Defense Dept.

February 23,2010 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell issued the following statement on the eve of the release by the U.S. Air Force of its final Request for Proposal (RFP) on the air refueling tanker competition:

“I am pushing to make sure the Department of Defense acts with urgent focus to correct past mistakes in the tanker competition. U.S. forces, including the men and women at Fairchild Air Force Base, WA, need new air refueling tankers to effectively conduct their vital national security responsibilities. I am seeking the best tanker possible for American warfighters as well as American taxpayers. At stake across the United States are some 50,000 jobs, many of them in Washington state.    » read more »

WARRENVILLE, IL, February 16, 2010 ----Navistar Defense, LLC (NYSE: NAV) today was awarded a contract for $752 million to provide 1,050 enhanced International® MaxxPro® Dash Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. Vehicles under the award from the Systems Command will include the DXM™ independent suspension solution.

“The threats that our warfighters face continue to change every day and we understand the urgency needed to rapidly engineer and deliver new Dash vehicles to defeat emerging threats,” said Archie Massicotte, president, Navistar Defense. “We are constantly looking at enhancements across our vehicle portfolio to provide warfighters with the most advanced equipment.”    » read more »

FY2011 Request: $708.3 billion; FY2010 Enacted: $660.4 billion; FY2010 Supplemental: $33.0 billion

While the U.S. military is addressing ongoing challenges – such as drawing down responsibly in Iraq and carrying out the President’s strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan – the Department of Defense (DOD) is identifying long-term strategic needs and targeting resources toward its highest priorities. These priorities, developed in concert with the DOD’s Quadrennial Defense Review, include taking care of our men and women in uniform, rebalancing our forces to address both current and future conflicts, and reforming business practices in areas such as developing and purchasing weapons.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, DC (January 24, 2010) – A troubling report from the Congressional Research Service found that private security contractors, like Blackwater, comprise nearly one-third of the armed force in Afghanistan and nearly one-fifth in Iraq. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, wrote to Secretary Robert Gates following the release of the report urging him to scale down security contractors and return those functions to U.S. military forces.

The report, “The Department of Defense’s Use of Private Security Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan: Background, Analysis, and Options for Congress,” was released January 19, 2009.    » read more »

DOD and Army Commit to Independent Assessment of Body Armor Testing; Senator’s Oct. 22 Letter Supported GAO’s Call for Verification of Test Data

December 10, 2009 -- Washington, DC – Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) today announced that the U.S. Army has approved an independent assessment of its body armor testing by the National Research Council (NRC), one of four organizations comprising the private, non-profit National Academies.

The Army’s announcement followed Senator Webb’s recent letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, urging the adoption of recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO report, released October 16, cited deviations in testing protocols used in the Army’s 2007 testing of body armor.    » read more »

Chairman Kerry Opening Statement For U.S. Defense Trade Treaties Hearing

12/10/2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C.--Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) delivered the following opening statement at a hearing on the proposed Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties with the United Kingdom and Australia:

Full text as prepared is below:

Today we meet to consider treaties with two of our closest allies, the United Kingdom and Australia, that would change how our country controls arms exports and shares military technology. The Committee first took testimony on these treaties in May of last year, and this will be the second hearing we devote to them.    » read more »

December 1, 2009 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash), today responded to Airbus and Northrop Grumman’s transparent attempt to once again press the Air Force into tilting the tanker competition in their favor by threatening to drop out of the competition.

“Today’s threat by Airbus to drop out of the tanker competition unless the rules are changed in their favor is no surprise. This is a new competition, but the players are the same and Airbus is up to its same old tricks.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved a measure that will make a major investment in jobs in Great Falls and will significantly improve veterans’ health care, Senators Jon Tester and Max Baucus announced today.

Tester, a member of the influential Senate Appropriations Committee, and Baucus secured the funding for Malmstrom Air Force Base and for better veterans’ services in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- (Washington, D.C.) -The U.S. Senate has approved the Fiscal Year 2010 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations spending bill which includes more than $9 million for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

This funding, which was supported by Senators Judd Gregg (R-NH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME), and Susan Collins (R-ME), includes $7.1 million to be used for security improvements at Gate 2.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – By a vote of 100-0, the U.S. Senate today approved the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill for fiscal year 2010, including $73.55 million U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) helped secure to upgrade Naval Station Newport.

“This federal funding will allow the Navy to make critical renovations at Naval Station Newport and improve readiness and operational support for our troops,” said Reed, a member of both the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees. “This federal investment is vitally important to the continued presence and growth of Rhode Island’s military facilities and defense industry, which play an important role in our state’s economy.”    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- (Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a member of the Senate Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, announced that the $398.8 million for military installations in Washington state passed the full Senate. The funding will be used to make improvements to a number of installations that facilitate training and care for service members and their families.

The funding is also expected to create family-wage construction jobs in communities throughout the state. The funding was included in the Fiscal Year 2010 Military Construction Appropriations bill, which passed the Senate today 100-0.    » read more »

Bill contains billions of dollars for medical care, women veterans, homeless veterans; includes specific language on Walla Walla VA, South Puget Sound CBOC

November 17, 2009 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) helped pass legislation through the full Senate that provides $109 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill passed by a 100-0 vote.

The funding, which is included in the fiscal year 2010 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill, is $150 million more than the President requested. The majority of the funding will go directly to health care services which will help cut wait-times, increase access to quality care and mental health services for our veterans.    » read more »

Senate Appropriations Bill Would Direct Nearly $87 Million to Seven Projects

November 17, 2009 --
WASHINGTON — Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, both D-Mich., today hailed the Senate’s passage of a bill including $87 million for seven projects in Michigan and funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Senate and House of Representatives must now reconcile their versions of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2010 before moving to final passage in both chambers.    » read more »

WASHINGTON -- Nov. 17, 2009 – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy Tuesday joined 56 other Senators to defeat an amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act that would have prohibited the use of funds to construct or modify prison facilities to hold individuals currently being detained at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Leahy has opposed similar measures designed to curb the tools and resources available to the Federal Government to bring charges against detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. The amendment was opposed by the Attorney General, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Statement Of Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.),
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee,    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- U.S. Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), Chairman of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs (VA) and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, today announced that the Senate has unanimously passed the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill for FY2010.

Johnson authored the spending measure from his position as Chairman, and placed a strong emphasis on addressing the needs of rural and homeless veterans while also providing for important South Dakota priorities.    » read more »