[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 143 (Wednesday, September 6, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H6659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                            GROWING OUR NAVY

  (Mr. GALLAGHER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. GALLAGHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to once again emphasize the 
urgent imperative of growing our Navy to 355 ships. This body is now on 
record in support of a 355-ship Navy, and the recent tragedies at sea 
only serve to reinforce the inadequate capacity of our current fleet.
  While the size of our Navy has shrunk from over 500 ships at the end 
of the Cold War to less than 280 ships today, the demand for deployed 
ships has remained relatively constant between 85 and 100.
  This steady demand on the fleet, coupled with tight budgets and 
habitually underfunded maintenance counts, has taken a serious toll on 
our sailors.
  Growing the fleet is no easy task. It will take constant leadership 
and attention. In his confirmation hearing, Secretary Spencer rightly 
spoke about creative levers the Navy could pull to get to 355, 
including bringing ships out of the ready reserve, yet we need more 
urgency, we need that sense of urgency that Secretary Spencer talked 
about in his mission, vision, and priorities document. This must extend 
to growing the fleet as quickly as is practical. Every day, month, and 
budget year that goes by without significant progress towards 355 makes 
this urgent requirement that much less likely to materialize.
  Mr. Speaker, there is not a moment to lose. We must make growing the 
fleet our number one priority.

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