[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8706-8707]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT

  Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I rise to speak about the National 
Defense Authorization Act or NDAA. The brave men and women who serve in 
our Armed Forces have protected our Nation for generations. Because of 
their selflessness, we are able to enjoy many freedoms here at home, 
but it is important to remember that these liberties are not free.
  The sacrifices made by our servicemembers are extraordinary, and we 
must ensure that they have the resources necessary and needed to defend 
the United States. That is why the NDAA has been passed each of the 
last 53 years. I was proud to continue this tradition by working with 
my colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee to pass the fiscal 
year 2016 NDAA only a few weeks ago.
  While this bill is not perfect, it is the result of a bipartisan 
compromise to perform the most important function of the Federal 
Government, providing for the national defense. This bill's importance 
is widely known, but the details are not often given enough attention.
  For this reason, I would like to take a moment to discuss some of the 
key provisions that play such a critical role in preserving the 
security of our Nation and the effectiveness of our military. Included 
in this bill are several commonsense proposals to cut inefficiencies 
and use the savings that are generated to better meet the needs of our 
warfighters.
  For example, the Air Force's next-generation bomber and new tanker 
program have both suffered delays and they cannot spend the full amount 
requested when the budget was submitted in February. So this bill 
reduces funding for these programs accordingly and moves about $660 
million in savings to meet unfunded requirements of our military.
  Across a large number of budget lines, unjustified increases were 
reduced, troubled programs were cut, and again the difference was used 
to meet high-priority requirements of our men and women in uniform.
  The bill also combats the continued growth in headquarters staff at 
the Pentagon and major commands, an issue I discussed with Secretary 
Carter at his confirmation hearing. Two years ago, the Department 
announced its intention to reduce 20 percent of its headquarters staff 
by 2019. However, it has yet to provide the Armed Services Committee 
with a plan to accomplish these reductions.
  This legislation takes action. It reduces funding for headquarters 
and management staff by 7.5 percent. This goes beyond even the 
Department's stated goal. It results in $1.7 billion in savings that 
are reprioritized to support more important needs. In all, the bill 
moves about $10 billion from unnecessary spending to increase the 
capabilities of our warfighters. One such area is the development of 
the advanced technologies.
  This bill sets aside $400 million for the offset initiative announced 
by the Department in November of last year. The technological 
superiority of our forces has come under increasing threat in recent 
years. This is an issue that the Emerging Threats and Capabilities 
Subcommittee, which I chair, has followed closely.
  The new funding devoted to this initiative is targeted toward the 
development of the next-generation technology, such as lasers and 
railguns that will enable our military's continued advantage on the 
battlefield of the future.
  I am also pleased that this bill will fully support the modernization 
of our nuclear forces, and it includes additional funding requested by 
the Department to address critical needs in our nuclear forces 
identified in reviews last year.
  The bill reauthorizes key assistance and training programs, and it 
also provides the Secretary of Defense new authority to partner with 
nations in the Middle East, the South Pacific, and Eastern Europe to 
support U.S. interests in these key regions. It also codifies the 
Department of Defense's role in defending the Nation in cyber space, 
and it requires the Department to regularly conduct training exercises 
with other governmental agencies to meet this responsibility.
  The importance of the last two issues I mentioned, cyber security and 
security assistance programs, was reinforced during a recent trip that 
I led to Eastern Europe.
  Our allies there are deeply concerned by Russia's military 
intervention in Ukraine and their increasingly provocative behavior. 
They are all calling for more cooperation with the United States in 
both of these key areas.
  These are just a few of the reasons why the NDAA is such an important 
piece of legislation. While I strongly support many of its provisions, 
it is important to repeat that this is the product of bipartisan 
compromise, not consensus.
  One of the most hotly debated topics during the committee's markup 
process was the use of overseas contingency operations funds to meet 
basic defense requirements. In a world where ISIL continues to expand 
its reach, Russia has seized Crimea and pours fighters into eastern 
Ukraine, and China is intimidating its neighbors and building islands 
in the South China Sea, we must fund our national defense. To not

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do so would be unacceptable. We cannot hold our military hostage to a 
political controversy.
  Despite disagreements, the committee has again produced a compromise 
product--as it has year after year--that supports our national defense 
and the needs of our men and women in uniform. I am inspired by their 
service, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to 
protect our great Nation as the full Senate considers the NDAA.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Madam President, I understand that we are now in a 
period of morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Fischer). The Senator is correct.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Therefore, it is not in order for me to call up an 
amendment to the Defense bill. I will come back and get this amendment 
pending at the appropriate time on the floor.

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