Defense
3/30/2006
Defense
Congressman Reyes' views on defense issues.
 As an Army combat veteran, Congressman Reyes understands the unique needs of military personnel. He supports improving the quality of life for the brave men and women who sacrifice to serve our nation. He believes in the need to increase pay for our troops, improve housing facilities, and develop new, safer technology and equipment. Reyes also works to bring attention to the issue of troop levels. He supports increasing the size of the Army because current operational commitments are stretching our troops too thin and straining their families too much.
When he arrived in Washington as a newly elected Congressman, Reyes immediately requested a seat on the House Armed Services Committee. Coming from a region which boasts three military facilities Fort Bliss, White Sands Missile Range, and Holloman Air Force Base Reyes knows that the health of the regional economy depends on the vitality of the military facilities.
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Reyes is afforded great respect from other Members of Congress and from the Administration, especially the Department of Defense. In his position on the Committee, Reyes works hard to bring critical attention to Fort Bliss and area military facilities. His hard work, for example, helped to secure the facilities necessary for Fort Bliss to be designated a U.S. Army Power Projection Platform. Due to his position on the committee, Reyes has been able to bring influential defense policymakers such as former Army Secretary Louis Caldera and the Honorable Curt Weldon to visit Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range and show them what national assets these facilities are.
Strategic Forces Subcommittee
Reyes chose to serve as the top Democrat on the Strategic Forces Subcommittee because he knows that the future of our regional military facilities depends in part on the health and vitality of many programs under this subcommittees jurisdiction. The subcommittees jurisdiction covers air and missile defense programs, defense space programs, and nuclear weapons issues. Fort Bliss is the home of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Center and operational missile defense units. Testing of missile systems occurs at White Sands. Air and missile defense programs are critical to the military value of the posts.
Readiness Subcommittee
The Readiness Subcommittee is responsible for military readiness, training, logistics and maintenance issues and programs. In addition, the Subcommittee is responsible for all military construction, installations and family housing issues, including the base closure process. Military construction is critical to ensuring the continued military value of a base.
Reyes serves on this Subcommittee (and its predecessor, the Military Installations and Facilities Subcommittee) because these issues are critical to the continued operation and value of military posts. Since his election, he has secured approximately $156 million in construction projects to upgrade Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range. Additionally, Reyes is a strong supporter of the Armys Residential Communities Initiative (RCI), an effort to eliminate inadequate housing on Army bases by 2007, including the most dilapidated family housing units at Biggs Army Airfield.
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