Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this final, bipartisan Defense Authorization agreement for the critical investments it makes in our military readiness, troop protection and wounded warrior care. I am also proud that this conference report cracks down on contractor fraud, provides a 3.5% pay increase and improves health care benefits for our military families and restores workplace fairness for the Defense Department’s hardworking civilian employees. Finally, consistent with this Congress’ commitment to chart a new direction on the war in Iraq, this legislation requires the DoD to regularly brief Congress on its planning to responsibly redeploy our forces out of that misguided conflict.
To help restore our nation’s military readiness, this bill creates a $1 billion Strategic Readiness Fund to address equipment shortfalls and provides an additional $980 million to properly equip our National Guard and Reserve.
We authorize $17.6 billion — an increase of $865 million — for the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles that have been so successful protecting our men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. We commit $4.8 billion for anti-IED efforts. And we allocate a total of $6 billion to up-armor our Humvees, add armor to other combat vehicles and provide body armor for our troops.
Because we must never force those who have been wounded abroad to battle bureaucratic red tape in order to get the care they need when they come home, this legislation includes the Wounded Warrior Act, designed to correct the disgraceful conditions uncovered at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and ensure seamless, high-quality care that our returning veterans have earned and deserve.
Improving accountability through more regular and vigorous oversight is a consistent and recurring theme of the new Congress. Consistent with that commitment, this bill requires the DoD and Department of State to issue detailed regulations governing the conduct of private security contractors employed by the federal government. Additionally, to enhance our accountability efforts, we strengthen whistleblower protections for those willing to bring waste, fraud and abuse to the public’s attention.
I am particularly pleased that this legislation prohibits fee increases in the TRICARE program, and the 3.5% pay increase provided to our military families — while larger than the President’s request — is really the least we can do. Moreover, I am gratified that the NDAA conferees saw fit to include important contracting out and workplace protections for DoD’s civilian employees in this final report. They go to work every day to serve their country, and it is only appropriate that the nation treats them with the dignity and respect they deserve.
Finally, having worked for several years to reconstitute the core functions of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) in the aftermath of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission, I am delighted by the establishment of a Joint Pathology Center mandated by this report. Furthermore, I believe the expanded nursing program housed at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) will be a valuable resource to military medicine, and I welcome the program to my district.