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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released the following statement today after the Senate Appropriations Committee passed the Fiscal Year 2019 Defense Appropriations bill, which includes Florida priorities secured by Rubio:
 
“Florida is extremely proud of its growing military presence, and this important bill will benefit our military personnel stationed throughout the state as well as the communities they call home. With the support of the committee, I secured crucial funding increases for several national security priorities that will go toward Florida’s 22 military installations. This record $20.4 billion increase in funding for our national defense is a big win for both our military and state.”
             
The legislation as passed includes the following key Rubio provisions:

Military Personnel and Pay: Supports a military pay raise of 2.6 percent, the largest pay raise for our servicemembers in nearly 10 years.
 
Readiness: $237.2 billion in base and OCO funding for operation and maintenance accounts to improve full spectrum warfighter readiness. The recommended funding level makes significant investments in training, maintenance, and modernization to restore near-term warfighting readiness while setting the conditions for future, sustained readiness. Additionally, the bill fully funds the request for flight operations and force related training for Special Operations Command.
 
Test and Evaluation Infrastructure: $846 million in additional funding to increase testing range space and availability and ensure continued independent assessments of weapon system capabilities, including an additional $280 million for Air Force test and evaluation support including funds for the Eastern Gulf Test and Training Range; an additional $206 million for Navy test and evaluation infrastructure; and an additional $160 million for Operational Test and Evaluation infrastructure including funds to support expanded hypersonic and directed energy testing.
 
Aviation programs: $42.2 billion for the procurement of military aircraft, including $3.8 billion to address high priority programs across the services, such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program; the O/A-X Light Attack Aircraft program (Air Force); UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters (Army National Guard); and V-22 Osprey aircraft (Navy). The bill also provides an additional $375 million to support the Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System, including additional MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles, support of the battlefield airborne communications node mission, radar and agile communications development, and sustainment of the legacy E-8 JSTARS fleet. The bill also provides multi-year procurement authority for SM-3 Block IB and SM-6 missiles, F-18 and EA-18 G aircraft, E-2D Advance Hawkeye aircraft and C-130 aircraft.
 
Israel: The bill fully funds the President’s budget request of $500 million for Israeli Cooperative Programs.
 
Defense Health: $34.5 billion for the Defense Health Program, which provides medical services for military personnel and their families, continues advancements in medical research, and implements the next generation of electronic health records. This amount includes an additional $974 million for defense medical research efforts, including $330 million for the competitively awarded peer-reviewed medical research program and $202 million to advance Department of Defense medical research priorities.
 
National Guard and Reserve Equipment: $900 million for the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account to modernize our reserve forces and ensure full interoperability with the active duty force.
 
Microelectronics: $447 million in additional funding to ensure access to trusted microelectronics and develop manufacturing processes for next generation chips, including an additional $347 million to accelerate next generation microelectronic development efforts to reestablish U.S. primacy in assured microelectronics technology.
 
Space: $564 million in additional funding to develop enhanced offensive and defensive space capabilities, including $100 million for advanced sensors for Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared, the successor to the Space Based Infrared System and $200 million for Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) development efforts.
 
U.S. Southern Command: Headquartered in Doral, Florida, SOUTHCOM was the only combatant command to submit to congress an unfunded requirements list. This bill provides nearly $70 million for the command. This includes $23.3 million for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance; $1.58 for JTF-GTMO Force Protection; $18 million for a Multi-Mission Support Vessel; and additional funding for other essential requirements.
 
Advanced Manufacturing: Provides an additional $30 million for the DoD Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) program to focus on the integration of semiconductor-based processes and materials into next generation smart sensors, photonics and other integrated devices, all critical for DOD electronics systems; and manufacturing development of emerging technologies.
 
Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Support: Provides an additional $3.5 million to improve the US Industrial Base’s ability to respond to the Departments needs by applying focused investments, monitor and assess the current state of the IB, address critical issues in the IB relating to Urgent Operational Needs, address supply chain vulnerabilities and, support efforts to expand the Industrial Base.
 
