To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish a joint training pipeline between the United States Navy and the Royal Australian Navy, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contributions of Lieutenant Logan O'Shea, United States Navy, during his service as a legislative fellow in my Washington, DC office this year. Throughout 2022, Logan has played a critical role in supporting my work on the House Armed Services Committee and representing the proud Navy community in Eastern Connecticut.

As Chairman of the House Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, which has the solemn, critical duty of overseeing much of our nation's Navy, Marine Corps, and various Air Force programs and policies. Year in, and year out, the Department of Defense's legislative fellowship program brings highly talented junior officers to Capitol Hill that provide invaluable benefits to Members of the House and Senate to the defense committees. Officers, like Logan, bring real-world experience from their time in the classroom at the various academies and experiences from their time serving on active duty. This year, as our subcommittee once again considered our approach to critical shipbuilding programs, shipbuilding industrial base development, and Navy and Marine Corps readiness through the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, Logan provided exquisite judgement in navigating the landscape of crafting such a large and critical piece of legislation.

Logan has also seized initiative in a variety of areas beyond naval affairs that benefit Eastern Connecticut. He worked tirelessly to provide insight in our Navy's planned shipbuilding programs, communicated with leadership at Naval Submarine New London to improve the quality of life on base, and drafted policy to examine how we can better improve the lives of our Navy civilian workers on various installations. He also served as the staff lead for the Friends of Australia Caucus and the AUKUS Working Group, both of which I serve as co-chair, ensuring that the ties between our countries remain as strong as ever. This is of special importance as our two nations continue to develop key priorities in support of the AUKUS security agreement to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific. Logan's work to coordinate with the Executive Branch, other Members of Congress, and the Australian and British Embassies has facilitated new partnerships in support of our shared principles. In particular, he participated in drafting H.R. 8073, a bill establishing a joint training pipeline between the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Navy to enable the AUKUS effort to create a nuclear-powered submarine force. This bill was later adopted as part of the Fiscal Year 2023 NDAA.

Logan's work ethic, diligence, intelligence, and first-hand experience as a Nuclear Surface Warfare Officer made an immediate benefit and memorable impact on my office and subcommittee staff. After traveling across the world with tenures on the USS Carney (DDG 64) and USS Nimitz (CVN 68), I am thankful for his family's tremendous sacrifice to our nation and for landing in Washington for the current phase of their life. Though Logan's presence will be deeply missed by both my personal staff and Seapower staff, I know full-well that he will make his presence known as he heads to the Surface Warfare Officer Department Head Course at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island.

Madam Speaker, as has also been the case for each of his predecessors that my office has had the opportunity to host, I have benefited greatly from Logan's training and background. This recurring process that the fellowship program fosters, strengthens civilian-military understanding for future leaders of the greatest military in the world, which I believe is a necessary component of a strong democracy. Our nation is best served at sea and here onshore by officers and leaders of the highest caliber like Logan. He embodies such qualities and has a promising career ahead in continued service to our Nation, and we owe him such gratitude. To that end, I ask that the House join me in wishing LT Logan O'Shea, his spouse Megan, and their dog Murphy, the best of luck in their next life chapter, particularly as they welcome their first born into the world.