HILL BRIEFS

Senators Report Consensus On Missile Defense, Army FCS

Wed. Apr. 30, 2008


Defense. A bipartisan consensus is emerging on the controversial issue of national missile defense, according to Senate Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee ranking member Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. Emerging from the subcommittee's closed markup of the FY09 defense authorization bill today, Sessions said, "It was good to have bipartisan consensus on all big issues." Although he would not talk about specific items in the panel's portion of the bill in keeping with full committee's gag order, Sessions said there was a consensus that "we should follow through on producing and deploying a missile defense system." Sessions added he "may have an issue in full committee" regarding President Bush's proposal to develop a ballistic missile defense capability in Europe. But he would not provide details. Meanwhile, Senate Armed Services Airland Subcommittee Chairman Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., suggested that his panel's mark today was favorable for the Army's $160 billion Future Combat Systems program. "As a general principle, I am very supportive of the Future Combat System," Lieberman said, adding that there likely will be a difference of opinion between the Senate and the House, where lawmakers have been far more skeptical of the affordability and feasibility of FCS. The full Senate committee began its markup of the authorization this afternoon.

Wed. Apr. 30, 2008