Orrin Hatch: “Today I rise to propose an amendment that is cosponsored by fellow members of the Senate Air Force Depot Caucus…”

“Today I rise to propose an amendment that is cosponsored by fellow members of the Senate Air Force Depot Caucus, specifically Senators Inhofe, Bennett and Chambliss. Before I proceed to discuss the merits of my amendment, I thank publicly my colleagues, and their staffs, of the depot caucus, not only for their assistance in supporting this amendment, but for the tireless work that we have all performed over the past several years to modernize and recapitalize our Nation's Air Force Depots. Why is that important? Why do we need our Air Force Depots? Simply put, today the United States boasts the most formidable military that the world has ever known. However, history has shown, that a technologically superior force can be defeated if the weapons systems being utilized by that force cannot be maintained or repaired in a timely fashion. Mindful of this lesson, the Department of Defense and Congress have created an infrastructure designed to meet the unique sustainment challenges faced by a nation that harnesses the advantages of technology on the battlefield. It bears remembering that one of our Nation's primary means of maintaining this advantage is through the integrated sustainment support provided by the Air Force's depots. This is true for the maintenance of tactical aircraft, such as the F-16 and A-10, which is performed in my home State of Utah at Hill Air Force Base.…”