[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9517]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        TRIBUTE TO JOHN P. SPUTZ

 Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, it is a distinct honor for me 
to pay tribute to John P. Sputz on the occasion of his retirement from 
BAE Systems North America.
  Mr. President, for more than four decades, John has devoted his life 
to serving this country's defense needs. Under John's leadership, he 
and I worked together to further the efforts of the Link-16 program. 
This program, which includes systems that use secure, anti-jam, line-
of-sight data radio communications, has moved from the research phase 
in 1971 to a major Defense Department program in the 1990s. Thanks to 
John, this program is about to go into service for the Army, Navy and 
Air Force as well as for our allies in NATO and elsewhere.
  John was also responsible for developing and expanding programs like 
the F-22 advanced tactical fighter program, the Joint Striker Fighter 
Program and the programmable digital radio technologies that will one 
day replace all legacy radios with cost-effective and flexible 
communications systems.
  Mr. President, John's commitment to BAE Systems North America is 
unsurpassed. Even after retiring, John will continue serving his 
company as President of MIDSCO, a multi-national joint venture company 
which helped manage the development of the MIDS Program. I hope the 
example that John set will inspire BAE Systems North America to achieve 
even higher goals. I know I speak for everyone who knows John when I 
thank him for his dedication to our country and wish him the very best 
in the future.

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