[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 146 (Thursday, September 19, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H5455]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         DOD DEFENSE ROUNDTABLE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Self) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SELF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my direct concern 
over the United States Department of Defense's lack of agility when it 
comes to warfare.
  Recently, my office hosted our annual defense roundtable with defense 
companies both in and out of my district. The theme of this year's 
defense roundtable was how to increase the readiness, engagement, 
agility, and delivery of lethality to the Department of Defense.
  It was quite telling that these companies reaffirmed the troubling 
RAND Defense report, which explained that the U.S. defense industrial 
base is not prepared to engage in all-out warfare. The modern-day axis 
of evil, China, Russia, and Iran, continue to work around the clock to 
advance their military capabilities and cause further chaos in the 
world, while the U.S. is woefully lagging behind.
  China continues to take steps that threaten the democracy of Taiwan, 
Russia continues its offensive in Ukraine, and Iran has sent hundreds 
of missiles toward Israel through its use of proxies throughout the 
region.
  Make no mistake: if America does not take monumental steps to reform, 
modernize, and expand our defense capabilities and in a rapid manner, 
then we will be in a difficult position of choosing which allies we can 
help around the world.
  During our defense roundtable discussions, it was made clear that, as 
the U.S. military stands today, we are not ready. We must immediately 
take significant steps to become ready. World circumstances demand that 
we do.
  A major point of discussion that was emphasized multiple times by the 
industry was the red tape and bureaucracy surrounding every government-
funded project. Congress must get rid of unnecessary regulations and 
allow our American engineers, scientists, and great thinkers to 
innovate and streamline our defense programs. A key issue in the 
discussion was the fact that the foreign military sales process must 
obtain 18 different approvals, whereas in other countries, such as 
Japan, it takes only one.
  While extra oversight can, at times, be beneficial, given the state 
of the world, America must be willing to take on more levels of risk to 
keep pace with our adversaries.
  It is well past time for Congress to take steps to eliminate these 
unnecessary provisions, encourage defense contractors to take on more 
risk, understanding that there may be failures along the way, and 
ultimately put ourselves in a strong position to combat the axis of 
evil that we face now and those we will face in the future.
  In the words of former President Dwight Eisenhower: ``A vital element 
in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be 
mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be 
tempted to risk his own destruction. . . . American makers of 
plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But 
now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; 
we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast 
proportions. . . . ''
  I would add: not only of vast proportions, but also agile and 
innovative.
  Eisenhower's words still ring true today. It is imperative that 
Congress steps up to the plate to reduce these unnecessary regulations 
at the Federal level so our defense industry can be lethal, agile, and 
ready once more to accept the challenges of this increasingly dangerous 
world.

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