National Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2017

Floor Speech

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Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of what we have been doing on the Senate floor the past 2 weeks--moving forward on the National Defense Authorization Act. I wish to pay a compliment and my deepest respect to the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, to the ranking member, and to all the members of the Armed Services Committee who have been focused on this bill that we have been putting forward in this Congress and every Congress for the last half century.

Our forces are under strain at a time when Henry Kissinger said before the Armed Services Committee that ``the United States has not faced a more diverse and complex array of crises since the end of the Second World War.''

Here is what some of our top military officials have told our committee about the threats that are rising globally and the dramatic reduction in our military forces. Chief of Staff of the Army, GEN Mark Milley, recently stated that due to cuts and threats, our Army is at a state of ``high military risk'' when it comes to being ready enough to defend our interests. That is a very serious statement by the Chief of Staff of the Army, ``high military risk'' for our military and the ability of the U.S. Army to do its mission. He also said that when it comes to Russia and its new aggressiveness, we are ``outranged and outgunned.''

Let me spend a little bit of time on the new challenge from Russia. There are many provisions in this bill--which is why it is so important--that will strengthen our military threat with regard to Russia--something that, as a Senator from Alaska, I am very concerned about.

Nobody spoke more eloquently and compellingly about our country's credibility than President Reagan when he stated that his philosophy of dealing with our potential adversaries was that ``we maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression.'' And he matched his rhetoric with credible action. That is what we need to do with regard to the NDAA, and that is why it is so important that we move forward and pass this bill.

But the Russian threat is not just in Europe, it also in the Arctic, and those threats--we are hearing more and more in committee testimony on and what the Russians are doing. For example, there are 4 new Arctic brigades; a new Arctic command; 14 operational airfields in the Russian Arctic by the end of this year; up to 50 airfields by 2020; a 30- percent increase in Russian special forces in the Arctic; 40 Russian Government and privately owned icebreakers, with 11 additional icebreakers in development right now, including 3 new nuclear-powered icebreakers; huge land claims in the Arctic; increased long-range air patrols with Bear bombers--the most since the Cold War--and pilots in Alaska are intercepting these Russian bombers on a weekly basis; and a recent deployment of two sophisticated S-400 air defense systems again to the Arctic. Why are they doing this? Because it is a strategic place, new transportation routes, enormous resources.

Our own Secretary of Defense stated in testimony that he realized we were late to the Arctic given how strategic and important it is. Right now we have no Arctic port infrastructure; two icebreakers--that is it; no plans to increase Arctic-capable special forces; and a lack of surveillance capabilities in this strategic region of the world.

Why do I mention this? Because in this NDAA we start to address the problem. Just as we did in last year's NDAA, we start to lay the foundation for having a strategic vision of what is going on in the Arctic, the way the Russians are, and we are beginning to be prepared in an area of the world that is absolutely critical to U.S. security. Provisions include the first steps to build up an appropriate strategic Arctic port. We will also build up our Arctic domain awareness, and we will have a much better sense of what is going on in this region not only with regard to the Russians but what the Chinese are doing in this critical area of the world.

Make no mistake--America is an Arctic nation. We are an Arctic nation because of my State, the State of Alaska. This NDAA begins the important process to start addressing the strategic concerns we are seeing in the Arctic and securing our Nation in a way that is important for all of us.

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