Lincoln Chafee: “despite the end of the cold war and collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union, I think we can all agree that the…”

“despite the end of the cold war and collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union, I think we can all agree that the United States still needs capable and effective military forces, and indeed that is why we are voting right now, very shortly, on a $264 billion appropriation, or authorization, for the U.S. military services. I do not think anybody in this body will argue that the United States will always be a maritime nation. Indeed, Mr. President, 95 percent of our export/import tonnage is carried by ship. That is an astonishing figure to me. Yes, 5 percent is carried over land to Canada and Mexico, or by air; but 95 percent is carried by ship. During the time I spent in the Navy Department, I learned that submarines are a relatively inexpensive way for a potential adversary to disrupt international commerce. Far too often, the press reports that the Navy does not really need the Seawolf. We are told that it is a ship solely designed to confront the Soviet Navy on the open ocean. This allegation is simply not true. I would like to refute it. The fact of the matter is that the third Seawolf has a valid military mission and will be instrumental in enabling the Navy to fulfill its national security obligations around the world.”