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Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise in strong support of the conference report on the fiscal year 1997 Defense authorization bill. I want to take this opportunity to commend the distinguished chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Senator Thurmond, for putting together an outstanding bill. Senator Thurmond worked tirelessly to conclude the conference quickly and efficiently, and the product is a bill that we can all be proud of.

I also want to pay tribute to the ranking member, Senator Nunn. Senator Nunn has served on the Armed Services Committee with distinction for 23 years. Throughout that time, he has been steadfast in his support for a strong, capable, and highly prepared military. This will be Senator Nunn's final Defense authorization bill, and I want to take this opportunity to thank Senator Nunn for his outstanding work on behalf of the men and women of our Armed Forces.

Mr. President, the bill before us includes a much-needed increase of $11.2 billion from the President's budget request for national defense . I want to emphasize that even with this increase the total level of Defense spending remains $7.4 billion below last year's level when adjusted for inflation. We are in the 12th straight year of decline in Defense spending.

For the benefit of my colleagues, I want to briefly summarize some of the highlights of this conference bill. The bill before us includes a 3 percent pay raise and a 4.6 percent increase in the basic allowance for quarters for our Armed Forces.

It directs the Secretaries of Defense and Health and Human Services to prepare and implement a demonstration program enabling Medicare-eligible beneficiaries to enroll in the Tricare, the DOD health care program.

The bill approves $10 million in additional research funding to examine the relationship between service of our men and women in the Gulf war and the incidence of congenital birth defects and illnesses among their children.

It also includes $201 million to carry out the Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act which addresses the Nation's ability to deal with threatened or actual use of nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons against American cities.

The bill provides $40 million to complete development and testing of the Patriot Anti-Cruise Missile Upgrade Program.

It authorizes $32 million for reactive jamming upgrades to the Navy's fleet of EA-6B electronic warfare aircraft.

It includes a $24.5 million increase for night vision goggles and $9.1 million for infra-red aiming lights.

It also directs that the Navy conduct a competitive evaluation of the ATD-111 and Magic Lantern Lidar systems to determine which system to acquire under the Airborne Laser Mine Detection Program.

It provides an increase of $914 million for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, and $134 million specifically for the space and missile tracking system.

Last, it approves an increase of roughly $300 million for conventional delivery enhancements for the B-1 and B-2 bombers.

Additionally, Mr. President, I would like to briefly summarize some of the initiatives contained under the acquisition and technology section of this bill. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Acquisition and Technology, I have been troubled by the failure of the administration to adequately invest in long-term technology development. Modernization is the key to long-term readiness, and without effective investment in the technology base, we will be unable to preserve the technological edge that we enjoy today.

The bill before us includes a number of important initiatives to support efforts of the services to develop advanced operational concepts and technologies, to increase the use of commercial technologies for defense applications, and to make defense programs more affordable. For instance, the bill provides $40 million to fund the Marine Corps' Sea Dragon experiments to develop new operational concepts that leverage technology and innovation; authorizes $20 million for a joint services research and development program for nonlethal weapons and technologies; provides $85 million for the dual use applications program; authorizes $61 million for the manufacturing technology programs of the Army, Navy and Air Force; provides an increase of $12 million to continue the procurement technical assistance program; and includes a provision to streamline the Defense Department's requirements for assessing the capabilities of the national defense technology and industrial bases, including cases of unacceptable reliance on foreign sources.

Mr. President, these are but a few of the many critically important initiatives contained in this bill. I would emphasize that these initiatives address the priorities established by the service chiefs and will directly enhance our national security.

I also want to emphasize that each of the issues that President Clinton's advisors indicated may trigger a Presidential veto have been resolved to the satisfaction of the administration. Thus, this bill enjoys strong bipartisan support and the indications are that the President will sign it.

Again, I want to thank the distinguished chairman and ranking member for their outstanding work in formulating a conference bill that enhances national security and reflects the vast majority of the Senate's priorities for defense . They have rendered an invaluable service to the Nation, and I am proud to support this important legislation.

Mr. President, I urge the adoption of the conference report, and I yield the floor.