Political Quotes

“I rise today with strong concerns over how the National Defense Authorization Act of 2014, H.R. 3304, approaches the critical issue of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, ISR, and specifically the approach to the Global Hawk system. I support H.R. 3304, but I will continue to work with administration officials, our Nation's military leaders, and my colleagues to make sure our Nation makes the right investments in ISR that protect our Nation and our servicemembers. Since I joined the Senate in January 2013, I have spoken with several key Department of Defense leaders who have emphasized the importance of sufficient ISR capabilities to keep our troops safe and protect U.S. interests. The Global Hawk family of platforms plays a key role in providing that ISR capability and answering the call of combatant commanders with unmatched range, endurance, and cost-per-ISR-hour. The Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act prohibited the retirement of the Global Hawk through the end of the Fiscal Year and directed the Air Force to maintain the operational capability of each system to support operational requirements of the combatant commands. The original House version of the Fiscal Year 2014 NDAA extended this retirement prohibition on Global Hawk through the end of 2016.…”