[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 105 (Wednesday, September 8, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H6761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            EXPRESSING ALARM ABOUT AMERICA'S SHRINKING FLEET

  (Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with grave 
concerns about our country's security. A report from the American 
Shipbuilding Association, the ASA, was recently released that gives 
alarming figures about our Navy's shrinking fleet and our vulnerability 
to China.

                              {time}  1015

  The report shows that by 2010, China will have twice as many 
submarines as the United States. And that is not all. Assuming that we 
build six ships a year, the Chinese fleet will surpass the size of the 
U.S. fleet by 2015.
  Further, a Chinese general was quoted as saying the Chinese Navy is 
being designed with the direct objective of being able to 
``neutralize'' a U.S. aircraft carrier.
  China's threat is real. And yet, just last month, the Navy submitted 
a proposal to the Secretary of Defense that dramatically reduces our 
shipbuilding program.
  Mr. Speaker, this is unacceptable. Further cuts will not only be 
devastating to our shipbuilding industry, they will make us vulnerable 
to threats like China.
  ASA's report says it best: ``Ignoring the Navy's requirement will 
serve as the precursor to the end of America's reign as a sovereign 
superpower.''

                          ____________________