Congress has invested heavily in the last few years in this area and we need to keep these programs on track. There is no question about the requirement to modernize the equipment for these significant U.S. military missions. However, the past year has proven to be one of great difficulty in completing the development and fielding of this important aircraft program. This morning, the Military Research and Development Subcommittee will receive testimony from a series of innovative, U.S. companies that are developing leading edge technologies, and proposing military applications of those technologies that address a variety of defense modernization needs. Ten years after the demise of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, we are still grappling with how to characterize this period in history.
Most analysts continue to refer to it as the post-Cold War period.
Last night, President Bush declared that our nation's military must remain second to none and that his budget would ensure this outcome.