Weekly column by Senator Collins
For more than two centuries, young Americans have left the comfort and security of home in order to preserve our freedom and to extend the blessings of freedom to others. Veterans Day is a solemn anniversary-- a day set aside not to celebrate victory in a great battle, but to honor the sacrifice that brought peace. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 was not marked by the roar of cannon. Rather, it was the moment the guns were silenced by courage, devotion to duty, and a commitment to freedom.
The virtues that brought about that silence echo through the ages. It is appropriate that Veterans Day now honors all who have defended our nation. Whether they serve in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, or the Merchant Marine, whether they serve in the regular forces, the National Guard or the Reserves, they sacrificed much to serve our country.
It was my father who taught me to honor our veterans. A World War II veteran, my father earned his Purple Heart when he was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. From my father, I learned that the heroes who wear the uniforms of America’s armed forces are peace-loving, caring men and women who put aside the comforts of civilian life to advance the cause of freedom.
The men and women we honor on Veterans Day have paid the price of our freedom in times of conflict, and they are our shield in times of peace. We honor those who paid the ultimate price. We honor those who lived beyond their years of military service and returned home. And we honor those who serve today. We owe them all a great debt.
We repay that debt in part with the gratitude we express on Veterans Day, but only in part. Today, nearly 24 million Americans proudly wear the title of veteran. There are more than 136,000 veterans right here in our great state of Maine. In addition to our gratitude, we must also repay our debt with health care, rehabilitation services, educational and employment opportunities that our veterans have earned by their sacrifice to our country. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I support the Fiscal Year 2010 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill. The Senate version includes $53.2 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, including $50 million for a new Rural Clinic Initiative to help provide additional Community Based Outreach Clinics in rural areas such as Maine. The bill also includes $250 million to continue a Rural Health Initiative, created last year, that is specifically aimed at improving medical care for veterans in rural areas.
We are fortunate to live in a state in which so many have served our nation with honor, and in which so many join together to honor those who serve. From the Troop Greeters at Bangor International Airport to the many citizens who volunteer countless hours to helping and supporting our vets, to the veterans service organizations, the people of Maine have always expressed our gratitude with generosity and a spirit of caring.
As we honor those who serve, we should also remember the parents, the wives and husbands, the children and other loved ones of our veterans and our troops. The families left behind must face the challenges of daily living as they endure the separation and the relentless worry. Their sacrifices are great, and we must thank them as well.
The Americans we honor on Veterans Day fought for the security of our nation, and for benefit of mankind. Those who serve today – the veterans of tomorrow – carry on this great mission. They have earned our deepest thanks, not just on Veterans Day, but for all the days to come.
Showing posts with label weekly column. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weekly column. Show all posts
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, June 5, 2009
Reforming Pentagon Purchasing to Save Money
Weekly column by Senator Susan Collins
Every year, the Department of Defense (DoD) spends billions of dollars on major weapons systems. In fiscal year 2008 alone, DoD spending reached $396 billion, approximately 74 percent of total federal contract spending. The scope of the Department’s contract spending is particularly evident when the Army’s procurement activities are examined. The number of Army contracts has grown by more than 600 percent since 2001, and contract dollars have increased by more than 500 percent. In 2007, the Army is responsible for one out of every four federal contracting dollars.
Unfortunately, the Defense Department does not always spend wisely. In purchasing major defense systems, the Department has a record of being over budget and behind schedule. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), 95 of the DoD’s largest weapons programs are over budget by a total of $295 billion and are behind schedule by an average of two years.
To address these persistent problems, I joined Senators Carl Levin (D-Michigan) and John McCain (R-Arizona) in cosponsoring bipartisan procurement reform legislation. Recently, President Obama signed our bill into law. The Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 will help prevent cost overruns, keep programs on track, and bring increased accountability and transparency to major defense acquisition programs.
The new law will help strengthen DoD’s procurement process by requiring more planning, better estimation of costs, more competition, a larger acquisition workforce, and improved oversight of projects. It will help build discipline into the planning and requirements process, keep projects focused, prevent cost overruns and schedule delays, and ultimately save taxpayer dollars.
This law improves DoD’s planning and contracting oversight in many ways. It creates a new senior leader at the Pentagon who will be charged with accurately estimating the costs of defense systems. These cost estimates are critical for the Pentagon to evaluate cost, schedule, and system performance before a contract is awarded. Weighing these factors carefully from the very beginning of the decision-making process will enhance overall project planning and improve contracting outcomes.
In addition, the law will require that the Department establish clear lines to prevent conflicts of interest by defense contractors. These reforms will strengthen the wall between government employees and contractors, helping to ensure that ethical boundaries are respected. While contractors are important partners of military and civilian employees at DoD, their roles and responsibilities must be well-defined and free of conflicts of interest as they undertake their critical work supporting our nation’s military.
