Connecticut Senators Raise Concerns to SECNAV about USS George Washington Living Conditions

USS George Washington (CVN-73)

The senators from Connecticut sent a letter to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, urging him to examine the conditions aboard USS George Washington (CVN-73) after a string of suicides raised concerns about the extended overhaul period and availability of mental health services.

Three sailors died by suicide within a week of each other in April, USNI News previously reported. A naval investigation released in December found that the suicides were not linked,...

https://news.usni.org/2023/01/06/connecticut-senators-raise-concerns-to-secnav-about-uss-george-washington-living-conditions

Rep. Elaine Luria Loses House Seat to Navy Vet Jen Kiggans

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), Virginia State Senator Jen Kiggans

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), a former nuclear-qualified surface warfare officer, lost her House seat on Tuesday to fellow Navy veteran Jen Kiggans.

Luria, the vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee who has been vocal in her criticisms of the Navy’s shipbuilding strategy, lost to her Republican opponent, a former Navy helicopter pilot who has been a Virginia state senator since 2020.

“The peaceful transition of power is a...

https://news.usni.org/2022/11/09/rep-elaine-luria-loses-house-seat-to-navy-vet

House Passes FY2023 Defense Bill Authorizing 13 Battle Force Ships, Saves 5 LCS

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Jack H. Lucas (DDG-125) launching at Ingalls Shipbuilding on June 5, 2021. HII Photo

The House voted to approve its $839 billion defense authorization bill that raises the topline for defense spending by $37 billion and signed off on major additions to the Department of the Navy’s budget.

In a 329-101 vote, the bill authorized 13 battle force ships for the service – five more than the Navy requested in this year’s budget request.

The bill authorizes an...

https://news.usni.org/2022/07/14/house-passes-fy2023-defense-bill-authorizing-13-battle-force-ships-saves-5-lcs

HASC’s FY 23 NDAA Authorizes 13 Ships, Establishes Naval Review Committee

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) pulls alongside the Henry J. Kaiser-class underway replenishment oiler USNS Guadalupe (T-AO-200) in preparation for a replenishment-at-sea in the South China Sea on Feb. 10, 2022. US Navy Photo

The House Armed Services Committee approved the annual defense policy bill early Thursday that would authorize the Navy to buy a total of 13 ships.

The committee’s version of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization...

https://news.usni.org/2022/06/23/hascs-fy-23-ndaa-authorizes-13-ships-establishes-naval-review-committee

HASC Adopts Amendment for $37B Boost to Defense Topline, Restores 5 Littoral Combat Ships

The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Sioux City (LCS 11), front, transits the Tyrrhenian Sea alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) on May 16, 2022. US Navy Photo

The House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday approved an amendment that would authorize a $37 billion increase to the annual policy bill’s topline and save five Littoral Combat Ships from decommissioning.

The amendment, proposed by Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Elaine Luria (D-Va.), would...

https://news.usni.org/2022/06/22/hasc-adopts-amendment-for-37b-boost-to-defense-topline-restores-5-littoral-combat-ships

Luria: U.S. Needs to Provide ‘Strategic Clarity’ on Defense of Taiwan

Taiwan’s indigenous fighter. CNA Photo

The United States must “provide strategic clarity” on what Washington would do if China invaded Taiwan, the vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee said Monday.

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) added, “We need to say [as an administration and Congress] we will come to the aid of Taiwan.” She said the time for Congress to act is now so that the president will have the authority to respond militarily to such an event, which current law does not provide.

“We...

https://news.usni.org/2022/02/07/luria-u-s-needs-to-provide-strategic-clarity-on-defense-of-taiwan

HASC Lawmakers Forecast ‘Bloodbath’ for Navy FY 2023 Budget

USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) patrols the Philippine Sea in support of Valiant Shield 2016 (VS16). US Navy Photo

ARLINGTON, Va. – Two House Armed Services Committee lawmakers forecast a difficult upcoming budget cycle for the Navy and criticized the service for not coming to Congress with a strategy to build a fleet that can counter China.

Speaking to the annual Surface Navy Association symposium, Reps. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) and Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) voiced concern over the Navy’s impending Fiscal...

https://news.usni.org/2022/01/12/hasc-lawmakers-forecast-bloodbath-for-navy-fy-2023-budget

Luria: Sending Japan-based USS Ronald Reagan to Middle East ‘Biggest Strategic’ Mistake in a Lifetime

Guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG-67) conducts carrier strike group integrated operations USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) on June 10, 2021. US Navy Photo

Dispatching the Navy’s Japan-based forward-deployed aircraft carrier to the Middle East earlier this year to bolster the withdrawal from Afghanistan was a major strategic error, a top lawmaker on the House Armed Services Committee said today.

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), a former nuclear-qualified surface warfare officer and current vice chair of...

https://news.usni.org/2021/12/08/luria-sending-japan-based-uss-ronald-reagan-to-middle-east-biggest-strategic-mistake-in-a-lifetime

Lawmaker Calls for New U.S. Maritime Strategy with Pacific Focus

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) transits the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 18, 2020. US Navy Photo

To counter threats from China, a top U.S. lawmaker Friday called on the U.S. Navy to develop a new maritime strategy that would rebalance how it deploys and strategically scattered persistent deterrent force in an arc throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

Two decades of focus on the Middle East has strained U.S. naval forces and worn out its fleet of carriers, said U.S. Rep Elaine Luria (D-Va.), a retired...

https://news.usni.org/2021/07/30/lawmaker-calls-for-new-u-s-maritime-strategy-with-pacific-focus

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