Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2010 -- (House of Representatives - July 30, 2009)

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Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

I stand in vigorous support of my request for a Gulf Range Mobile Instrumentation Capability. This capability will convey enormous long-term benefits and provide weapons systems in a cost effective manner on time.

DISTRICT INTRODUCTION

For those of you that don't know, I represent the First District of Florida, which is home to Eglin Air Force Base, Air Force Special Operations Command, Naval Air Stations Pensacola and Whiting Field, Corry Station, which hosts the Center for Information Dominance and is the proud future home of the Joint Strike Fighter.

ARGUMENT/JUSTIFICATION

The project fufills a critical need. Specifically at Eglin Air Force Base, the 46th Range Group has a need for a capability for remote test, collection, storage and relay of various types of data. This capability can be accomplished with a Gulf Range Mobile Instrumentation Capability. This capability is needed to support test events which occur over large geographic areas on both land and sea. Examples of this testing includes Live, Virtual, Constructive test events, large footprint weapons testing, Directed Energy testing, and hypersonic testing.

This capability does not exist because there is a shortfall across this nation in both adequate range space and instrumentation to realistically test today's long-range stand-off weapons. This problem is expanding with the enhanced performance of weapons in development. The Eglin range remains one of the only locations to test these weapons over its enormous land and water area. The instrumentation shortfalls can and should be addressed today. This project would develop mobile data acquisition capabilities to address the need for cost efficient operations involving remote areas with multiple ranges across the nation. As a simple example, extending a datalink, much like a wireless network, over 150 nautical miles into the Gulf would greatly support test operations. Test professionals need this capability and it will help ensure that our defense test and evaluation capabilities field cost-effective systems.

Developmental test and evaluation brings new capabilities to the battlefield and saves lives. I have had the opportunity to watch some of the magnificent testing conducted on the Eglin range. The 46th Test Wing completed testing last year on the small diameter bomb and it is now being employed for F-15E Strike Eagles in Afghanistan because it offers unique low-collateral damage capability. This testing could be expedited and improved with the instrumentation capability we are discussing now. Future weapons testing includes Tomahawk, Joint Direct Attack Munition, Non-Line of Sight-Launch System, and continued testing of the Small Diameter Bomb. These programs will all benefit from increased safety, shorter tests, and a better product. In the end, this will convey benefits to Military activities across the nation, as we eventually link geographically separate ranges.

The T&E infrastructure, whether administered by a military service or by a Defense Department entity, continues to be a target for budget cuts year after year. In a recent letter I sent to the Secretary of Defense, and the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, I questioned why the 2010 funding for Test and Evaluation is $57.9 million below last year's level and noted that such a lack of funding could negatively impact numerous critical Department of Defense programs.

Five senators, including Senator Martinez and Senator Nelson, recently sent a letter to Chairman Inouye and Senator Cochran identifying two Test and Evaluation budget shortfalls in the FY2010 Budget. In fact, Congress created the Director of Test Resource Management in 2003 and in conjunction with the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, the DTRMC is supposed to be afforded the opportunity to certify each military service's budget every year before it is submitted to Congress. Due to the new Administration and different budget submission timelines, the DTRMC was not able to certify the services' budgets for the Fiscal Year 2010 submission. In the wake of acquisition reform, the Administration must fund areas that contribute to long-term cost savings.

I am looking forward to seeing the contributions of the Gulf Range Mobile Instrumentation Capability to future weapon systems. This capability is a critical need because a shortage exists across the nation of adequate instrumentation systems. However, investments in test and evaluation infrastructure provide magnified benefits because they affect so many weapon systems. The right test resources provide weapon systems on time, in a cost-effective manner.

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