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LAMBORN COMMENTS ON FY2010 DEFENSE BUDGET STATEMENT
Apr 6 2009Today, Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05) issued the following statement in response to Secretary Gates’ opening statement regarding the FY2010 defense budget.
“Secretary Gates, acting on behalf of the Obama administration, has recommended some serious changes to the FY2010 defense budget. I fully support Secretary Gates’ belief in transparency in the budget process. I also applaud his commitment to increased funding for traumatic brain injury and health programs addressing issues like post-traumatic stress disorder. However, I believe the administration must reassess several of its decisions on weapons systems critical to our national defense.
While I support the increase of $700 million to the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) System and Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) program, and applaud the additional funding to convert six additional Aegis ships to provide ballistic missile defense capabilities, I strongly urge the administration to reconsider its overall $1.4 billion reduction to the Missile Defense Agency. North Korea’s recent missile launch is a striking reminder that we must be prepared to defend ourselves against self-declared enemies of the United States who actively seek missile capabilities and are bent on using them against the Western world.
Gates notes the importance of improving our capability to defend against long-range rogue state missile threats. If we are to maximize defense against these threats, we must not stop growing the number of current ground-based interceptors in Alaska, which is in a paramount position for missile interception. Ballistic missile threats will only increase and we need to be prepared for every scenario.
Additionally, the cancellation of the second airborne laser (ABL) prototype is premature. The Airborne Laser is our most mature boost-phase intercept system, and will allow us the capability to engage and destroy a missile before it is anywhere near U.S. soil.
The administration should also reconsider its termination of the Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV) program. MKV provides a layered approach to BMD, literally multiplying the number of opportunities we have to destroy an incoming missile. This defensive system would enhance our ground-based midcourse defense element that is crucial to missile interception.
Again, North Korea’s actions over the weekend demonstrate that rogue nations are intent on challenging the United States and her allies. Our missile defense system is our only effective protection against imminent ballistic missile threats and this launch highlights just how deeply misguided it would be for the new Administration to scale back missile defense spending.
The administration’s decision to restructure the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) program and cancel the program’s vehicle component is cause for concern. FCS provides the soldier with lightweight, energy-efficient and highly-effective systems to conduct security and stability operations in a complex environment. I am concerned that restructuring FCS will result in a delay in providing the Army with the next generation of all-encompassing capabilities for today’s conflicts.
Finally, I have serious concerns regarding the administration’s decision to end production of the F-22 at 187 aircraft. The safety and security of our nation depends on defense against the growing air combat capabilities of our adversaries. Continuing F-22 production is critical to the United States and her allies abroad.
I strongly urge the administration to reconsider these drastic defense spending cuts that will weaken our national security.”-- Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05)
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Congressman Lamborn is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Strategic Forces Subcommittee. Additionally, he is a co-founder of the Missile Defense Caucus.