The U.S. Congress will allot more money to build 10 more U.S. Navy warships and for the navy's ongoing modernization efforts that seek to reinforce the already huge technological advantage it enjoys over the navies of China and Russia.

A final 2017 defense appropriations bill that does just this has been agreed upon by the House of Representatives and Senate. The Senate Appropriations Committee said last week the appropriations bill will increase funding for the Navy, including billions for shipbuilding.

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The fiscal 2017 defense appropriations bill will allot $21.2 billion for Navy shipbuilding programs, with an increase of $2.8 billion and three additional ships from the original budget request.

It will fund construction of two Virginia-class submarines; three Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers; three littoral combat ships; one LHA amphibious assault ship and one LPD amphibious transport dock.

The bill also provides procurement funding for the Ohio replacement submarine and aircraft carrier replacement program. Funds were also set aside for the advanced procurement funding for a polar ice-breaking ship.

"We're funding 10 new ships, three of which were not requested by the previous administration," said U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (Republican-Mississippi).

"I'm pleased that our shipbuilders in Mississippi will play an important role in this process."

The House is expected to take up the defense bill this week.

The new funding will go some way towards expanding the U.S. Navy to 308 warships. This build-up,  however, will cost a massive $566 billion to accomplish and over 30 years to complete.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which made this assessment, also estimated the United States will have to spend $19 billion a year for the new ships, an amount 36 percent higher than the historical average of $14 billion the Navy normally spends for warship construction every year.

Ship construction will be a phased approach. Seven ships will be built this year; 38 ships between 2017 and 2021 and another 216 ships between 2022 and 2046.

The 2017 Navy shipbuilding plan now with Congress envisions an increase the size of the fleet to 308 ships by building 254 ships over a 30-year period. Taking into account the retirement of current ships, the U.S. Navy will reach the 308 ship goal by 2021, said the CBO. 

TagsU.S. Congress, U.S. Navy, Senate Appropriations Committee, fiscal 2017 defense appropriations bill, Sen. Thad Cochran