The law also includes an amendment that I offered with Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) to ensure that DoD reliably and consistently measures contract performance. Contractors would be required to use approved systems that track a project’s cost, schedule, and scope. These reports can provide early warnings of performance problems and better help programs stay on schedule and on budget. The quality and timeliness of a contractor’s reporting will also be taken into consideration when it bids on new contracts.
Research, development, testing, evaluation, and procurement of increasingly complex defense systems challenge the Pentagon’s ability to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. This new law will strengthen the Department’s acquisition planning, increase and improve program oversight, and help prevent contracting waste, fraud, and mismanagement. Ultimately, it will help ensure that our military personnel have the equipment they need, when they need it, and that tax dollars are not wasted on programs doomed to fail.
Every year, the Department of Defense (DoD) spends billions of dollars on major weapons systems. In fiscal year 2008 alone, DoD spending reached $396 billion, approximately 74 percent of total federal contract spending. The scope of the Department’s contract spending is particularly evident when the Army’s procurement activities are examined. The number of Army contracts has grown by more than 600 percent since 2001, and contract dollars have increased by more than 500 percent. In 2007, the Army is responsible for one out of every four federal contracting dollars.
Unfortunately, the Defense Department does not always spend wisely. In purchasing major defense systems, the Department has a record of being over budget and behind schedule. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), 95 of the DoD’s largest weapons programs are over budget by a total of $295 billion and are behind schedule by an average of two years.
To address these persistent problems, I joined Senators Carl Levin (D-Michigan) and John McCain (R-Arizona) in cosponsoring bipartisan procurement reform legislation. Recently, President Obama signed our bill into law. The Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009 will help prevent cost overruns, keep programs on track, and bring increased accountability and transparency to major defense acquisition programs.
The new law will help strengthen DoD’s procurement process by requiring more planning, better estimation of costs, more competition, a larger acquisition workforce, and improved oversight of projects. It will help build discipline into the planning and requirements process, keep projects focused, prevent cost overruns and schedule delays, and ultimately save taxpayer dollars.
This law improves DoD’s planning and contracting oversight in many ways. It creates a new senior leader at the Pentagon who will be charged with accurately estimating the costs of defense systems. These cost estimates are critical for the Pentagon to evaluate cost, schedule, and system performance before a contract is awarded. Weighing these factors carefully from the very beginning of the decision-making process will enhance overall project planning and improve contracting outcomes.
In addition, the law will require that the Department establish clear lines to prevent conflicts of interest by defense contractors. These reforms will strengthen the wall between government employees and contractors, helping to ensure that ethical boundaries are respected. While contractors are important partners of military and civilian employees at DoD, their roles and responsibilities must be well-defined and free of conflicts of interest as they undertake their critical work supporting our nation’s military.
The law also includes an amendment that I offered with Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) to ensure that DoD reliably and consistently measures contract performance. Contractors would be required to use approved systems that track a project’s cost, schedule, and scope. These reports can provide early warnings of performance problems and better help programs stay on schedule and on budget. The quality and timeliness of a contractor’s reporting will also be taken into consideration when it bids on new contracts.
Research, development, testing, evaluation, and procurement of increasingly complex defense systems challenge the Pentagon’s ability to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. This new law will strengthen the Department’s acquisition planning, increase and improve program oversight, and help prevent contracting waste, fraud, and mismanagement. Ultimately, it will help ensure that our military personnel have the equipment they need, when they need it, and that tax dollars are not wasted on programs doomed to fail.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Remembering and Honoring the Women Airforce Service Pilots
Senator Collins' weekly column:
Memorial Day is our most solemn national observance. It is a day of gratitude and remembrance. It is the day when America pays tribute to those who have given their lives in the defense of freedom.
Throughout our nation’s history, brave patriots have answered the call to duty when freedom is threatened. From large cities and small towns, they left the comfort and security of home not to seek personal glory but to serve our country. With quiet courage, devotion to duty, and compassion, they have written a noble and inspiring history.
One of the most inspiring and little-known chapters in this history was written more than six decades ago by volunteers who stepped forward during World War II to serve as Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs. This remarkable band of sisters filled a crucial role during our nation’s darkest hour. More than 1,100 women – homemakers, teachers, nurses, office workers, even a nun – served in the WASPs. Among them was Patricia Chadwick Ericson, a native of Houlton who now lives in Florida. Thirty-eight WASPs gave their lives in that service.
In the early days of World War II, America faced a severe shortage of combat pilots. That, in turn, led to a severe shortage of pilots to ferry aircraft from factories to training airfields and then to the front lines. Women pilots from across America paid their own way to Texas to undergo training and to earn their wings. They went on to fly more than 60 million miles in carrying out this vital mission.
