Vicky Hartzler: “It has been the honor of my life to serve on this committee. I rise in strong support today of the National Defense…”

“It has been the honor of my life to serve on this committee. I rise in strong support today of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023. I thank Ranking Member Rogers and Chairman Smith for the work in developing this comprehensive bill. I also thank the TAL subcommittee chairman, Representative Norcross, for his leadership and collaboration, not only for this NDAA but over the past several years. This legislation would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the entire committee staff, including Kelly Repair; my chief of staff, Chrissi Lee; and Defense Fellow Steve Azab. I appreciate all of their efforts. The NDAA is always a bipartisan product, and it has been an honor to contribute to the development of these bills for the past 12 years. As ranking member of the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces, I am pleased this bill reverses President Biden's cuts to our national security and restores funding for the procurement of vital platforms needed to continue to rebuild and modernize our military. Specifically, I am pleased that this bill authorizes funding for 8 F/ A-18 Super Hornets, to address the Navy's severe strike fighter shortfall; 24 F-15EX aircraft, to ensure the Air Force has both the capability and capacity to meet both current and future threats; and continued investments in Army ammunition facility modernization.…”