IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 998 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States 
Navy’s total readiness remains in a perilous state due to high operational 
demands, increased deployment lengths, shortened training periods, and 
deferred maintenance all while the Navy is asked to ‘‘do more with 
less’’ as financial support for critical areas waned in the era of sequestra-
tion and without consistent Congressional funding. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 16, 2018 
Mr. WITTMAN (for himself, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. GALLAGHER, 
Ms. CHENEY, Mrs. HARTZLER, Mr. BYRNE, and Ms. MCSALLY) sub-
mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Armed Services 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the United States Navy’s total readiness remains in a 
perilous state due to high operational demands, increased 
deployment lengths, shortened training periods, and de-
ferred maintenance all while the Navy is asked to ‘‘do 
more with less’’ as financial support for critical areas 
waned in the era of sequestration and without consistent 
Congressional funding. 
Whereas Navy readiness could further deteriorate in areas 
such as training, ship construction, ship repair, and 
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deployability if Congress does not provide stable funding 
for the Department of Defense; 
Whereas the USS Fitzgerald, a United States Navy de-
stroyer, collided with a container ship while transiting 
through Sagami Bay near Japan on June 17, 2017, re-
sulting in the deaths of seven sailors and hundreds of 
millions of dollars in damage; 
Whereas the United States Navy’s investigation of the USS 
Fitzgerald collision concluded that the event was ‘‘avoid-
able’’ and that numerous failures included failure to plan 
for safety, failure to adhere to sound navigation practice, 
failure to execute basic watch standing practices, failure 
to properly use available navigation tools, and failure to 
respond deliberately and effectively when in extremis; 
Whereas the USS John S. McCain, a United States Navy de-
stroyer, collided with an oil tanker while transiting 
through the Straits of Singapore on August 21, 2017, re-
sulting in the deaths of 10 sailors and hundreds of mil-
lions of dollars in damage; 
Whereas the United States Navy’s investigation of the USS 
John S. McCain collision concluded that the crew suf-
fered from a ‘‘lack of preparation, ineffective command 
and control, and deficiencies in training and preparations 
for navigation’’; 
Whereas the Navy the Nation Needs, the United States 
Navy’s plan for building and sustaining a lethal, resilient 
force through balanced investments across readiness, ca-
pability, and capacity, explicitly states a need for 355 
Battle Force ships, yet the Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding 
plan peaks at only 342 Battle Force ships in 2039 before 
a predicted decline; 
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Whereas an efficient and supported industrial base will be 
vital to building and maintaining a 355 ship Navy; 
Whereas over the previous 5 decades, 14 defense-related new- 
construction shipyards have closed, 3 have left the de-
fense industry, and only 1 new shipyard has opened; 
Whereas stable and predictable funding allows for Navy lead-
ers to properly forecast their missions and adhere to the 
Optimized Fleet Response Plan while also enabling indus-
try partners to prepare for ship repair work at the most 
competitive prices to the United States Government; 
Whereas China’s shipbuilding industry, according to a Naval 
War College professor, is poised to make the People’s 
Liberation Army Navy the world’s second largest navy by 
2020, and, if current trends continue, a combat fleet that 
in overall order of battle is quantitatively on par with 
that of the United States Navy by 2030; 
Whereas China continues to develop forward operating bases 
on manmade islands in the South China Sea and, by 
doing so, consolidate its control over the strategic cor-
ridor between the Indian and Pacific Oceans through 
which 1⁄3 of global maritime trade passes; and 
Whereas Russia’s shipbuilding industry’s focus on undersea 
warfare has positioned the Russian Navy to add six mod-
ernized nuclear attack submarines to its naval inventory 
by 2023 and aggressively modernize its aging Oscar-class 
nuclear attack submarine fleet: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the United States Navy’s need 
for congressional support to address readiness, 
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training, and modernization challenges that threaten 
to weaken naval superiority; and 
(2) finds that failing to provide the United 
States Navy with stable, predictable funding nega-
tively affects its ability to project power around the 
world, reassure critical allies, and defeat adversaries 
when necessary. 
Æ 
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