Congressman J. Randy Forbes (VA-04), Chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, announced today that the Subcommittee will hold a “Seapower Priorities for the 21st Century” hearing on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 3:30 PM in Rayburn 2212. The purpose of the hearing is to discuss the current state of the Navy, the challenges facing the service in the event of sequestration, and the capabilities needed to meet America’s 21st century national security challenges. The hearing will feature former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman and former Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead.

“I am honored to chair the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee in the 113th Congress and look forward to building upon the important work of the Readiness Subcommittee during the last Congress,” said Forbes, who chaired the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness from 2011 to 2013. “I am pleased to have two of America’s most distinguished voices on naval matters, Secretary Lehman and Admiral Roughead, appearing before the Subcommittee to discuss the current and future needs of our Navy-Marine Corps Team.”

“Beginning March 1, sequestration promises to dramatically reduce the capabilities of our Navy and Marine Corps to perform vital maintenance on vehicles, ships and aircraft, as well as to plan for future national security threats. I remain committed to explaining the dangers of sequestration and working to avert it before our national defense is dangerously degraded. In a fiscally constrained environment, it is even more critical that we have clear priorities for our sea services, including taking advantage of potentially game-changing technologies and working to cement our technological edge for decades to come,” Forbes said.

Witnesses

Hon. John F. Lehman, Jr.
Former Secretary of the Navy, 1981-1987

Admiral Gary Roughead, USN (Ret.)
Former Chief of Naval Operations, 2007-2011


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