Congressman Aderholt Offers Legislation to Improve Missile Defense Production
Congressman Robert Aderholt today successfully inserted a requirement into defense legislation that will improve future missile defense production. Rep. Aderholt included a requirement for a report regarding future ground based mid-course missile defense production in the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill at a Committee markup hearing this morning.
The requirement was included in the Chairman's managers amendment at Rep. Aderholt's request and it unanimously passed by voice vote.
The manager's amendment requires that Missile Defense Agency (MDA), within 30 days of enactment of the Bill, submit a report to the Committee indicating what funding is necessary to keep the Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) production line operational.
"This amendment report is very important because if the interceptor work done by Boeing in North Alabama, and the many companies who work with them, is allowed to shut down, the next group of interceptors produced could cost the taxpayer as much as $200 million extra," said Congressman Aderholt. "This amendment helps eliminate future uncertainty about our nation's missile defense production and demand."
The amendment report added by Rep. Aderholt also specifies that there be input from the prime contractor and comment by the Missile Defense Agency on its evaluation of the ballistic missile defense study received from the U.S. Northern Command in the Fall of 2008.
Congressman Aderholt continued, "We already know that countries like North Korea and Iran are working aggressively to acquire the capability to strike our homeland with ballistic missiles. As long as these threats exist, the funding for missile defense must be prioritized and efficiently planned for many years in advance."
The FY2010 Defense Appropriations bill provides the annual funding for the Department of Defense, including the Departments of Army, Navy (including Marine Corps) and Air Force. In addition it also funds the Central Intelligence Agency. The bill is now expected to be voted on the floor of the House of Representatives next week.