The publication is reproduced in full below:
NOMINATION OF ERIK KRISTOPHER RAVEN
Mr. TESTER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the following statement be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Introductory Remarks for Erik Raven (as delivered)
u.s. senator jon tester--Senate Committee on Armed Services
(March 22, 2022)
It is truly an honor to be introducing Erik Raven today at his nomination hearing to be Undersecretary for the Navy.
It is an honor because there is no one more qualified or capable than Erik is to serve the women and men of our Navy.
I know firsthand, because Erik is the Democratic Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Defense of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, and for the last year, I have worked very, very closely with him in my role as Chairman on that Committee. In that time, we've spoken every day-- something I know Erik has enjoyed very much.
Erik is a true professional. He is dedicated, he is whip- smart, and he knows the defense budget better than anybody.
But that's only part of what makes Erik qualified and deserving of being confirmed for this position at the Department of Defense.
What makes Erik exceptional is that he deeply understands the challenges and the threats we face, and he has dedicated his life to our military, our national security, and to our country.
For the last 24 years, Erik has served as a staff member for some of the Giants of the Senate: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Ted Kennedy, and Sen. Robert Byrd--you may have heard of them.
Erik served as Senator Byrd's Military and Foreign Affairs Advisor from 2000 to 2007, and as his Legislative Director from 2006-2007. He also served as a speechwriter for Senator Byrd on national security matters.
Some of you may not know this, but my office in Hart is Senator Byrd's old office. And welcoming Erik back into that office after I became SAC-D Chairman is a fitting symmetry to the end of his Hill career before he sails off to the Pentagon.
But I'm not the only SAC-D Chairman who has benefitted from Erik's wisdom and leadership.
For the past 15 years--7 as a Professional Staff Member and 8 as Staff Director--Erik has served Senators, the Senate, and our nation.
As the Staff Director, he is the principal advisor to the Committee on budgetary matters relating to the Department of Defense and the national intelligence community.
And during his time on the Committee, Erik has been responsible for the oversight of national intelligence programs, national security space programs, Special Operations procurement, Army aviation, and Navy research and development matters, as well as staff lead on wartime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance initiatives.
Erik is as credentialed as he is experienced: he has completed a master's thesis on the origins of China's nuclear weapons program at the London School of Economics and Political Science as well as an undergraduate honors thesis on the international narcotics trade at Connecticut College.
This dude is a smart guy.
And he has good people in his corner: I want to recognize his wife, Ann, who is here today--and thank you, Ann, for sharing Erik with the Senate, and soon, I hope, with the Department of Defense. The gratitude our country owes Erik for his service, we also owe to you.
The bottom line is this: Erik Raven will serve as Undersecretary for the Navy honorably and well. He is exceptionally qualified and deserving of this Committee's favorable endorsement, and I'm sure that the distinguished members of this Committee will agree after getting a chance to question him.
Erik, I just want to congratulate you on your nomination, and get in there and give 'em hell, okay?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 59
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