[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17687]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                         VISIT WITH NAVY LEAGUE

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend I had 
the opportunity to meet with council president Jim Smith and vice 
president Ted Brice, as well as other members of the Hilton Head Island 
Council of the Navy League.
  The Navy League was formed in 1902 with the objective and purpose of 
educating and motivating the American people to support our maritime 
capabilities, services and personnel. One of their main focuses is on 
maintaining a strong maritime component to our national defense.
  As a member of the Subcommittee on Sea Power and Expeditionary Forces 
and a member of the Congressional Shipbuilding Caucus, I have seen 
firsthand that the decline in our Naval ships is a threat to our 
national security. In the past 20 years, the U.S. Naval fleet has been 
cut in half to its lowest numbers since World War I. We need to push to 
increase our Nation's shipbuilding capability from our current average 
of six ships a year to a minimum of 10 so that we can be able to meet 
America's global security needs.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget 
September 11th.

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