Political Quotes

“Mr. President, the men and women who serve in our military are incredible patriots, and the National Defense Authorization Act, NDAA, is a vitally important bill the Senate passes every year to ensure our servicemembers are trained, equipped, and ready for the global threats our Nation faces. To this end, investing in our ready and all-volunteer force to ensure we maintain a military competitive advantage is crucial. I would like to highlight three amendments that I have introduced to enhance the fiscal year 2020 NDAA. My first amendment addresses an increasing concern regarding deaths and injuries related to military training. Our men and women in uniform volunteer to serve in a profession that carries a great deal of inherent risk and can demand great sacrifice. Many have paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives upon the fields of battle. Unfortunately, many have also died while training for battle. To ensure that our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are the best fighting force in the world, our military necessarily exercises them in demanding and realistic training. Effective military training builds readiness, tactical proficiency. and competence, and increases the confidence of our military force to win wars. I am concerned, however, that, under the guise of ``realistic training,'' the military is assuming unnecessary risk that has resulted in an alarming increase in servicemembers' training-related deaths.…”