Congressman Rob Wittman, 1st Congressional District of VA
The February General Membership Luncheon meeting was held at the Ted Constant Center at ODU on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. The guest speaker was Congressman Rob J. Wittman, who serves the First Congressional District of Virginia.
Congressman Wittman thanked the Association for the invitation to speak. He introduced the Congressional Delegation that attended the luncheon with him, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, Congressman Bobby Scott, as well as their entourage. He mentioned that the Congressional Delegation gets together monthly to discuss important issues that pertain to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Congressman Wittman began by speaking about the Presidential budget proposal to build eight ships and retire twenty-four ships, stating that the math was just not adding up! They changed the formula for retirements to twelve and the build up to eleven. Although it’s still not where we need it to be, it’s closer to the best long-term interests of the Nation. We need more in the realm of maintaining those ships. At any point in time, there are a hundred military ships deployed at sea around the world. One way to ensure that we have operational availability is to make sure we have maintenance availabilities that happen on time and stay on schedule while being prepared for unexpected repairs. The only way to do that is making sure that the Navy works hand in hand with Industry.
Congressman Wittman continued with discussing the Navy wanting to go through divesting the number of ships they want to retire, and that they must pick up pace. So, the total number of ships drop off and the new ships they want to replace these retired ships with, all occur outside the fill, the five-year defense plan. With that, all of our dreams come true outside the fill. We will have a 355 ship Navy at some point in the future. The problem is that the future never comes and next year it’s five years out, and then the following year, still five years out. Congress needs to stand up and do its job and make sure that we are staying on track to build new ships. Most importantly, that we are staying on track maintaining our current fleet. We don’t get to the 355 ships by retiring ships now with the promise of building new ships sometime in the future.
Congressman Wittman asked the question. How do we sustain critical mass in the Industry? Not just next year, but five years from now. The way Industry stays on track with workforce investment is predictability. We need to know that next year there will be “X” number of ships there to be repaired as well as in the years to follow. Industry must be level loaded to ensure that they can make the right projections for workforce and investment for the infrastructure that they will need.
Congressman Wittman stated that Congress needs to make sure that industry gets that constant demand signal, ensuring that they are holding the Navy’s “Feet to the Fire,” and that they must properly fund maintenance. Wittman wants to make sure that other members of Congress understand that the element of sustaining our nation’s industrial base is not just on the new construction side. He would argue that it’s on the maintenance side because he knows we are faced with uncertainties every day. Concerning the Navy, Congress is also addressing MARMC and their inconsistencies as well.
Congressman Wittman provided an example where Congress receives a shipbuilding plan from the Navy stating that this is where the Navy needs to go and it’s a clear path. Then Navy gives multiple choice options, however, shipbuilding is not a multiple choice effort. The Navy needs to tell the Nation what is needed, whether it is 325, 350, or 375 ships. The Navy needs to give a solid number that is consistent to the needs of our Nation.
Wittman continued sharing that recently, for the first time in ten years, a (MU) Marine Corp Expeditionary Unit had deployed a group of three ships that included an LHA and two LPDs. They went to sea with a full complement of F35 Bravos and B-22’s. Wittman said that this is an incredible potent force anywhere in the world, and they deployed in the Asian Pacific. He wished we had the same capability in the Atlantic, that way when we are called upon, we can answer with matters such as aid to Turkey. This points to the importance of having 31 Amphibious ships in the fleet. The Amphibious component of what we do is important. Other Nations take notice when these fleets show up at their coasts. It shows our Nation does what it needs to do to protect its interests.
Wittman stated that we all play a critical role in maintaining these ships. One of the elements that happened last year was the cancelation of retirement of a number of the Amphibious LSD ships of which some still had another ten years of service left in them. It didn’t make sense to retire ships when they simply need maintenance in order to continue to get to the end of their service. With the building of new ships, we need to fight for the homeporting of new ships here in Norfolk. Wittman wants to advocate that the biggest Navy base in the world must have the largest fleet, and the maintenance of these ships should be done here in the home port of Norfolk.
Wittman wants to ensure that what’s good for the Industry, Navy and the Commonwealth is also good for the Nation. Sometimes they must raise voices and bang on desks to make the argument on how important Virginia’s ship repair is to the Nation and our region. The defense industries’ impact to Virginia is 19%, and our economy is related to our Nation’s defense industry. Per capita, Virginia has the largest impact in the Nation both on the defense industry side and uniformed services side. Virginia is the key player and will continue to do so to help defend this Nation. There is still much to do to ensure that our workload is steady and that the investments continue in those areas, especially the federal government side.
Wittman continued with stating that if you would have looked through the window forty years ago, the industrial base and suppliers across the Nation for the United States Military numbered nearly 20,000, and today it’s below 3,000 which is at a very precarious point. Wittman wants to make sure we create certainty for Industry in order to grow the industrial base, because we know that this foundation is critical to its growth.
Wittman said that we play a critical part of defending this Nation, and we must not underestimate the challenges that we face. He is honored to be on the select committee to oversee the strategic competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. Do not underestimate what the Chinese want to do with the United States.
In closing, Wittman stated that the only way we can prevail is to continue to do the great work that each one of you do for our Nation. You are an intricate key to making sure that we prevail in what is the strategic competition of our lifetime. The threats we face today are at the same place as our Nation was at the start of WWII. We are in very challenging times, and the only way we win is to ensure the resolve, ingenuity, creativity, and innovation that exists in this room continues to come to the forefront. Wittman thanked each one for what they do and for the incredible job they do for our Commonwealth and Nation. He wished everyone God’s continued blessings, and that God bless our great Commonwealth of Virginia, and that God bless the United States of America.
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