National Defense

It’s an honor to represent a district which houses four major military installations, every branch of the military, and thousands of veterans who have served our country so honorably. With this unique military footprint, our district’s defense elements are important not just to our state and region but to the nation and America’s interests around the world.

The First District is the proud home of Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield. As the largest Army installation east of the Mississippi River and home to the “Rock of the Marne,” the 3rd Infantry Division (ID), Fort Stewart has a long and storied past and plays a vibrant role in today’s national defense missions. Its level of significance and contributions continues to be a point of pride for the district, from spearheading the advance into Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom to the deployment of soldiers to West Africa to help contain the Ebola outbreak.

Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base is located in Saint Marys. Kings Bay is the home port for the Atlantic ballistic missile submarine fleet.  The fleet of submarines located at Kings Bay plays an indispensable role in our nation’s security as an element of our nuclear triad.  It is currently home to 8 Ohio-class submarines, six of which are ballistic missile submarines and two of which have been converted to guided missile submarines.

With our rich military heritage, these issues are extremely important to me. I’m very proud of the men and women who serve in our military and it is my intention to do everything possible to ensure they continue to be the best equipped, most highly trained, and well cared for fighting force in the world.