[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 91 (Thursday, May 25, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              MEMORIAL DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. MATT GAETZ

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 24, 2017

  Mr. GAETZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay respect to the American 
warfighter. As we celebrate Military Appreciation Month, it is 
important to convey that the words we use to honor our brave men and 
women in uniform must be followed up by action. The time for paying 
artificial lip service to the military community is over.
  Next month, the House Armed Services Committee will initiate its 
annual markup of the National Defense Authorization Act. The NDAA is 
one of the few things in Washington that actually works. The NDAA has 
been passed--with bipartisan support--for the last 56 years.
  But this year's NDAA might be the most important yet. For the last 
eight years, our military has been degraded, defunded, and disgraced by 
the previous administration's attempt to lead from behind. Today, the 
United States military lacks the requisite personnel and material 
readiness required to protect our nation against unforeseen and near-
peer adversaries.
  Our nation faces a litany of global threats from North Korea and 
Syria, to the Islamic State and Iran. Failed states and trans-national 
fundamentalist regimes that want nothing more than to destroy democracy 
and the American spirit. The United States military is America's front 
line defense against the plague of radical Islamic terrorism and 
demagogues.
  There is no other way to say it. Our military is broken. Consider the 
following:
  The Navy is in its smallest state in 99 years, and faces increased 
demand with limited resources (274 ships).
  Moreover, the Navy can only satisfy 40% of all Combatant Commander 
requests due to high operational tempo and lengthy maintenance periods
  50% of the civilian workforce working in Navy shipyards have less 
than five years of experience, and such inexperience impacts the on-
time delivery of new ships, and increases the cost of the American 
taxpayer
  Prior to 1992, the Air Force purchased about 200 fighter aircraft per 
year; today the Air Force buys less than 20; that is a 90 percent 
reduction of new fighter aircraft
  And of the 58 Army Brigades stationed around the world, only three--
three--are prepared to fight in an armed conflict tonight, meaning they 
require no additional training, manpower, or equipment
  I am honored to serve as the elected representatives of one of the 
largest military districts in America. No district in this entire 
country has more military retirees, military veterans, and military 
dependents than Northwest Florida.
  Few districts can lay claim to Northwest Florida's operational and 
training footprint. My district is home to the Army's 7th Special 
Forces Group; the Air Force Special Operations Command; The Joint Gulf 
Range Complex which provides supersonic air combat training and 
hypersonic weapons testing for frontline warfighters like the F-35 and 
the F-22; and Pensacola Naval Air Station, the cradle of Naval 
Aviation.
  But the time for honoring the brave men and women of the military 
with just words is over. They need more than free dinners at Applebee's 
and free milkshakes at Dairy Queen to feel truly appreciated. We need 
congressional commitment to end the scourge of sequestration. We need 
to right the wrongs of the previous administration's systematic 
dismantling of military readiness. We need the 115th Congress show its 
true military appreciation by providing the American warfighter with 
the tools, training, and long term funding to protect the homeland and 
sustain America as the preeminent global superpower.

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