Sam Gibbons: “our military forces have been facing 13 consecutive years of defense cuts. Now we are at a critical point where…”

“our military forces have been facing 13 consecutive years of defense cuts. Now we are at a critical point where personnel and readiness levels are literally bleeding our defense capabilities dry. Retention and readiness are two critical issues facing our military forces today, and we must provide the necessary incentives for our troops to retain their skills to get the job done. Furthermore, Congress must support increased health benefits and pay increases for our Nation's military men and women. We must also fully fund their equipment modernization and training so our troops can maintain a peak level of performance. Before this Congress or this administration even so much as debates yet another deployment of our Armed Forces, we must without question provide the necessary funding for our brave men and women to perform the jobs we have asked them to do. Today this body has an important opportunity to address the critical issues of underfunded quality of life readiness and modernization requirements in our military. I urge my colleagues to tell the military men and women in their districts that they support them by voting yes on the DOD authorization bill today.”