On the recordJuly 20, 2020
As the proud representative of two Navy bases in NJ, I come to the floor today to offer an amendment that addresses one of the most serious threats to our Navy and sailors: North Korean & Iranian mini-submarines. Today, Mr. Speaker, we have no realistic training to defend U.S. carriers & other ships from this threat. A Los Angeles-class submarine captain told me how he lost sleep over the two-man, diesel-electric mini-submarines that can lie on the bottom of waterways undetected. Decades ago, North Korea secretly purchased a mini-sub from a German company, and reproduced copies for itself and Iran, which also began reproducing copies. That the same German-designed mini-sub has a twin--today owned by a small American company in my district, and is available to help train U.S. sailors to detect such weapons. My amendment proposes a $15 million investment to use this American- owned mini-submarine for detection training, a project that has the support of numerous current and former Navy personnel.
