Liz Saville Roberts: “I rise in support of S. 1438, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2002. As the ranking Republican on…”

“I rise in support of S. 1438, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2002. As the ranking Republican on the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee, I would like to thank subcommittee Chairman Landrieu and her staff for their cooperation in the preparation of this bill. While I may have some concerns with several issues contained within the legislation, I do support the bill and urge its adoption by the full Senate. At this time I would like to take a moment to highlight a few important issues which are under the jurisdiction of the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee. In particular, the legislation continues to build upon the committee's past efforts to strengthen and streamline the Department of Defense's combating terrorism program. As we were tragically reminded by the events on September 11 and last year's bombing of the U.S.S. Cole, it is vital that we continue to focus on this growing threat. As we all know, the threat of attacks on our national and defense information systems seem to grow daily. Last year, Senator Warner proposed an innovative scholarship program to encourage young people to pursue careers with the Federal Government in the information assurance area. I am gratified that our collective efforts this year have increased support for this innovative program, as well as other Departmental efforts to enhance the security of our critical information systems.”