National Security

As an Army veteran, I understand the sacrifices that the men and women of our Armed Forces make when serving abroad. Since coming to Congress, I have supported efforts to improve the quality of life for the brave men and women who sacrifice to serve our nation. I believe we should put our troops first, preparing them for emergencies, providing them with first class weapons and equipment, and ensuring that they and their families are well taken care of.

As a senior Member of the House Armed Services Committee, I continually work to bring attention and resources to Shaw Air Force Base, which I am proud to represent, as well as other South Carolina active, reserve and National Guard facilities. Specifically, this includes the addition to the 9th Air Force/AFCENT headquarters facilities necessary for Shaw AFB to be a true command and control center for this important mission while not on deployment.

In addition, much of my work on the Armed Services Committee centers on crafting an annual bill to authorize the national security activities of the Departments of Defense and Energy. This year's bill, H.R. 3326, appropriates $636.3 billion for the Department of Defense in Fiscal Year 2010, $4.4 billion more than the current level. The total includes $128.3 billion to support operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other parts of the world.

The measure generally provides additional funds for military pay raises; quality of life improvements for troops and their families; Special Operations forces; and equipment depleted by the war in Iraq, including new combat vehicles and new battle gear for the Army National Guard and reserves.

The measure reduces spending below current levels on missile defense, new nuclear weapons, and futuristic programs like the Future Combat System.

The bill also provides funding for the F-35 fighter and F-16 upgrades.

Keeping Our Commitments to Our Troops and Their Families

Military Pay Raise
The bill funds a 3.4% pay increase for military personnel, effective January 1, as well as targeted pay raises for a variety of enlisted personnel and officer grades. The increase is half a percentage point more than the President's request.

Active-Duty Personnel
The bill sets a ceiling on the number of total active-duty military personnel at 1,410,000 in FY 2010. On July 20, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced a temporary increase in the size of the Army of up to 22,000 troops. The added troops are for ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and would increase the size of the Army to 569,000 active-duty soldiers within three years. There are currently some 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 67,000 planned for Afghanistan by the end of the year.

Reserves
The measure sets a ceiling on reserve personnel that totals 844,500 in FY 2010, equal to the administration's request but 844 more than the FY 2009 level. Reserves include the National Guard and reserve forces of the armed services and the Coast Guard.

Stop Loss
The bill provides $8.3 million in additional funds to compensate the last personnel subject to "stop loss" requirements. The policy, which the Pentagon has pledged to end in FY 2010, involuntarily retains certain personnel in the military who were scheduled to end their service.

Family Support
The bill includes $472 million for family advocacy programs, and fully funds family support and yellow ribbon programs. Such programs help children and families managing the difficult challenges of military service, including professional counseling to help alleviate the mental stresses associated with deployments. The measure also includes $20 million for Army National Guard family assistance centers and reintegration efforts for guard personnel.

Defense Department Dependent Schools
The measure funds Defense Department dependent schools, which now educate more than 100,000 military children each year, as well as Impact Aid (The Education Department's Impact Aid program provides supplementary funds to school districts nationwide to support the education of nearly 600,000 children of service members).