[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 150 (Monday, September 18, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S5775]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr President, our Nation faces many national security 
threats across the globe.
  The threats and challenges posed by Iran, China, Russia, North Korea, 
ISIL, al-Qaeda, and its affiliates represent a diverse range of 
conventional and asymmetric capabilities that threaten our national 
security and that of our allies.
  We also know that the challenges we face have been compounded by 
everything from sequestration to the last administration's self-
defeating foreign policy, with the Obama administration's focus on 
reducing the size of our conventional force only adding to the burden 
of our forward-deployed units.
  We have to be smart if we are going to address these challenges 
effectively and do right by our men and women in uniform appropriately.
  We have to provide our servicemembers with the resources and training 
they need. That is obvious.
  We have to continue the hard work of rebuilding our military and 
restoring combat readiness. That is ongoing.
  We have to modernize the Pentagon and root out waste within the 
military bureaucracy. That is important for strengthening 
accountability.
  We also have to prepare for the threats of both today and tomorrow by 
promoting defense innovation, enhancing cyber security, and--especially 
when you consider all the recent belligerence from North Korea--
strengthening missile defense.
  For these reasons and many others, like authorizing a well-deserved 
raise for our servicemembers, it is imperative that we join together 
today in passing the defense authorization legislation before us.
  Mr. President, I thank the Armed Services Committee for its good work 
on this year's National Defense Authorization Act. The members of that 
committee, from both parties, came together to support this year's NDAA 
and send it to the Senate floor. It is yet another testament to the 
leadership of Senator McCain, the committee's top Republican, and 
Senator Reed, his Democratic counterpart.
  So thank you, Chairman McCain, thank you, Ranking Member Reed, and 
thank you, everyone else, who worked so hard on this legislation.
  Now let's pass it.

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