On the recordDecember 17, 2010
One of the ways that Ike Skelton's legacy will be remembered for a long time is with the $15.7 billion authorization for shipbuilding in this legislation, which will continue this country on the path towards a cost-effective goal of 314 ships, which many chairmen and people who preceded him gave lip service to; but, under his leadership over the last 4 years, we have steadily made progress reforming the LCS Shipbuilding Program and getting to two submarines a year--a goal which was set forth back in 2002 but that finally, with this authorization bill, will be achieved. In Connecticut a few short months ago, he gave the keynote address at the USS Missouri's commissioning, which was a proud day for the State of Connecticut and the State of Missouri. Again, his leadership in terms of getting our Navy to the level we need for our national security is something that we should all pay homage to as it will be remembered for many years to come.
