00:00I recognize the chair of the subcommittee, the gentleman from Tennessee, Dr. Desjardins, for any comments he'd like to make.
00:06Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:08I want to start by thanking all the members of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee for their work this year.
00:13I would also like to thank my friend, Ranking Member Moulton, for his help and partnership in my first year as chairman.
00:19As we both often say, the issues within our jurisdiction are some of the most important topics before us as members.
00:25So I appreciate the focus, participation, and contribution that we get from all of our subcommittee members.
00:32I would like to also especially like to thank the subcommittee's exceptional professional staff for their hard work to produce a successful bill.
00:41Whitney Verrett, Peter Schertzinger, Maria Vestola, and Austin Richards have worked tirelessly and put in countless hours.
00:50And we cannot do this without their guidance and hard work.
00:53And I can't overstate how much I appreciate their help.
00:57Finally, I'd like to thank Lindsay Keller, my professional staff, who does a great job day in and day out,
01:03and took over for the long-serving Tony Ioro, who left my staff last month to pursue a law career.
01:10I'm proud of the mark before us today.
01:12It supports the ongoing efforts to modernize the nation's nuclear triad.
01:16In addition to the scientific capabilities in nuclear command, control, and communications architecture that supports our nuclear deterrent.
01:23We also establish a new rapid capabilities program within the National Nuclear Security Administrator
01:30to enhance our ability to respond to the growing threats from China and Russia.
01:35The mark also supports the development of Golden Dome to achieve the president's goals outlined in the executive order.
01:41Our mark also provides legislative authority for the Missile Defense Agency to work with the Maritime Administration
01:47to recapitalize aging missile range instrumentation vessels that will be vital to this effort.
01:53In space, we establish the tactical surveillance reconnaissance and tracking programs as a formal program of record
02:00to provide badly needed space products from commercial providers to combatant commands.
02:06We also push the department to use a private sector payment model for commercial satellite communication services,
02:12giving flexibility to the military users and using scarce funds more efficiently.
02:17Finally, I'm happy to support the work of Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Smith
02:21in their efforts to sustain the growth and development of Space Force Guardians
02:25to ensure we have the highly skilled and technically professional acquisition cadre
02:30capable of bringing online the next generations of systems necessary to fight and win in space.
02:37I urge a yes vote and yield back.
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