Senate Proceeding on Jul 16th, 2009 :: 4:14:10 to 4:30:35
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4:14:06 to 4:14:26( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: quorum call: a. the presidin senator from rhode . reed: i ask that the calling of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reed: i rise today in support of the national defense authorization act for fiscal year 2010. first, i would like to speak

4:14:10 to 4:30:35( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Jack Reed

4:14:27 to 4:14:48( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: briefly about the matthew shepard hate crimes prevention act. we have seen far too many cases of these motivated by prejudice and hatred of people. this would extend the current definition of hate crimes to include crimes committed on the basis of someone's gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or

4:14:49 to 4:15:09( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: this does not federalize all hate crimes. it government to step in as a backstop only after the government it provides federal aid to local law enforcemen this amendment confirms commitment to those most basic

4:15:10 to 4:15:32( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: of american values, the dignity of the individual and the right of that individual to be himself or herself. i am pleased to lend my support. that is an issue that we will confront in the context of our armed services bill and i think we should go forward and adopt it. i would like to commend with respect to the specifics of the armed services bill my

4:15:33 to 4:15:53( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: colleagues on the committee for their work, the leadership of senator levin and senator mccain. and i h that president obama can sign. and during the committee's markup, i voted against amendments to provide funding for additional f-22's and for the joint strike fighter altered engine and i remain opposed to

4:15:54 to 4:16:16( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: these programs. and we should not put this bill my colleagues to vote when it comes to the floor for the levin-mccain amendment to strike the f-22 funding, which i hope wil as evidenced by the f-22 issue, this bill is a product of many tough decisions, and i want to

4:16:17 to 4:16:37( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: mmend secretary gates particularly for judicious, very thoughtful approach to this budget and his uniform they have thought long and hard about the new world of threats. they have thought long and hard

4:16:38 to 4:16:58( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: about how we can provide the most necessary resources for our men and women in uniform. and they have recommended to us i think a very sound approach. and with certain exceptions, the legislation before us recognizes and accepts those recommendations. i think the new administration

4:16:59 to 4:17:21( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: and president obama has done also a remarkable job in terms direction, change acquisition policies, to develop a fighting force that will meet the threats of today and prepare ourselves for future possibilities. this defense authorization bill

4:17:22 to 4:17:43( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: contains many aspects which are critical to the success of our men and women in uniform, and let me suggest a few. first of all, it once again recognizes the extraordinary service and sacrifice of these young americans by much-needed 3.4% across-the-board pay raise. the extraordinary sacrifices that they make every day can

4:17:44 to 4:18:05( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: never be compensated by dollars and, indeed, their motivation is not financial. it is to serve the nation and serve it with courage and fidelity, and they do it so well. i've had the privilege to travel to afghanistan and iraq on numerous occasions, and to witness the heroic and decent service of these remarkable people.

4:18:06 to 4:18:26( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: but this pay raise reflects at least in part the value we place on their service. the legislation before us fully funds army readiness and depot maintenance programs to ensure that forces prepare to deploy are properly trained and equipped. it also authorizes $27.9 billion to the defense health program

4:18:27 to 4:18:48( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: and permits special compensation for designated caregivers for the time and assistance they provide to service members with combat-related catastrophic injuries or illnesses which require assistance with everyday living. what we are seeing is success medically on the bat where the mortality rates

4:18:49 to 4:19:11( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: relative to the injuries have declined as they have world war ii, but we have a significant population of very severely wounded young men and their car givers need help, and this legislation recognizes that. the legislation fully funds the president's budget request at $7.5 billion to train and equip

4:19:12 to 4:19:34( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: the afghan national army and the afghan national police the bill also includes a provision that emphasizes the need to establish measures of progress for t administration's strategy for afghistan and pakistan and to report to congress regularly on efforts to achi that region. and i saw the meritof this

4:19:35 to 4:19:59( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: approach in my recent trip along with senator kaufman to pakistan and afghanistan in april. and, in fact, as we observed the increase the tempo of operations in southern afghanistan led by our marines and british forces, we are also recognizing the need to partner with more afghani police and security forces and military forces.

4:20:00 to 4:20:23( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: our strategy can't be just an american presence. it has to be an american-afghani presence, which ultimately will translate to a almost exclusi if not exclusive, afghan presence. to do that we have to support the building and the -- and the professionalization of the afghan security forces.

4:20:24 to 4:20:44( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: there is within this budget funding for our navy that is absolutely critical. it is includes funding to complete the third-class destroyer. this ship is critical to maintaing the superiority of our navy that it enjoys across the oceans of the word." future maritime fleet must be

4:20:45 to 4:21:05( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: adaptable, affordable, survivable, responsive, and the stone wall class provides all of these -- the stonewall class provides awful these characteristics in a multisurface combatant tailored r land attack and dominance t. will provide for independence,

4:21:06 to 4:21:28( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: support for joint forces ashore, and its advanced censors absolute control of the combat airspace. all of this capability is based on today's proven and demonstrated we can't build the same ships that we were building 20 years ago and hope to maintain our superiority and, indeed, hedge against the emerging threats of

4:21:29 to 4:21:49( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: tomorrow. this zumwalt -- stonewall technology is also the transition to the next class of combatants which will likely be a new class of cruisers. the hope what we learn on zumwalt so that the next class of service combatants will be even more

4:21:50 to 4:22:10( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: capable and we hope extremely cost-efficient. i would also note that the underlying legislation fully funds the continued procurement of the virginia class attack submarine. these attack the highest level of demand by area commanders. the cincs when they're askedn terms of what they need in terms

4:22:11 to 4:22:33( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: of resources invariably place very their list, additional submarines because of their stealth, because of their ability to operate intelligence areas, their ability to presence without being recognized. these are critical, and i'm pleased with the recognition by

