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Kelly chairs a subcommittee that’s responsible for Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps acquisition programs. Chairman, House Armed Services (HASC) Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces Rep. Trent Kelly, R-1st District, Mississippi Responsibilities Rep. Kelly holds the Congressional gavel as chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, responsible for Navy and Marine Corps acquisition programs relating to shipbuilding and conversion; reconnaissance and surveillance; tanker and airlift aircraft; ship and submarine-launched weapons; ammunition; and other procurements. The subcommittee also oversees Air Force programs and accounts related to bomber, tanker, and airlift aircraft; Army programs and accounts related to waterborne vessels; and Maritime policy and programs and accounts. Quote “As the PRC (People’s Republic of China) ramps up its hostile behavior in the Pacific, demonstrating our ability to overcome the tyranny of distance is more necessary than ever. TRANSCOM’s (Transportation Command’s) solutions to these fundamental logistical problems are critical to our ability to project power across the furthest reaches of the earth.” TRANSCOM is one of 11 unified commands, tasked with conducting mobile, globally integrated operations. Committees/Political Caucus Chairman of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee. Member of the National Security Agency and Cyber Subcommittee; Defense Intelligence & Overhead Architecture Subcommittee; Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee; House Committee on Agriculture; and Central Intelligence Agency Subcommittee. Vice-chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Military Kelly served as a combat engineer in the Mississippi Army National Guard for nearly 40 years, retiring in April 2025 as major general. He deployed on multiple tours of duty including Desert Storm, where he served as an engineer second lieutenant in 1990, and again, in 2005, serving as a major. From 2009 to 2010, he deployed as lieutenant colonel to Iraq as the battalion commander of Task Force Knight of the 155th Brigade Combat Team, and commanded more than 670 troops from Mississippi, Ohio, and Kentucky. Among his military honors, Kelly received two Bronze Stars, the Combat Action Badge, and the Bronze, Silver, and Gold de Fleury medals for Army engineering. Political/Professional Career Elected to the US House of Representatives in 2015, representing Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District, home to a large shipbuilding industry. District attorney, 1st Circuit Judicial District, from 2012 to 2015. Tupelo city prosecutor and forfeiture attorney for North Mississippi Narcotics Unit, from 1999 to 2011. Private law practice in Saltillo, MS, from 1995 to 1999. Education US Army War College – Master’s in Strategic Studies in 2010. University of Mississippi Law School – JD degree in 1994. University of Mississippi – BA in Business Administration in 1989. East Central Community College – graduated in 1986. Personal John Trent Kelly was born on March 1, 1966, in Union, MS, to John and Barbara Trent. He is married to Barbara Kelly, his wife of 33 years. They have three children and live in Saltillo. Topics:
