Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. Chair, for more than a decade, this House has been committed to providing our troops with the body armor they need. Body armor is essential to our deployed troops.

In order to provide our troops with modern, lightweight body armor, the Department requires a viable industrial base to produce the body armor and to continually work to improve it.

The fiscal year 2015 NDAA Defense Appropriations bill sustaining the industrial base was prioritized; $80 million was appropriated to the Army to specifically sustain the industrial base for body armor.

Those FY15 funds have not been obligated, and as a result, the industrial base for body armor is laying off workers and about to go out of business. The Army has ignored Congress' directions and put this industry at risk.

The FY16 Defense Appropriations report makes a commitment to body armor, saying:

The committee encourages the Secretary of the Army to ensure that the body armor industrial base is able to continue to develop and manufacture more advanced body armor.

Unfortunately, the supplier of boron carbide power to make armor plates will be out of business before this bill is enacted. Furthermore, this bill provides zero funds for the procurement of body armor, another blow to the industrial base.

We all share a strong commitment to our troops, fully understanding how important body armor is to soldier protection.

To the chairman and ranking member, I would like to work with you to ensure that the existing body armor industrial base is not driven out of business by the Army's inability to follow directions from Congress and mismanagement of this vital supply chain.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. Chairman, the amendment I am offering with my colleague from Kentucky (Mr. Barr) uses the global war on terrorism funds for the Army operations and maintenance to provide $80 million in the same account for hard body armor for the Soldier Protection System Vital Torso Protection equipment program.

Now, every warfighter deployed or scheduled to be deployed deserves to be provided with the most advanced and the lightest hard body armor. The amendment will ensure that the deployed soldiers are protected with the modern body armor they need. Presently, this bill provides no funds for the Army hard body armor.

This amendment will also help to ensure that the industrial base producing the specialized boron carbide powder, fabricating ceramic plates, and producing finished hard body armor can stay in business and sustain production of the lifesaving soldier protection equipment.

The body armor industry is in crisis, and that puts our troops at risk.

Last year, the House and Senate appropriated $80 million to the Army for industrial preparedness body armor. All four congressional defense committees explicitly directed the Army to ensure that the industrial base is able to continue the development and manufacture of more advanced body armor.

Despite this clear and explicit direction, the Army has completely ignored Congress. The Army's failure to sustain the body armor industrial base has put a vital industry at risk and is causing layoffs among very specialized employees, which puts the entire industry at risk.

There is no doubt that our troops deserve modern, lightweight body armor that requires a strong, reliable, and fully capable industrial base.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. Chairman, once again, this $80 million is to provide body armor for the Soldier Protection System Vital Torso Protection equipment program. I ask for Members' support.

I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source