[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 195 (Tuesday, December 11, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7453-S7454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE KINGS BAY IN
KINGS BAY, GEORGIA
Mr. PERDUE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Armed
Services Committee be discharged from further consideration and the
Senate now proceed to S. Res. 565.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 565) honoring the 40th anniversary of
Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Kings Bay, Georgia.
There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the
Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.
Mr. PERDUE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to; that the Perdue amendment to the preamble be
considered and agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to;
and that the
[[Page S7454]]
motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 565) was agreed to.
The amendment (No. 4076) was agreed to, as follows:
(Purpose: To amend the preamble) In the 19th whereas clause of the
preamble, strike ``, which'' and all that follows through ``United
States''.
The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, as amended, reads as follows:
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;
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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