Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), ranking member of the House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee, said Wednesday he would retire at the end of this congressional term.

“My family and I are ready for a new chapter and excited about new opportunities to continue helping North Carolina,” he said in a statement, adding a list of accomplishments from his nine terms in Congress.

Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), member of the House Armed Services Committee
Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), member of the House Armed Services Committee

HASC ranking member Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said in a statement Wednesday that McIntyre “has been a valuable resource for this committee, our country and the residents of North Carolina’s Seventh District.”

“Most recently, as Ranking Member of the Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, Rep. McIntyre has used his skills to oversee the administration’s strategic pivot to Asia and help our military deal with significant budget cuts though sequestration,” he continued.

McIntyre spent his 18-year career supporting the military, and in particular the Army’s Fort Bragg. He wrote on his website, “It is essential that we maintain a strong defense here at home and abroad by providing the necessary resources our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines need to get the job done, while also improving their military pay, education, health and other promised benefits. We must also strengthen our industrial base and encourage defense businesses to locate their companies in North Carolina to promote the state’s lengthy defense history.”

HASC spokesman Michael Amato said he could not speculate on who would take over as the ranking member of the seapower subcommittee. The decision would be based on “seniority and desire to take over the subcommittee,” he said, but those talks have not happened yet.