Rep. Kiggans Questions Sec. Hegseth on Naval Aviation Investments and East Coast Jet Bases

Naval Aviation Priorities and Funding

• ✈️ Representative Kiggans, with a strong military family background and personal experience as a helicopter pilot, highlights the critical importance of the East Coast Master Jet Base.
• ⚠️ Concerns are raised regarding the potential reallocation of approximately $500 million appropriated for the next-generation strike fighter (FAXX) to the Air Force, despite the committee's lack of awareness of changes to Navy requirements.
• ⚓ Kiggans points out the aging F-18 squadrons at her district's base and the lack of commitment for F-35 squadrons, contrasting it with the West Coast's planned F-35 infrastructure.

Defense Secretary's Response and Future Plans

• 🧐 Secretary Hegseth acknowledges the fair point about the East Coast base and states that the FAXX is under review, with the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet (EDGAD program) being the budget's priority for moving forward.
• 🚀 The sixth-generation fighter program is a focus, and the Navy's power projection capabilities, including the F-35, are being considered for future development.
• 🤝 General Cannon echoes the secretary's sentiment, emphasizing the need for mobile capabilities like those on aircraft carriers and promising to review the Navy's force structure regarding fifth-generation aircraft.

Infrastructure and Quality of Life

• 🏗️ Kiggans stresses the urgent infrastructure needs at the East Coast Master Jet Base, referencing previous work on quality of life initiatives and urging prioritization.
• 💰 She advocates for considering the base's needs, especially in light of potential funding shifts, and requests a commitment for future support.

Women, Peace, and Security Initiative

• 🕊️ Kiggans, co-chair of the Women, Peace, and Security Caucus, discusses the initiative's goal to improve military readiness and promote stability through women's inclusion.
• 🇺🇸 She highlights the program's relatively low cost ($3 million in FY24) and its value in maintaining relationships with allied partners.
• 🚺 Kiggans shares her personal experience as one of the first women to fly in combat, emphasizing the importance of such roles for women's participation in service.

Review of Women, Peace, and Security Program

• ⚖️ Secretary Hegseth states that the issue is not with the concept of Women, Peace, and Security itself, but with its implementation under the Biden administration, which he describes as