Providing for Our National Defense

Congressman Ed Bryant, May 10, 2002

Defending our nation has become even more important since the events of September 11th. Recently, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2003, which was crafted within the context of the post-September 11th environment.

The Act is the first defense authorization legislation to be drafted entirely since the start of the war against terrorism. America is at war, our military personnel are in combat, and our nation is facing the most difficult threat is has faced in decades. Our legislation signals our unwavering support for the American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who are fighting the war against terrorism. We provide then with a decent quality of life, ensure that they have the training they need, and maintain the technological edge that saves lives on the battlefield.

The Defense Authorization Act contains the largest real increase to defense spending since 1966 and is the largest increase in military manpower since 1986. The Act authorizes $383.4 billion for the "core" of the fiscal year 2003 defense program, fully funding the President’s non-war budget request. A separate, but related, bill that covers the known costs of continuing Operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom, will soon be considered in the House.

The bill fully funds President George W. Bush’s request of $7.3 billion for programs to combat terrorism. This includes research and development of advanced individual protection programs and equipment to detect and decontaminate chemical-biological agents, and funds to purchase chemical and biological protection and decontamination equipment.

The risk of an intentional, accidental, or unauthorized launch of a ballistic missile remains real. However, although there is this great risk, the United States remains defenseless against ballistic missiles. That is why I was pleased to see that our authorization bill includes $7.8 billion for the continued development of ballistic missile defenses.

Continuing our commitment to raising quality of life, the bill includes an across-the-board 4.1 percent pay increase for military personnel. The average amount of housing expenses paid by service members will be reduced from the current 11.3 percent to 7.5 percent in fiscal year 2003, and the out-of-pocket expense will be completely eliminated by fiscal year 2005. Our bill includes $10 billion for military construction and family housing accounts, including nearly $2 billion for quality-of-life enhancements.

Not only does the Defense Authorization Act keep our commitment to current members of the military, but we also keep our commitment to our military retirees. Consistent with the fiscal year 2003 budget resolution, the bill includes a provision to authorize military retirees who are 60 percent or greater disabled to receive their full retirement pay and disability compensation benefits by fiscal year 2007. Until the program is fully implemented, a transition program will be established to increase payment levels annually until fiscal year 2007.

Our Armed Forces are the best in the world. American soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are fighting the war against terrorism and voluntarily putting their lives on the line so we can live in peace and freedom. We are completely committed to restoring the strength of our nation’s military, and improving our homeland defenses against terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. We have seen what our armed forces can do when called into service, and the National Defense Authorization Act provides our military with the resources it needs to accomplish its mission of ensuring our nation's defense.

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