4:22:34 to 4:22:56( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: the administration and the committee in this regard. this year, i was once again extremely for the purpose of the, indeed, honored, to serve as the chairman the emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee. i want to particularly thank and commend senator wicker and his staff. they were true collaborators. their cooperation was significant in terms of

4:22:57 to 4:23:17( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: improving the quality of our subcommittee report. we worked together very well and i want to begin particularly commen for his insights, for his energy and for his great collaboration in this effort. the emerging threats and capabilities subcommittees responsible for looking at new and emerging threats to our

4:23:18 to 4:23:38( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: serity a considering appropriate steps we should take to dev face these threats. in preparation for our markup, senator levin, the chairman, provided guidelines for the work of the committee, including the following two items: improve the ability of the armed forces to counter nontraditional threats,

4:23:39 to 4:23:59( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: including terrorism, the proceed live rescission of weapons of mass mes of delivery; and, second, enhance the exaiivelt th armed forces to conduct counterinsurgency operations. in response, our subcommittee recommended initia number of areas within our jurisdiction these areas include sporting

4:24:00 to 4:24:21( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: critical nonproliferation programs and other efforts to combat weapons of mass destruction. supporting advances in medical research and technology to treat su modern battlefield conditions as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. increasing investments in new energy technologies, such as fuel cells, hybridngines and

4:24:22 to 4:24:42( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: alternate fuels to increase military preference costs. increasing investments in advanced manufacturing technologies to strengthen our defense industrial base so that it can rapidly and efficiently produce the material need by our nation's war fighters. and increasing investmen research at our nation's small businesses, government labs and

4:24:43 to 4:25:04( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: universities so that we have the most innovative minds in our country working to enhance our national security. specifically, some notable actions in this bill that originated in the emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee include authorizing full funding for the special operations command and adding $131.7 million to meet unfunded

4:25:05 to 4:25:25( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: equipment requirements identified by the commander of our special forces to enable them to conduct counterinsurgency operations and to support ongoing military operations. authorizing full requested for the joint i.e.d. defeat organization, jiedo. this is particularly important as we read about the increasing

4:25:26 to 4:25:47( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: i.e.d. attacks against our forces in afghanistan since our offensive began in province weeks ago. these i.e.d.'s are the number-one threat to our forces in the field and our allied force in the field. this organization, very sophisticated, use their information technology,

4:25:48 to 4:26:08( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: innovation, communication, new techniques the battlefield commanders to protect our forces and our allied forces. and they have a critical role, a critical mission and we fully support did in this -- support it in this legislation. we authorize the cooperative threat reduction program and we provided an additional

4:26:09 to 4:26:29( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: $10 million to new initiatives outse the former soviet union. in russia, we provided demilitarization and elsewhere $7 million for tragic offensive arms elimination. we have to recognize weapons are distributed too

4:26:30 to 4:26:50( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: broadly in many respects efforts to restrict them and to we hope dismantle them have to be we added $50 million for nonproliferation research and development for nuclear friends ition and other r -- forensics and other r&d activities and require the development of interagency forensics and nuclear attribution pgram. one of the hopes -- and, again,

4:26:51 to 4:27:14( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: this must be based on very careful sign dispisk technological research -- scientific and technological research -- is that if we can identify the source of a nuclear detonation positively, we would have an extraordinarily powerful use diplomatically to indicate

4:27:15 to 4:27:36( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: that if any nation particularly covertly attempts directly or through terrorist groups to deploy weapon anywhere in the world, we could trace it back immediately and we immediately. that could give us, again, an enhanced determination.

4:27:37 to 4:27:58( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: this, of course -- enhanced deterrence. this, of course, depends upon the progress we make in research but we must begin, and we must begin i this research w and we have in the legislation. the bill also highlights the importance of a strong industrial manufacturing base. bill would create a new position, the assistant secretary of defense for manufacturing and industrial base, to oversee the department's policies and

4:27:59 to 4:28:19( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: programs for our nation's industrial base. further, t bill increases funding for manufacturing research and d.o.d. by roughly $100 million to support the defense industrial base and reduce the costs of production for weapons systems and our ability to meet requirement demands of operating forces.

4:28:20 to 4:28:42( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: this d.o.d. small business innovation research program in coordination with the e landrieu, chair of the senate committee on small business and entrepreneurship. important investments in next-generation technologies and advanced military capabilities, this bill would increase the department's funding for innovative science and technology programs by over

4:28:43 to 4:29:03( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: $12.1 billion. the bill authorizes full funding that was requested by chemical and biological defense programs and the full amount for chemical weapons demilitarization in the united states. and this funding totals over $3 billion. with regard to counter drug programs, the bill fully funds

4:29:04 to 4:29:26( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: d.o.d. drug interdiction and counterdrug activities. it also includes a provision that would extend to use counterdrug found support the government of colombia's unified campaign against narcotics cultivation and trafficking and against terrorist organizations involved in such it also recommends a $30 million increase in funding for

4:29:27 to 4:29:48( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: high-pri counternarcotics programs. and this issue of narcotics is particularly central to our efforts in afghanistan. was covered literally with opium poppies. the opium trade provides support

4:29:49 to 4:30:09( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: for our opponents, the taliban. and we are able to reduce the flow of resources to the taliban but also provideegitimate family farmers with the opportunity to -- and the profitability to grow alternate crops, t

4:30:10 to 4:30:30( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: can i think make a successful dent in the power and the presence of the taliban there. these counternarcotic programs not only in colombia but also afghanistan are absolutely important. this is a good bill. it is, i think, wise legislation, with the exceptions

4:30:31 to 4:30:43( Edit History Discussion )

Jack Reed: i noted. the members of the committee the committee staff have worked many hours to get this bill to the floor.