Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. I thank the gentleman from New Jersey, the distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, for his work to bring this important bill to the floor.

Mr. Chair, this legislation includes billions of dollars to programs that are vital to the Nation's security and the men and women who have volunteered to serve our Nation.

However, I do have a question regarding a recommended reduction of $61 million from the Missile Defense Agency request for the Redesigned Kill Vehicle.

Does the gentleman share my belief that this is a critically important program, and that it, and the 2020 goal for deployment of this capability, are vital to a robust and reliable national missile defense system, which is paramount to the defense of the Nation against ever more capable adversary ballistic missiles?

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. I thank the gentleman for that explanation, and I hope he will let me know if there is anything the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces can do to make sure that the Department knows that the acquisition strategy needs to be delivered to the Congress without further delay.

Can the gentleman also assure me that the deployment of the Aegis Ashore site in Poland remains a priority of his and that its deployment by not later than December of 2018 will not be affected by any of the marks in the bill before the House today?

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. I thank the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, first I would like to express my support for the fiscal year 2016 Defense Appropriations bill and my appreciation for the hard work of the chairman in drafting this very good bill, which will provide essential funding to our national security.

However, I have a serious concern with the proposed reduction of funding in this bill for an existing weather collection satellite called the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, or DMSP.

As early as 2017, our military is facing a critical capability gap in the Department of Defense's two highest priority weather requirements. As the Air Force continues to work through its plan for addressing weather requirements, launching DMSP will help address these issues.

Much has been spent on DMSP already, and it would be a shame to waste those dollars when the satellite could be put to good use.

Mr. Chairman, I agree with you that the Air Force has not properly managed the space weather program, and they must submit a better plan. However, I ask for your support in working with me in conference to ensure that our military and intelligence professionals have the tools they need to safely prosecute our missions.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source