Abercrombie voted against a procedural motion (House Resolution 639) which allowed the ANWR provision to be attached to the Fiscal Year 2006 Defense Appropriations conference report. Abercrombie has consistently opposed ANWR drilling in votes taken on the issue over the past several years.

Hawaii construction projects in the FY 2006 Defense Authorization conference report are:

$41.0 million Drum Road upgrade, Phase 2, Helemano

$34.0 million Battle area complex, Pohakuloa Training Area

$9.3 million Tactical vehicle wash facility, Pohakuloa Training Area

$48.0 million Barracks complex, Phase 1, Schofield Barracks

$5.9 million Modified urban assault course, Schofield Barracks

$24.656 million Vehicle maintenance facility, Increment 2, Schofield Barracks

$5.7 million Fire station, Camp H.M.  Smith

$29.7 million Pacific Fleet warfighting center, Pearl Harbor

$5.678 million Intelligence squadron operations facility, Hickam Air Force Base

$2.5 million Air National Guard F-15 aircraft rinse facility, Hickam Air Force Base

$6.45 million Air Force Reserve Consolidated training facility Air National Guard, Hickam Air Force Base

$7.7 million Electrical system infrastructure, Hickam Air Force Base

(added at Abercrombie’s request)

Hawaii projects (all included at Abercrombie’s request) in both the FY 2006 Defense Authorization conference report and the FY 2006 Defense Appropriations conference report include:

$7.5 million for EPAS sensor system (BAE Systems Hawaii). Electro-optical Passive Anti-submarine Sensor program is developing a new system to allow aircraft and surface ships to detect submarines.

$2.9 million for CUSAS computer system (21^st Century Systems). The Consolidated Undersea Situational Awareness System is a software suite that integrates sensor data for submarine crews.

$7.5 million for Information Technology Center-Hawaii (Akimeka). The Center will provide the Department of Defense with personnel management software solutions.

$1.0 million for optical sensor research (Novasol).  The Retro-reflecting Optical Communications System will be used bu U.S. Special Operations forces.  It is a laser-based system allowing troops to transmit large volumes of data at high speed.

$6.0 million for undersea warfare technology (Lockheed-Martin/Orincon).  The Theater Undersea Warfare System will update classified data bases and fuse data from multiple sources to improve situational awareness.

$10.0 million for HANDS satellite tracking system (Oceanit).  The High Accuracy Network Determination System project is developing a new system for tracking satellites from ground stations.

$1.0 million for Marine Mammal Research (University of Hawai’i).  The Marine Mammal Research program in Kaneohe studies the effect of various military activities on marine mammals.

$3.4 million for Makaha Ridge Laboratory Upgrades (Northrup-Gruman).  The upgraded facilities will support ongoing Navy research into a new combat data system.

$1.3 million for Immersive Group Simulation at Schofield Barracks (Atlantis Cyberspace).  The project will build an infantry combat simulation system that will allow 25^th Infantry Division units to conduct realistic exercises in a computer-generated environment.

$1.0 million for Aviator Rescue Streamer (Rescue Streamer Inc.).  The program is developing new and more effective distress signals for aircraft crews in need of rescue at sea.

$1.5 million for Wave Power System, Kaneohe Bay (Wave Power, Inc.). This demonstration project currently consists of one buoy which captures wave energy to generate electrical power for the Marine base at Kaneohe.  FY 2006 funding will allow the installation of a second buoy.

$1.0 million for ICU Electronic Upgrades (Tripler Army Medical Center). Will allow Tripler to further develop its intensive care communication system to allow its doctors to provide medical support to other military facilities in the Pacific region.

$1.35 million for Environmental Remediation, Pacific Aviation Museum (Ford Island, Pearl Harbor). Soil decontamination is required at these World War II-era buildings before the museum can be completed and opened.

In a statement for the Congressional Record on the FY 2006 Defense Authorization conference report, Abercrombie said:

Mr. Speaker I rise today to address the defense authorization bill conference report for fiscal year 2006.  The bill includes language regarding US policy concerning the war in Iraq, which reflects substantially House Joint Resolution 55 of which I am a prime cosponsor, with regard to phased redeployment of US forces in Iraq during calendar year 2006.  There is also language in this bill that clearly lays out how detainees in the custody of the US government will be treated.  However, it does not address the question of the outsourcing torture or contracting with third parties for interrogation and detention not subject to the provisions of this bill.  We will pay a heavy price in terms of world condemnation for this deliberate omission when such activities are revealed.

There are several measures to improve the oversight of major acquisition programs for the Department of Defense.  Each year the nation gives the Pentagon hundreds of billions of dollars, and each year the Pentagon spends a good portion of that money buying things: ships, planes, tanks, helicopters, and other items.  Unfortunately, in recent years almost every single high-profile defense acquisition program has experienced cost overruns, performance shortfalls, or testing problems.  I believe that one reason for these problems is that Congress hasn’t done everything it could to make sure that these important programs stay on track and that the companies building the systems deliver what they promise to deliver.  At the end of the day, this is about getting our troops in the field what they need, when they need it.  Making sure this happens is one of Congress’ primary Constitutional duties.

