Senate Proceeding on Dec 7th, 2006 :: 6:07:05 to 6:40:27
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6:20:38 to 6:20:54( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: ~ ~ quorum call: mr. bond: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to call off the call for the quorum. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. bond:

6:20:38 to 6:27:05( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Christopher S. Bond

6:20:54 to 6:21:10( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: i rise to pay tribute to my very good friend and colleague, senator jim talent. i've known him since i was the minority leader in the house of representatives. throughout all these years when he was

6:21:10 to 6:21:35( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: in the state legislature and in the house as chairman of the small business committee when i was chairman of the senate small business committee, i found jim to be unfailingly a man of honesty, integrity

6:21:35 to 6:21:57( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: and hard work. he has been a wonderful friend and colleague. jim still has the same common- common-sense values he brought with him to washington. he still has the same calm, polite demeanor. he has

6:21:57 to 6:22:11( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: the strong convictions and a work ethic and as i said to our folks back home in missouri, in an arena full of show~ and he was a man of unfailing good humor and coverage with a -- and courage, with

6:22:11 to 6:22:25( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: style, he thaimpgd his lord, his -- thanked his lord, his friends, and gracefully accepted his faith. i have a feeling and hope that public service will see much more of jim talent somewhere sometime,

6:22:25 to 6:22:38( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: and whatever he decides to do in the public or in the private sector, the qualities he has demonstrated to so many of us in the united states senate will be ones he will carry with him. he served in

6:22:38 to 6:22:51( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: the u.s. senate for only four years, but when you look at the record of legislative achievements, he had so many positive impacts on people's lives. it's hard to believe he could cram that all into

6:22:51 to 6:23:09( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: four years. he's been a leader on national security, energy, criminal justice. as a member of the senate armed services committee, jim worked to extend production of the c-17 line allowing 30,000 workers

6:23:09 to 6:23:21( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: across the country to keep their jobs, but more importantly to give our military the strategic lift capability they need to move troops and equipment to very difficult-to-reach places. jim also cares

6:23:21 to 6:23:41( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: about our troops in battle. he sponsored legislation to end predatory lending to active duty service members and their families. the new law just took effect six weeks ago. some of our soldiers were paying

6:23:41 to 6:23:53( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: almost 400% interest on money loaned to them. thanks to jim talent, the rate's now capped at 36%. i trust that applies to marines as well. last year, jim worked very hard to include a renewable fuel

6:23:53 to 6:24:07( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: provision in the energy bill, and on a bipartisan basis, under -- with his leadership, the u.s. will produce up to 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel that will be blended

6:24:07 to 6:24:21( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: in by 2012. jim's work in this area will only come more important as we, in the future, see america continuing to face high energy costs and we attempt to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. another

6:24:21 to 6:24:38( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: accomplishment jim will be known for is something that is extremely important in our state of missouri and that's his work, again on a bipartisan basis, with the senator from california to fight methamphetamine.

6:24:38 to 6:24:49( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: meth is a drug that's been destroying lives and communities across our state for many years, and now even across the country. but their combat meth act has helped stop the supply of meth ingredients to

6:24:49 to 6:25:06( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: dealers through its ban on over-the-counter sales. and you see a significant reduction in meth lab busts. it shows we're finally beginning to make progress against this drug. and obviously, i have

6:25:06 to 6:25:18( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: to mention his other bipartisan successes, like the sickle cell disease bill and the em mitt till bill. on a near rower focus, jim and i worked on many transportation projects to serve our state

6:25:18 to 6:25:31( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: of missouri. the liberty memorial in kansas city, the minimum wage avenue extension in st. louis, and countless others throughout the state. i should also mention my friend, jim talent, has put forward

6:25:31 to 6:25:44( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: some terrific proposals that he's been working on that haven't been enacted. his efforts to allow small business employers to pool together and form association health plans comes to mind. and those of us

6:25:44 to 6:25:58( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: who have been working to change the law so that small business employees and their families will have access to the same kind of insurance benefits that employees of major corporations have will not give

6:25:58 to 6:26:14( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: up the fight. we are going to continue with his great leadership in mind. i sure hope the next congress will follow up. the idea should be central in any discussion of expanding health care coverage

6:26:14 to 6:26:30( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: to the unsignatured. so, jim, as we prepare to say goodbye to you now from this floor, thank you for your years of devoted service to our state, to our nation. we with heartfelt gratitude, on behalf

6:26:30 to 6:26:41( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: of my wife, linda, and i, wish you, brenda and your children the very best in your future endeavors.~ and i know for a fact there will be great suggest successes ahead. thank you. i yield the floor.

