Roy Blunt: “I rise today to talk for a minute about the importance of maintaining America's all-volunteer military in order to fight…”

“I rise today to talk for a minute about the importance of maintaining America's all-volunteer military in order to fight and win the global war on terror. That military is very dependent on the integrated Armed Forces, our guardsmen and Reserves who are available to us at what I think should be times of crisis or need. I would like to place before the House today six guidelines that I intend to use as we move forward toward looking at our decisions on military preparedness. The first of those points is simply to maintain our commitment to a fully integrated force. Number two, to challenge the administration to allocate resources in a manner that ensures that our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are well-equipped and well-funded. Number three, achieve the right size of force. Number four, establish the right mix of force. Number five, retain the force by doing those things necessary for relieving the burden on soldiers and their families. Number six, preserve the long-term dominance of America's fighting force. Mr. Speaker, we have no greater responsibility than to provide for our national defense.”