This Committee has always been particularly helpful in addressing Navy concerns and we are grateful for your support. Your Navy continues to be the best in the world - able to respond quickly to any crisis directly and decisively from the sea. The Navy's primary mission is to forward deploy combat ready Naval forces in peak readiness. By being forward deployed, the Navy provides the National Command Authorities a wide range of military capabilities. A visible, credible force possessing deep strike, amphibious, command and control, peacekeeping, and even environmental compliance enforcement capabilities is core to this nation's standing as the preeminent superpower.
Presence is the key, and Naval forces provide it every day in every corner of the world.
In the past year, U.S. Naval forces have responded to the National Command Authorities tasking on numerous occasions. Moreover, in the Mediterranean and the Far East, forward deployed Naval forces continue to be a constant symbol of American commitment to stability in these dynamic regions of the world. To be prepared to face these challenges, readiness remains a top priority and at the forefront of our budget decisions. Accordingly, we constantly monitor and assess our readiness to determine the right fiscal balance among operations, modernization, and recapitilization accounts. I would like to focus my remarks on the QRRC and it's expanded scope.