Military & National Defense

Eastern North Carolina is home to some of the key military installations in our nation, and as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) and the Ranking Member of the HASC’s Seapower Subcommittee, I have long supported a strong national defense while doing all I can to support and adequately equip our men and women in uniform.

It is essential that we maintain a strong defense here at home and abroad by providing the necessary resources our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines need to get the job done, while also improving their military pay, education, health and other promised benefits. We must also strengthen our industrial base and encourage defense businesses to locate their companies in North Carolina to promote the state’s lengthy defense history.

I am pleased that the US is now out of Iraq, but we must make continued progress to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home. We must also maintain diplomatic relations with Iran (especially in terms of sanctions), Syria, North Korea and China.

Finally, I was pleased to support the fiscal year 2013 National Defense Authorization bill that recently passed the House and includes $458 billion in military construction for North Carolina bases, including Fort Bragg. Given that the installation is receiving the Army’s premiere command, Forces Command, and the Army Reserve Command, as part of the BRAC 2005 process, this commitment demonstrates the importance of Fort Bragg today and the significant impact the BRAC changes will have on the entire region.

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