Our Navy is being stretched perilously thin in the war on terror.  More than sixty ships were used in the war in Afghanistan, and the liberation of Iraq required more than seventy.  Even before September 11th, there were not enough ships to respond to wars and other incidences in Iraq, Bosnia and other critical regions of the world.

The Navy will continue to be an integral part of the war on terrorism because ships are mobile bases that can operate anywhere in the world—without the permission of a foreign government.  This is why I am a cosponsor of the National Naval Force Structure Policy Act, which would require that the fleet be rebuilt to no fewer than 375 vessels in active service. This will create the framework by which we can build the Navy to meet existing and future threats.

As a nation we ask a lot of our Armed Services.  They are working non-stop to protect our freedom and national security, and we must give them every resource to do so.