Watch Rep. Kiggans’ speech here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) addressed the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs regarding her bipartisan legislation, H.R. 4805, the Warrior Impact from Neurological and G-Force Stress (WINGS) Act. This bill directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a long-term study on the cognitive and psychological impact of military aviation. This study will also examine the link between flight experience and the risks of TBIs, depression, PTSD, and suicide among aviators.

Congresswoman Kiggans said, “As a Navy pilot, wife of a Navy pilot, and now Mom to a Navy pilot, these issues are deeply personal to me. We ask our military aviators to be that tip of the spear and perform some of the most physically and mentally demanding missions in the world. We have a responsibility to better understand the long-term effects that service can have on their health. The WINGS Act will help ensure we have the data needed to improve care and better support those who have dedicated their lives to defending our nation.”

“With Honor Action is proud to endorse the WINGS Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation fulfilling our duty to protect those who serve,” said Rye Barcott, co-founder of With Honor. “We thank For Country Caucus members Representatives Kiggans and Goodlander for their principled leadership and for prioritizing the health and readiness of our military aircrews, both in the sky and on the ground.”

Excerpts of Rep. Kiggans’ speech as prepared for delivery:

As a former Navy Pilot, married to an F-18 pilot, now the mother of an F-18 pilot, many of my friends, my family, my Navy family are these special people who fly through the air, sending tip of the spear, mobile air superiority, into harm’s way. When they land on an aircraft carrier, they are frequently traveling about 200 MPH and can stop in a mere second. Think about what that does to them… 

We have failed to look at these brain changes in our aviators. But the stories I’ve heard far too often from my friends, friends of my family, people very close to me, and the funerals I’ve attended too many times for former aviators… we have to take a better look at this issue. Aviators are different — they will not complain when they have so much as a sniffle because if they complain, they will not fly…

They are exposed to things like G-force, oxygen pressure changes, radar equipment, electric equipment, in addition to the usual stressors and situations that we have in military life. As a nurse practitioner and a healthcare provider, I know that good policy comes from the research, evidence based research…

What my bill does is to make sure that we are prioritizing them. We are looking at conducting a long-term study of the cognitive and psychological impact of military aviation. The study will also examine the link between flight exposure and risks of TBI, depression, PTSD, and suicide among aviators.

Chelsea Morea, a Gold Star Spouse of a former F/A-18 pilot from Virginia’s Second District appeared before the Veterans’ Affairs Committee to provide testimony and raise awareness of this issue.

Watch Rep. Kiggans’ questioning here.

The WINGS Act has been endorsed by With Honor and the American Legion.

Background: 

In June 2025, Rep. Kiggans introduced the WINGS Act alongside Rep. Maggie Goodlander (NH-02). Read the press release following the bill’s introduction here.

In June 2026, a directive for the DoW to conduct comprehensive studies on the long-term neurological effects of military aviation, as outlined in Kiggans’ WINGS Act, was included in the FY27 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) following committee markup. Read the press release following the House Armed Services Committee’s markup here.