Whereas Navy readiness could further deteriorate in areas such as training, ship construction, ship repair, and deployability if Congress does not provide stable funding for the Department of Defense; Whereas the USS Fitzgerald, a United States Navy destroyer, collided with a container ship while transiting through Sagami Bay near Japan on June 17, 2017, resulting in the deaths of seven sailors and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage; Whereas the United States Navy’s investigation of the USS Fitzgerald collision concluded that the event was avoidable and that numerous failures included failure to plan for safety, failure to adhere to sound navigation practice, failure to execute basic watch standing practices, failure to properly use available navigation tools, and failure to respond deliberately and effectively when in extremis; Whereas the USS John S. McCain, a United States Navy destroyer, collided with an oil tanker while transiting through the Straits of Singapore on August 21, 2017, resulting in the deaths of 10 sailors and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage; Whereas the United States Navy’s investigation of the USS John S. McCain collision concluded that the crew suffered from a lack of preparation, ineffective command and control, and deficiencies in training and preparations for navigation ; Whereas the Navy the Nation Needs, the United States Navy’s plan for building and sustaining a lethal, resilient force through balanced investments across readiness, capability, and capacity, explicitly states a need for 355 Battle Force ships, yet the Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan peaks at only 342 Battle Force ships in 2039 before a predicted decline; Whereas an efficient and supported industrial base will be vital to building and maintaining a 355 ship Navy; Whereas over the previous 5 decades, 14 defense-related new-construction shipyards have closed, 3 have left the defense industry, and only 1 new shipyard has opened