John Kerry – Strong on Defense & Intelligence
Setting the Record Straight on John Kerry's Defense Record
Kerry Has Supported More than $4.4 Trillion in Defense Spending Including Voting for 16 of the Last 19 Defense Authorization Bills. He Voted for the "Largest Increase in Defense Spending Since the Early 1980's."
John Kerry is a strong supporter of the U.S. Armed Services and has consistently worked to ensure the military has the best equipment and training possible. In 2002, John Kerry voted for a large increase in the defense budget. This increase provided more than $355 billion for the Defense Department for 2003, an increase of $21 billion over 2002. This measure includes $71.5 billion for procurement programs such as $4 billion for the Air Force's F-22 fighter jets, $3.5 billion for the Joint Strike Fighter and $279.3 million for an E-8C Joint Stars (JSTARS) aircraft. Kerry's vote also funded a 4.1% pay increase for military personnel, $160 million for the B-1 Bomber Defense System Upgrade, $1.5 billion for a new attack submarine, more than $630 million for Army and Navy variants of the Blackhawk helicopter, $3.2 billion for additional C-17 transports, $900 million for R&D of the Comanche helicopter and more than $800 million for Trident Submarine conversion.
Bradley Fighting Vehicle
M-1 Abrams Tank
Aircraft Carriers
F-15 Strike Eagle
Block 60 F-16
B-1 Bomber
B-2 Bomber
Patriot Missile Defense System
FA-18 Fighter
Intelligence Funding
Bradley Fighting Vehicle
The Kerry Record - Bradley Fighting Vehicles:
Kerry has supported at least $8.5 billion in defense authorizations for the Bradley program [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]
M-1 Abrams Tank
The Kerry Record - M1 Abrams Tanks:
Kerry has supported at least $21.5 billion in defense authorizations for the Abrams tank. [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]
Aircraft Carriers
The Kerry Record - Aircraft Carriers:
Kerry has supported all five new aircraft carriers since he joined the senate: Since 1985, John Kerry has voted to start work on each of the five new aircraft carriers: the USS Stennis and the USS Truman in FY88, the USS Reagan in FY93, the USS Bush in FY98 and the newest (yet unnamed) carrier in FY01.
CVN-74 (Stennis), CVN-75 (Truman):
"The Congress authorized full funding in 1988 for CVN 74 and 75." Kerry voted FOR the authorization conference report for FY88 [globalsecurity.org;
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/sys...ship/cvn-68.htm]
CVN-76 (Reagan):
"In fiscal year 1993, the Congress provided $832 million for long-lead procurement items (primarily nuclear components) for CVN-76." Kerry voted FOR the authorization conference report for FY93 [globalsecurity.org;
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/sys...ship/cvn-68.htm]
CVN-77 (Bush):
"The FY1998 budget request included no funding for CVN 77, a posture supported by the House. However, the Senate authorized $345.0 million for procurement and construction of components for the CVN 77 aircraft carrier, authorized the Secretary of the Navy to enter into a contract or contracts with the carrier shipbuilder for such purposes, and authorized $35.0 million for research, development, test, and evaluation of technologies that have potential for use in the CVN 77. The Senate directed the Secretary of Defense to structure the procurement of the CVN 77 so that the carrier is acquired for an amount not to exceed $4.6 billion. The conferees supported construction of the CVN 77 and encouraged the Secretary of Defense to make available up to $295.0 million in fiscal year 1998 and to include in the FYDP accompanying the fiscal year 1999 budget request the funding necessary to achieve the savings required to remain within the $4.6 billion cost limitation." Kerry voted FOR the authorization conference report for FY98. [http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/cvn-77.htm]
CVN-21 (formerly CVNX) (unnamed):
The FY2001 budget request. "On 13 July 2000 the Senate authorized the Secretary of the Navy to procure the aircraft carrier to be designated CVNX-1. The Secretary may enter into one or more contracts for the advance procurement and advance construction of components for the ship, with $21,869,000 authorized for the advance procurement and advance construction of components (including nuclear components) for the CVNX-1 aircraft carrier program." Kerry voted FOR the authorization conference report for FY01.[globalsecurity.org;
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/cvx.htm]
F-15 Strike Eagle
The Kerry Record - F-15 Fighter Jets:
Kerry supported at least 19.5 billion in defense authorizations for the F-15. [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]
Block 60 F-16
The Kerry Record - F-16 Fighter Jets:
Kerry supported at least $25 billion in defense authorizations for the F-16. [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]
The Cheney Record: Cheney Proposed Cutting F-16 Aircraft.
In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Cheney said, "If you're going to have a smaller air force, you don't need as many F-16s... The F-16D we basically continue to buy and close it out because we're not going to have as big a force structure and we won't need as many F-16s." According to the Boston Globe, Bush's 1991 defense budget "kill[ed] 81 programs for potential savings of $ 11.9 billion…Major weapons killed include[d]... the Air Force's F-16 airplane." [Cheney testimony, House Armed Services Committee, 2/7/91; Boston Globe, 2/5/91]
B-1 Bomber
The Kerry Record - B-1 Bomber:
John Kerry has supported at least 10.3 billion in Defense authorizations for the B-1 Bomber. [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]
B-2 Bomber
The Kerry Record - B-2 Bomber:
Kerry has supported over $16.7 billion in defense authorizations for the B-2 program. [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]
The Cheney Record: Cheney Proposed Cuts to B-2 Program. According to the Boston Globe, in 1990, "Defense Secretary Richard Cheney announced a cutback… of nearly 45 percent in the administration's B-2 Stealth bomber program, from 132 airplanes to 75..." [Boston Globe, 4/27/90]
Patriot Missile Air Defense System
The Kerry Record - Patriot Missile Air Defense System
Kerry supported at least $10 billion in defense authorizations for the Patriot program. [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]
FA-18 Fighter
The Kerry Record - FA-18 Fighter:
Kerry supported at least $60 billion in defense authorizations for the F/A-18 and F-18 Fighter Jets [Total Funding Support from Kerry Votes for Defense Authorization bills 1985-2003]
The Cheney F-18 Record: Cutbacks Hit Industry Hard
Workers and the industry were hit hard by Cheney's decision for "major cuts" in the F/A-18 program and upgrades to the F-18 in the late 1980s [Flight International, 6/27/90; Los Angeles Times, 12/17/89; Aerospace Daily, 5/26/89; Aviation Week and Space Technology, 5/1/89]
Intelligence Funding
Kerry Strongly Supports Increased Intelligence Funding
Kerry, a former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has strongly supported recent increases in Intelligence funding for the CIA, FBI, NSA & Other Intel Agencies. In the wake of 9/11, he has supported the bipartisan call for an even larger increase in intelligence funding. According to a report issued by the Center for Defense Information entitled "Intelligence Funding and the War on Terror" John Kerry has supported approximately $250 billion in Intelligence funding over the past eight years alone. The report concludes that Kerry has supported a 50% increase in intelligence funding since 1996. [Senate Intelligence Authorization Funding voice votes 9/25/02, 12/13/01, 12/6/00, 11/19/1999, 10/8/98 & 9/25/96; 1997, Senate Roll Call vote # 109; Jewish News Bulletin of Northern California, 4/5/02]