6:26:41 to 6:26:51( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. mr. talent: mr. president, my great friend and colleague from missouri has an intelligence committee meeting to go to, and i -- so he went ahead and did his

6:26:51 to 6:27:05( Edit History Discussion )

Christopher S. Bond: kind tribute before i have given my speech, and those who were not aware of that may have thought that they would be able to get the short tributes and a avoid the long farewell swech speef anes that's

6:27:05 to 6:27:14( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: not true. -- farewell speech and that's not true. i am going to say a few words. and i'm going to devote my time, if the senate will indulge me to a substantive and very important subject: the

6:27:05 to 7:00:27( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: James Talent

6:27:14 to 6:27:30( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: appropriate level of funding for america's military. it is an issue that i have work worked on and fought for since went into the house of representatives in 1993, and i am going to speak for a few minutes

6:27:30 to 6:27:40( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: on that. before i do that, i want to ask unanimous consent to submit for the record remarks regarding john buck o'neil, one of the great ballplayers of the negro leaks and leagues. i am not going to --

6:27:40 to 6:27:49( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: he certain certainly deserves to be the speech read, but i am not going to read two speeches to the senate today. but i am going to ask unanimous consent that i can submit this for the record. the

6:27:49 to 6:28:00( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: presiding officer: without objection. mr. talent: i am grateful for my friend's remarks. i do want to get into the substance of this speech. i just want to say with regard to what he said that

6:28:00 to 6:28:12( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: i've always enjoyed serving in legislatures, in part because of the collegial nature of the service. when you're done, yes, it's the legislation that you've worked on that you'd like people to

6:28:12 to 6:28:25( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: remember. but what you remember are the friendships and the associations and the bonds that you have made and, fortunately, mr. president, those do not end with your service. i look forward to continuing

6:28:25 to 6:28:40( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: to visit with my friends here in the senate for years to come and i hope to be able to work with them in other venues on issues of importance to america. and nothing, mr. president, is more important

6:28:40 to 6:28:50( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: for america than her security. mr. president, america has the most capable military in the world by a large margin. in fact we have the best military that has ever served any nation, at any time in

6:28:50 to 6:29:04( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: human history, and we should be proud of that. we should especially be proud of the men and women who make america's military what it is. but it would be wrong for us to believe that because our military

6:29:04 to 6:29:14( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: is the best in the world or even the best ever that it is as capable as it needs to be to protect us. it's true. america is many times stronger than other nations but its responsibilities are many times

6:29:14 to 6:29:27( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: greater as well. if denmark's military is inadequate, mr. president, it doesn't matter that much, even to denmark -- i say with respect respect. but if america's military is in inadequate, it matters

6:29:27 to 6:29:40( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: tremendously. first to america but also to the hopes and aspirations of people throughout the world. i want us to understand the importance of this issue very clearly. without the distortionz of ideology,

6:29:40 to 6:29:51( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: politics, expediency or wishful thinking. like it or not, mr. president, the progress of the international order towards peace and democracy depends on the reality and perception of american power. like it

6:29:51 to 6:30:04( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: or not, america is the first defender of freedom from in the world and therefore always a prime target for those who hate freedom and, like it or not, while there are many tools in the basket of international

6:30:04 to 6:30:16( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: diplomat circumstance the under underpinning of them all is an american military which the world knows is capable of swiftly, effectively and at minimal cost defeating every substantial threat to our security

6:30:16 to 6:30:30( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: or to the hope of freedom in the world. and judged by this standard, which i submit is the only a appropriate standard, the situation is very grave. i have substantial doubt whether our current military

6:30:30 to 6:30:42( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: establishment, as good as the men and women in it are, is strong enough. because ofstitions decision over the last 15 years driven obvious by budgetary rather than military, consideration mption

6:30:42 to 6:30:54( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: s, our army and navy may be too small and much of the equipment is too old and creeingly unreliable. but whatever the current status of the military may be, there can be no doubt that without a substantial

6:30:54 to 6:31:06( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: increase in procurement spending -- beginning now -- and sustained over the next five years, an increase i want to suggest to the senate today that must be measured not in billions but in tens of billions

