October 21, 2014 General Membership Meeting
Congressman J. Randy Forbes
Congressman J. Randy Forbes, 4th District of Virginia, was the speaker at the VSRA General Membership meeting on Tuesday, October 21, 2014. Congressman Forbes has served in Congress since 2001 and is a member of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Armed Services, where he is the Chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee. Congressman Forbes is a strong advocate for our country’s Armed Forces, particularly the Navy, and is a consistent and knowledgeable supporter of the shipbuilding and ship repair industry.
During his remarks, Congressman Forbes addressed concerns about the current political gridlock and budget cuts facing the Defense Department and the stagnation facing Virginia’s and Hampton Roads’ economies. Specific points made by Mr. Forbes included:
- In 2010, for the first time in 100 years, the United States lost its international manufacturing title.
- Currently, for the first time in America, more companies are closing than opening.
- Sequestration, the massive across the board budget cuts, is due to commence in fiscal year 2016.
- A leading U.S. Army General recently told Mr. Forbes that for the first time in his long career, he could honestly say that the U.S. Armed Forces could not win one conflict, much less two, because of budget cutbacks.
- A U.S. Air Force General recently told Mr. Forbes that the Air Force fleet is the oldest force the country has ever had. In five years, 50 percent of the Air Force’s planes will be retired.
- The Navy’s fleet is currently at 275 ships and declining. The President is mandating through budget cuts that the number of ships be reduced to 242. Mr. Forbes commented that at 245 ships, the United States will become a regional power and we will no longer have world dominance.
- Continued defense cuts threaten to devastate our economy. Our Navy is experiencing longer deployments and shorter maintenance availabilities which are wreaking havoc on our readiness and combat effectiveness.
Despite these sobering facts, Mr. Forbes remains confident that our country can weather these concerns and will take the positive steps necessary to maintain our global leadership. Specifically, Mr. Forbes provided the following comments:
- The country needs to base our budget on a strategy, not the other way around. We need to paint the picture of what kind and size of military we need based on world instability today and in the future.
- We must preserve our shipbuilding and ship repair private sector. At over $9.8 billion in annual revenues and nearly 107,000 employees, the private U.S. shipbuilding and repair industry plays a significant role in both the U.S. economy and national defense.
- Virginia ranks #1 among all states for employment in shipbuilding and ship repair. It employs approximately 64,000 workers (30,000 more than the next closest state), and has an annual $5.5 billion economic impact on Virginia.
- The country and Virginia in particular, needs to invest in and expand American-made energy, including alternative energy such as offshore wind power.
- Mr. Forbes described his proposed New Manhattan Project that provides the tools for the American people to meet the challenge of energy independence within 20 years.
- Mr. Forbes stated that we must continue to invest in our infrastructure in order to ease congestion and enhance economic development in the region.
Mr. Forbes asked the VSRA and all of our members to continue to be involved in keeping members of Congress fully informed of the impact of budget cuts on our industry and the region’s economy.
Despite the many challenges facing the country, Mr. Forbes maintains a positive outlook on our future and will continue to work on our behalf.
-- By Ron Ritter
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