Samuel Nunn: “In short, the Milstar Program is the heart of our ability to communicate in the field with tactical units and to be able…”

“In short, the Milstar Program is the heart of our ability to communicate in the field with tactical units and to be able to have those units linked not only with each other but back to the field commanders. It is the heart of one of our great advantages in terms of America's position in the world now, and that is the ability to communicate with modern technology. So I would argue against this amendment on two grounds. One is that the Milstar Program itself is an important part of our military capability; and, second, this is just another way of taking money out of defense and putting it in a domestic program. As important as that program is--and I am sure, knowing the Senator from Connecticut, that it is important--I do not believe we should continue to deplete our military forces. We are bringing them down very rapidly. We have reduced the military forces by one-third in the last 10 years. We have reduced its overall purchasing power. We still have danger spots in the world. All we have to do is read the daily papers to understand that. I urge the defeat of the amendment.”