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Floor Speech

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Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, last week, a U.S. Army Apache helicopter went down off the coast of Iran. Within 2 hours, a rescue boat located the pilots. This was not an ordinary rescue boat. For the first time ever, an unmanned sea drone was sent to pick up the pilots and bring them to safety.

From the battlefields of Ukraine to the conflict with Iran, drones and other unmanned systems have become the weapon of choice. Yet the U.S. military has been dangerously behind in drone and counter-drone capabilities.

We have made considerable progress in just the last year, as evidenced by the rescue last week, but we still have more work to do.

That is where the National Defense Authorization Act comes in. I often say that if we don't get national security right, the rest is just conversation. And this annual defense bill is one of the most important bills we consider each year because it is where we make the policies that help ensure we do get national security right.

We pass this bill every year so that these policies are up to date-- so that we are giving our men and women in uniform the very best equipment capabilities to do the job we ask them to do.

Last week, the Armed Services Committee reported out the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027, and I am proud to say that this bill authorizes important investments to improve readiness and to provide the capabilities that we need to keep America safe today and into the future. That includes a heavy focus on unmanned systems.

This bill would create a new combatant command overseeing these technologies. It authorizes $1 billion in unmanned maritime systems, supports drone and counter-drone capabilities at military bases and at America's borders, and will ensure that we are able to produce and procure enough munitions for all of these systems as well.

Drones are just the beginning. There is a lot more in this year's NDAA to strengthen America's military, improve readiness, and keep our armed services on the cutting edge.

One of things is shipbuilding. The bill reported out of committee authorizes investment in a number of new ships, including accelerating procurement of amphibious warfare ships and supporting domestic shipbuilding and repair capabilities.

As for our airpower, this year's bill will help ensure we maintain a force of at least 1,800 fighters. It supports the new B-21 long-range strategic bomber, which is expected to land at Ellsworth Air Force Base, in my home State, sometime next year. And it allows for multiyear procurement for fighter planes, which will allow the Pentagon to do business more efficiently, with greater predictability, and save taxpayer money.

This year's bill builds on the significant reforms to defense acquisition we enacted in last year's NDAA in a number of ways. As I mentioned, it allows for multiyear procurement contracts for fighter aircraft, as well as for munitions and vehicles. And it accelerates the process for new software to come online, removing unnecessary redtape that delays getting new technology into the hands of the American soldiers.

And speaking of our men and women in uniform, I am pleased to be able to say that this bill authorizes a 3.6-percent pay raise for our military members. It also supports a number of quality-of-life improvements, including investments in education, healthcare, and childcare for servicemembers and their families.

As I have already said, this is an important bill, and drafting a bill of this size is not a simple task. I appreciate the hard work by our colleagues on the Armed Services Committee.

Thanks to the leadership of Chairman Wicker and Ranking Member Reed, we have, for the 66th year now in a row, a bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act. That, too, is no small feat.

When it comes to military capabilities, we just can't play catchup. We need to be the leader in the capabilities that will define the future--capabilities that will keep Americans safe by making our enemies think twice before crossing us. That is peace through strength, but you can't get there with a strong budget one year and a weak budget the next.

We ask members of the Armed Forces to be ready whenever we need them, wherever we need them, and for whatever we need them to do.

And we here have an obligation to make sure that when that call comes, they have what they need to answer it.

We need to make every concerted effort--every--to strengthen our military. There is never a time when we can afford to put this on the back burner. Try as we might, we simply don't know what is coming over the horizon, and we will eventually pay the price for failing to invest in a strong national defense today.

Mr. President, 251 years ago this week the Continental Congress created the Continental Army and appointed George Washington its Commander in Chief. For 251 years, Americans have bravely gone to fight our Nation's battles, and for 251 years, it has been Congress' job to stand behind them and provide what they need to execute the mission.

The face of the battle has changed, but the fundamental duty--theirs and ours--has not. As Washington himself said:

If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace . . . it must be known that we are at all times ready for war.

We have to get national security right. I am glad this year's National Defense Authorization Act is up to the task, and I look forward to bringing it to the floor very soon.

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