U.S. Representative Trent Kelly (R-MS), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, delivered the following opening statement at the full committee markup for H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement Act and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25).
Rep. Kelly's remarks as prepared for delivery:
I want to start by thanking all the members of the subcommittee for their hard work and dedication to start the year that has brought forward a strong, bipartisan Seapower and Projection Forces mark. Your commitment is crucial to maintaining the strength and maritime superiority of America's Navy.
Today, we face a significant and escalating threat from China, a hostile adversary that seeks to disrupt global peace and challenge the international order. China's brazen military expansion and coercive tactics pose a direct threat to the stability and security of the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. To counter this threat, we need to maintain the strongest and most formidable naval force on the planet. Unfortunately, this administration's budget proposal sends the wrong message to Beijing by seeking to retire 19 ships, including 10 before the end of their expected service life, and only funds one Virginia-class submarine. This proposal is the result of forced trade-offs that undermine our naval capability and sends a dangerous signal of weakness to China and to our industry partners. We cannot afford to project any hesitation or vulnerability at a time of increased global tensions. Our message must be clear: the United States Navy will remain the most powerful maritime force the world has ever seen.
Our subcommittee's mark addresses these concerns head-on. We fund a second Virginia-class submarine and the Columbia-class submarine, reinforcing our undersea dominance and providing critical strategic deterrence. The mark supports 6 battle-force ships and investments into the shipyard industrial base. We demand consistency in the first 10 years of the Navy's annual 30-shipbuilding plan, ensuring we provide clear headlights that industry can align to invest with confidence. Additionally, we prevent the early retirement of two guided-missile cruisers, critical assets for our fleet's firepower and versatility.
Our mark also improves decision-making before construction begins on first-of-class ships, and provides essential support for our air operations by raising the floor of air refueling tankers to 474. We also meet the congressionally mandated floor of 31 amphibious ships and authorize funding for the first step in a domestic new-build sealift program.
The En Bloc package further strengthens our subcommittee's mark, adding important measures that reinforce our commitment to a powerful, forward-looking Navy. It requires 100 percent design completion before starting construction on the first ship of a shipbuilding program, ensuring we build our ships right the first time and avoid costly errors. It demands a strategy for reducing reliance on Chinese shipbuilding and maritime infrastructure, and designates an appropriate official with primary responsibility for the development and acquisition of dual-modality autonomous vehicles to accelerate the integration of cutting-edge technology into the fleet.
Lastly, I want to thank my friend and Ranking Member Joe Courtney for his leadership throughout this process, the committee staff Ian, Kyle, Kelly, Ethan and Phil as well as my personal staff Reed and Joe. I'd also like to thank again all our Members for their tireless effort in bringing this mark forward. This mark presents an opportunity to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to a strong and capable Navy. I urge Members of this committee to support this mark and vote in favor of the En Bloc.
