Press Releases

Wittman Statement on 7th Fleet Collisions Investigation

WASHINGTON- Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) released this statement following a briefing on the USS McCain and USS Fitzgerald investigation:

“Today, I had the opportunity to meet with Admiral John Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations and Admiral Phil Davidson, Commander, Fleet Forces Command, regarding their findings on several surface ship incidents that occurred this year. Two of those ship collisions, USS Fitzgerald and USS McCain, resulted in the loss of life of 17 sailors. As a result of my meeting today, it is clear that the Navy assumed too much risk in their operations of surface ships, especially in the Seventh Fleet Area of Responsibility. We cannot allow this to happen again. Congress needs to provide sufficient funding for the mission we expect of our surface fleet, specifically in regard to manning, training, and equipping the force. I am personally committed to ensuring that the appropriate lessons learned from these tragedies are implemented in the fleet immediately.”

Congressman Rob Wittman represents the 1st District of Virginia. He serves on the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, where he is the Chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee.

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