National Defense Authorization Bill

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on another important matter, the issue before us today, there are an array of threats facing our country. As the chairman of the Armed Services Committee recently observed, ``[I]nstead of one great power rival, the United States now faces a series of trans-regional, cross-functional, multi-domain, and long-term strategic competitions.''

There are the conventional military challenges, such as adversaries who have been developing and modernizing their missiles, airframes, ships, and ground forces; there are the asymmetric threats, such as cyber warfare, propaganda, and espionage; and there are nations, such as China, Iran, and Russia, which represent both conventional and asymmetric threats at the very same time.

If we are going to keep Americans safe, we have to prepare for all of these challenges. We have to modernize our defenses, keep up with technological advances, and recognize threats. Passing the National Defense Authorization Act before us would put our country on the path to doing these things. It is a reform bill that will encourage defense innovation. It is a forward-looking bill that will upgrade our missile defenses and modernize our military equipment. It is a responsible bill that will ensure that America's men and women in uniform receive more of the resources they need to confront the challenges of today and the threats of tomorrow.

As I have said before, we should use the remaining months of the Obama administration to prepare the next administration, whether Republican or Democratic, for the variety of challenges it will inherit. These are complex challenges without simple answers. Passing a pro-reform, pro-innovation, pro-modernization defense bill such as this one will leave us better equipped to solve them. It will leave us better equipped to keep Americans and our allies safe in the face of ever-evolving security challenges.

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