Advanced Aerospace Systems: Provides an additional $50 million addresses high pay-off opportunities to provide revolutionary new system capabilities for satisfying current and projected military mission requirements associated with advanced aeronautical systems at dramatically reduced costs.
 
Tunable Filter Support for Microelectronics Development: Provides an additional $5 million for the manufacture of low cost tunable thin film filters to enable manufacture of advanced microelectronics for improved Command, Control and Communications.
 
Eastern Gulf Test and Training Range: Provides an additional $10 million for the Gulf Range Enhancement program. The Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range, which covers the eastern third of the Gulf of Mexico, is used by the Department of Defense for training and testing of air armaments. There is an urgent need to move operations from the congested areas in the north parts of the water ranges south of Eglin Air Force Base to the less-used areas in the water ranges southeast of Tyndall Air Force Base and into the Eglin Water Test Area. In addition, the planned T&E of long-range weapons in the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range will require additional range instrumentation to provide coverage over the entire flight-path of these weapons. The Gulf Range Enhancement program is a current investment for enhanced capability supporting future mission use of the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range.
 
Prompt Global Strike Capability Development: Provides an additional $345 million to develop and demonstrate technologies and applications that advance conventional prompt global strike (CPGS) warfighting capabilities.
 
Persistent Maritime Surveillance: Provides an additional $15 million to continue the research and development of the Persistent Maritime Surveillance/Non-acoustic Detection program.
 
Condition Based Maintenance: Provides an additional $4 million to expand the incorporation of Condition Based Maintenance to large deck ships. The Navy has introduced condition based maintenance tools into the combat system of LCS, DDG-51, and CG-47 class ships using the AN/SYM-S. These tools and the AN/SYM-3 now allow for prognostic systems that aid in forecasting and scheduling planned maintenance, while dramatically reducing unplanned system down time.
 
MH-60-SLAP: Provides an additional $10 million for assessment of the MH-60S fleet in order to determine what efforts are necessary to extend the aircraft design life limits to allow it to meet Chief of Naval Operations operational inventory requirements through FY 2035. Without SLAP, aircraft are retired from the USN inventory when design service life limits are reached directly impacting fleet surface warfare, mine countermeasures, search and rescue, and vertical replenishment operational capabilities.
 
Marine Corps Joint Air-to-Ground Missile for Fixed Wing Aircraft: Provides an additional $9.8 million for the Joint Air-to-Ground Missile, the replacement for the Hellfire missile.
 
Advanced Low-Cost Munitions Ordnance (ALAMO): Provides a funding increase for research and development associated with the Advanced Low-Cost Munitions Ordnance program.
 
High Performance Computing Modernization Program: Provides an additional $35 million for the DOD High Performance Computing Modernization Program (HPCMP). This Army R&D and is a Departmental asset equally shared between all DOD organizations including the Army, Navy, Air Force, DARPA, DTRA, and the Missile Defense Agency. HPCMP supports the requirements of DOD scientists and engineers in three major areas: DOD supercomputing resource centers, the Defense Research and Engineering Network (DREN), and support for software applications.
 
Submarine Tactical Warfare System: Provides an additional $5 million to continue the development of the Submarine Launched Unmanned Aerial Systems (SLUAS).
 
Warfighter Sustainment Applied Research: Provides an additional $2.4 million to support innovation-based efforts that will provide technology options for future Navy and Marine Corps capabilities. Efforts focus on advanced naval materials; biocentric technologies; environmental quality; human factors and organizational design; medical technologies; and naval training technologies.
 
Restoration & Modernization of facility at Eglin AFB: Provides an additional $100 million for the restoration and modernization of facilities at Eglin Air Force Base.
 
Directed energy: Provides an additional $2.5 million for research in directed energy weapon technologies, primarily high energy lasers; including laser devices, optical beam control; integration; target lethality/vulnerability assessments; ground-based optical space situational awareness; and high power microwaves.
 
