John Spratt: “If you listen to our friends on the other side of the aisle talk about ballistic missile defense, you'd never know that…”

“If you listen to our friends on the other side of the aisle talk about ballistic missile defense, you'd never know that we have spent in today's money at least $125 billion since the days of Spartan and Sprint in the 1970s. This bill continues spending, continues that trend at a very robust level. Sure, it does provide for cuts of $764 million, but it leaves in the bill $9.5 billion, and I would challenge the gentleman to find any other system in this bill which is funded at a level more robust than $9.5 billion. I don't think he will find it. This bill provides, with the $9.5 billion, for the Patriot system, a PAC-3 system, a theater system, a tactical system, vitally important, provides $1.4 billion. That's $500 million more than the current year. It will buy Patriot PAC-3s for two additional battalions. Aegis BMD, the Aegis cruiser, the adoption of the Aegis BMD by the Aegis cruiser, $1.1 million. That's an increase of $78 million over the current year over the budget request. The ground-based midcourse interceptor, which shows the most near-term promise for becoming a truly ballistic missile defense intercept system, $2.3 billion for the GMD. It will buy 10 GMD interceptors to be placed either at Ft. Greeley, Vandenberg or maybe in Europe. The THAAD is finally achieving its promise. It's our best tactical theater system. The THAAD is funded at $858.2 million. That's enough to buy two additional THAAD firing units.”