Marsha Blackburn: “as we move toward debate over the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, I wanted to remind my…”

“as we move toward debate over the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, I wanted to remind my colleagues that while we stand prepared to negotiate its various provisions, our military men and women stand at the ready. They stand at the ready every single day. It is a 24/7 business for them for a much more serious task, and that is the defense of this great Nation. As we consider this year's NDAA, we must do so with the understanding that our Nation is faced with new, sophisticated threats to our way of life and to the world order. Two emerging warfighting domains--cyber and space--are capturing much of the attention of this body and our allies and, I will also add, capturing the attention of our enemies, of those who do not wish us well. It is these two domains--cyber and space--that pose increased threats to our national infrastructure and our way of engaging with both those allies and our adversaries. Debating defense spending means thinking beyond helicopters and submarines or equipment and artillery and viewing this authorization in the larger context of multi and unseen domain warfare. That is why my colleagues and I on the Senate Armed Services Committee have come to the table with a bill that shores up funding for these legacy programs and devotes new funding to address these emerging threats. First and foremost, this bill authorizes a 3.1-percent pay increase for the Members of our Armed Forces.…”