Space Technology: Provides an additional $4 million to support space technology in four major areas: space survivability and surveillance; spacecraft payload technologies; spacecraft protection; spacecraft vehicles.
 
Test Range Enhancements: Provides an additional $150 million to increase testing range space and availability and ensure continued independent assessments of weapon system capabilities. The Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range, which covers the eastern third of the Gulf of Mexico, is used by the Department of Defense for training and testing of air armaments. There is an urgent need to move operations from the congested areas in the north parts of the water ranges south of Eglin Air Force Base to the less-used areas in the water ranges southeast of Tyndall Air Force Base and into the Eglin Water Test Area. In addition, the planned T&E of long-range weapons in the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range will require additional range instrumentation to provide coverage over the entire flight-path of these weapons. The Gulf Range Enhancement program is a current investment for enhanced capability supporting future mission use of the Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range.
 
Military Engineering Advanced Technology: Provides an additional $2 million to support the demonstration of data and information architectures and software applications, as well as sensing systems that can be used to provide Warfighters with timely, accurate, easily interpretable data and information for the operational and tactical mission environments, focusing on physical and human terrain and weather; methodologies, software applications, and hardware for improving ground vehicle mobility and counter mobility to support ground force operations including manned-unmanned teaming.
 
Littoral Combat Ship: Provides an additional $475 million for the procurement of additional Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and the Guided Missile Frigate (FFG(X)). Procuring two LCSs will keep the Navy on pace to procure in quantities needed to rebuild our maritime capability, support the fragile shipbuilding industrial base, and allow the Navy to achieve the best possible cost efficiencies.
 
Additional EPF Ship: Provides an additional $225million for the procurement of one Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) (formerly Joint High Speed Vessel) to provide combatant commanders high-speed intra-theater sealift with inherent cargo handling capability and the agility to achieve positional advantage over operational distances.
 
Submarine Industrial Base Expansion: Increased by $250 million.
 
Procurement of Weapons & Tracked Combat Vehicles, Army: Provides an additional $243.39 million in support of the Army’s most versatile and deployable combat vehicle, the Stryker, contributing to the Army’s effort to resource the remaining 168 Stryker A1s in its FY 2020 spending plan  and is the foundation of the Army’s nine Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCTs).
 
Aircraft Procurement, Air Force: Provides an increased amount of $50 million to the Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability Systems for F-15Cs which is a critical element of F-15 modernization, ensuring the aircraft’s survivability on the modern battlefield.  Furthermore, an additional $120 million in F-35 Advanced Procurement funding supporting the Airframe and Engine long-lead parts and materials necessary to maintain the Air Force’s delivery schedule of the platform.
 
Aircraft Procurement, Army: Provides an increase of $319 million for an additional fifteen UH-60 Blackhawk as well as an additional $720 million in support of AH-64E New Build program which assembles all new components resulting in completely new aircraft at the end of the production process.
 
Other Procurement, Army: Provides an increase of $2 million to the Rapid Equipping Force (REF) which is designed to increase the rate of innovation to put the United States in a position of advantage. To do this, REF works directly with units in the field to identify urgent requirements ranging across the Warfighting Function areas.
 
Other Procurement, Navy: Provides an increased amount of $38.3 million to support the Navy’s initiative in attempting to build its inventory of the broad area search Multi-Static Active (MAC) sonobuoy technology which provides the foundational Air ASW acoustic search capability for the P-8 Poseidon and increasing the inventory of MAC sonobuoys is required to support the combatant commander’s ASW mission execution requirements.
 
Aircraft Procurement, Navy: Provides increases to Navy aircraft procurements in the amounts of: $170 million for an additional E-2D Advanced Hawkeye; an additional $412 million in support of the procurement of the F-35B variant; and an additional $796 million that supports the additional procurement of the F-35C variant.  Additionally, there is an increased amount of $400 million in support of F-35B and F-35C spares.