WASHINGTON, DC – Last night, the U.S. Senate approved a $662 billion defense bill that will help provide our troops with the support, resources, and equipment they need to address our most pressing national security threats.

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, helped ensure the 2012 Defense Authorization bill provides essential funding for military personnel and equipment, including full funding for the continuation of two Virginia-class submarines, as well as the Navy’s DDG-1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer program.  Both of these programs are vitally important not only to our national security but also to the economy of Rhode Island and New England.  Locking in the two-per-year procurement rate for the Virginia-class submarine program is critical given the national deficit reduction pressures the Pentagon’s budget will face in the years ahead.

“This bill is critical to our national security.  We are grateful to our service men and women who are devoting themselves, and indeed their families, to the protection of the United States and this bill will help give them the resources they need to do their jobs,” said Reed, who chairs the Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower.

The bill also helps save taxpayers by reforming key acquisition procedures and contractor pay rules and preventing counterfeit parts in the Department of Defense supply chain.

“These are challenging economic times and we made difficult decisions in putting this bill together.  We were able to find about $27 billion in savings from the President’s original budget request while still allowing the Pentagon to combat current threats, plan for future threats, and provide for the welfare and protection of those men and women and their families who serve our nation,” continued Reed, who also noted the bill is $43 billion less than the amount appropriated for fiscal year 2011.  “This legislation will also help create high-paying manufacturing and technology jobs in Rhode Island and ensure our defense industry remains strong and vibrant. The funding authorized in this package is an acknowledgement of the valuable contribution Rhode Island companies and workers make towards safeguarding our nation.”

In addition to helping to keep the Virginia-class submarine program on track, Senator Reed helped include several important measures in the bill, including an initiative to save taxpayers an estimated $1 billion and appropriately reduce the Air Force’s strategic airlift aircraft inventory minimum, from 316 to 301, which the Pentagon, the Air Force, and Transportation Command all support.

Additionally, the bill includes several other key provisions Reed supported, such as a 1.6-percent across-the-board pay raise for military men and women; new training and employment programs to help separating service members find private sector jobs; and $30 million in supplemental aid to help public schools address the educational needs of the children of service members.

The bill, which passed the Senate on a vote of 93-7, now must be reconciled with a version that was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives.  Senator Reed has been named a conferee to the conference committee that will negotiate the final version of the bill.  Once a final version is negotiated, it must then be passed by both the House and the Senate before it can be sent to President Obama to be signed into law.