[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 33 (Tuesday, March 16, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H1097]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          AIR DOMINANCE AND TRANSFORMATION NEED F/A-22 AND JSF

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bonner). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, the events of September 11, 2001, and the 
global war on terrorism have shown that our military must continue to 
transform to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
  Thirty years ago, it was difficult to predict the nature of the war 
we are fighting today, to defend freedom and defeat terrorism. This 
proves that we must continue to develop the most advanced weapons to 
ensure America's military dominance in the future.
  Our Nation's defense is envied by every country in the world. We have 
built our air, land, and sea fleet with the most advanced technology 
available. That technology, perfected over decades, ensures the safety 
of our armed servicemen and servicewomen. In 10 to 20 years, we must be 
able to say the same thing.
  We are in the process of transforming our military into more agile, 
adaptive, accurate, and adaptable units of war power. The army is 
shifting its resources to become lighter, more targeted, and quicker in 
its response time. The Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force are developing 
the next generation of weapons systems that will continue our air and 
sea dominance.
  I support these efforts to move toward the transformation of our 
military. September 11 changed the way wars are fought. We are fighting 
enemies hiding in school buses, oftentimes located 2 feet from schools. 
These unconventional fighters are lurking in the homes of innocent men 
and women hoping our military will not want to attack citizens. In some 
cases, our targets are 10 feet from our own military bases. Pinpoint 
accuracy is crucial to preserving the lives of innocent men, women, and 
children.
  Today I want to focus on two important examples of transformation: 
the Joint Strike Fighter and the F/A-22 Raptor. The Joint Strike 
Fighter and the F/A-22 Raptor are essential to transforming our 
military to meet the challenges of air dominance of the 21st century. 
As America's new generation of fighter aircraft, these tactical 
fighters will guarantee air superiority and air dominance for decades 
to come.
  The F/A-22 is the state-of-the-art next-generation fighter aircraft. 
Undetectable on enemy radar, the F-22 carries a larger weapons load and 
increased missile range, and it is faster and more maneuverable than 
its predecessor, the F-15.
  The Joint Strike Fighter will be the prime 21st century multi-role 
fighter for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. The basic Joint 
Strike Fighter design, with a few modifications to meet each service's 
needs, will be used for all three services. The Joint Strike Fighter 
will have the best next-generation avionics, weapons systems, and 
stealth capacities.
  We can no longer rely on weapons and aircraft developed in the 1960s 
and 1970s to shield us from enemy fire, nor should we settle on using 
less than superior equipment to guide specific strikes against evil in 
all parts of the globe. Our land, sea, and air fleet must be equipped 
for new kinds of warfare. They must be capable of moving together as we 
head into the 21st century.
  Mr. Speaker, we owe it to our men and women in uniform to give them 
the very best equipment as soon as possible.




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