Alan Wheat: “I rise to add my strong support to the Harman amendment to restore funds for the C-17 program. There is little debate…”

“I rise to add my strong support to the Harman amendment to restore funds for the C-17 program. There is little debate about the vital need to modernize our military's lift capability. The question revolves around how best to meet that need. Among our Nation's top civilian and military experts, the answer to that question is clear. The C-17--and only the C-17--meets the high demands and the core strategic airlift requirements for our forces in the post-Cold War era. It is the only transport aircraft that meets these demands today and into the future. Mr. Chairman, the C-17 program has undergone program improvements over the last year. In fact, it has met all of the mandates set out in last year's defense authorization bill. Efficiency is going up, costs are going down. We should not penalize the C-17 program for meeting the goals we have set. We should not phase out this program which has the unified support of our military and civilian leadership. We should not turn our backs on a $15.8 billion investment that American taxpayers have already made.”