National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. TURNER. I thank the gentleman from California, our chairman, Mr. McKeon, for his leadership on this bill as it's moving through the House, and Ranking Member Smith. I would also like to thank all of my colleagues on the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, and in particular my ranking member, Loretta Sanchez, and the staff for their work on this year's Strategic Forces mark. And particularly I would like to thank our director, Kari Bingen.

This bill builds off a strong bipartisan and bicameral consensus and fully funds the NNSA, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and supports continued modernization of our nuclear forces and infrastructure. It also supports robust oversight of the administration's implementation of the New START Treaty and establishes prudent measures to slow down the rush towards nuclear disarmament.

The bill responds to the effects of prior cuts by this administration to missile defense, providing an increase of $110 million above the President's request. It adds these funds to fix the system that protects the United States homeland from long-range ballistic missile threats. It also provides an increase in funds to support the implementation of the administration's Phased Adaptive Approach and important cooperative efforts with Japan and Israel, while recommending reductions in future capabilities that are less viable.

Equally important, this bill advocates on behalf of servicemembers and their families. I want to thank Chairman Wilson and Ranking Member Davis for incorporating bipartisan language from the Tsongas-Turner Defense STRONG Act that seeks to enhance sexual assault protections as well as improved training requirements to better protect servicemembers.

I also want to thank Chairman Wilson for his support for this bill, which includes a provision that would protect the fundamental child custody rights of military parents and ensures that servicemembers do not lose custody of their children as a consequence of their service to the Nation. This provision corrects an unconscionable injustice and has the full endorsement of Secretary Gates and the Department of Defense. And I would like to thank Lieutenant Eva Slusher from Kentucky, who has been working diligently in this fight.

Lastly, I would like to note that earlier today the President issued a veto threat on several provisions contained in the NDAA related to nuclear modernization and objections to provisions relating to missile defense. This is curious because these provisions are consistent with the administration's own stated policies and that of our NATO allies. By this threat, is the President saying he does not intend to implement the nuclear modernization guarantees that were part of the New START Treaty? Does the President intend to unilaterally withdraw nuclear forces from Europe? Does the President want to share sensitive data of missile defense technology with Russia? And does the President intend to strike deals with Russia to limit our missile defense capabilities? If the answer to these questions is no, then the administration should have no objections to these provisions. If, on the other hand, the answer to these questions is yes, then it is all the more reason to make these provisions law.

BREAK IN TRAQNSCRIPT

Source