Executive Session

Floor Speech

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Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam President, I rise today in support of the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.

Congress has a constitutional duty under article I, section 8, to provide for the common defense, and the NDAA is one of the key tools that we have to ensure that the United States is capable of defending ourselves and our interests.

This is, hopefully, the 60th consecutive year that Congress will pass the NDAA. In a time of intense partisanship and national division, it is a true testament to the significance of this responsibility and the fact that we have been able to come together in support of the U.S. military for decades, even when the spirit of bipartisanship and compromise is elusive in many other areas.

We all want to ensure that America's servicemembers have the tools and resources they need to perform their duty and to protect our Nation. As we are all aware, threats against the United States, our allies, and interests persist. At a time of increasing risk and dangerous challenges to global security, the United States must lead in creating stability through a strong and modernized military.

Peace through strength is a proven concept that reinforces American deterrence and produces greater global security. That is why it is so important to, yet again, come together and advance this important bill, the NDAA.

We need to strengthen our military posture, enact policies that encourage deterrence, project leadership, and deploy innovative strategies to maximize advantages that serve our national security, reassure our allies, and help defend our freedoms and ideals at home and abroad.

The fiscal year 2021 NDAA does this by strengthening American deterrence through investing in greater capabilities in support of priorities listed in the national defense strategy and ensuring America's servicemembers are ready so, when challenged, they will prevail in any conflict.

This NDAA maintains readiness gains made over the previous years, while making significant investments in modernization and enhancing resources to better support and care for servicemembers and their families. It provides a 3-percent pay raise for our troops and reemphasizes a focus on training to ensure that our servicemembers can conduct missions safely.

It also serves the interests of our military at a time when they need vital support and assistance. I am especially pleased that the legislation continues a push I have made related to military spousal employment and also provides another step in the right direction to ensure servicemembers' families have options for high-quality and accessible childcare.

The continued commitment to reforms in the military's privatized housing and health systems reflected in this legislation are also wins for our servicemembers and their loved ones.

Additionally, this year's NDAA goes further to increase manning levels in order to better support the demand for our forces around the world.

I am pleased this bill includes a few of my priorities aimed at supporting our deployed servicemembers in the State of Arkansas.

After my recent oversight visit to Iraq, I worked to ensure that the Army has a plan to evaluate and deploy all resources to protect our servicemembers in the theater from any kind of attack. Some of this capability is also built in my home State. I thank my colleagues for including my measure, which I believe will bring many benefits to our warfighters in the defense industry in Arkansas.

Additionally, after meeting with leaders from the 188th Air Wing at Fort Smith, it was clear to me that our servicemembers need more support when it comes to options for childcare and assistance. That is why I have worked on a provision to direct the Department of Defense to research, report, and provide recommendations to Congress on how to provide 24-hour childcare to military families who are assigned to around-the-clock rotational units at home.

I welcome the inclusion of this initiative in this year's NDAA and am grateful to the Armed Services Committee, which also recognizes its real and urgent need for our military families.

I have also filed an amendment to this year's NDAA focused on meeting the needs of our servicemembers who are undergoing routine quarantines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of our servicemembers are required to quarantine when they are relocated to another military installation, leaving them with days to weeks of inactivity and isolation.

My amendment requires the Department of Defense to develop measures to ensure personal and professional development of our servicemembers while in quarantine, including physical activity and educational resources.

Defending our Nation, allies, and interests means providing the Department of Defense with the tools and authorities it needs to carry out that mission. This is the Federal Government's most basic function and responsibility.

It is important to get this work done in a bipartisan way and with broad agreement. My colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, under the leadership of Chairman Inhofe and Ranking Member Reed, have provided a great example in sending this bill out of committee with an overwhelming vote of support. Their work has helped to ensure that the fiscal year 2021 NDAA establishes and builds on policies that strengthen the ability of the United States to safeguard the Nation and provide the support and assistance that our allies have come to depend on. Doing so helps make us and the rest of the world safer.

The fiscal year 2021 NDAA supports the national defense strategy, our servicemembers, and the broader military community. It deserves wide support in this body, and I encourage my colleagues to join me in approving the NDAA and building on the U.S. legacy of unmatched military leadership, capability, and superiority.

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