[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 109 (Thursday, June 28, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S4745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





SENATE RESOLUTION 565--HONORING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF NAVAL SUBMARINE 
                  BASE KINGS BAY IN KINGS BAY, GEORGIA

  Mr. PERDUE submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Armed Services:

                              S. Res. 565

       Whereas, in 1954, the Department of the Army began to 
     acquire land at Kings Bay, Georgia, to build a military ocean 
     terminal to ship ammunition in case of a national emergency;
       Whereas the facility at Kings Bay, Georgia, was completed 
     in 1958, but since there was no immediate operational need 
     for the installation, the base was placed in an inactive 
     ready status;
       Whereas, in 1975, during treaty negotiations between the 
     United States and Spain, the countries agreed to move 
     Submarine Squadron 16, the fleet ballistic missile submarine 
     squadron, from its operational base at Rota, Spain;
       Whereas, after evaluating more than 60 sites along the 
     Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, the Department of the Navy selected 
     Kings Bay, Georgia, as the new home of Submarine Squadron 16;
       Whereas, from January to July 1978, the first group of 
     sailors arrived at Kings Bay, Georgia, to transfer the base 
     from the Department of the Army to the Department of the 
     Navy;
       Whereas the Naval Submarine Support Base Kings Bay was 
     established in a developmental status on July 1, 1978;
       Whereas construction of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay was 
     the largest peacetime construction program ever undertaken by 
     the Department of the Navy;
       Whereas, in May 1979, the Department of the Navy selected 
     Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay as the preferred East Coast 
     site for Ohio-class submarines;
       Whereas, on October 23, 1980, the Secretary of the Navy 
     announced Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay as the future home 
     of the new Ohio-class submarine;
       Whereas, on January 15, 1989, the first Trident ballistic 
     missile submarine, the USS Tennessee (SSBN 734), arrived at 
     Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay;
       Whereas the Coast Guard commissioned the successful 
     Maritime Force Protection Unit, the first of its kind, on 
     July 24, 2007, at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay to provide 
     enhanced security for the SSBN fleet of the United States 
     within the homeport transit area;
       Whereas Camden County, Georgia, is home to 1 of 6 Coast 
     Guard Atlantic Area Maritime Safety and Security Teams that 
     conduct missions including counter-drug and migrant 
     interdiction boardings and escorts for high-capacity 
     passenger vessels;
       Whereas Marine Corps Security Force Battalion Kings Bay 
     secures strategic assets within the Strategic Weapons 
     Facility Atlantic area of responsibility in order to prevent 
     unauthorized access or loss of control;
       Whereas Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay was named the top 
     military installation in the Department of Defense for 2007, 
     receiving the Commander-in-Chief's Installation Excellence 
     Award for its ability to sustain its mission, increase 
     productivity, and enhance quality of life;
       Whereas Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is the state-of-the-
     art home to the Trident II Submarines of the Atlantic Fleet 
     in St. Marys, Georgia;
       Whereas Submarine Group 10 exercises operational and 
     administrative control of Ohio-class ballistic missile 
     submarines and guided missile submarines stationed at Naval 
     Submarine Base Kings Bay;
       Whereas 6 ballistic missile submarines make up Submarine 
     Squadron 20 and are currently assigned to Naval Submarine 
     Base Kings Bay: USS Maryland (SSBN 738), USS Rhode Island 
     (SSBN 740), USS Tennessee (SSBN 734), USS West Virginia (SSBN 
     736), USS Wyoming (SSBN 742), and USS Alaska (SSBN 732);
       Whereas 2 guided missile submarines make up Submarine 
     Squadron 16 and are currently assigned to Naval Submarine 
     Base Kings Bay: USS Florida (SSGN 728) and USS Georgia (SSGN 
     729);
       Whereas the Department of the Navy stores the strategic 
     assets of the United States at the Strategic Weapons 
     Facilities at Kings Bay, Georgia, which is 1 of only 2 
     remaining naval nuclear weapon storage sites in the United 
     States;
       Whereas the Strategic Weapons Facility Atlantic is 
     responsible for assembling the D-5 missile and processing 
     missile guidance and launcher subsystem components for the 
     ballistic missile submarine fleet;
       Whereas the Naval Submarine Support Center provides 
     critical support services to the submarines and staffs of 
     Submarine Squadron 16, Submarine Squadron 20, and all 
     visiting and other assigned units, which allows the team at 
     Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay to work efficiently and 
     effectively;
       Whereas the D-5 ballistic missile is the heart of the 
     Trident weapons system of the United States;
       Whereas the D-5 Life Extension Program of the Department of 
     the Navy will extend the life of the D-5 missiles until 2040;
       Whereas the Trident Refit Facility provides timely and top-
     quality industrial and logistics support to Trident ballistic 
     missile submarines of the United States;
       Whereas the Trident Training Facility trains sailors in the 
     skills necessary to operate and maintain Trident submarines 
     and systems;
       Whereas one of the largest covered dry docks of the 
     Northern Hemisphere is located at Naval Submarine Base Kings 
     Bay;
       Whereas construction of not less than 12 Columbia-class 
     submarines is scheduled to begin in 2021, with the first 
     submarine slated to be fully operable by 2031;
       Whereas Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is responsible for 
     $1,142,000,000 in total economic output to the Camden County 
     area; and
       Whereas The Camden Partnership has supported Naval 
     Submarine Base Kings Bay since its inception, and continues 
     to promote the ability of the base to conduct current and 
     future missions, and the ability of the community to provide 
     a highly qualified workforce: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay on its 40th 
     anniversary;
       (2) commends the thousands of men and women who have worked 
     and trained at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay;
       (3) honors the people of Camden County and the Georgia 
     coastal communities for their continued support of Naval 
     Submarine Base Kings Bay; and
       (4) looks forward to Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay 
     continuing its instrumental role in the strategic deterrence 
     and national defense of the United States.

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