[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 21, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1908]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 1059, NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR 
                            FISCAL YEAR 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. JOSEPH R. PITTS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 15, 1999

  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, today we are considering an excellent FY 2000 
Defense Authorization Conference Report, and I thank the conferees in 
the House and Senate for their leadership in bringing this bill to the 
floor.
  With rapidly growing threats worldwide to our national security, we 
must begin to rebuild our military from years of decimation and 
escalating deployments. Mr. Speaker, this authorization responds to 
these concerns.
  As a former navigator of a B-52 bomber in the Air Force and a Vietnam 
veteran, I am particularly excited about the upgrades and procurement 
of Air Force and Navy aircraft, especially for the EA-6B Prowler--our 
military's only radar support jammer for all the services, including 
joint air operations. Further, the pilot retention reforms contained in 
the Authorization, including enlistment bonus and special pay reform, 
are essential. We have the best Air Force in the world--no country 
comes close. Yet we have trouble holding on to the best pilots because 
we simply do not take care of them.
  We frequently ask our men and women in the military to leave their 
families, fight for our national security, and even die for our freedom 
and liberty. Yet, we do not provide our service personnel with the pay 
or equipment it takes to get the job done right. It is appalling that 
even one of these families must seek welfare just to put food on the 
table and buy clothes for their children. I honestly believe that the 
authorization we have before us today will go a long way in correcting 
this problem.
  I urge my colleagues to support this conference report, which will 
prove a boon to the dedicated soldiers in our armed services.

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