6:31:06 to 6:31:19( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: of dollars above current estimates every year, our military will be set back for a generation. i suggest that we will not be able to modernize our forces to the minimum degree necessary to preserve

6:31:19 to 6:31:29( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: our security with the necessary margin of safety. mr. president, i said that our current military is too small -- i'm talking about the current military now -- and inadequately equipped lyequipped

6:31:29 to 6:31:43( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: to execute the national military strategy. i will not go into detail on this point because my main focus is on the future. the world is on balance at least as danger today as it was at the end of the

6:31:43 to 6:31:57( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: cold war. it's true. and we may thank god for it that we're no longer in danger of a massive nuclear attack from the former soviet union, nor is a major land war in europe likely. we are engage ed in a

6:31:57 to 6:32:07( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: global war on terror that will continue for years to come. the end of the cold war led to the e emergence of dangerous regional conflicts such as the bosnian conflict. we are in greater danger today of

6:32:07 to 6:32:20( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: a rogue missile attack than we've ever been before and china is emerging as a peer competitor competitor, much faster than anyone believed. none of these conditions existed during the time of the

6:32:20 to 6:32:33( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: cold war. as a result, mr. president, the operational tempo of our conventional forces -- and that means the rate and intensity of their deployment -- was far higher even in the 1990's before 9/11

6:32:33 to 6:32:48( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: than it had ever been during the cold war. yede yet at the beginning of the 1990's, the size of our force was 30% to 040% bigger than it is today. for example, the active duty army was cut from 18 divisions

6:32:48 to 6:33:03( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: at the time of "desert storm" to only ten divisions by 1994 and don't we wish, mr. president, that we had those additional divisions today to relieve the pressure in iraq. the navy has gone from 576

6:33:03 to 6:33:18( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: ships in the late-1980's to 278 ships today. at the same time, procurement budgets have been cut substantially, far greater than the cuts in force structure warranted. the contrast in the average annual procurement

6:33:18 to 6:33:34( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: of major equipment from two periods -- 19 1975 to 1990 and from 1991 to 2 2000 -- is startle ing. for example, we purchased an average of 78 scout and attack helicopters each year from 1975 to 1990.

6:33:34 to 6:33:48( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: and only seven each year from 19 1991 to 2000. we purchased an average of 238 air force fighters each year from 1975 to 1990 0, an average of only 28 from 1991 to 2000. we purchased five tanker aircraft

6:33:48 to 6:34:01( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: each year from 1975 to 1990, an average of only one per year from 1991 to 2000. the implications for these dramatic reductions are profound profound. older platforms -- that's what the military capes

6:34:01 to 6:34:14( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: calls ships, planes planes, and vehicles -- old he er platforms are retired and not re replace ed. military capabilities are reduced. if platforms are not replaced, the average age of the fleet increases,

6:34:14 to 6:34:24( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: ready iness levels drop and the cost of maintaining that smaller, older inventory climbs rapidly because maintenance cost costs increase. for these reasons i suggest that the current force today is too

6:34:24 to 6:34:36( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: small and its equipment too old relative to the requirements of our national military strategy. that strategy calls for a military capable f of defending the homeland, sustaining four peacekeeping

6:34:36 to 6:34:46( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: engagements and fighting two large-scale regional conflicts at least at approximately the same time. we're supposed to be able to do all that at once. and i believe the requirement on our military

6:34:46 to 6:35:00( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: are actually greater than this. but in any event, we probably cannot execute even these commitments and we certainly will not be able to do so in the future with an acceptable level of risk unless the

6:35:00 to 6:35:10( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: -- at least the army is made bigger and unless all three services have the money to robustly recapital recapitalize their major platforms with the most modern equipment. for years the various services in

6:35:10 to 6:35:24( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: response to pressure to reduce the budget below what they really needed have been delaying or canceling new programs. they've been reducing the number of new ships or planes they say they need, kicking

6:35:24 to 6:35:37( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: crucial decisions down the budgetary road, robbing peter to pay paul, and otherwise trying to avoid confronting the approaching crisis. but the crisis is upon us now. we are entering the crucial

6:35:37 to 6:35:48( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: phase of recapitalization. beginning with the next budget and intensifying over the next five to seine ters years, the service services are scheduled to bring online the new platforms that will anchor american

