Ronald Dellums: “Mr. Chairman, this year the Armed Services Committee again faced the task of authorizing national defense programs in a…”

“Mr. Chairman, this year the Armed Services Committee again faced the task of authorizing national defense programs in a time of continuing transition and strategic uncertainty, a period of continuing analysis and development of fundamental defense doctrine, and in the face of increasingly severe Federal budgetary constraints. The committee held a number of hearings to explore these issues, in order to build an analytical base for the ongoing defense debate. We heard testimony on the situations unfolding in the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, and on the Korean peninsula. We analyzed DOD's Bottom-Up Review and its planning scenarios, the Navy's ship acquisition strategy, and our military airlift requirements. We employed the emergence and importance of peace operations in this changed environment. Although broad differences of opinion exist within the committee regarding the pace and scale of the post-cold-war force changes, we reported H.R. 4301 on a 55-1 vote. This near unanimity reflects a determination to fill the bill within budget limitations, while structuring programs to provide the training and material necessary so our forces can meet their missions. The future will require an even more vigorous debate, to answer the many remaining questions. What military role remains for nuclear weapons in our arsenal, if any?”