{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=BFA8F3D7-EFB8-4579-B32B-CFC0E90A10E5", "Wicker Asks Navy Nominees About 355-Ship Fleet", "2017-11-07", "2017", "2017-11", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Roger Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today attended a hearing to consider the nominations of two individuals who will be directly responsible for implementing the procurement of ships to meet the Navy\u2019s 355-ship requirement. \u201cI think a 355-ship fleet should be our goal for the next decade,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cMembers of this committee, the leadership of this committee, are looking at ways to make this a reality. \u2026 We need the top civilians and uniformed leadership in the Navy to get behind its own requirement (for 355 ships).\u201d Wicker directed his first question towards Mr. Thomas B. Modly, who is President Trump\u2019s nominee for Under Secretary of the Navy. If confirmed, Modly would replace Obama-holdover Thomas Dee, who recently expressed pessimism about the Navy\u2019s own much-needed 355-ship requirement. Modly committed to achieving the Navy\u2019s 355-ship requirement without hedging or equivocation. Modly also provided suggestions to increase the size of the fleet in a cost-effective and efficient way, including extending the service life of ships and activating ships in the Ready Reserve. Wicker also questioned the nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, Mr. James F. Geurts. Both nominees agreed that existing shipyards are not producing ships at full capacity and need a commitment from the Navy to justify investments in expanded production. Other nominees at today\u2019s hearing included:\u00a0\r\n \r\nMr. Robert F. Behler to be Director of Operational Test and Evaluation; and\r\nDr. Dean L. Winslow to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=BFA8F3D7-EFB8-4579-B32B-CFC0E90A10E5"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.7305468209087849, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}