John Garamendi: “I want to engage in a discussion because it is extremely important here. I thank my good friend, Mr. Turner, for raising…”

“I want to engage in a discussion because it is extremely important here. I thank my good friend, Mr. Turner, for raising some issues. Indeed, we might be better off going to the museum and getting the Apollo because the current Moon launch system isn't working too well, well over budget and well delayed. But the issue at hand has to do with these missiles. There is clarity that this can be delayed. In one of our hearings, General Clark said it can be refurbished once again. Other hearings have provided information that the key here is the command and control system, which is indeed antiquated and which indeed must be refurbished and rebuilt. We ought to spend our time on that. This amendment does not delay the ground-based system. What it does is it gives us the information so that we can make an informed decision about when to engage and spend the $100 billion to $150 billion on the new ground-based missile system.”