Wayne Allard: “I appreciate this. I rise today to discuss several noteworthy provisions in the fiscal year 2007 Defense authorization…”

“I appreciate this. I rise today to discuss several noteworthy provisions in the fiscal year 2007 Defense authorization bill. I will provide an overview of a couple of amendments I will offer. First, I commend the managers of this bill, Senators John Warner and Carl Levin, for the work they have put into this legislation. I also recognize in a public way the fine work Chairman Warner has done. I have had an opportunity to work with the chairman both as a member of the Committee on Armed Services, and after leaving that committee to serve on the Committee on Appropriations. I found Senator Warner certainly has been very gracious and helpful on many issues and has certainly kept the men and women of the Armed Forces primary in his mind. It is comprehensive and addresses many of the issues important to our Armed Forces. Indeed, many of the provisions in this bill are essential to the health and well being of our soldiers and are needed in order to defeat terrorism and defend our Nation from future attacks. In the missile defense arena, for example, the Senate Armed Services Committee took several steps to encourage the Department of Defense to focus on near-term missile defense systems over longer-term next generation systems. I support this direction and agree that MDA is not investing enough time and money in those systems that may be able to provide limited defense capability in the near term.…”