[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 21, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E350]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CELEBRATING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF REAR ADMIRAL WAYNE E. MEYER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SAM GRAVES

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 21, 2026

  Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 100th birthday 
of Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer, United States Navy Retired, who is 
considered the Father of AEGIS, the greatest maritime Integrated Air 
and Missile Defense System in the world today. With nearly a hundred 
ships, this fleet is the longest warship construction program in our 
Nation's history and is the direct result of Admiral Meyer's singular 
leadership and pursuit of excellence.
  Admiral Meyer's life began far from the sea, in Brunswick, Missouri, 
in 1926, the oldest child of Nettie and Eugene Meyer. During World War 
II, he enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 and was immediately sent 
to the University of Kansas to earn a bachelor's degree in electrical 
engineering. He eventually earned a graduate degree in electrical 
engineering, a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics, as well 
as numerous other diplomas and certifications.
  Upon receiving his Navy commission, he spent his early Navy years on 
extensive sea duty assignments. Over 20 years, he served on seven ships 
and on fleet staffs, gaining invaluable experience with guided missiles 
newly being installed in Navy ships. He served in the Special Navy Task 
Force for Surface Missile Systems, leading the effort to transition the 
Navy's Air Defense Fleet from analog to digital. He then served as the 
Chief Engineer at the Navy Surface Missile Systems Engineering Station 
in Port Hueneme, California.
  Ordered to Washington in 1970, he was the founding Project Manager 
for the AEGIS Weapon System Project, a major Research and Development 
program. In 1977, he became the first AEGIS Shipbuilding Project 
Manager, tasked to build the cruisers and destroyers that would take 
the AEGIS Weapon System to sea. All of this came at a time when Soviet 
cruise missiles and aircraft threatened to make our naval forces, 
especially aircraft carriers, irrelevant. AEGIS reversed that. His 
vision, initially designed for Fleet Air Defense in the open ocean, 
evolved to include operations in the littorals and ballistic missile 
defense, and was critical to our Navy's recent successes in defeating 
missile raids in the Red and Eastern Mediterranean Seas. Today, heavily 
armed, fast, multi-purpose AEGIS ships dominate the oceans as part of 
the United States' battle force.
  Rear Admiral Meyer was famous for his zeal, unyielding principles, 
and unparalleled communication skills. Mantras such as, ``build a 
little, test a little, learn a lot,'' ``act like you're in charge,'' 
and ``what's the price of failure?'' are part of the DNA that he 
instilled into his AEGIS engineering staffs and exist today in the 
current AEGIS program offices and industry partners.
  Retiring in 1985, Admiral Meyer stayed involved. He chaired numerous 
Navy advisory boards, the Ballistic Missile Defense Advisory Committee, 
and remained a valuable counselor as the ``Father of AEGIS.'' In 2006 
the Navy named an AEGIS Destroyer, DDG 108, the USS Wayne E. Meyer in 
his honor.
  While Rear Admiral Meyer passed away in 2009, his legacy lives on 
through the most capable Air and Missile Defense warships that cruise 
the world's oceans, to include DDG 108, the USS Wayne E. Meyer, a ship 
named in his honor. I would like to recognize him on the centennial of 
his birth, for his service to our Nation, and the legacy he left to the 
United States Navy, the most powerful Navy in the world. Godspeed Rear 
Admiral Meyer.

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