6:35:48 to 6:36:02( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: security for the next generation. mr. president, no one can say that these programs run needed. the navy must buy new destroyers destroyers, must ramp up procurement of virginia-class submarines,

6:36:02 to 6:36:14( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: must finalize the design and buy large numbers of combat ships and must design and build the new c.g.x. cruise er. the air force must buy large newspapers numbers of the f-22, our new air air-to-air

6:36:14 to 6:36:25( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: superiority fighter. we must maintain the ability to have complete air superiority over any combat theater.~ the air force must buy large numbers of joint strike fighters or equilt aircraft. in addition,

6:36:25 to 6:36:40( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: the air force must buy out its airlift requirement. that's how we get from one place to another in the world. must build a new generation of tankers, must design and build a long range strike bomber to

6:36:40 to 6:36:55( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: replace the b-52. our b 52 inventory, mr. president, is 40- to 50 years old. if we don't replace it, young men and women going into the air force now will be flying aircraft 70 or 80 years old. the

6:36:55 to 6:37:04( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: army must rebuild, modernize or replace almost its entire capital stock of ground combat and support vehicles, including many of its tanks. the current procurement budget for all three services is

6:37:04 to 6:37:17( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: is $80.9 billion. simple budgetary mathematics tells us the services cannot possibly meet their crucial requirements without an average budget over the next five to 10 years that i estimate is at least

6:37:17 to 6:37:29( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: 30% higher than what we are now spending. mr. president, perhaps i have gone in more detail than the senate is willing to indulge me in already, but i want to look at some depth of the situation

6:37:29 to 6:37:45( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: of the navy, and here i speak from what i know, because i have been the chairman of the sea power subcommittee for the last four years. currently there are 278 ships in the united states navy. the navy

6:37:45 to 6:37:57( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: shipbuilding plan calls for 326 ships by the year 2020, and eventually, that's settling down into an average of 313 ships. the plan actually calls for fewer aircraft carriers, a substantial drop in attack

6:37:57 to 6:38:11( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: submarines, and fewer major surface combatants, but it attempts to make up for this with modern destroyers, more capable submarines and what's called prepositioning ships that will allow us to build

6:38:11 to 6:38:26( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: and defend sea bases as well as a whole new class of smaller, multimission modular vessels called latoral combat ships. there's no margin whatsoever for america in this plan. it is, at best, the minimum necessary

6:38:26 to 6:38:38( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: for our security. now, the chief of naval operations, that's the admiral who runs the navy, stims that the plan will require a shipbuilding budget of of $13.3 billion for fiscal 2008. that is $5 billion more

6:38:38 to 6:38:51( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: than spent on shipbuilding this year. his plan calls for that number to escalate to $17.5 billion by 2012. i believe these figures are too conservative, and good faith effort to calculate what we need,

6:38:51 to 6:39:03( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: but too conservative. i think the plan will require billions more than that each year to execute and both the congressional budget office and the congressional research office agree. but i say on

6:39:03 to 6:39:16( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: my oath as a senator that it will be utterly impossible at current levels of defense spending for the navy to reach and sustain the the $13.3 billion to say nothing of the even higher sums required

6:39:16 to 6:39:27( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: in the outyears of the five-year defense plan and beyond. beginning no later than 2009, there will be a growing shortfall in the shipbuilding accounts in addition to an annual shortfall of $1 billion to $2

6:39:27 to 6:39:44( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: billion per year in navy aviation procurement. i expect the total efficiency to be no less than $45 billion over the fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2016 period, and remember, even this assumes that the 300

6:39:44 to 6:39:54( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: in ship navy is sufficient to protect american security and an optimistic assumption. lest the senate get lost in all these figures, mr. president, let me sum it this way, the navy responding to budgetary pressure

6:39:54 to 6:40:06( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: has formed a 313 ship plan in the future which may be inadequate. the navy estimates a figure for funding that plan which independent authorities, using long-term historical data, believe is far too

6:40:06 to 6:40:18( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: low. and yet, without substantial increases in the navy's procurement budget, it's a dead certainty that even that figure cannot be sustained. as a practical matter, the expected shortfall means the sacrifice

6:40:18 to 6:40:32( Edit History Discussion )

James Talent: of two to three attack subs, and two to three surface combatants, a reduction in purchases of the littoral combat ships and delays to the sea basing program and the new c.g.x. cruiser program which