Like its immediate predecessor, this bills overarching objective is to reorient the department of defense toward the great power of competition that our nation faces today. Overall, the bill supports a total of 750 billion in defense spending which includes 642 billion for the department of defense based budget, 23 billion for the department of energies defense activity and another 76 billion for overseas contingency operation. This means the level of spending requested by the president and provides the department of defense with real growth. Above the rate of inflation and recognition of increasing threats our nation faces. The bill also supports the all volunteer force, providing a 3. 1 pay raise for our men and women in uniform. It means the president s wreath crest for an active duty force of 1,339,500 soldiers sailors, airmen and marines. I serve as chairman of the subcommittee on Strategic Forces which has jurisdiction for nuclear forces, missiledefense, and National SecuritySpace Programs and u. S. Strategic command. To which nebraska is home. I am fond of quoting the statement of former president obama secretary of defense, cash carter who said quote, Nuclear Deterrence is the bedrock of our security and the highest Priority Mission of the department of defense. That was true in 2016 when he said it and it is equally true today as russia and china continue to expand their Nuclear Arsenals and deterring great cap power and conflict becomes the central focus of our military. With this changing security environment in mind, this bill fully funds the Nuclear Mission of the men and women of the u. S. Including this sustainment as well as the modernization of our triad, our Nuclear Command and control systems in the department of Energy Nuclear conflicts this legislation builds upon last year support for the supplemental systems announced in the president s review. By authorizing funds to the deployment of low yield ballistic missile. Numerous sr. Military leaders have testified what is necessary to address gaps in the defense posture. The fy 277 also supports a missile capability in order to further enhance deterrence and also to reassure allies, moreover the legislation includes a requirement of the administration to submit a report assessing four major categories of nuclear arms that are currently not captured by the new start treaty. As many of my colleagues are aware the administration has announced its intent to pursue a more comprehensive approach to arms control beyond the traditional bilateral limitations of landbased icbms. Submarine launched Ballistic Missiles and our heavy bombers. The administrations logic is simple. Tracks are shifted as russia invests a new and novel systems that are not captured by the new start treaty and chinas arsenal expands, a new approach is needed that accounts for these new dynamics. In support of this effort this provision would require the administration provided comprehensive assessment of these additionally, these Strategic Forces subcommittee authorized resources for a number of key unfunded priorities for more fighters. This includes an additional 113 million for the development of the next generation of gps receivers to ensure the u. S. Military continues to have access to resilience navigation and timing capabilities and an additional 108 million for the Missile Defense agency to continue the development of Space Centers to track advance track including hypersonic and finally, the fully authorized critical bilateral u. S. Israel cooperative missiledefense programs the Critical Resources this bill provides will be appreciated by our Strategic Partners and our men and women in uniform around the globe as well as those in each and every state here at home. Madam president , i am honored to represent the men and women of the air force base, the 55th wing and the Nebraska National guard. I am proud to say this legislation authorized several critical investments that not only support our uniformed men and women in nebraska, it better enables them to fulfill their role in defending this nation. Bypassing the fy 20 we keep the fighting 55th wing. The bill also authorizes full funding for the air force budget request to support the c130 five family of aircraft that support significant upgrades to the capabilities of the rc 135 they continue conversion of kc 135 tankers to wc 135r Nuclear Detection aircraft and enables the ongoing oc 135 open skies recapitalization. Just as critically the bill helps the air force to evolve its isr capability and move towards a more survivable networked environment with manned, unmanned and sensors all acting as key components to give battlefield commanders the best information possible. To achieve this the bill includes two amendments i authored that will direct the air force to exterior with the integration and dissemination of data from surveillance platform like the rc 1352 the war fighter. While the bill authorizes these important new investments, it also provides funding to address ongoing Disaster Recovery efforts which are essential for military installations that were affected by the recent flooding in nebraska. Read building the air force base and then Nebraska National guard scamp ashland are top priorities. I am happy to report that the bill authorizes millions of dollars in funding to aid in the continued process of cleanup, design, and construction for the facilities that were destroyed. Because i believe nebraska spaces are core components of the Nations Defense i was also proud to have two amendments that further support the process of rebuilding. These measures increase the caps on minor military construction for recovery at bases impacted by recent disasters. It encourages the military services to work quickly to rebuild the air force base and camp ashland. I strongly urge all of my colleagues to Work Together to support this Disaster Recovery effort. Many key military installations have been affected across several states and to rebuild these spaces must be a collaborative effort. We ought to our men and women in uniform to do this together for 58 years the mba has been the subject of a bipartisan consensus in congress. Despite other disagreements which may arise in the significant debate that we face, this bill has long been a unifying subject of agreement on capitol hill. There is good reason for that in the record that spans a halfcentury does not happen by accident. The fact is, no matter what other issues arise, an area where we must forge agreements is in supporting our Service Members and enabling the defense of the nation. This year we had a productive makeup. We had a productive market with a substantiative debate on the issues of this bill will the process work the way it was intended. We emerged with the strong bipartisan consensus on the bill before us. I encourage all of my colleagues to support the legislation so we can continue our tradition of authorizing full funding for the military and ensure this legislation signed into law on time. In that same spirit, it is essential we take the next step and worked to secure a budget agreement that not only supports a robust topline for National Defense but that we do so swiftly to give the department of defense the predictable funding they need to plan and budget for the coming year. With the end daa is only half of the job. We must authorize full funding of the military if we are truly committed to our military men and women, we must also vote on the defensive appropriation bill to fund what we do here this week as we continue to debate the fy 2020 we should all remember the reason why we have this debate every year. One of the primary responsibilities of congress is to provide for the common defense. That responsibility is written in the constitution and it is an oath each of us swore to uphold. I am reminded of that frequently when i am back home in nebraska. Each time i shake hands with the nebraska in uniform or meet a Family Member with the loved ones overseas i think about the responsibility we have in the debt we owe for the ones who serve. Over the years, sons and daughters of the heartland have answered that call to service. Regular men and women from every background in every walk of life united by their desire to safeguard their homeland and protect the cause of freedom yes, they are regular men and women but they are also exceptional americans in their spirits and their sacrifice is an example that we should remember every day. I hope that we can come together in the spirit of service and Work Together to swiftly pass the National Defense authorization act. Thank you madam president. I yield the floor