Political Quotes

On the recordJuly 20, 2023
currently, the Senate is considering one of the most important pieces of legislation that we consider each year, and that is the National Defense Authorization Act. It is a bill that authorizes funding for our men and women in uniform and our defense needs--from planes, ships, and submarines to weapons, logistics, and communications technology. The United States has long had a reputation for military strength, and part of that reputation has rested on the strength of our equipment, but in recent years, our technological advantage has eroded to the point where there is reason to be concerned whether we would win a war against a major power like China. While we have made some progress to reverse this trend, we have a lot more work to do to ensure our military retains our technological edge, and I am glad that this year's NDAA makes progress toward this goal. Today, I want to talk about one critical aspect of America's defense capabilities in particular, and that is long-range strike, specifically our bombers. Long-range strategic bombers have played a critical role for the United States in a number of conflicts, but today's bomber force is desperately in need of an update. Our bomber inventory is roughly one- third the size that it was in 1989, and it is the oldest in Air Force history. Experts warn that, in a conflict, the current U.S. bomber force would be insufficient against an adversary like China.…
Said by
John Thune
Republican · South Dakota

Share

More from John Thune

Jul 15, 2026

I certainly hope that Democrats won't now put politics ahead of support for our men and women in uniform.

cbsnews.com
Jun 17, 2026

There’s a bunch of things in here that I think we’re going to have questions about.

rollcall.com
Jun 9, 2026

The parliamentarian rulings break both ways, and you know, we lose a few, we win a few.

rollcall.com
Jul 17, 2026

Again, the question is $60 billion worth the risk of putting something like that on the floor, and all the other harm that could potentially come from that.

foxnews.com

Other voices in this conversation