Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009

Floor Speech

DUNCAN HUNTER NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2009

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Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in strong support of H.R. 5658, the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009. I want to thank Chairman Skelton, Ranking Member Hunter, and my subcommittee chairman, Neil Abercrombie, and Ranking Member Jim Saxton, for their tireless efforts on behalf of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who continue to bravely defend us at both home and abroad.

While it is not a perfect bill, this legislation covers a wide scope of issues that are of vital importance to the armed services, both the active and reserve component, and it clearly addresses the most pressing needs of our troops in the most trying times that we face in America.

Mr. Chairman, I am pleased that the Armed Services Committee voted unanimously and on a bipartisan basis to support another program critical to our national security. Section 943 of this bill states that the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, WHINSEC, is one of the most effective mechanisms that the United States has to build relationships with future leaders throughout our hemisphere and influence the human rights and democracy trajectory of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and mitigate the growing influence of non-hemispheric powers.

It is especially important to remember that WHINSEC may be the only medium we ever have to engage the future military and political leaders of Latin American countries, who are, by the way, America's closest neighbors and can serve as our closest allies. If we were not to engage with these nations, the void would be filled by countries with starkly different values than our own regarding democracy, and, yes, human rights, and I am talking about countries like Venezuela and China, whose influence in the region, as we know, is growing.

The WHINSEC school in Columbus, Georgia, at Fort Benning, the home of the infantry, was formerly part of my congressional district. I am very proud to continue to serve on the Board of Visitors of the school.

Mr. Chairman, I also want to further mention how pleased I am of the work of the committee this year to authorize funding for 20 F-22 Raptors in line with the current multiyear contract, and also to authorize the advanced procurement funds needed for a follow-on lot in 2010. The F-22 is the world's most capable fighter, and these funds go a long way towards providing stability for our forces and ensuring that America maintains air dominance for the foreseeable future.

There is so much to be proud of in this bill, and I again commend Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member Hunter for their efforts to keep this bill focused on the needs of the warfighter. I would also like to take this opportunity, Mr. Chairman, to recognize Ranking Member Hunter, Air and Land Forces Subcommittee Ranking Member Saxton, and the ranking member of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Terry Everett of Alabama, for all their contributions, both to the Armed Services Committee and to the Congress over the years.

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