[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1602 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1602

 To require the closure of Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico 
 upon termination of Armed Forces use of training ranges on the island 
       of Vieques, Puerto Rico, involving live munitions impact.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 21, 1999

  Mr. Inhofe introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the closure of Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico 
 upon termination of Armed Forces use of training ranges on the island 
       of Vieques, Puerto Rico, involving live munitions impact.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. CLOSURE OF NAVAL STATION ROOSEVELT ROADS, PUERTO RICO.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The principal mission of Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, 
        Puerto Rico, is to support the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training 
        Facility.
            (2) The key component of the Atlantic Fleet Weapons 
        Training Facility is the set of training ranges on the island 
        of Vieques, including the live impact area on the eastern tip 
        of the island.
            (3) The other missions of Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, 
        such as the performance of counter-drug operations by P-3 
        aircraft and the missions of the Special Operations Command, 
        South, can be performed at other military facilities outside of 
        Puerto Rico.
            (4) Military training operations, including the expenditure 
        of live munitions, take place at a number of facilities in the 
        continental United States and in Allied nations.
            (5) If access to training ranges such as those on the 
        island of Vieques are terminated, the value of the Puerto Rican 
        Operating Area and the requirements for maintaining Naval 
        Station Roosevelt Roads are greatly diminished.
            (6) The Department of Defense must leverage its resources 
        in the most cost-effective manner to ensure that it maximizes 
        its ability to train its military forces.
            (7) Maintaining Naval Station Roosevelt Roads without 
        access to training ranges, including those on the island of 
        Vieques, would not be the most efficient use of scarce 
        readiness resources.
    (b) Contingent Requirement for Closure.--Upon any termination of 
use of the training ranges on the island of Vieques for live munitions 
impact involved in the training of the Armed Forces, the Secretary of 
Defense shall transfer the missions, personnel, and assets of Naval 
Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, to the continental United States 
and close Naval Station Roosevelt Roads. The Secretary may, however, 
transfer any counter-drug mission, together with associated personnel 
and assets, to a forward operation location outside the continental 
United States that is also outside the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
                                 <all>