Jim Inhofe: “I would like to engage Senators Warner, Smith, and Kennedy, who are my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, in a…”

“I would like to engage Senators Warner, Smith, and Kennedy, who are my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, in a colloquy for the purposes of clarifying and correcting provisions in the committee's report with respect to the committee's funding of the air-to-air Starstreak missile evaluation, to be conducted by the Army. Senator Kennedy and I, along with other members of the committee, have supported continued evaluation of the Starstreak missile in an air-to-air role, to provide self-protection capability for the Apache helicopter. I understand that it has been the committee's intent to provide $15 million in fiscal year 1997 for the completion of the air-to-air Starstreak live fire phase test, to be carried out by the Army's applied aviation technology directorate. This test phase is to be completed prior to conducting a side-by-side evaluation with the air-to-air Stinger missile. It is also my understanding that to achieve the committee's intent, these funds should be placed in program element 63003A, an account used in prior years for this program. However, the committee report placed it in a different line item--PE No. 23801A--and contains language that suggests an alternate use of these funds. I would like to correct the record in this matter.”