House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton Opening Statement Full Committee Mark-Up
May 14, 2008
"Good morning. The committee meets today to mark-up the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009. Before we begin, I want to commend our subcommittee chairmen and ranking members for bringing forward excellent products from their mark-ups last week.
"Today will be a long day. In the interest of time, let me briefly highlight some of the things that are most significant in this year's defense bill.
"This bill continues the committee's commitment to restoring the readiness of our military as its first priority. Our military is under strain after six years of combat and five years of fighting on two fronts. The committee has a responsibility to help ensure that our fighting force is ready not only for today's fights, but also for the unexpected conflicts they may face in the future.
"To that end, our subcommittees have done great work in balancing the needs to restore the equipment and training urgently needed now, with commitments to the long-term modernization of the services. Notably, the Air/Land Subcommittee has added $800 million for equipment specifically for National Guard and Reserve units. The Readiness Subcommittee has added $932 million to our Operations and Maintenance accounts to deal with key maintenance needs. And in Title 15 of the bill before you, we authorize an additional billion dollars to deal with critical unfunded readiness needs.
"This bill also continues the committee's long-standing commitment to the men and women who serve our nation in uniform and their families. It provides for a much-needed 3.9 percent pay increase and again prohibits increases in health care fees, among a range of other initiatives.
"We also keep a keen eye focused on Afghanistan-in my view the primary front in the war on terror. The bill requires future budget submissions to clearly lay out requirements for the war in Afghanistan separate from those for Iraq. It requires a system to be set up to measure the success of the U.S.-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and provides the funding needed for our commanders' reconstruction projects.
"The bill also includes the funding needed to train and equip Afghan security forces and requires more robust congressional reporting on these forces. Finally, the bill requires the Department of Defense to address the issue of the command and control structure for forces in Afghanistan operating under Operation Enduring Freedom as well as the NATO International Security Assistance Force.
"The committee continues to ensure our forces have what they need for the fight in Iraq. In part we do this through the authorization of a $70 billion bridge for the fights in Iraq and Afghanistan. But we remain convinced that it is well past time for the Iraqis to step up and contribute more substantially to their own security and prosperity. With the Iraqis' overwhelming budget and capital account surpluses, the committee will require that the Iraqis invest more in their own reconstruction and security efforts which are currently being shouldered by the U.S. military.
"This bill also continues to take steps forward in contracting reform after the substantial improvements in the law enacted by the Congress in last year's bill. This year we require the Department to address the problems with contracting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait by developing more contracting experts within the military who can be deployed to handle contracting during contingency operations, and we provide the Department with the authority to hire and appropriately pay similarly trained civilians willing to deploy.
"We also tackle personal services contracts and the area of contractor conflicts of interest where we believe the line between inherently governmental functions and the appropriate functions of the contractors has become blurred. And we take a significant step to protect information critical to national security by codifying and enhancing the requirements for DOD to manage industry's facility clearances and to monitor foreign ownership, control, and influence.
"Today we also underline our commitment to preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This bill adds $31 million for the Cooperative Threat Reduction programs of the Department of Defense and $215 million for the Department of Energy's nonproliferation programs. These programs are the most cost-effective ways of reducing the risk of such weapons falling into terrorist hands.
"Finally, I want to say just a word about the need for reforms in the way our government sets, coordinates, and executes its national security policy. There are many here in Congress, and in the executive branch, working to improve our inter-agency system. It is a massive effort and one that cannot be accomplished in a single year. But I intend, when this bill reaches the House floor, to offer an amendment with Chairman Howard Berman of the Foreign Affairs Committee to take the next step on this path to improving how we as a nation engage the rest of the world.
"Before I recognize Mr. Hunter, let me say a word about those members who are joining us for their last mark-up. We will have much more to say about the tremendous service of Duncan Hunter, Jim Saxton, and Terry Everett as the day goes on. These gentlemen have helped shape this committee in both the majority and the minority and have been wonderful partners and friends.
"In addition though, we are losing two of the most capable and committed members of this committee, Rob Andrews and Mark Udall. The House and this committee are better for your service here. I'd like to ask the members of the committee in joining me to thank them and wish them well.
"At this time, I yield to my friend and partner, the Ranking Member Duncan Hunter of California for any remarks he would like to make."
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