[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 41 (Thursday, March 9, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E297-E298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2017

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                  HON. HENRY C. ``HANK'' JOHNSON, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 8, 2017

  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1301, 
the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2017.
  Although this bill should have been finished five months ago, I 
appreciate and respect the bicameral and bipartisan collaboration which 
ultimately made this bill possible. For years I have advocated for and 
helped secure funding in the NDAA for Historically Black Colleges & 
Universities (HBCUs). I am therefore delighted to see that the final 
bill provides $33,572,000 for HBCUs, a $10 million increase over 
President Obama's budget request. The funds made available through a 
competitive grant program will be used to improve research initiatives 
and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education 
at HBCUs.
  My home state of Georgia hosts countless servicemen and women, who 
are our military's most important asset. These servicemembers are 
located on multiple military bases across Georgia, including but not 
limited to Fort Benning (home to over 120,000 active duty personnel and 
other personnel), Dobbins Air Reserve Base (through which more than 
14,000 flight operations take place every year), Fort Stewart (home to 
the 3rd Infantry Division), and Kings Bay Submarine Base (home to the 
Ballistic Missile nuclear submarines of the US Navy Atlantic Fleet and 
which plays a key role in our strategic nuclear triad). These and other 
bases across Georgia are essential to our national security and I've 
long argued that there should be no additional Base Realignment and 
Closure (BRAC) rounds for Dobbins and other military bases in my home 
state. I am grateful to see that the new bill prohibits funding to 
propose, plan for, or execute a new BRAC round.
  This bill will also benefit Georgia's industry. The F-35 Lightning II 
program provides the US Air Force (USAF), US Navy (USN), US Marine 
Corps (USMC), and a multitude of key allies with an affordable, fifth 
generation, stealth strike-fighter. The F-35 program also supports, 
directly and indirectly, countless of high-skilled jobs across Georgia, 
including hundreds of jobs at the Marietta plant in Cobb County, 
Georgia. Last year I supported the FY2017 budget request and urged 
procuring at a minimum an additional five F-35As and two F-35Cs. Such 
investments, in my view, are critical to restoring the budget cuts and 
the

[[Page E298]]

previously planned production ramp rate. I am delighted that this bill 
appropriates $11 billion (an estimated $1 billion more than requested) 
for the procurement of 74 new F-35 planes, including 48 F-35s for the 
USAF, 18 F-35Bs for the USMC, and eight F-35As for the USN. This bill 
also provides funding for research and development and modifications to 
existing aircraft. This will help the United States to continue 
decreasing aircraft flyaway costs and to field capabilities necessary 
to meet global threats in the 21st century.
  Marietta is well-lcnown for being the place where the C-130 Hercules 
was first designed. Since the C-130 was first produced in Georgia in 
1956 it has become our military's primary cargo and personnel transport 
plane. Over the past six decades more than 2,500 C-130s have been sold 
in the United States and 60 countries. Various variants of the C-130s 
are used for many types of missions, including airlift support, Attic 
ice resupply, medical missions, firefighting, natural disaster relief 
missions, and humanitarian relief missions in the United States and 
abroad. One such variant, the C-130J, is the most modem military 
tactical transport plane in service today, and is used by the USAF, 
USMC, US Coast Guard (USCG), and 16 international customers. Last year 
I recommended for the procurement of three additional G-130Js, one USCG 
HC-130J to continue USCG fleet recapitalization, and supported language 
directing the USAF to develop a C-130J recapitalization plan for the 
Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. This bill appropriates $1.3 
billion for 17 C, KC, HC and MC-130J aircraft consistent with my 
recommendations, supporting jobs and industry in Georgia and 
contributing to our country's security.
  Last year I also supported continued funding for the AH-64 Apache 
Helicopter and UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopter programs, both of which are 
important to Georgia's industry. It is great to see that this bill 
makes $1.1 billion ($330 million above the budget request) for 72 new 
UH-60M multiuse Black Hawks for the Army and National Guard. The bill 
also provides over $1 billion of funding for new Apache attack 
helicopters and upgrades to 52 existing aircraft. The upgrades will 
include modifications that will protect against friendly-fire 
incidents, thereby protecting servicemembers that operate these world-
class helicopters.
  The 116th Air Control Wing, a unit of Georgia's Air National Guard 
which is stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the only Air 
National Guard unit that operates the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target 
Attack Radar System (JSTAR). Last year this Georgia-based unit 
contributed personnel and resources to assist with debris clearance in 
the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. JSTARS are essential for this 
Georgia-based unit and last year I supported funding recapitalization 
of the program. I am delighted to see that this bill, in line with the 
budget request, makes $128,019,000 available for the next generation of 
JSTARS.
  This bill also makes funding available for nationwide defense 
programs that are critical to our national security. For example, 
following Russia's annexation of Crimea in March 2014, the FY2015 
Defense Authorization prohibited using the Russian-built RD-180 rocket 
engine except when a waiver is granted on the basis of national 
security or cost considerations. Russia's interference in our elections 
in 2016 only increases the importance of decreasing our dependence on 
that country, especially when it involves issues critical to our 
national security. It is great to see that this bill appropriates $1.3 
billion for the US Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) 
program, which will help xs retire the use of Russian-made engines as 
quickly as possible.
  Last year I also supported President Obama's budget request for a 
variety of defense programs including the C-5 Galaxy Modernization, CH-
53K Heavy Lift Replacement, Combat Rescue Helicopter Program, F-22 
Raptor, F-35 Lighting II (Joint Strike Fighter), MH-60R/S Naval Hawk 
Helicopter Programs, Advanced Pilot Training, and UH-1N Replacement 
Programs. By and large, this bill funds these programs at or close to 
the amount in the previous President's budget request.
  Mr. Speaker, having previously served on the House Armed Services' 
Committee and for years pushed for greater investment in HBCUs, I am 
delighted to see that this bill provides a much higher number than was 
included in the budget request. I believe that this funding will be 
well-used and will yield high returns on our investment. I am delighted 
that military bases in Georgia, which are critical to our national 
security, are immune from closure, and that this bill continues to 
provide funding for servicemembers who are based in and programs 
produced in Georgia, both of which contribute to making our armed 
forces first-class.

                          ____________________