March 13, 2007

“General Pace's comments were completely out of line.  Many gay and lesbian members of our military have served their country honorably over the years and I find it outrageous that at a time when we need as many good people serving in the military as possible, we are still talking about excluding people based on their sexual orientation.”

March 8, 2007

The Connecticut delegation called on Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne to reopen the selection process for the Air Force’s contract for the Combat Search and Rescue Replacement Vehicle (CSAR-X) to ensure the process is handled in a fair and thorough manner.  Despite a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review, which late yesterday released new details about the problems with the procurement process, the Secretary has stated that he would “like to stay with what we got and get this product going as soon as possible.”

 

Recent report rates 88% of National Guard units ‘not ready’ due largely to heavy deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan

Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) today introduced legislation that would provide critical funding to restore National Guard readiness for combat and preparedness to address a large-scale domestic emergencies. A report released last week by the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves revealed that nearly 88 percent of Army National Guard units are not equipped for combat, lacking trucks, Humvees, generators, radios, night-vision goggles and other gear that would be critical for responding to a major disaster, terrorist attack or other domestic emergency. Dodd’s bill will allocate $38 billion to the National Guard over the next five years to address the current equipment shortfall. 

February 26, 2007

“The GAO made the correct decision today.  American military personnel depend on our pararescue squads to save their lives when they are in harm's way.  These units need and deserve the best possible equipment.

 

“The helicopter designed and manufactured by Sikorsky's Connecticut workforce fits that bill. I applaud the company's decision to aggressively challenge the Air Force's flawed decision, and believe that Sikorsky's aircraft should win this contract on its merits, in an open and fair competition.”

February 8, 2007

Mr. President, I rise today to express my support for the confirmation of General George Casey to become the next Chief of Staff of the United States Army.

Let us be clear.  Our soldiers are fighting a grueling and dangerous war.   They need to know that their leaders will have no higher priority than their safety and wellbeing.  I believe that General Casey will do just that.

February 5, 2007

“From Black Hawk helicopters to fighter jet engines, this budget reflects the critically important contributions that Connecticut’s manufacturers make to our national security. But the Administration needs to make improving our intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities a higher priority – and that means supporting our undersea fleet with the production of two additional submarines per year. This allocation is critical both to Connecticut’s defense industry and our nation’s security.”

Dodd Military Equipment Timeline