed ship operations.(2) Projected depot maintenance requirements for ships and aircraft.(c) Limitation.—Of the funds available for Operation and Maintenance, Defense-Wide, for the Office of the Secretary of Defense for each of fiscal years 2008, 2009, and 2010, no more than 80 percent may be obligated in that fiscal year until after the submission of the certification required by subsection (b) for the annual budget submitted in February of that year for the following fiscal year.(d) Annual Report.—Beginning with the fiscal year 2008 budget of the President, the Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the congressional defense committees an annual report (to be submitted when the budget is submitted) setting forth the progress toward funding the requirements of subsection (a). The annual reporting requirement shall terminate after the fiscal year 2010 budget submission. Each such report shall include the following:(1) An assessment of the deployed and non-deployed quarterly ship steaming day requirements, itemized by active-duty component and reserve component.(2) An assessment of the associated budget request for each of the following:(A) Deployed and non-deployed ship steaming days per quarter.(B) Chief of Naval Operations ship depot maintenance availabilities, shown by type of maintenance availability and by location.(C) Air depot maintenance workload, shown by type of airframe and by location.(e) Report on Riverine Squadrons.—(1) Report required.—The Secretary of the Navy shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the Riverine Squadrons of the Navy. The report shall be submitted with the President’s budget for fiscal year 2008 and shall include the following:(A) The total amount funded for fiscal year 2006 and projected funding for fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2008 for those squadrons.(B) The operational requirement of the commander of the United States Central Command for those squadrons and the corresponding Department of Navy concept of operations for deployments of those squadrons to support Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom.(C) The military table of organization and equipment for those squadrons.(D) A summary of existing Department of Navy equipment that has been assigned in fiscal year 2006 or will be provided in fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2008 for those squadrons.(E) The Department of Navy directive for the mission assigned to those squadrons.(2) Limitation.—Of the amount made available for fiscal year 2007 to the Department of Navy for operation and maintenance for the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, not more 120 STAT. 2167 than 80 percent may be obligated before the date on which the report required under paragraph (1) is submitted.