U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee, gave the keynote address at the Submarine Industrial Base Council’s (SIBC) annual Submarine Supplier Days dinner.
 
Special guests included Sheila McNeill, President of The Camden Partnership; James Coughlin, Executive Director of Camden County Joint Development Authority; and Jay Stefany, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development & Acquisition.
 
Kings Bay: “In this era of great power competition, a strong submarine force is absolutely critical to defending our country and deterring other nefarious actors. As a Georgian, I’m very pleased to be in this position because of Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. The technology and the people there are unbelievable. I’ve been impressed with their acuity, dedication, and mindset.”
 
Strategic Advantage: “Our fast attack and guided missile submarines give us a key asymmetric advantage over our competitors. Every day these boats are operating undetected beneath the seas, and if we continue supporting these magnificent vessels, we can continue to have that strategic advantage over our adversaries.”
 
China Power: “We’ve clearly gotten China wrong. In the last 30 months, they’ve deployed more ships than in the last 30 years. China has overtaken the world in terms of fleet size already. By 2025, China is projected to have at least 75 more ships, including 15 more fast-attack submarines. If we don’t pick it up, we’re going to get left behind. The submarine force that we deploy today is the one thing that they’re most afraid of right now.”
 
National Defense Strategy: “We’ve got to recognize the need to continue putting two Virginia-class submarines in the water every year, and at least one Columbia-class submarine. If we cut production again, then we are not going to meet the needs of the National Defense Strategy. As chairman of the Seapower Subcommittee, I’m going to do everything we can to make sure that the Virginia-class and the Columbia-class go on schedule and we maintain that over time.”
 
Dominate Military: “Our democracy and capitalism supports this economic miracle that allows us to have a dominate military to protect the rest of the world. The reason we have safe shipping around the world is because of the United States Navy, and because of all the submarines beneath the oceans.”