[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 53 (Monday, March 27, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H2456]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CELEBRATING THE USS ``OMAHA''

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. BACON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to commemorate the past and 
future of the United States Navy, the strongest and the best Navy in 
the world.
  On this day, March 27, President George Washington signed an ``Act to 
Provide a Naval Armament'' authorizing the construction of six 
frigates, which includes the USS Constitution, the world's oldest 
commissioned naval vessel afloat.
  The passage of the Naval Act of 1794 was, in part, a response to 
threats to American merchant ships from the Barbary pirates in the 
Mediterranean. 223 years later, the men and women of the U.S. Navy 
continue to protecting the goods and information we transport via ships 
and undersea cables to our overseas trading partners.
  This includes securing the resources and services we import to fuel 
our industries. Paraphrasing Admiral Jonathan Greenert: the mandate of 
the Navy in modern times is to be in the right place, at the right 
time, ready and able to respond.
  The 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review signed by then-Secretary of 
Defense Chuck Hagel--may I add a Nebraskan--states that in order to 
support this mission, we need to ``continue to build a future Fleet 
that is able to deliver the required presence and capabilities and 
address the most important warfighting scenarios.''
  In that light, I look forward to the commissioning of the USS Omaha 
this fall, and to congratulating the crew of the newest addition to the 
United States naval fleet.
  The USS Omaha, LCS-12, is an Independence-class littoral combat ship, 
and the fourth ship to bear the name USS Omaha. It is a chain dating 
back to the commissioning of a sloop-of-war in 1869. The last USS Omaha 
was a nuclear attack submarine that served in the Navy from 1978 to 
1995.
  According to the Omaha World-Herald, a great source of intelligence, 
the ship is the sixth in line of Independence-class littoral combat 
ships with a futuristic trimaran design that sits high above the water.
  Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work once compared it to a Klingon 
Bird-of-Prey ship in the movie ``Star Trek.'' The ship was christened 
on December 19, 2015, by Susie Buffett.
  The ship's Latin motto is derived from its namesake, the city of 
Omaha, Nebraska. It translates to ``Courageously in Every Enterprise,'' 
which denotes her crew's willingness to brave any future endeavor.

                              {time}  1930

  While I am very proud of the future crew of the USS Omaha, I am 
equally proud of the members of the Nebraska Navy League and their 
counterparts for supporting the Navy's missions, their personnel, and 
their families. In an effort to strengthen the connection between the 
USS Omaha and the citizens it serves, the Nebraska Navy League has 
committed to bringing several members of the crew to our community each 
year. This endeavor helps to enhance the morale of the Active Duty 
personnel and their families, but it also helps to inform the American 
public of the importance of a strong United States Navy.
  The people in the Second Congressional District are proud to have a 
fantastic new ship bearing the name of Omaha. It honors our community 
and the many men and women from Omaha and the surrounding metro area 
who proudly serve in the United States Armed Forces.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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