Seapower and Projection Forces

The Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee is a specialized division of the House Armed Services Committee that focuses on naval and maritime defense. As a subcommittee, it conducts initial hearings and reviews legislation before matters proceed to the full committee, which retains authority to report bills to the House floor. This structure allows the subcommittee to provide detailed oversight of a narrower policy domain while the parent committee maintains final legislative authority.

The subcommittee's jurisdiction covers Navy and Marine Corps acquisition programs, including shipbuilding, submarines, ship and submarine-launched weapons, and reconnaissance aircraft. It also oversees Air Force bomber, tanker, and airlift aircraft programs, Army waterborne vessels, and maritime policy. The subcommittee does not handle strategic weapons, space programs, special operations, or information technology.

Chaired by Republican Trent Kelly of Mississippi and with Democrat Joe Courtney of Connecticut as ranking member, the 18-member subcommittee has held multiple hearings in recent months. Recent proceedings have examined the Navy's shipbuilding plan and industrial base, Navy programs and capabilities, Air Force projection forces aviation programs, and the readiness of military mobility operations. These hearings reflect the subcommittee's core responsibility for ensuring the Navy and Marine Corps have adequate equipment, ships, and weapons systems to meet national defense needs.