In addition to their ferrying operations, the WASPs performed invaluable service as test pilots. In early 1943, many combat pilots were refusing to fly the new B-26 Marauder, designed to be a fast and highly maneuverable medium bomber. High accident rates, especially during takeoff, had earned this aircraft the nickname “Widowmaker.” Twenty-five WASPs volunteered for training to fly the B-26 and to prove its airworthiness. As a result of their efforts, the B-26, although always a challenging plane to fly, went on to achieve one of the lowest loss rates of any American aircraft during the war.
The WASPs’ service was unprecedented, courageous, and largely unnoticed. Although they received the same training as male combat pilots, these female pilots were denied full military status and were treated instead as civilian government employees. When the WASPs were disbanded in late 1944, they were sent home just as they came – at their own expense. Their service records were classified and sealed, and they received little acknowledgement of their service. The 38 who made the ultimate sacrifice were sent home in plain pine coffins at their families’ expenses. There were no gold stars for the grieving households.
The legacy of the WASPs goes beyond their wartime contributions. After the war, their service and sacrifice were crucial to the successful effort by Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith to secure full military status for women serving in uniform. In the late 1970s, more than 30 years after the WASPS made such a great contribution, women were finally permitted to receive combat pilot training in United States armed forces. Today, women fly every type of aircraft and mission, from fighter jets in combat to the space shuttle. The WASPs helped open the doors to women in the American military, allowing them to serve in nearly every capacity.
I am proud to be a cosponsor of legislation to award the WASPs the Congressional Gold Medal, our nation’s highest civilian award. It is essential that we remember the achievements of these brave women and honor their service.
In one sense, the story of the WASPs is unique. In a larger sense, it is story that runs throughout our nation’s history, the story of ordinary citizens – men and women – answering the call to duty, defending our freedom, and extending the blessings of freedom to others around the world. We remember them with our deepest gratitude.
Memorial Day is our most solemn national observance. It is a day of gratitude and remembrance. It is the day when America pays tribute to those who have given their lives in the defense of freedom.
Throughout our nation’s history, brave patriots have answered the call to duty when freedom is threatened. From large cities and small towns, they left the comfort and security of home not to seek personal glory but to serve our country. With quiet courage, devotion to duty, and compassion, they have written a noble and inspiring history.
One of the most inspiring and little-known chapters in this history was written more than six decades ago by volunteers who stepped forward during World War II to serve as Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs. This remarkable band of sisters filled a crucial role during our nation’s darkest hour. More than 1,100 women – homemakers, teachers, nurses, office workers, even a nun – served in the WASPs. Among them was Patricia Chadwick Ericson, a native of Houlton who now lives in Florida. Thirty-eight WASPs gave their lives in that service.
In the early days of World War II, America faced a severe shortage of combat pilots. That, in turn, led to a severe shortage of pilots to ferry aircraft from factories to training airfields and then to the front lines. Women pilots from across America paid their own way to Texas to undergo training and to earn their wings. They went on to fly more than 60 million miles in carrying out this vital mission.
In addition to their ferrying operations, the WASPs performed invaluable service as test pilots. In early 1943, many combat pilots were refusing to fly the new B-26 Marauder, designed to be a fast and highly maneuverable medium bomber. High accident rates, especially during takeoff, had earned this aircraft the nickname “Widowmaker.” Twenty-five WASPs volunteered for training to fly the B-26 and to prove its airworthiness. As a result of their efforts, the B-26, although always a challenging plane to fly, went on to achieve one of the lowest loss rates of any American aircraft during the war.
The WASPs’ service was unprecedented, courageous, and largely unnoticed. Although they received the same training as male combat pilots, these female pilots were denied full military status and were treated instead as civilian government employees. When the WASPs were disbanded in late 1944, they were sent home just as they came – at their own expense. Their service records were classified and sealed, and they received little acknowledgement of their service. The 38 who made the ultimate sacrifice were sent home in plain pine coffins at their families’ expenses. There were no gold stars for the grieving households.
The legacy of the WASPs goes beyond their wartime contributions. After the war, their service and sacrifice were crucial to the successful effort by Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith to secure full military status for women serving in uniform. In the late 1970s, more than 30 years after the WASPS made such a great contribution, women were finally permitted to receive combat pilot training in United States armed forces. Today, women fly every type of aircraft and mission, from fighter jets in combat to the space shuttle. The WASPs helped open the doors to women in the American military, allowing them to serve in nearly every capacity.
I am proud to be a cosponsor of legislation to award the WASPs the Congressional Gold Medal, our nation’s highest civilian award. It is essential that we remember the achievements of these brave women and honor their service.
In one sense, the story of the WASPs is unique. In a larger sense, it is story that runs throughout our nation’s history, the story of ordinary citizens – men and women – answering the call to duty, defending our freedom, and extending the blessings of freedom to others around the world. We remember them with our deepest gratitude.
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