Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, before I begin talking about the legislation before us today, I would like to thank Chairman Warner and Ranking member Levin who have continued their tradition of strong bipartisan leadership of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In particular, I want to commend my dear friend and colleague, Senator John Warner, for his service to this distinguished Committee. As Chair, he has been a true statesman and shown how Congress should work. He understands the issues that come before this Committee are ones that should not be caught in party bickering. Mr. Chairman, it has truly been an honor to work with you to ensure that our men and women in the Armed Services have the tools necessary to successfully meet the challenges of today and into the future. While this will be the last Defense Authorization bill that you will oversee as the Chairman of the Committee, it surely will not be the last one where your expertise will be felt. Again, I thank you and look forward to working with you in the future on issues before this Committee.

This bill exemplifies what can be achieved through the spirit of bipartisan cooperation to address a number of important defense priorities. For example, this bill makes sure the Department of Defense has the resources it needs to combat terrorism by authorizing an additional $115.2 million over the President's budget request. And it includes a number of provisions designed to protect the quality of life of our service members.

But I have several concerns related to this bill. First and foremost, I am concerned that the Administration continues to fund this war through emergency supplemental appropriations. While I support our soldiers currently serving overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan and I am pleased that this Committee has authorized an additional $81.9 billion for ongoing operations, I believe that the Administration's current policy is fiscally irresponsible. Unlike true national emergencies and natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the funds required for these ongoing operations can be assessed, identified and included in the regular budget process. It is time for this Administration to make the true cost of war transparent to both the Congress and the American public.

Mr. President, just today, I returned from Iraq where I had an opportunity to meet and speak with our brave men and women in the Armed Forces in Iraq. They are truly doing an excellent job in a difficult and often dangerous environment. Thanks to the efforts of our soldiers, the people of Iraq are better equipped to begin the task of self-governance. During this trip, I spoke to the new Iraqi Minister of Defense and Iraq's National Security Advisor who are both optimistic about Iraq's progress toward democracy. I, myself, witnessed the advances made by the Iraqi people who are building a strong democratic foundation for the future of their nation. However, more needs to be done. While I do not believe that we should leave before the Iraqi people are equipped with the tools necessary to support a stable democratic society, we must ensure that the progress already started with the recent election of the Iraqi Minister of Defense and the Minister of Interior continues. At the same time, whether we leave Iraq tomorrow, or in six months, or longer, it is important for the President to inform Congress and the American people as to when and how our troops will be coming home.

I am also disappointed that this year's authorization bill reduced the amount of funding for corrosion prevention and control programs. Corrosion is a costly problem. In fact, it is one of the largest costs in the life cycle of weapons systems. In addition, corrosion reduces military readiness as the need to repair or replace corrosion damage increases the downtime of critical military assets. Consequently, I firmly believe that cohesive corrosion control programs are integral to maintaining military readiness. This critical maintenance activity increases the life of multi-million dollar weapons systems and ensures their availability during times of crisis. Effective corrosion control should be made a key component of the Department of Defense's resetting strategy and funds should be allocated accordingly.

Despite these concerns, I feel that this year's authorization includes a number of significant provisions that will greatly benefit our military personnel. I am particularly pleased to see provisions that address issues related to the quality of life of military members and their families. I believe that it is our responsibility, as government leaders, to guarantee that our men and women in uniform are appropriately compensated. Consequently, I support the Committee's approval of a 2.2 percent pay raise for all military personnel and targeted pay raises for mid-career and senior enlisted personnel and warrant officers. I am also encouraged that the Committee prohibited increases in TRICARE Prime enrollment fees in Fiscal Year 2007 and authorized $10 million for pilot projects related to the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In addition, I am glad to see a number of provisions that directly benefit the children of our nation's soldiers such as the authorized $45 million in supplemental education aid to local school districts that are affected by a large increase of students due to base realignments or the activation of new military units. I also support a three-year pilot education program on parent education to promote early childhood education for military children who have been affected by their parent's deployment or relocation.

As the Ranking Member of the Readiness Subcommittee, my colleagues and I included a number of provisions in the bill that are vital to the near-term readiness of our Armed Forces. Most notably, this bill includes several provisions designed to address problems related to the DOD's acquisitions policies. One key provision would give DOD program managers more authority while at the same time holding them accountable for results-a best practice currently employed in the private sector. A provision requiring DOD officials to certify that the cost estimate for programs are reasonable and funding is available prior to initiating a major defense acquisition program was included as well. This bill also makes provisions that address DOD contracting policies and practices. For example, the DOD would be required to track and report cost overruns and schedule delays on major information technology purchases.

I am also encouraged by our ability to provide support for programs and projects funded through the Operation and Maintenance account which directly impact the readiness of our troops. These include an additional $52.9 million for force protection, including combat clothing and field medical equipment and $97.3 million for training resources. In addition, the Readiness Subcommittee included an increase of $400 million for critical military construction projects that were identified by military installation commanders as top priorities.

I am pleased that the bill also contains my legislation to establish a National Language Council to develop a long-term and comprehensive language strategy and oversee the implementation of that strategy. In 2004 the Department of Defense hosted a conference on foreign language education and the development of such a council and strategy was the number one recommendation of those in attendance - including Administration officials. Without a comprehensive strategy addressing all of our language needs, combined with a real investment in language education, the strength and security of the United States remains at risk. It is imperative that our education system produce individuals in a broad spectrum of occupations who are able to effectively communicate and understand the cultures of the people with whom they interact. This includes scientists, lawyers, doctors, and educators, in addition to diplomats, law enforcement officers, and intelligence analysts. Moreover, I believe that we must focus on more than just the languages deemed "critical" today. Rather, we should learn all languages in order to develop long-term relationships with people all across the world. To do this, we need a cross-cutting and comprehensive plan that states where we are today, where we want to be, and how we are going to get there. My legislation that establishes a National Language Council goes a long way toward providing a national language strategy that reflects the views of all stakeholders - academia, industry, language associations, heritage communities, and governments at all levels- because this is an issue that impacts every segment of society and is too big for only one sector to handle.

Mr. President, I believe that the Senate Armed Services Committee has created a bill that will provide the necessary funds required to support our service men and women and that allows the military to continue to meet our nation's future defense needs. Thank you.