U.S. Sens. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., today praised passage of the 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill, which provides funding for a number of important provisions for our military men and women and their families, the operations they are conducting overseas, as well as Georgia’s military installations and Georgia-made weapon systems. “This bill is critical to our continuing commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan and ensures that we maintain the most prepared and best-equipped fighting force in the world,” said Chambliss. “I do not agree with everything in the bill. Particularly, this bill would prohibit the release, transfer, or detention of Guantanamo detainees in the United States, but provides an exception allowing for prosecution within the U.S. I have been opposed to this, and continue to oppose this. However, we have the best trained, most professional, most effective, and best led military in the world and they deserve our unfailing support. That is why I voted in favor of this bill.” ” Georgia’s military bases and defense systems manufacturers are critical to our national security and have played a key role in the global war on terrorism,” “While I do not agree with everything in this bill, this funding is critical to ensuring that our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to protect our homeland and continue the fight for freedom around the world.” The bill provides $636.3 billion for the military, including $128.2 billion to support the military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, this does not include funding to support President Obama’s recently announced troop increase in Afghanistan. Chambliss and Isakson look forward to working with their colleagues and the administration in the New Year to move as quickly as possible to provide General Stanley McChrystal and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry and their teams the resources they need to succeed as quickly as possible. Additionally, the bill also makes funding available for communities that have been adversely impacted by the Department of Defense’s decision to not grow the Army by an additional three brigades as previously announced. Communities and local businesses in Liberty County and Southeast Georgia invested over seventy five million dollars in response to appeals by the Department of Defense to prepare for an additional brigade at Ft Stewart. However, the Department of Defense later said that the brigade would not be coming.
