[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8703-8704]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I wish to begin my comments on this 
year's National Defense Authorization Act, S. 1376, by thanking all of 
the members of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee. I would especially 
like to thank the subcommittee's chairman, Senator Sessions, for the 
close working relationship we share.
  I want my colleagues to note that Senator Sessions and his staff 
worked closely with me and my staff in developing the elements of the 
bill pertaining to the Strategic Forces Subcommittee. This bipartisan 
effort has proved fruitful as all of our provisions were adopted 
unanimously by the full committee during the markup of this bill.
  The annual National Defense Authorization Act is one of the most 
important pieces of legislation Congress passes every year, and this 
year will mark what I hope will be the passing of a defense 
authorization act for the 54th year in a row.
  I would like to give my colleagues a brief overview of the provisions 
in what we will call the NDAA, which we are considering today, as they 
relate to the Strategic Forces Subcommittee.
  The jurisdiction of the subcommittee includes missile defense, 
strategic forces, space programs, the defense-funded portions of the 
Department of Energy, nonproliferation, and the Defense Nuclear 
Facilities Safety Board.
  In preparing the provisions in the bill that relate to the areas of 
our jurisdiction, the subcommittee held six hearings and three 
briefings on defense programs at the Department of Energy, strategic 
nuclear forces, missile defense, and space programs at the Department 
of Defense.
  As I mentioned before, our committee oversees the strategic nuclear 
forces based on a triad of air, sea, and land-based delivery platforms. 
This triad is, as Secretary Carter has called it, ``the bedrock'' of 
our national defense posture. In the wake of the Department of 
Defense's 2014 nuclear enterprise review, this is a significant year 
for reforms and investments to ensure the safety, security, and the 
effectiveness of our nuclear deterrent.
  Among the key priorities going forward, I look forward to working 
with our leaders at the Department of Energy, at DOD, and my colleagues 
on the committee to take advantage of smart opportunities to enhance 
commonality across nuclear systems, sharing expertise and resources 
across the services--particularly the Navy and Air Force--to enhance 
the capabilities and cost-effectiveness of our nuclear deterrent in the 
future.
  Critically, the bill creates a position in the Air Force responsible 
for nuclear command, control, and communications acquisition and 
policy. The Air Force is responsible for over 70 percent of this 
mission, which essentially connects the President to the nuclear weapon 
and the delivery platform. We have found that since the communications 
layers involve space, air, and ground systems, there is fragmentation 
in an overall strategy as we begin the modernization of the overall 
system, which must be fail-safe.
  Through hearings and briefings concerning the state of other nations' 
nuclear programs, it was clear that we face an increasingly complex 
global nuclear environment. We are well past the days of the Cold War. 
Today, our deterrent strategy must now account for a wide range of 
nuclear-armed nations beyond simply Russia to now include Pakistan, 
India, North Korea, and even China's modernization of its strategic 
arsenal. Our bill contains a provision that directs the Office of Net 
Assessment to begin a study on what effect, if any, this multipolar 
nuclear environment will have on our deterrent strategy. This is an 
important area which will only grow as time goes on.
  In the area of missile defense, this bill fully authorizes the 
President's budget request for the Missile Defense Agency and maintains 
our commitments to key allies. It includes several provisions that 
advance MDA's efforts to deploy additional sensors and to improve the 
reliability and effectiveness of the ground-based interceptors. The 
bill also contains the GAO's annual review of MDA's acquisition 
programs.

[[Page 8704]]

  Moving on to space programs, the bill addresses several key aspects 
of space system acquisition. It includes important provisions aimed at 
maintaining fair competition among space launch providers through 
fiscal year 2017. It does not, however, solve a potential 2- to 3-year 
gap after that, as launch providers work to develop and certify a new 
American-made rocket engine to replace the Russian RD-180. I hope that 
gap does not occur, but if it does, I am sure this committee will 
revisit and correct the issue so we can maintain a competitive and 
healthy launch industrial base that both ensures DOD's access to space 
and saves taxpayer dollars. The bill also makes important contributions 
to ensuring that we address the threats we may face in space by 
requiring an interagency policy and a principal DOD position to address 
these threats.
  We have authorized the President's requested level of funding for the 
nuclear modernization programs at the Department of Energy's National 
Nuclear Security Administration, or NNSA. We also create a program that 
enables the scientists and engineers at the NNSA to work on new 
concepts and methods that shorten the time and the cost for future life 
extensions of our warheads.
  Let me close noting that we fully fund the President's request for 
nonproliferation at both the National Nuclear Security Administration 
and the Department of Defense. At the NNSA, these programs collect 
loose nuclear material around the world, which could be used as 
terrorist devices against us. The NNSA also maintains a network of 
radiation detectors at borders across the world to detect the illegal 
transfer of nuclear material before it can cross our borders here in 
America.
  Finally, the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program at the Department 
of Defense will continue to secure weapons of mass destruction all 
around the world, as it did with Syria's chemical weapons and dangerous 
pathogens at Ebola clinics in West Africa. The relatively small sum of 
money in this program has made a noticeable difference in reducing 
dangerous threats to our country.
  I take particular pride in this program as the enduring legacy of my 
fellow Hoosier, Senator Richard Lugar, who has done our Nation and the 
world a great service as a champion for nuclear nonproliferation. He 
and Senator Sam Nunn were extraordinary leaders, and we are proud to 
try to follow in their tradition.
  I again thank Senator Sessions for the productive and bipartisan 
relationship we have had on the subcommittee and also all members on 
the subcommittee for taking part in our hearings and in crafting the 
provisions under this subcommittee's jurisdiction.
  I look forward to working with our colleagues to pass this important 
legislation.
  I yield back any remaining time that has been allotted.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak in morning 
business for up to 15 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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