On the recordDecember 21, 2012
on behalf of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am pleased to bring to the Senate, along with Senator McCain, the conference report on H.R. 4310, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. This conference report, which was signed by all 26 Senate conferees, all the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, contains many provisions that are of critical importance to our troops. This will be the 51st consecutive year in which a national defense authorization act will be enacted into law. I thank my dear friend Senator McCain, our ranking minority member, for all that he did to bring us to this conclusion and for the years of great leadership on our committee. I have been lucky to have Senator McCain as a partner. I know both of us are grateful to the chairman and the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, Buck McKeon and Adam Smith, for their hard work on reconciling the many differences between the House and Senate bill and for helping to produce a solid bill to support the men and women of our Armed Forces. The conference report contains many important provisions that will improve the quality of life for our men and women in uniform. It will provide needed support and assistance to our troops who are deployed. It will make the investments we need to meet the challenges of the 21st century.…
