[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 152 (Friday, November 22, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2131]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CONFERENCE REPORT FOR H.R. 4546, THE BOB STUMP NATIONAL DEFENSE 
                 AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2003

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                          HON. WALTER B. JONES

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 22, 2002

  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, last week, the House of 
Representatives took up and passed the conference report to H.R. 4546, 
the Fiscal Year 2003 National Defense Authorization Act. As one of the 
conferees to that measure, I was proud to support the overall bill and 
was pleased to see its passage. The Bob Stump National Defense Act was 
a fitting tribute to a man whose congressional career was spent working 
for our Nation's men and women in uniform.
  This year's Defense Authorization Act has three main principles: 
protecting and defending America's homeland, supporting U.S. service 
members and their families, and better equipping troops with training, 
equipment and weapons to fight and win the war against terrorism. It 
marks the largest increase in defense spending in over 20 years, 
providing billions of additional dollars for procurement, research, and 
development for the next generation of weapons. The measure continues 
our commitment to improving the pay of military personnel by providing 
a 4.1 percent pay increase and continued the administration's plans to 
eliminate out-of-pocket housing costs for military families. H.R. 4546 
devotes considerable resources toward protecting our homeland from the 
threat of terrorist attacks and from the growing proliferation of 
ballistic missiles. I stand behind this bill because I believe it 
provides our military with the foundation it needs and deserves. We are 
living in a time of war and must act accordingly.
  Despite the important advances this bill makes for our national 
defense, I retain two reservations about the final product.
  One significant issue which has not been addressed is legislation I 
sponsored to redesignate the position of the Secretary of the Navy as 
the Secretary of the Navy and Marine Corps. For over 200 years the Navy 
and Marine Corps have shared a secretary in being, but not in name. 
Notwithstanding their jointness, the Navy and Marine Corps are distinct 
with their own history, honors, and tradition. Rather than detracting 
from those traditions, this legislation seeks to recognize the 
separate, but equal traditions that the Navy and the Marine Corps team 
share. It acknowledges that there are two members of the same team and 
seeks to reinforce to the American people that the Secretary is a proud 
supporter of both. The legislation was adopted unanimously in the House 
Armed Services Committee, over half of whose membership had cosponsored 
the legislation. It was supported by three former Secretaries of the 
Navy, the current and two former Commandants of the Marine Corps, a 
former Secretary of the Veterans Administration, and many other former 
senior leaders of the Navy and Marine Corps. The Fleet Reserve 
Association and the Marine Corps League, each boasting thousands of 
members, also strongly urged passage of the legislation. Yet because of 
the concerns of a few, it was not included in the final conference 
report.
  However I do not view this as a setback, but instead an opportunity. 
I remain committed to introducing the measure again early in the 108th 
Congress. As Commandant Jim Jones stated, this is an idea whose time 
has come. I will be working diligently with my Navy and Marine Corps 
friends to broaden the support and communicate the importance of this 
measure. By passing this legislation, the teamwork that has been 
present for over 200 years will finally be recognized in the title of 
the person who coaches the team.
  A second shortcoming of the otherwise outstanding measure is the 
compromise on concurrent receipt. Although the language in the 
conference report regarding concurrent receipt is a very important step 
forward, I strongly believe that more should be done. As I stated in a 
letter to President Bush, if a man or woman served in uniform and 
retired honorably, they deserve to receive the retirement pay they were 
promised. If in the course of that service, that military member was 
injured and sustained a lasting disability, they should be compensated 
for that as well. One was earned for service and one was earned for 
sacrifice. It is for that reason that I have been a strong supporter of 
legislation to eliminate this offset since coming to Congress.
  It is true that correcting this unfair penalty is expensive, however 
I also believe that our military retirees are priorities for which we 
must be willing to support. Congressman Bilirakis, numerous military 
and veteran organizations such as the Fleet Reserve Association, and 
countless veterans have waged a tireless effort to see legislation 
ending the prohibition against concurrent receipt enacted. They should 
be commended for the great work that has been accomplished to date and 
encouraged to continue this fight in the future. I look forward to 
working with them on future efforts to meet the principles behind H.R. 
303. Our military retirees did not fail us when they were called. We 
should not fail them.

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