U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Ak) Holds Hearing On Fiscal Year 2006 Appropriations for the Missile Defense Program

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U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Ak) Holds Hearing On Fiscal Year 2006 Appropriations for the Missile Defense Program

U.S. SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS: SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEFENSE HOLDS A HEARING ON FISCAL YEAR 2006 MISSILE DEFENSE PROGRAM APPROPRIATIONS

MAY 11, 2005

SPEAKERS: U.S. SENATOR TED STEVENS (R-AK) CHAIRMAN U.S. SENATOR THAD COCHRAN (R-MS) U.S. SENATOR ARLEN SPECTER (R-PA) U.S. SENATOR PETE V. DOMENICI (R-NM) U.S. SENATOR CHRISTOPHER (KIT) BOND (R-MO) U.S. SENATOR MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY) U.S. SENATOR RICHARD C. SHELBY (R-AL) U.S. SENATOR JUDD GREGG (R-NH) U.S. SENATOR KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON (R-TX) U.S. SENATOR CONRAD BURNS (R-MT)

U.S. SENATOR DANIEL K. INOUYE (D-HI) RANKING MEMBER U.S. SENATOR ROBERT C. BYRD (D-WV) U.S. SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY (D-VT) U.S. SENATOR TOM HARKIN (D-IA) U.S. SENATOR BYRON DORGAN (D-ND) U.S. SENATOR RICHARD DURBIN (D-IL) U.S. SENATOR HARRY REID (D-NV) U.S. SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN (D-CA) U.S. SENATOR BARBARA MIKULSKI (D-MD)

WITNESSES: LIEUTENANT GENERAL HENRY OBERING III, DIRECTOR, MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY

GENERAL JAMES CARTWRIGHT, COMMANDER, U.S. STRATEGIC COMMAND

[*] STEVENS: The committee is pleased to welcome General James Cartwright, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, and Lieutenant General Henry Obering, director of the Missile Defense Agency.

General Obering, this is your first opportunity, I believe, to testify before us as director of the Missile Defense Agency.

We welcome you. Given your service at MDA and at other roles, having been a director for almost a year now, we're happy to see you on board and to welcome you to our committee.

And we thank you both for coming today.

Ballistic missile defense is one of the most challenging missions in the Department of Defense.

This committee has consistently provided support for missile defense programs. It's fair to say that this administration has been more active in fielding missile defense to meet the current and growing threat than any previous administration.

Even as its support for missile defense remains strong, the administration is also contending with the global war on terror.

With all the competing priorities, resources are extremely limited and funding for missile defense may have reached its highwater mark in fiscal year 2005. However, we must move to ensure that our diminishing missile defense resources are well focused on the right priorities.

General Cartwright, General Obering, we look forward to hearing about the missile defense capabilities and receiving an update on how th...

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