November 16, 2005
Washington D.C. - Today, the Senate passed the Defense Authorization bill, which will help strengthen our military and boost Connecticut's defense industry. This bill provides a number of important benefits to military personnel in a time of war. The bill includes a 3.1 percent pay raise for all military personnel, expands health care benefits to children of troops killed in action, raises military death payments for the families of military personnel who have died in the line duty, and increases Service Group Life Insurance coverage for military families from $250,000 to $400,000 for all service members.

"Our nation's troops are giving their all on the field of battle. We need to ensure that they and their families have our support, but also the resources and equipment to prevail. This defense measure is a step in the right direction," said Dodd. "It lays out a blueprint to help ensure that our nation remains strong in a very dangerous world. I'm particularly proud that Connecticut workers - as they have in the past - continue to play a vital role in our national defense. Their work in building submarines, helicopters and other vitally important weaponry continues to strengthen our national defense and help fuel our state's economic engine."

Also included in the bill was an amendment authored by Senators James Talent (R-MO), Joe Lieberman, and Dodd to authorize another multi-year contract to procure 42 more C-17 aircraft and would encourage the Department of Defense to emphasize strategic airlift needs in the upcoming Quadrennial Defense Review. Pratt and Whitney manufactures the F117-PW-100 engines in Connecticut, which power these aircraft.

The bill will promote Connecticut's defense industry by authorizing the following:

• Virginia Class Submarines: $2.4 billion to produce one Virginia-class submarine.
• Submarine design and engineering: $185.8 million; including $30 million above the President's budget request for a Multi-Mission Module for Virginia Class submarines.
• SSGN Conversion: $334 million to continue converting ballistic missile submarines to attack submarines.
• Long Aperture Bow Array Sonar: An increase of $10 million above the President's budget request.

Senators Applaud Senate-House Agreements on Two Major Appropriations Bills

November 9, 2005
WASHINGTON – The Senate and House have reached an agreement on two appropriations bills that will provide $15,945,000 in federal funding for important Connecticut initiatives in fiscal year 2006, Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman announced today. Dodd and Lieberman worked to ensure that resources for a number of Connecticut initiatives were included in both the Commerce, Justice, Science and State and the Energy & Water appropriations bills.

“Chairman Principi and the BRAC Commission today stood up for America’s national security needs and reversed the Pentagon’s senseless proposal to close Submarine Base New London. With their vote today, the Commission recognized how critically important this installation and the United States submarine fleet are to meeting the military challenges of the 21st century.

As the Commission’s decision showed, our case was rock solid, based on the true military value and cost assessments of Naval Submarine Base New London. The nation owes a debt of gratitude to the nine BRAC Commissioners and their staff for their truly exhaustive and independent analysis.

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Ever since the shocking recommendation by the Defense Department to close Submarine Base New London, residents of Connecticut – from public officials, to business leaders, to concerned citizens – have come together in common cause to keep alive this unique military asset.

No one in our state needs to be convinced that the effects of closing the base would be devastating. Life in Southeastern Connecticut is inextricably linked to the Sub Base – from the base itself, to Electric Boat and its subcontractors where these extraordinary vessels are built, to the local businesses that serve our military and their families. It is estimated that the closure would ultimately cost Connecticut’s economy 31,500 jobs and $3.3 billion.

Picture the following scenario: the United States has information that terrorists are meeting in a foreign country to plot an attack on American soil. We know where the group will be meeting, but the country is a hostile one and its government is not offering any help. We have a number of options at our disposal. We can try to learn information from the meeting by monitoring phone calls, radio transmissions, email messages, and other communications. We can organize a lightning-quick strike by special forces to capture or kill the terrorists. Or we can launch a precision missile attack.