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December 12, 2007                                                            www.tauscher.house.gov

Rep. Ellen Tauscher Applauds House Passage of Defense Authorization Bill

Chairman of Strategic Forces Subcommittee praises the legislation’s focus on addressing near term threats while preparing for long term security challenges

Washington, DC - Rep. Ellen Tauscher, Chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, today joined an overwhelming bipartisan majority and backed a plan to strengthen our military, support our troops and improve military readiness. The Defense Authorization Bill was approved by a vote of 370 - 49 and is expected to be approved by the Senate and signed into law.

The Strategic Forces portion of the legislation was drafted in the same bipartisan spirit with which Rep. Tauscher has led the subcommittee since taking the helm last January.  The strategic section was consistent with the ideologies of bringing all interested parties to the table before making decisions about critical national security operations and addressing near term threats immediately while preparing for long term security challenges.

“This really is an outstanding piece of legislation, and I am proud that the first defense bill from the new Democratic majority continued the tradition of setting partisanship aside and doing what is right for the men and women of our armed forces in the interest of bettering national security,” noted Rep. Tauscher.  “I am particularly proud of the strategic section of the bill for taking complex national security initiatives like missile defense and our nuclear deterrent and applying common sense principles that allow us to address near-term threats to our security while paving the way for addressing long-term security challenges.  I commend my colleagues on the committee and the House as a whole for passing a bill that is good for the American people, our security, and our Armed Forces.”

Also included in the bill was a provision authored by Rep. Tauscher that would allow the dependents of a federal civilian employee who dies while on deployment in a combat zone to be relocated to their home of record at the government’s expense.  The Department of Defense has grown increasingly reliant on its federal civilian workforce to support contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. These federal civilian personnel support a range of essential missions from intelligence collection to criminal investigations. 

“The families of federal employees deployed in a war zone should be given the same opportunities and benefits as the families of deployed active military should the unthinkable occur,” Rep. Tauscher added. 

Below please find a summary of critical portions of the bill that relate to the Strategic Forces Subcommittee.

Strategic Forces Subcommittee

• The bill establishes a congressionally appointed bipartisan commission to re-evaluate U.S. strategic posture, including future requirements for nuclear weapons; also requires the next administration to submit a new Nuclear Posture Review with the 2009 QDR.

• Reduces investment in high-risk ballistic missile defense efforts and increases funding for systems to address current vulnerabilities.

• Boosts funding for space capabilities that can deliver near term benefits to the warfighter and improve space situational awareness and survivability.

• Consolidates funding for Prompt Global Strike (PGS) activities into a Defense-Wide R&D account and requires DOD to submit a research, development and testing plan for PGS.

• Slows Department of Energy nuclear weapons initiatives, including development of the Reliable Replacement Warhead (RRW) and construction of a new plutonium production facility.

Ballistic Missile Defense

• Authorizes $9.8 billion for ballistic missiles defense programs (including Army programs), a reduction of $597 million below the President’s request. For the Missile Defense Agency

(MDA), the bill authorizes $8.4 billion, a reduction of $450 million.

• Requires that two conditions be met before construction begins on European missile defense site: (1) final approval of international agreements with Poland and the Czech Republic; and (2) independent study on alternative missile defense options for Europe.

• Requires the Missile Defense Agency to begin using all normal budget categories (procurement, RDT&E, MILCON) starting in FY 2010.

• Prohibits replacing the unitary warhead on the SM-3 Block IIA missile with the multiple kill vehicle (MKV) until certain conditions are met.

• Limits the availability of funds to deploy more than 40 ground-based interceptors in Alaska until the Block 2006 GMD system has demonstrated,

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