River Region Times

On June 27, 2024, Congressman Barry Moore (AL-02) announced that his bipartisan amendment to the 2025 Department of Defense Appropriations legislation had passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 210-201. The amendment, co-sponsored by Rep. Dale Strong (AL-05), proposes cutting $4.91 million allocated for climate change research and redirecting those funds to enhance Army unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs).

UGVs have shown significant potential on the battlefield, capable of performing various tasks without endangering human lives. These tasks include reconnaissance, surveillance, logistics, and explosive ordnance disposal.

In his remarks on the House floor, Moore stated: "According to the Presidential Budget Item Justification for this [climate change research] project submitted by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, climate change 'will impact the full range of U.S. military operating environments.' That is complete hogwash. Do we really think China cares about climate change or impacts their operations have on the environment? Absolutely not."

Moore further emphasized that upgrading unmanned systems would better protect American servicemembers from enemy fire: "To better protect American servicemembers from enemy fire, we should upgrade unmanned systems that operate in enemy environments. UGVs have already demonstrated their transformative potential on the battlefield."

Rep. Moore's full remarks can be accessed through high-resolution images or Twitter.

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