National Security

The 19th District is the proud home of Dyess Air Force Base and the B-1B Lancer of the 7th Bomb Wing and the C-130 Hercules of the 317th Airlift Group. The men and women of Dyess AFB are making invaluable contributions in the fight against terrorism.  In fact, there has been a B-1 in the skies over Iraq or Afghanistan almost 24/7 since September 2001. West Texas is proud of our airmen and honors their service along with the service of everyone who wears the uniform of our nation in defense of freedom and democracy.

Our national security is one of the most important issues facing our nation.  I am committed to the brave men and women who risk their lives to defend freedom, and will continue to work to make certain that they receive benefits which they have earned through their service.  Some of the most important defense policy decisions of a generation are being made as every branch and agency of government strives to address a new fiscal reality.  We must never let our military deteriorate as we have seen over the past decade, because, as has been demonstrated, we will never know when our nation's security will be challenged.

With these concerns in mind, I led the effort to ensure that the President’s proposed plan to retire six B-1 bombers was carefully studied and analyzed before being implemented.  In fact, I even testified before the House Armed Services Committee regarding the importance of the role the B-1 is playing on a daily basis in the Middle East. While I feel strongly that now is not the time to retire a single B-1 bomber, as a result of my leadership, the retirements will at least take place over a five year window, which allows the Air Force to carefully assess the impact of these retirements.  Additionally, the Department of Defense must now produce a report regarding how it plans to sustain the B-1 fleet until a new long-range bomber becomes operational, providing a clear path for how to maintain this crucial asset.

I was disgusted with some of the political gamesmanship that was being played with the paychecks of our service men and women during the budget battles in this Congress.  With these concerns in mind, I sponsored H.R. 1297, the Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act, which instructs the Secretary of the Treasury to ensure that our service men and women would continue to be paid in the event of any government shutdown.  I took my commitment to our troops one step further and wrote a letter to the House Clerk’s Office instructing them that in the event of shutdown, I was not to receive a single cent of my paycheck until they did.

Our nation’s military is asked to do a job that few would do. Today’s All-Volunteer Force is the most capable fighting force in the world – a force that requires our unwavering support and vigilant advocacy as a reminder to us all that freedom is not free.  It was extremely humbling to meet the 2011 Military Family of the Year – the family of Dyess Air Force Major Eric Arnold – and see how much they continue to give back to their community, while giving so much to their country.  We must never forget that when one member of the family serves, all of the family serves.