[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 89 (Thursday, June 4, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S3845]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise this evening in support of the 
fiscal year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, which provides our 
soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines with the critical resources they 
require to meet our critical national security missions.
  Let me begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to both the chairman, 
Senator McCain, and the ranking member, Senator Reed, for tackling many 
of the complex and challenging issues facing our Nation and our 
military.
  During my time in the Senate, I have never been more concerned about 
global instability and the threats posed to our country by radical 
Islamic extremists. We must work together to ensure our collective 
defense and this bill puts us on the path to doing so.

  The legislation affirms the strategic importance of our Navy and 
shipbuilding programs by fully funding the DDG 1000 Program and 
authorizing $400 million in incremental funding authority toward an 
additional DDG 51 beyond those included in the current multiyear 
procurement contract. This additional ship is very much needed by our 
Navy and it would fulfill the terms of a 2002 swap agreement between 
the two major shipbuilders regarding the construction of large surface 
combatants. Both my colleague Senator Angus King and I advocated for 
these critical provisions.
  I am so proud of the highly skilled and hard-working men and women of 
Bath Iron Works in my State who construct these ships for the Navy. The 
DDG 1000 is the lead ship of its class. It will bolster our ability to 
project power. It promises to deliver a wide array of cutting-edge 
innovations such as stealth technology, electric propulsion, and a 
smaller crew size.
  Our destroyers are the workhorses of the Navy. Recently, the Bath-
built USS Farragut, which I was honored to christen almost 10 years 
ago, was dispatched to the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian naval forces 
harassed commercial vessels transiting the area. The USS Farragut 
escorted U.S.-flagged ships through the Strait, projecting American 
power and sending a strong signal to enemies and allies alike that the 
U.S. Navy is prepared and ready to respond to acts of aggression.
  Our Navy fleet provides the robust forward presence our Nation 
requires to respond not only to acts of aggression but to humanitarian 
disasters as well as to protect critical trade groups that facilitate 
global commerce and security. The power of presence cannot be taken for 
granted or ignored, which is why the investments in our Navy that are 
authorized by this bill are so critical. We simply need more ships to 
be where we want to be in the world when we want to be and need to be 
there. The Navy's plan shows that unless we make the investments that 
are needed, our fleet will continue to shrink and, thus, jeopardize our 
national security.
  This bill also maintains investments in our public shipyards, which 
are another set of strategic facilities in our national security 
arsenal.
  Recently, I had the honor of hosting our Secretary of Labor, Thomas 
Perez, in Maine. We visited and were so impressed by the very 
successful apprenticeship program at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 
Kittery, ME. The shipyard in Kittery is one of only four remaining 
public naval shipyards, and it is renowned for its skilled and 
dedicated workforce that is helping our Nation transition from the Los 
Angeles Class to the Virginia Class submarines.
  This bill also provides the resources necessary to help our allies 
and partners around the world. When Hamas fired more than 3,000 rockets 
into Israel last summer, the value of U.S.-Israeli cooperative missile 
defense programs became crystal clear.
  During those countless attacks, it was the Iron Dome missile defense 
system developed in Israel, with cooperation and assistance from the 
United States, that saved countless civilian lives.
  In addition, this bill continues to improve and strengthen the 
military's response to sexual assault. How well I remember at an Armed 
Services subcommittee hearing a decade ago when I first raised the 
issue of sexual assault in the military, and how dismissive the reply 
was of GEN George Casey. Fortunately, that attitude has changed, and in 
the last 2 years, significant reforms have been implemented to help 
combat these crimes and improve services and care for the survivors of 
sexual assault.
  Still, the work of translating the military's stated policy of zero 
tolerance into reality remains unfinished business. Key provisions in 
this year's bill build upon the past reforms we have made by improving 
the protections for victims of sexual assault, enhancing confidential 
reporting options, and expanding the authority of special victims' 
counsel to assist the survivors of sexual assault. The Department of 
Defense must, however, do more to eliminate, once and for all, 
retaliation against the victims of sexual assault who come forward to 
report these crimes.
  To further support our men and women in uniform, this bill rejects a 
provision proposed by the administration that would consolidate TRICARE 
and limit care options for servicemembers and their families. This bill 
preserves the U.S. Family Health Plan, which serves as a model of high-
quality and cost-effective care. This program has been extremely 
successful and popular among enrollees in Maine. I have been impressed 
with the work I have seen them do in case management of chronic 
diseases such as diabetes.
  This bill also directs the Pentagon to rein in or eliminate 
unnecessary, wasteful spending. It cuts headquarters and administrative 
costs by 7.5 percent in the year 2016. In this time of budget 
constraints, we owe it to taxpayers to assess every efficiency and use 
every cost-saving measure, while also continuing to ensure the security 
of our Nation.
  Finally, I wish to thank the committee for making the right decision 
in rejecting the President's proposal to authorize a new base 
realignment and closure round in 2016. I have been through BRAC rounds, 
and they have required significant costs and have failed to deliver on 
the promised savings, as has been documented by the Government 
Accountability Office--GAO.
  This bill would also better tailor the HUBZone Program to meet the 
needs of communities affected by the closure of U.S. military 
installations through the previous BRAC process. The provisions 
included in the bill are drawn from the HUBZone Expansion Act that I 
authored with my colleague Senator King.
  I urge support of this highly significant legislation. I am pleased 
to have worked with the members of the committee on which I have served 
for so many years. Again, I congratulate the leaders of the committee 
and the members of the committee for their excellent work.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.

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