I am pleased then that this year, the defense authorization bill puts measures in place that will improve Congress’ visibility of several major programs that are facing challenges, including the Future Combat System, the Joint Tactical Radio System, and the new Presidential helicopter.  In each case, both myself and my [Tactical Air and Land Forces] Subcommittee chairman Congressman Curt Weldon, are committed to making sure that these programs deliver the capability our military needs at a price we can afford. 

I am also encouraged that for the first time, this bill requires the Department of Defense and the military services to report back to us on options for moving to a capital budgeting approach for defense acquisition, which I have advocated.  Today, the DOD is one of the few government entities in the United States that continues to cash-finance the purchase of multi-million dollar capital items such as ships and aircraft.  As I’ve pointed out many times during committee discussions, this cash-financing and budgeting system is leading the Department to make poor decisions on major capital acquisition programs.  In effect, the way we budget for new equipment is determining what we end up buying.  That is a completely backwards system and one that needs to change.  The conference report before us today will require the DOD and the Armed Services to take a serious look at using an alternative, modern, and more flexible capital budgeting approach that will help the DOD get our troops the equipment they need to do their jobs.

As I indicated earlier, this bill includes language in Section 1227 on U.S. Policy in Iraq that I think represents bipartisan agreement with House Joint Resolution 55, which I introduced with Congressman Walter Jones this past June.  Joint Resolution 55 called for the President to begin the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq in 2006.  Similarly, the bill before us today says that:

“Calendar Year 2006 should be a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty, with Iraqi forces taking the lead for the security of a free and sovereign Iraq, thereby creating the conditions for the phased redeployment of the United States forces from Iraq.”

I think the bipartisan support in Congress for a phased redeployment and the President’s eventual signature for this measure should signal a significant step toward getting US troops out of Iraq.  I’m pleased that despite the recent White House overheated rhetoric about “total” or “complete” victory and casting aspersions on the patriotism of those opposed to this war that we may finally be at a point where we can all agree that in 2006 US troops will begin to come home from Iraq.  If the President signs this bill it follows that support for this language requires beginning the drawdown of US forces in Iraq as soon as possible.

Again, as I indicated earlier, this bill contains language clarifying how individuals detained and held by the United States Government will be treated and interrogated.  The language originally sponsored by Senator John McCain that prohibits “cruel, inhumane, or degrading” treatment of prisoners is retained in the conference report in its original form.  However, while I’m pleased that this language is included in the bill – after the President threatened to veto this very same language – I am troubled by an issue that this bill does not address.

This issue is the issue of whether or not the United States condones, by default, the torture of prisoners by “outsourcing” interrogations to other nations.  The technique of handing over prisoners in our custody to other countries is called “extraordinary rendition,” and has been described in numerous press reports.  In some cases, it may even be an appropriate way to deal with a prisoner wanted for crimes in their home country.

However, what happens to those prisoners when they leave US custody is not addressed in this bill in any way.  As a result, while the bill prohibits people in our direct custody and control from being tortured, it is silent – and thus, complicit – with regard to our handing over prisoners to other nations so that they can be tortured on our behalf.

So, while we have made some progress with regard to making it clear to our military and intelligence services how they are to treat prisoners in our custody, I am concerned that this bill doesn’t go far enough.  I intend to support this bill today based on what is in it, but I want to make it clear that Congress must, as soon as possible, deal with the issue of the outsourcing of torture.  If Congress does not do so soon, there will likely be some kind of incident somewhere involving a prisoner in our care that is handed over to another country and is subsequently tortured, or even killed.  When that happens, if Congress has remained silent on this issue the United States will suffer another needless defeat in the court of global public opinion.  When that happens, millions around the world may conclude that Congress condones the outsourcing of torture simply because we have chosen not to act to stop it.

Among his reasons for voting in favor of the FY 2006 Defense Appropriations conference report, Abercrombie cited:

• 3.1% pay raise for all members of the US military
• Increases death benefits  for survivors of US troops who die in combat or from accidents from $12,000 to $100,000
• Increases monthly hazardous duty pay to $750 for troops deployed overseas
• Increases life insurance coverage for all members of the military
• Provides $1.36 billion for anti-IED devices for troops in Iraq
• Provides an extra $1.2 billion for personal protective items for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
• Provides an additional $31 million in IMPACT Aid for off-base schools with military students
• Provides an increase of $71 million for family advocacy, childcare, and assistance programs for military families
• Provides $29 billion in additional relief funds for victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, including aid for new housing, new levees for New Orleans, and economic recovery programs.
• Provides $3.8 billion to prepare for a possible Avian Flu outbreak
• Provides $45.5 million in research and development funds for Hawaii High-Tech companies.

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