Senator Mark Kelly, D-Arizona
Responsibilities
- Sen. Mark Kelly is the ranking member of SASC’s Airland Subcommittee, legislatively responsible for the successful integration of land- and air-based operations on the battlefield.
- Toward that end, the subcommittee oversees Army planning and operations policy and programs, except for space, cyber, and special operations; and Air Force planning and operations policy and programs except for nuclear weapons, space, cyber, and special operations.
- The subcommittee also has jurisdiction over budget accounts relating to Army and Air Force research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E), and related procurements, with the exception of space, cyber, nuclear weapons, technology base, special operations, and ammunition.
- Oversees National Guard and Reserve planning and operations policy and equipment.
Quote
“We often plan for what we think the next conflict is going to be, and right now, we’re planning for the Western Pacific INDOPACOM conflict with the Chinese. But history has shown that the war we prepare for is not the one we often find ourselves in, so I think we need to be aware of that,” said Kelly, during a 2025 discussion at the Center for Strategic & International Studies entitled “Preparing for Future Conflicts.”
Committees
- Ranking Member of the Airland Subcommittee. (Chaired the subcommittee earlier in 2023, during the 118th Congress.) Also the ranking member of: the Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and Safety; Joint Economic Committee; and the Special Committee on Aging.
- Member of: Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities; the Select Committee on Intelligence; and Environment and Public Works.
Military/Civil Space
- A 25-year Navy combat veteran, he retired as captain having flown 39 missions during Operation Desert Storm. He also deployed on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Midway during the Persian Gulf War, with more than 375 carrier landings.
- He received numerous awards including: two Defense Superior Service medals; a Legion of Merit and; two Distinguished Flying Crosses.
- Flew his first NASA mission in 2001, when he piloted the shuttle Endeavour during the STS-108 mission. His next flight came in 2006, piloting the shuttle Discovery on the STS-121 mission. In 2008, he commanded Discovery on the STS-124 mission. His final flight came in 2011, commanding the STS-134 Endeavour mission to the International Space Station, which lasted almost 16 days.
- Inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2023, amassing a flying record of more than 20 million miles.
Political/Professional Career
- US Senator for Arizona since 2020. Arizona is home to two Air Force bases, Davis-Monthan and Luke, and two Army bases, Ft. Huachuca and Yuma Proving Ground, plus additional Guard units and training ranges.
- Created Kelly Aerospace Consulting, an Arizona-based, LLC, formed for his speaking engagements and other related work in 2017.
- Co-founded World View Enterprises. Based in Tucson, AZ, the near-space exploration and technology company has reportedly completed more than 120 stratospheric flight operations since its inception in 2012.
- Authored numerous books including the 2012 New York Times bestseller “Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story”.
- Two of his books were written alongside his wife, the former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot and nearly killed in 2011 during a “meet-your-congresswoman gathering” in Tucson. In “Gabby: A Story of Courage, Love and Resilience,” Giffords recounts the shooting that claimed multiple lives, severely impacting the course of her own. The incalculably dark event led to the couple’s joint activism, contributing to the formation of GIFFORDS, an advocacy group aimed at promoting gun safety.
Education
- Naval Postgraduate School – MS in Aeronautical Engineering in 1994.
- Navy Test Pilot School – 1994.
- Merchant Marine Academy – BS in Marine Engineering and Nautical Science. Graduated with honors in 1986.
Personal
- Mark Edward Kelly was born on Feb.21, 1964, in Orange, NJ, to Richard and Patricia (née McAvoy) Kelly, two police officers.
- His identical twin brother, Scott, is also a retired astronaut. Both men were selected as astronauts in NASA’s 1996 class. A veteran of four space flights, Scott commanded a historic 340-day mission in 2016 aboard the International Space Station. The crew completed nearly 400 investigations, including a study into the signature of dark matter.
- The parents of two adult daughters, the Kellys make their home in Tucson.
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