Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Trent Kelly (R-MS), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, delivered the following remarks at a hearing on the posture of the Department of the Navy for Fiscal Year 2026.
Rep. Kelly's remarks as prepared for delivery:
Thank you, everyone, for being here today to discuss the Department of the Navy’s posture for the upcoming fiscal year.
I understand that we will be getting more budget details for the Department of the Navy in the weeks to come, and this subcommittee looks forward to seeing how the budget decisions for fiscal year 2026 measure up to our current threat environment.
This subcommittee, along with the full Armed Services Committee, has long been concerned about the net growth for our naval fleet.
We simply cannot divest more ships than we procure in a fiscal year, sacrificing capability in a critical window for deterrence.
For example, we must return to the rate of two Virginia class submarines per year and continue to procure at least two destroyers per year.
Challenges with shipbuilding can at least be partially blamed upon the mixed signals we have sent to the shipbuilding industrial base for years.
The resulting workforce issues and the diminished output from shipyards are just some of the most glaring examples of the harm done.
We must send consistent signals about our procurement for critical programs, and I look forward to discussing how we can do that as well as how we can get some struggling programs like the frigate back on track.
We could discuss shipbuilding for the entire hearing, but we cannot neglect the many aviation and munitions programs that are needed for peer competition.
I look forward to discussing the plans for critical platforms like the P-8 and KC-130Js as well as critical munitions like the SM-6 and heavyweight torpedoes that underpin our deterrent posture.
We must continue to invest in critical platforms and critical capabilities if we expect to further President Trump’s Peace Through Strength agenda.
I am encouraged by the prospects of additional money for shipbuilding, aviation platforms, and critical munitions in the ongoing budget reconciliation process.
However, this is only the beginning of a national effort to strengthen our defense industrial base.
It is only through consistent investment in our military, and its systems and platforms, that we can deliver on the promise of peace through strength.
