The annual defense policy bill passed overwhelmingly last week by the U.S. House of Representatives contains preliminary good news for the region: solid backing for submarine development and construction in Connecticut, better military pay and rejection of a new Base Realignment and Closure round in 2017.

We are pleased by the vote and now encourage the Senate to give final approval for guidelines on how the nation's defense funds will be spent. 

Congressional action is one of myriad steps in the military appropriation process, so we count on the state's Congressional delegation to continue promoting the value of building submarines and maintaining the Naval Submarine Base in Groton. It will be important to show that these measures are vital not so much to the economy of southeastern Connecticut as to the security of the United States.

Among those who must be persuaded is President Barack Obama, who vetoed a previous version of the bill over such peripheral issues as the ratio of defense spending to domestic spending, and plans to close the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Some reports suggest the president may exercise his veto again, but we urge him not to get sidetracked and allow Congress to proceed with the defense budget.

We can't afford to do otherwise.